Lesson 2

2 The last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis Quiz: Pearson Edexcel History, Unit 5

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 2, The last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel GCSE History (1HI0), Unit 5: Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Who led the powerful house of Godwin during Edward the Confessor's reign?

    • Earl Tostig
    • Earl Leofric
    • Earl Morcar
    • Earl Godwin

  2. What title did Harold Godwinson hold before he became king?

    • Earl of Chester
    • Earl of Wessex
    • Archbishop of Canterbury
    • Duke of Normandy

  3. Where did Harold Godwinson travel on an embassy during Edward's reign?

    • Normandy
    • Rome
    • Constantinople
    • Denmark

  4. What was the main cause of the 1065 Northumbrian rising against Tostig?

    • Religious changes
    • Heavy taxation
    • Crop failure
    • Viking raids

  5. What was the final outcome of the 1065 rising against Tostig?

    • Imprisonment
    • Promotion
    • Execution
    • Exile

  6. When did King Edward the Confessor die?

    • 1087
    • 1042
    • October 1066
    • January 1066

  7. Why was the English succession disputed after Edward the Confessor died?

    • No clear heir
    • Broken will
    • Papal interdict
    • Viking invasion

  8. Which family's immense wealth enabled Harold Godwinson to claim the throne?

    • House of Mercia
    • House of Wessex
    • House of Godwin
    • House of Bebbanburg

  9. Which earldom did Harold Godwinson inherit before becoming king?

    • Northumbria
    • Mercia
    • Wessex
    • East Anglia

  10. Who lost his northern earldom following the 1065 Northumbrian revolt?

    • Harold
    • Edwin
    • Morcar
    • Tostig

  11. Which source type provides the most direct contemporary evidence for 1066?

    • Chronicles
    • Victorian paintings
    • Modern textbooks
    • Tudor plays

  12. What did William of Normandy claim Harold promised him during his embassy?

    • Church lands
    • Annual tribute
    • Military alliance
    • The English throne

  13. Which feature made Edward the Confessor's death trigger a dangerous succession crisis?

    • Economic bankruptcy
    • Multiple rival claimants
    • Foreign invasion fleets
    • Peasant rebellions

  14. Which body elected and confirmed Harold Godwinson as king in January 1066?

    • The Witan
    • The Pope
    • The Normans
    • The Fyrd

  15. Who became King of England immediately following the death of Edward the Confessor?

    • Edgar the Aethling
    • William of Normandy
    • Harald Hardrada
    • Harold Godwinson

  16. Who launched an invasion in the north of England claiming rights to the throne?

    • Sweyn Estridson
    • Harald Hardrada
    • Cnut the Great
    • William Rufus

  17. What alleged event during Harold's embassy did Duke William use to justify his invasion?

    • A sacred oath
    • A signed treaty
    • A monetary loan
    • A royal marriage

  18. Which powerful English family provided the power base for Harold Godwinson's accession?

    • House of Wessex
    • House of Normandy
    • House of Mercia
    • House of Godwin

  19. Why should historians treat Norman accounts of Harold's oath with caution?

    • Written in Latin
    • Lacking eyewitnesses
    • Destroyed by fire
    • Biased justification

  20. What key factor caused Edward's death to result in a succession crisis?

    • No clear heir
    • Viking blockade
    • Papal interdict
    • Plague outbreak

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