Task 4 Change over time
Lesson 5
What’s the Difference?
The English Civil War is a turning point in the development of arms and armour. Students could be asked to determine those changes using photographs of images from the Royal Armouries online collection.
Using the on-line images of Charles I’s gilt armour and Henry VIII’s armour students could be asked to compare differences and similarities in two armours which are over 100 years apart.
Then students could be asked to look at the image of the 17th-century royal armours of Charles I and James II.
- What had armour been like before the English Civil Wars?
- Why had there been little change in armour between 1540 and 1640?
- What was armour like after the English Civil Wars?
- Why did this change in armour happen?
- What event was the turning point in change in armour?
Extension Activities
Students could be asked to consider:
- Why the English Civil wars were fought with guns rather than bows and arrows?
- This would involve research and a comparison of:
- The range, accuracy and loading times of 17th-century matchlock muskets and Medieval longbows.
- The cost of Matchlock muskets and longbows. Download the Arming Soldiers information sheet.
- The length of training of musketeers and longbowmen.
- This would involve research and a comparison of:
- Where did people get their arms and armour from?
- This would involve research using the Getting Armour information sheet.
- How much would it have cost to raise an army?
- This would involve research using the Paying the Troops information sheet and using simple numeracy skills to estimate the cost of an entire regiment.
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