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Age Groups
The Wars of the Roses are studied today in school in England at Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 14) and at at A Level (ages 16 to 18), but this period in history is fascinating whatever your age group and in or out of formal education.
As well as the pages under the heading of age groups, you will find the pages on maps and life in the fifteenth-century include interesting facts and pictures for all age groups.
The image above is from a fifteenth century manuscript of the Life of Alexander the Great. It shows Aristotle teaching Alexander and other boys. Although Alexander and Aristotle lived in the 4th century BC, the artist has painted a room and clothes of the fifteenth century. The manuscript is British Library MS Royal 20 B XX f. 10.
A school founded by King Henry VI in the mid-15th century is Eton College. The curriculum at Eton was entirely in Latin: pupils were expect to read and memorise works in classical Latin written by Cicero, Virgil, Ovid, Julius Caesar and others. In the 16th century when the “New Learning” was introduced into England from the European continent, classical Greek was taught. As well as reading works of Aristotle, Plato and others from the 5th century B.C. onwards, this promoted study of the Christian New Testament, written in Greek, the everyday language of the eastern Mediterranean.
Boys from Eton (no girls allowed even today) were selected to progress to King’s College Cambridge to complete their education in theology before entering the Church. A small number were allowed to study law, medicine or astronomy.
Follow the links below for age-appropriate reading and activities.
Colouring books with medieval themes