Year 5 - History
Irish missionaries
Britain after the Romans: how did Christianity survive in the British Isles?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils develop their causal understanding by learning how Christianity survived in the British Isles following the departure of the Romans. They learn about how religion changed after the Romans left and the importance of Irish Christianity in this period.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how Irish missionaries helped to spread Christianity in the 6th century.
Key Notes
- The strength of Christianity in Ireland led to its own missionary activity, and Irish missionaries travelled widely.
- St Columba was one of these, and travelled to the Scottish island of Iona in the late 6th century to set up a monastery.
- From Iona, St Columba spread Christianity through the Pictish territories of Western and Northern Scotland.
- St Columbanus went to Gaul at the end of the 6th century and founded two monasteries before travelling across Europe.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Missionary: A missionary is a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country
- Iona: Iona is a small Scottish island
- Picts: Picts were a tribe of people who lived in what is now eastern and northeastern Scotland
- Gaul: Gaul was an ancient region of Western Europe which included France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The missionaries found it easy to convert people to Christianity.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
The strength of Christianity in Ireland led to its own missionary activity, and Irish missionaries travelled widely. St Columba was one of these, and travelled to the Scottish island of Iona in the late 6th century to set up a monastery.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'Missionary'
A missionary is a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: The missionaries found it easy to convert people to Christianity. Correction: The missionaries like St Columba and St Columbanus experienced resistance from kings and bishops which sometimes led to major problems and even battle.
More Lessons In This Unit
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