The Mary Rose sank during the Battle of the Solent, a confrontation between French and English troops on the Isle of Wight, as well as a face-off between their respective fleets in the Solent between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth.
The history mystery video takes you to Southsea Castle and the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth England to investigate evidence to help them solve the mystery of the sinking of King Henry VIII’s favourite ship.
Your challenge is to prepare a report for King Henry by visiting the scene of the battle, examining illustrations, maps, hundreds of items salvaged from the wreck of the Mary Rose, first-hand accounts of the battle and a famous diorama that sets the scene for this mystery.
Carefully sift through the evidence of time, make decisions, and solve this historical mystery for yourselves.
Case Study unit of work inquiry structure
- ACTIVITY 1 News Flash!
Empathy activity – King Henry is incensed and you are his most loyal advisor. He wants you to find out what happened to his favourite ship on that fateful day. What caused the Mary Rose to sink in such an inglorious way? You must conduct a thorough investigation, look at all the evidence and carefully record what you find out. - ACTIVITY 2 Visit the scene of the battle
Your first step should be to visit the scene of the mystery and learn what you can from being on the spot. Watch the video as it takes you to the scene of the tragedy and to the remains of the Mary Rose. - ACTIVITY 3 Background to the battle
Examine some critical evidence to help you understand the circumstances leading up to the battle and make notes in your evidence note book. - ACTIVITY 4 What was life like on board the Mary Rose?
When the Mary Rose was salvaged, the remains of some 180 individuals were found, all male and most in the 20s when they died. Examine the salvaged ship and its rich contents to find out what life on board this vessel was like. - ACTIVITY 5 What happened at the battle?
On July 19, 1545, a fleet of 235 French ships lay off the north-east corner of the Isle of Wight, and the English fleet sailed out to meet them. Examine a famous diorama of the battle scene, the layout of the castle and map of the battle scene to try to work out what happened. - ACTIVITY 6 Investigating eyewitness accounts and other evidence
Examine eyewitness accounts and add this evidence to your note book. - ACTIVITY 7 Report for the King
In your report you must clearly explain:- Why you think the Mary Rose sank
- Why you think so many men died
- What the last few minutes aboard the ship might have been like
- How certain you are about your conclusion.
