The Listening Grove · Fifty Famous Stories Retold
Chapter 6: King John and the Abbot
A Charlotte Mason read-aloud lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 6, King John and the Abbot, about?Parent review
Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 6, King John and the Abbot, is a merry riddle tale about wit outshining rank. A harsh king, jealous of a rich abbot's grand way of living, threatens to put him to death unless he can answer three impossible questions. The worried abbot rides to Oxford and Cambridge for help, but no scholar can solve them. At last his own quick-witted shepherd offers to ride to the king in the abbot's place. Dressed as his master, the shepherd answers all three questions cleverly and wins the abbot's pardon. It is a bright, satisfying story in which a humble man's plain good sense proves greater than a king's cruel puzzle.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 5, The White Ship?Have a look
In the last chapter, The White Ship, King Henry and his beloved son, Prince William, were sailing home to England from their lands in France. The prince followed in a fine new vessel, the White Ship, which set out after dark and struck a hidden rock. As it began to sink, William got away in a small boat, but he turned back when he heard his little sister crying for help. The crowded boat was swamped and went down, and the prince was lost. It was said that the heartbroken king was never seen to smile again, and England was left without an heir.
Read the previous lesson: The White Ship →Show what you know!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Fill in the vocabulary you know, then click to check your work and learn some new words today.
What are the difficult or advanced vocabulary words in Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 6, King John and the Abbot?mounted, train, pardon, abbotHave a look
- mounted: climbed up onto a horse
- train: a group of servants or followers moving along with an important person
- pardon: forgiveness that frees a person from being punished
- abbot: the monk who is the head of an abbey
Locate it on the map!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Use an atlas and fill in the blank map if you can find the geographic location, then click to check your work.
What important geographic location connects with Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 6, King John and the Abbot?
- Find Canterbury (Kent, England).
See it on the mapHave a look
This matches the map in your Lesson Guide.
The Books come Alive!
Read or listen to Chapter 6 of Fifty Famous Stories Retold, the Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition, read by Laura Caldwell.
Read by Laura Caldwell for LibriVox (public domain), professionally adjusted and trimmed by Kindred Thicket.
What do the Teacher’s Notes tell us about Chapter 6 of Fifty Famous Stories Retold?Parent review
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. Baldwin’s 1896 words are read exactly as he wrote them, and we add Teacher’s Notes with historical and literary context.
- About the whole bookFifty Famous Stories Retold gathers real history together with well-loved legends and traditions. These notes tell you, story by story, which is which.
- This chapterJohn was a real but notorious king (1199 to 1216); the worst ever is a traditional judgment historians now debate.
- This chapterThis is the old folk ballad King John and the Bishop, not a real event.
- This chapterOxford and Cambridge were real universities in John's time; Cambridge was founded in 1209.
Memory becomes Action!
Use the Response Resource* to remember and spell tricky names. Choose one way to narrate.
*Materials in the Lesson Guide.
What is the list of names, people, characters, and places that are important in Chapter 6 of Fifty Famous Stories Retold?King John, The Abbot of Canterbury, The Shepherd, Canterbury, Oxford, CambridgeHave a look
- King John: The harsh, cruel king of England who threatened the abbot with death unless he answered three impossible questions.
- The Abbot of Canterbury: The rich churchman whose grand living angered the king and who could not solve the royal riddles.
- The Shepherd: The abbot's quick-witted shepherd, who rode in his master's place and answered all three questions.
- Canterbury: The cathedral city in south-east England where the abbot kept his grand Abbey.
- Oxford: The English university town the abbot rode to first, hoping its scholars could help him.
- Cambridge: The second English university town, whose teachers also could not answer the king's questions.
Chapter 6 Q & A
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. Baldwin’s stories mingle real history with beloved legend, and here is what to know about this one.
Is the story of King John and the abbot true?
No, this is an old folk ballad called King John and the Bishop, not a real event. King John himself was real and ruled England from 1199 to 1216. But the tale of three impossible questions answered by a clever shepherd was sung and retold for fun over many years. It is enjoyed as a story, not remembered as history.
Who was King John?
John was a real king of England who ruled from 1199 to 1216. He had such a bad name that the tale calls him the worst king England ever had. That is a traditional judgment, and historians today debate whether it is fair. In this story he plays the cruel ruler whose hard riddles are turned aside by a humble shepherd's wit.
Were Oxford and Cambridge real?
Yes. Oxford and Cambridge were real universities even in King John's time, famous as places of learning. Cambridge was founded in 1209, during his reign. In the tale the frightened abbot rides to both towns hoping their scholars can answer the king's questions, but none of the learned men can help him.
What is the lesson of the story?
The tale delights in showing that cleverness and plain good sense can outdo rank and riches. The grand abbot and all the university scholars are stumped, yet a simple shepherd answers the king with ease. For a young learner it gently suggests that wisdom is not the same as wealth or high position.