Henry Meets The Minstrel Trivia Quiz

Answer: Richard The Lion-Hearted

According to the legend, King Richard was missing, but no one knew where he was. As it turned out, he had been taken captive by Duke Leopold of Austria. Blondel traveled to many places for months, searching for Richard. One day, as he was singing a song that he and Richard has composed together, he was surprised to hear the king singing! Blondel was given the directive to let the English people know where the king was imprisoned. The king's mother, Eleanor, convinced the English people to pay almost a quarter of their annual wages to free the great hero who was worthy of being called "the Lion-Hearted". This story was not popular during the Middle Ages, but became part of the legend associated with Richard I in the nineteenth century.

Blondel de Neste, whom many think was Jean I of Neste, is credited with writing approximately twenty-five songs; some still exist today. It appears that he was not only a minstrel, but also a soldier, as he participated in the Third and Fourth Crusades.

Answer: Farming the lord's land

Wow! A good minstrel had to have many different skills including juggling, acrobatics, dancing, conjuring, playing musical instruments, buffoonery, and reciting poems along with the others listed. It was his job to entertain during mealtime and especially after the evening supper. Many minstrels were high born, but these talented people came from every rank.

Minstrel Robert Le Maine said, "I can sing a song well and make tales and fables. I can tell a story against any many, I can make love verses to please young ladies, and can play the gallant for them if necessary. Then I can throw knives into the air and catch them without cutting my fingers. I can do dodges with a string most extraordinary and amusing. I can balance chairs and make tables dance. I can throw a somersault and walk on my head". Apparently minstrels did not have a problem with bragging on themselves! What a resume!

Answer: Troubadour

Even though Duke William IX was a Crusader Knight, he stands out most because he is the first known troubadour whose work has survived. Not only that, but he was a lyric poet who wrote in the vernacular! Eleven songs attributed to him survive,. Written on a variety of topics (courtly love, politics, women), the songs also expound on the writer's own abilities - and not just with writing! William must have had quite an adventurous life (he was excommunicated twice), and apparently did not hesitate to sing of scandals that would shock his audiences! Many believe his work influenced later great writers such as Dante and Chaucer.

Sources vary quite a bit when explaining the difference between a minstrel and a troubadour. It appears the biggest difference other than location was that while a minstrel could entertain in many ways, the troubadour was more of a poet. A jongleur was an itinerant minstrel in France.

Answer: Gleemen

Gleemen made their living by traveling from place to place. It is generally acknowledged that they were not as skilled as a minstrel, and therefore, a lower class. People, however, were so starved of entertainment, that a gleeman could still make a decent living.

A trouvères was a northern French minstrel; the scop was a professional poet in England who composed his own material and sang, while the jester was the "court fool", employed to amuse with sometimes bawdy entertainment.

Answer: Tabor

Music was a big part of every medieval celebration, and musicians typically played harps, fiddles, bagpipes, flutes, flageolets, recorders, citterns, and kettledrums. A tabor is a type of drum.

More from the minstrel named Robert Le Maine, who said, "I can play the lute, the violin, the bagpipe, the syrinx, the harp, the gigne, the gittern, the psaltery, the organistru, the tabor and the role".

Answer: Guild

The Guild of Royal Minstrels was established by order of King Edward IV in 1469. There was apparently concern about the quality of work that was produced by some itinerants who called themselves minstrels and charged high fees for their labors. If minstrels refused to join the guild, they could no longer legally make their living in that manner.

Answer: Chivalry

Tales of chivalry were probably the most enjoyed stories. The gloriously brave hero - the beautiful lady - Christian virtue - courtly love - who wouldn't want to hear such stories? A minstrel was expected to be able to memorize long poems describing the knights' valour and code of chivalry.

Many times the story, based on a historical person or event, was embellished for the great enjoyment of the audience.

Answer: Romances

A medieval romance could tell a story of high adventure. It could be about a religious crusade or rescuing a "damsel in distress". The story usually idealizes chivalry - the knight's noble deeds, his love for his lady - and can be truthful or fictitious.

The earliest romances were based on folklore; even as romances became more historic, there was no guarantee that the writer would use real facts for his story. Some examples of this type of literature include "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Valentine and Orson".

Answer: Knights of the Round Table

Because King Arthur was believed to be pure in thought and deed, he presented the perfect ideal of medieval chivalry. The great round table provided equal seating for each of his knights. Each took a rather long pledge, promising to "break the heathen and uphold the Christ, to ride abroad redressing human wrongs, to speak no slander, no, nor listen to it .... to love one maiden only, cleave to her, and worship her by years of noble deeds until they won her".

Answer: True

A wealthy noble usually had one or more minstrels in his household, and they were well-respected, not only in England, but all over the continent of Europe. Just think of all the terms for minstrel that haven't been discussed: In Scotland, Wales and Ireland they were called bards; in Scandinavia they were skalds; and in Germany they were minnesingers. Life was difficult at best (Black Death, wars, poverty) everywhere, and there were not very many forms of entertainment available during this time.

There were no books, tv, telephone, or radio; there wasn't even an on-going way to know what was going on just a few miles down the road on a regular basis. The minstrels who traveled would bring important information with them. All of the minstrels made up stories and songs, but they also preserved medieval folktales and culture.

It is estimated that approximately 400 melodies and 4000 poems have been preserved from medieval times.