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The Norman Conquest Trivia Quiz

How much do you know about the Norman Conquest of England?

A multiple-choice quiz by Elanor. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Elanor

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
94,537

Updated
Jun 06 23

# Qns
20

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
12 / 20

Plays
10477

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: MacaroniTree (18/20), Guest 188 (11/20), Guest 85 (20/20).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 20

1. In what year did the Norman Conquest take place? Hint

1066

1166

1086

1065

NEXT>

Question 2 of 20

2. Who was the King of England at the start of the year of the Norman Conquest? Hint

Harold Godwinson

William of Normandy

Harald Hardrada

Edward the Confessor

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Question 3 of 20

3. Following the death of the English King in January 1066, Harold Godwinson the Earl of Wessex, was crowned King. What relation was Harold to the previous king? Hint

son

brother

brother in law

nephew

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Question 4 of 20

4. King Harold had to face major problems very soon after his coronation. Harald Hardrada was also claiming the throne, and was planning an attack on England. Where did he attack from? Hint

Denmark

Norway

Sweden

Iceland

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Question 5 of 20

5. Harold Godwinson was also threatened by William of Normandy, who was planning an invasion from the south. What was William's claim to the throne? Hint

Harold Godwinson had promised to support him in 1064

all of these reasons

he was Edward the Confessor's cousin

Edward had promised him the throne years previously

NEXT>

Question 6 of 20

6. The newly crowned King Harold was waiting for an attack from Harald in the north, or William in the south. Who attacked first?

Answer: (One Word - Harald or William)

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Question 7 of 20

7. Harold expected William to attack swiftly in the south of England. Why was the attack later than expected? Hint

William's troops were not ready

poor winds stopped William from sailing

William was using delaying tactics

all these reasons

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Question 8 of 20

8. What happened at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25th 1066? Hint

William of Normandy defeated Harold

Harald Hardrada defeated Harold

Harold defeated Harald Hardrada

Harold defeated William of Normandy

NEXT>

Question 9 of 20

9. Immediately after the Battle of Stamford Bridge, William's army landed in the south of England. Where did their ships land? Hint

Hastings

Brighton

Dover

Pevensey

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Question 10 of 20

10. Duke William was injured as he landed his ships in England.

True

False

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Question 11 of 20

11. What did William's army do after arriving on the south coast? Hint

they went to Hastings to wait for Harold

they built a fort

they burnt towns and villages

all of these things

12. Once he heard that William's army had arrived in England, Harold marched his army south to meet the Normans as quickly as possible. How long did the Saxons take to march the 240 miles to the South Coast near Hastings? Hint

10 days

15 days

19 days

5 days

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Question 13 of 20

13. The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14th, just outside Hastings. Where exactly did the battle begin? Hint

Senlac Hill

Hastings Ridge

Caldbec Hill

Battle

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Question 14 of 20

14. How were the English (Saxons) positioned at the start of the Battle of Hastings? Hint

neither of these places

at the bottom of the ridge

on top of the ridge

both of these places

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Question 15 of 20

15. Popular tradition in England claims that for most of the Battle of Hastings the Saxons were winning but that the Normans managed to gain a sudden advantage. How? Hint

they used spies

they used cannon

they pretended to run away

they used battering rams

NEXT>

Question 16 of 20

16. According to tradition, and the Bayeux Tapestry, in which part of the body was King Harold injured?

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 17 of 20

17. How long did the Battle of Hastings last? Hint

most of the day, with a break for lunch

around eight or nine hours

most of the day, without any breaks

several days

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Question 18 of 20

18. Following the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy became King of England. When was his coronation? Hint

25th November

25th September

25th December

25th October

NEXT>

Question 19 of 20

19. Which of these changes did William bring to England? Hint

he replaced English nobles with Norman lords

he built many castles

he caused a change of language

he did all of these things

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Question 20 of 20

20. By what name did William of Normandy become known?

Answer: (Three Words)

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 18 2024 : MacaroniTree: 18/20
Dec 18 2024 : Guest 188: 11/20
Dec 18 2024 : Guest 85: 20/20
Dec 18 2024 : SueLane: 18/20
Dec 17 2024 : Guest 82: 1/20
Dec 16 2024 : Guest 82: 11/20
Dec 16 2024 : Guest 109: 16/20
Dec 16 2024 : Guest 92: 12/20
Dec 15 2024 : Guest 31: 7/20

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In what year did the Norman Conquest take place?

Answer: 1066

Try the hilarious classic book "1066 and All That" by W.C. Sellar and R.J. Yeatman.

2. Who was the King of England at the start of the year of the Norman Conquest?

Answer: Edward the Confessor

Edward the Confessor died on 5th January 1066, leaving no son or heir. His death sparked a series of struggles for the throne.

3. Following the death of the English King in January 1066, Harold Godwinson the Earl of Wessex, was crowned King. What relation was Harold to the previous king?

Answer: brother in law

Harold was a rich and powerful Earl, from the south-west of England. His sister was the wife of Edward, known as Edward the Confessor, and Harold expected to be crowned King after Edward's death. In fact, he organised a swift coronation the day after Edward's funeral.

4. King Harold had to face major problems very soon after his coronation. Harald Hardrada was also claiming the throne, and was planning an attack on England. Where did he attack from?

Answer: Norway

Harald was a descendant of Cnut, who had ruled England as part of the Viking empire years before. Harald saw the death of Edward as a chance to reunite this empire. He set sail from Norway in September 1066, and attacked in the north of England, but was defeated at Stamford Bridge (in Yorkshire - nothing to do with Chelsea FC's ground).

5. Harold Godwinson was also threatened by William of Normandy, who was planning an invasion from the south. What was William's claim to the throne?

Answer: all of these reasons

The Bayeux Tapestry shows the background to the story. As Edward's cousin, William had been promised the succession. Edward sent Harold Godwinson to Normandy to deliver a promise to support William when the time came. Harold's supporters claim that he was forced to swear allegiance to William. No-one will ever know the real truth.

6. The newly crowned King Harold was waiting for an attack from Harald in the north, or William in the south. Who attacked first?

Answer: Harald

William was ready in Normandy, as shown in the Bayeaux Tapestry. But his crossing was delayed by bad weather and winds from the wrong direction. Harold gave up waiting for him, and marched his army north to meet Harald, whose troops had landed near York.

7. Harold expected William to attack swiftly in the south of England. Why was the attack later than expected?

Answer: poor winds stopped William from sailing

The Bayeux Tapestry shows that William had raised a strong army, and was using the additional time to train for combat.

8. What happened at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25th 1066?

Answer: Harold defeated Harald Hardrada

It was a hot day, so the Viking soldiers left their armour on the ships. I'm not a military tactician, but this doesn't strike me as the best plan! The English were outnumbered, but they defeated the attackers, and prevented a Viking conquest.

9. Immediately after the Battle of Stamford Bridge, William's army landed in the south of England. Where did their ships land?

Answer: Pevensey

They arrived on the English coast on September 28th, 1066. There was nobody there to prevent them from landing, as Harold's army was in the north of the country, fighting the Viking invaders.

10. Duke William was injured as he landed his ships in England.

Answer: True

As he disembarked from his ship, he fell and cut his forehead on the ground. His men took this as a bad omen at first, but he convinced them that it was a good sign, as his blood was now part of English soil.

11. What did William's army do after arriving on the south coast?

Answer: all of these things

They moved on to Hastings, burning and killing as they went. Once there, they had time to erect two wooden forts, and to prepare for Harold's arrival.

Answer: 10 days

The Saxons left York on October 3rd, and arrived at what is now Battle, near Hastings, on the evening of the 13th. Some of the soldiers left the march on the way, and went home to gather in the harvest. Harold did recruit new footsoldiers during these ten days. It was remarkably quick progress ...

13. The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14th, just outside Hastings. Where exactly did the battle begin?

Answer: Senlac Hill

The area now known as Battle was not named until after the Conquest. The Saxon troops spent the night of October 13th resting on Caldbec Hill, and massed on nearby Senlac Hill the following morning.

14. How were the English (Saxons) positioned at the start of the Battle of Hastings?

Answer: on top of the ridge

The English were heavily outnumbered, but managed to hold the ridge from the Normans for most of the day.

15. Popular tradition in England claims that for most of the Battle of Hastings the Saxons were winning but that the Normans managed to gain a sudden advantage. How?

Answer: they pretended to run away

According to this popular version, the Normans advanced, and then pretended to run away. The Saxons chased them, leaving their strategic advantage of the ridge. This enabled the Normans to get behind the Saxon soldiers, and attack from all sides - so it is said.

16. According to tradition, and the Bayeux Tapestry, in which part of the body was King Harold injured?

Answer: eye

We will never know if this is what really happened, but the Bayeux Tapestry shows Harold being killed as a single arrow pierces his eye.

17. How long did the Battle of Hastings last?

Answer: most of the day, with a break for lunch

Believe it or not, they stopped for a meal, and then continued the battle. This was apparently standard practice in warfare. They used the time to regroup, recover and plan their next attack.

18. Following the Battle of Hastings, William of Normandy became King of England. When was his coronation?

Answer: 25th December

He was crowned in Westminster Abbey, and became - at least in established English mythology - the last person to invade England.

19. Which of these changes did William bring to England?

Answer: he did all of these things

William replaced the English nobles (many of whom had been killed at Hastings) with his own loyal followers. His ministers and lords spoke Norman French, which had a huge influence on the everyday language of the country. Saxon English blended with French, and modern English is a mixture of these (as well as other languages.)

20. By what name did William of Normandy become known?

Answer: William the Conqueror

He reigned from 1066-1087. He died at the age of 60, and was so fat that his corpse burst open during his funeral! He is buried in Caen Cathedral in Normandy.

Source: Author Elanor

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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