The Sun Never Sets on the Wars of the British Quiz

Answer: France

The intertwining of the French and English royal families plays a large role in the Hundred Years' War. The origins of the war lay in the death of Charles IV of France without sons or brothers in 1328. Isabella, the sister of Charles, was the mother of Edward III of England, who therefore claimed the throne of France. Earlier in the fourteenth century, the French monarchy decided female members of the royal family could not inherit the throne nor pass that the throne on to their heirs. Therefore, Philip, Count of Valois, a patrilineal cousin of Charles, claimed the throne and was crowned Philip VI, founding the Valois Dynasty.

The war was not a period of continuous fighting, but had moments of greater calm. Several battles from the war including Crecy (1347) and Agincourt (1415) are still well known today. Well known people from the war include the teenaged Joan of Arc. One popular, though biased, presentation of the war are the "History Plays" of Shakespeare. Though at various during the Middle Ages, English monarchs had held large pieces of territory in France, including Normandy, Anjoy, and Aquitane, by 1453, the only piece of French territory held by England was the city of Calais. Unhappiness on the English side over the outcome of the war would lead in a few years to civil war in England between the House of Lancaster and the House of York over who would control the English throne.

Answer: Holy Roman Empire

The Eighty Years War covers the struggle of the Spanish or Habsburg Netherlands (today, largely the countries of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg) to gain independence from Spain. At the start of the war, the Spanish Netherlands were within the territory of the Holy Roman Empire. If this seems confusing, it is important to remember that Charles I (1516-1555) and Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire (1521-1555) were the same person. After his abdication, his successor in Spain was his son Philip II (1555-1598) and his successor in the Holy Roman Empire was his brother Ferdinand I (1555-1564). Already part of the same dynasty, the Spanish royal family and the Imperial family continued to intermarry with each other.

By 1609, the Netherlands had largely received de facto recognition of independence from Spain. In the 1620s war flared up again as part of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). In 1648, the Peace of Munster definitively declared the Netherlands separate from the Holy Roman Empire. England's hostility towards Spain during much of sixteenth century would lead England to support the independence of the Netherlands as a way to weaken Spain. During this conflict, in 1588, Spain launched a large armada of ships against England.

Answer: Sweden

The Great Northern War represents a conflict between Sweden and Russia over which nation would be the dominant power in the Baltic Sea region. The war would end with Swedish defeat and loss of several territories include land on the Baltic Sea that would become the Russian city of St. Petersburg and capital of Russia during Romanov rule over Russia.

As an ally of Russia, England played a minor role in the early years of this conflict. The War of the Spanish Succession intersected with the Great Northern War.

Answer: United States

The War of 1812 can be tied to the broader Napoleonic Wars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the years leading up to the War of 1812, the British and the French, each trying to blockade the other country, interfered with the United States (a neutral country) trading with their opponent. In addition, the British navy would sometimes board US ships searching for sailors (including some who were British subjects) to impress into the Royal Navy.

In 1814, the British temporarily captured Washington, DC, capital of the United States, and burned (severely damaging) the White House. A failed British naval assault against the city of Baltimore, MD, led to Francis Scott Key writing "The Star-Spangled Banner", the poem that would eventually become the US national anthem. Though the Treaty of Ghent, ending the war, was signed in December 1814, the Battle of New Orleans (final battle of the War), was fought in January 1815, due to the time involved in long-distance communication of information.

Answer: Ottoman Empire

During the nineteenth century, Greece, which had come under control of the Ottoman Empire during the fifteenth century, gained its independence. While there had been several previous attempts by Greece to gain its independence, this one proved more successful. The desire of Greece for independence had grown because of influence from Enlightenment ideas from western Europe during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The United Kingdom, along with France, and Russia, became involved in the conflict when attempts to bring about peace between Greece and the Ottoman Empire several years into the conflict were unsuccessful.

Before formal involvement by Britain in the conflict, individuals such as the poet Lord Byron traveled to Greece in order to fight on the side of the Greeks. Financial support was provided by many private individuals in Britain. The British navy was involved in fighting conflicts later in the war, notably in the Battle of Navarino (1828).

Answer: China

These two wars were fought between Britain and China over similar causes. Demand for goods from China, including silk, porcelain, and tea, led British merchants to attempt the sale of opium in China, against Chinese law. In an attempt to limit the spread of opium in China, the Chinese government began confiscating the merchants' opium.

At the conclusion of the first war, China was forced into several concessions including financial payment for the lost opium, turning over Hong Kong to the British (under whose control it would remain until 1997), and opening of several Chinese ports to British trade.

As a result of the second war, additional territory surrounding Hong Kong was ceded to the British.

Answer: Russia

In the Crimean War, the French, British, and Ottomans were allied against the Russians. By the nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire was in political decline and Russia was interested in acquiring some of the Ottoman territory, an action which Britain and France wanted to prevent. Action took place not only on the Crimean Peninsula but also the Balkan Peninsula. Russia's defeat in the war encouraged some members of Russian society to push for greater modernization and reform.

The 1854 Battle of Balaclava is described in the poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by British Poet Laureate, Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Florence Nightingale began the process of the modernization of the nursing profession. The Crimean War also saw the first use of telegraph in wartime as well as the first photographed European war.

Answer: South African Republic

The First Boer War can be seen as part of the "Scramble for Africa" as well as who would control access to the gold and diamond mines in southern Africa. Victory for the South African Republic allowed for the continued independence of the Transvaal. The Second Boer War led to eventual British victory and the establishment of what would be called the Union of South Africa by 1910.

The siege of Mafeking (1899-1900) would bring General Robert Baden-Powell to international attention. After the war, Baden-Powell would found the Scouting movement. The Second War also saw the use of concentration camps by the British, although the intention was more containing hostile populations rather than killing them.

Answer: Iceland

The Cod Wars represented a series of confrontations between the United Kingdom and Iceland over fishing rights in the North Atlantic. The end result was an expansion in the area of the ocean that Iceland was able to claim for exclusive fishing rights (up to 200 miles).

While fishing was a particularly important industry in Iceland, loss of fishing territory did have a negative impact on the British fishing industry. There was only one confirmed death as a result of actions in the Cod Wars.

Answer: Argentina

Both Argentina and the United Kingdom claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Since 1841, the British had occupied the Falklands as a crown territory. In 1982, the Argentine government occupied the islands as an attempt to gain sovereignty. Both nations considered the area around the islands a war zone although neither side formally declared war on the other.

The occupation attempt ended with British control remaining over the islands. Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II, was among the British military dispatched to the islands.