Don't Come Around Here No More Quiz

Answer: Idi Amin

Amin took power in Uganda by staging a coup when the previous president, Milton Obote, was out of the country. He had the support of the army, and promised an early return to democracy, but having gained the presidency, Amin ruled as a dictator. His regime murdered many political opponents, and people of differing ethnicity, with estimates of the numbers of victims ranging from 100,000 to 500,000. An ill-fated invasion of Tanzania in 1979 led to his downfall and he escaped to Libya, before moving to Saudi Arabia. Amin died there, still insisting that Uganda needed him as its leader.

Kenyatta was leader of Kenya, Kaunda of Zambia and Nyere of Tanzania, and all three leaders were among those who initially refused to acknowledge Amin as a legitimate leader following his coup.

Answer: Duke of Windsor

Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David was born in 1894, the eldest son of King George V. He established a reputation as a 'ladies' man' and had several affairs with married women. Having fallen in love with Mrs. Wallis Simpson, who had already divorced one husband and was married to her second, Edward abdicated the British throne less than a year after succeeding his father so he could marry her. Edward's younger brother became king as George VI and created the title of Duke of Windsor specifically for his brother - the title had not been used previously and lapsed with Edward's death in 1972.

Edward married Wallis in France in 1937, and the couple lived mainly in the country for the reminder of their lives. Edward's body was returned to England on his death, and he was buried at Frogmore, adjacent to Windsor Castle. The Duchess died in 1986 and her body was interred with that of her husband.

Answer: Taiwan

Chiang Kai-shek was a successful military man and supporter of Sun Yat-sen, the leader of China's nationalist party. Chiang became the new leader of the party following Sun's death in 1925, and set about removing the Communists from the movement. In 1926, his forces defeated the Communist army and Chiang set up his seat of government in Nanjing. Following World War II, the Communist forces gained control and the People's Republic of China, led by Mao Zedung, was set up in 1949. Chiang escaped to Formosa, now known as Taiwan, where he established his government as the Republic of China. Chiang died in 1975, but the country of Taiwan is still officially known as the Republic of China, although it is not recognised by mainland China as a legitimate country.

Answer: Albania

King Zog, originally Ahmet Muktar Bej Zogolli, took control of Albania in 1922 as Prime Minister, before becoming the elected President in 1925. He was crowned as king of the Albanians in 1928, with the country being dependent on Italy for financial support.

He was not popular, with numerous attempts on his life being made during his reign. Zog's failure to repay loans from Italy led to an Italian invasion in April 1939. The king, his wife and newborn son fled to England, before being invited to live in Egypt in 1946.

In 1952, the family moved on to France, where Zog died in 1961. His remains were moved to Albania and re-interred with full state honours in 2012.

Answer: True

Casanova was born in Venice in 1725, and his life story is full of intrigue. His 'romantic' escapades led to his arrest and imprisonment in 1755, but he managed to escape from the Doge's Palace and travelled to Paris. Having run up debts which he could not repay, he left France and visited other countries including England, Germany and Spain. Casanova returned to Venice and became a spy for the Venetian inquisitors, but was exiled again when he published a 1783 work criticising the local nobility. By 1785, he had reached Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, where he began writing his memoirs.

He died in 1798, at the age of seventy-three, a good age for the time, especially with the lifestyle Casanova had led, which caused several bouts of venereal disease.

His name has passed into common usage to describe any man who is a philanderer.

Answer: Mexico

Originally named Lev Davidovich Bronstein, Trotsky was born in the Ukraine region of the Russian Empire in 1879. He became involved in revolutionary activities, and was sent to Siberia in 1900. Having been released, he was sentenced to a further period in Siberia in 1907, but escaped and found his way to London. Trotsky returned in 1917 to join the revolution and became the Commissar for Foreign Affairs and later Commissar for War, both key roles in Lenin's Communist government. When Lenin died in 1924, Trotsky had hopes of succeeding him, but lost out in the power struggle with Stalin. He was exiled in 1928, initially to Kazakhstan and then deported from the Soviet Union in 1929.

Having settled in Mexico in 1936 Trotsky was assassinated, on Stalin's orders, in 1940 by Ramon Mercador, a Spanish Communist and Soviet agent.

Answer: Dalai Lama

A lama is a Tibetan teacher in Buddhism, with the title of Dalai Lama (head monk) dating from 1578. Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama and was chosen at the age of two in 1937, as the reincarnation of the previous holder of the position. He was officially recognised in 1950 when he reached the age of fifteen.

Tibet had been under Chinese control since 1951, but the Tibetan Uprising of 1959 led to the Dalai Lama's exile from his home country. He set up the Government of Tibet in Exile, in India, and used this as a base from which he travelled the world, meeting heads of state, to teach Tibetan Buddhism and promote the welfare of all Tibetans. The Dalai Lama was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer: Iran

Rouhollah Khomeini became an 'ayatollah', or leading Shia scholar, in the early 1920s. He became a vocal opponent of the Shah of Iran's regime, which he saw as being too westernised. Having been arrested by the country's security forces for his views in 1962, he was sent into exile in 1964.

While living in Turkey, Iraq and then France he continued to verbally attack the Shah's regime. When the Shah himself fell from power, and fled Iran in January 1979, Khomeini returned and won the support of the populace in a referendum. Khomeini declared Iran to be be an Islamic Republic, while continuing to denounce western, particularly American, influences.

He died in 1989, and was succeeded by Ali Hosseini Khamenei.

Answer: Charles II

Charles I, the father of Charles II, was executed in 1649 when the English Civil War ended with victory for the Parliamentarian forces of Oliver Cromwell. Although Charles II fought on, he was defeated at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and departed for the European mainland.

He spent the next nine years in France and the area now known as the Netherlands. Cromwell's death in 1658 led to the end of Britain's brief period of republicanism. Charles was asked to return in 1660 to take the throne, and the monarchy was restored.

After the years of Puritan rule, the magnificence of Charles's court enlivened the country, with his nickname being the Merry Monarch. He died in 1685 and left no legitimate children, so was succeeded by his brother, who reigned as James II.

Answer: Rome

Juan Carlos's grandfather, King Alfonso XIII was exiled in 1931 following the declaration of the Spanish Republic. During the Spanish Civil War, Alfonso gave his support to Franco, although Franco made it clear that he would not be welcomed back to Spain.

The family had settled in Rome, where Juan Carlos was born in 1938. His father was Juan, the third son of Alfonso, but his two older brothers had renounced their claims to the throne, so when Alfonso abdicated in 1941, Juan became the new king. He never had the chance to claim his throne, as Franco decided to bypass him and chose Juan Carlos to succeed him.

As heir-apparent, Juan Carlos visited Spain regularly, and had many meetings with Franco. He became king in 1975, following Franco's death, with his son, Felipe, Prince of Asturias, expected to succeed him.