Famous Noblewomen in History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut had herself crowned pharaoh and took to wearing the false beard which was traditionally worn by the rulers of Egypt. She lived in the mid 1450s BCE.

Cleopatra I lived approximately 215-176 BCE and was married to Ptolemy V. Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten and lived in the mid 1300s BCE. Berenice I was the mother of Ptolemy II and lived during the 300s BCE.

Answer: Livia Drusilla

Livia was the wife of Octavian (also known as Augustus) and became the model for the ideal Roman woman. After her death at the age of 86, Livia was deified by her grandson, Emperor Claudius, and is sometimes known as Julia Augusta.

Calpurnia Pisonis was the third wife of Julius Caesar.
Servilia Caepionis was the mother of Brutus and one of Caesar's mistresses. Agrippina Major (Agrippina the Elder) was the daughter of Julia, Octavian's only surviving child, and was the mother of the Emperor Caligula.

Answer: Theodora

Theodora, who lived in the mid 500s CE, was was a popular theater performer and courtesan who caught the eye of the Emperor Justinian I. He made Theodora co-ruler of the Byzantine Empire and contemporary reports considered her to be smarter than any man.

Valeria Messalina was the third wife of the Emperor Claudius and lived approximately 20-48 CE.
Fabia Eudokia was the wife of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, who ruled in the seventh century.
Galla Placidia, who lived in the fifth century, was the daughter of Roman Emperor Theodosius I and has a beautiful mausoleum dedicated to her in Ravenna.

Answer: Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor (Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right) was married first to Louis VI of France. After her divorce, she married Henry II of England. Two of her sons became Richard I (the Lionheart) and John, both kings of England. She died in 1204 at the age of 82.

Isabella of Angouleme was the wife of Eleanor's son, King John, and considered one of the most beautiful women of the Middle Ages.
Catherine de' Medici was the wife of King Henry II of France and the mother of three kings.
Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of King Henry VIII of England and was luckily divorced instead of beheaded when her husband wished to get rid of her.

Answer: Isabella of Castile

Isabella, Queen of Castile in her own right, married King Ferdinand of Aragon. While best known for funding Columbus's expeditions to the New World, the darker side to her reign saw her beginning the Inquisition in 1478 to persecute those not of the Catholic faith. In 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand expelled all the Jews and Muslims in Spain who refused to convert to Catholicism. For their work, Pope Alexander VI named Isabella and Ferdinand "The Catholic Monarchs". Her youngest child, Catherine of Aragon, went on to marry Henry VIII and continued to remain firm in her mother's faith after Henry broke from the Catholic Church.

Juana la Loca was Isabella and Ferdinand's daughter who became Queen of Castile after her mother's death.
Mary I of England was Isabella's granddaughter through Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. She was a dedicated Catholic, but her persecutions of Protestants earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary".
Maria of Spain was the great-granddaughter of Isabella and was Queen of Spain with her husband Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.

Answer: Isabella d'Este

Isabella, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, married Francesco Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua. She was extremely well educated, which was unusual for a noblewoman at this time. The artists Raphael and Mantegna frequented her court at Mantua, and she was painted twice by Titian. The drawing of her by Leonardo da Vinci is currently in the Louvre. After her husband's death, she was regent for her eldest son and made her younger son a cardinal. She also helped elevate Mantua to a duchy.

Caterina Sforza was the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Milan and died in 1509.
Lucrezia Borgia, a contemporary of Isasbella and Beatrice, was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and sister of the infamous Cesare Borgia.
Marie de' Medici was the second wife of King Henry IV of France and lived 1573-1642.

Answer: Anne

The Kingdom of Great Britain was formed by the Act of Union in 1707 which merged England and Scotland. Anne was the queen at this time, and was the last Stuart monarch. The crown went to her cousin George I of the House of Hanover upon her death in 1714.

James I of England and VI of Scotland adopted the title of King of Great Britain on ascending the throne of England in 1603. However, as there was no Kingdom of Great Britain at the time, it was a 'style', a geographical description - and a demonstration of his self-importance. Although it was opposed by the English Parliament he had this 'style' put on the coins of England and Scotland.

Elizabeth I and Mary I were half-sisters and daughters of Henry VIII. They both were queens of England, but not Great Britain.
Matilda was the rightful heir of King Henry I in the twelfth century but was usurped by her cousin Stephen. She ruled for only a few months.

Answer: Maria Antonia

Maria Antonia, fifteenth of sixteen children of Maria Theresa, married the future Louis XVI of France and changed her name to Marie Antoinette. During the French Revolution, both Louis and Marie Antoinette were guillotined for treason in 1793.

Maria Caroline, Maria Amalia and Maria Anna were all sisters of Marie Antoinette and daughters of Maria Theresa.

Answer: Wilhelmina

Wilhelmina was Queen of the Netherlands for 58 years and 50 days. She abdicated in 1948 in favor of her daughter, Juliana. If she had not abdicated, at her death she would have ruled for 72 years and 5 days, making her the second longest monarch in history after Louis XIV of France.

In 1980 Queen Juliana, like her mother, abdicated in favor of her daughter, Beatrix.

Catharina-Amalia is the young granddaughter of Beatrix.

Answer: Mette-Marit

Crown Prince Haakon wed Crown Princess Mette-Marit in 2001. Mette-Marit has a son, Marius, from a previous relationship.

Princess Martha Louise is the sister of Crown Prince Haakon.
Sonja is the wife and queen consort of King Harald V of Norway.
Margrethe is the Queen regnant of Denmark.