1600-1699 UK History Trivia

1. The Gunpowder Plot in England targeted King James I for assassination. What had he done that had angered some of the people?

From Quiz Tales of The Plot

Answer: He had embraced Protestantism rather than Catholicism.

When James I became king of England after the death of Elizabeth I, there were some who believed that he would return England to the Catholic Church. Wasn't his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, Catholic? And didn't the Protestant Elizabeth have her killed? James, however, had been brought up as a Scottish Presbyterian, and apparently approved of the situation in England that provided for the monarch to be the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Before he became king, James had claimed that he would not "persecute any that will be quiet and give an outward obedience to the law", and appeared to have preferred exile of dissidents rather than execution. The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt by Catholics in England to replace James I with his daughter, Elizabeth, who they believed could be manipulated to become a Catholic monarch.

From Quiz Back to the Seventeenth Century

Answer: Shot while resisting arrest

Although Guy Fawkes is most widely associated with the scheme to blow up the House of Lords, and King James I at the same time, Catesby was the organiser of the plot. The group of conspirators were protesting at the continued ill treatment of Catholics. Fawkes was captured and, after being tortured, revealed the names of his associates. Catesby, and others, fled to Staffordshire, vowing to fight to the death. Catesby died after being shot, so escaped the fate of being hanged, drawn and quartered, which would have awaited him. His body was dug up, though, so he could be beheaded.

From Quiz Remember, Remember ...

Answer: James I

James I of England, James VI of Scotland (usually written as James I/VI) was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley. James acceded to the throne of England on the death of Elizabeth in 1603 as a result of the Treaty of Berwick. The document was signed by James and Elizabeth in 1586 as a treaty of mutual protection against invasion.

From Quiz England in the 17th Century: A Miscellany

Answer: One of the MPs was called Praise-God Barbon (or Barebone)

In an attempt to turn England into a "godly republic" the "Barebones Parliament" (1653) legislated with Puritan zeal against the "sins of the flesh" and turned many activities that had previously been regarded as sins into criminal offences, for example, fornication. It derived its nickname from one of the MPs for the City of London, apparently called Barbon. There are various spellings of his name, including "Barebone". The name "Barebone's Parliament" is of course satirical. Some Puritans referred to this Parliament as the "Parliament of Saints".

From Quiz British History IX

Answer: Hanover

Anne had been pregnant 18 times. The oldest child, a son, survived to the age of 11.

From Quiz British History VIII

Answer: 3

Twice, Charles II dismissed Parliament because of this.

From Quiz British History VII

Answer: 57

The Act of Indemnity of 1660 forgave all but the 57. Of those, only 30 were condemned to death but 13 were actually executed.

From Quiz British History VI

Answer: The Scots

Charles I was given to the New Model Army after this and subsequently killed.

From Quiz England in the 17th Century

Answer: Scotland

King James was one year old when he became King of Scotland. However, he had to wait a little longer before becoming King of England, too. This was finally achieved in 1603 on the death of Elizabeth I.

From Quiz British History V

Answer: Irish Catholic peasants slaughtered their Protestant masters

Actually, the English public didn't want their king to go to Ireland because they were afraid that he would return with a Catholic army.

From Quiz The Gunpowder Plot

Answer: 1605

Guy Fawkes was discovered and arrested in the cellars below the Houses of Parliament in the wee hours of the morning of 5th November 1605. Quantities of gunpowder had been assembled there with the intention of blowing up the House of Lords during the opening of Parliament later that day.

From Quiz Tales of The Plot

Answer: Blow up the House of Lords

The conspirators planned to blow up the House of Lords on November 5, 1605. They hoped to not only assassinate the king, but to also kill several members of his family, as well as members of his Privy Council and Parliament. Many other important people, such as judges from the court systems, bishops of the Church of England, and members from the House of Commons would also attend the meeting. There would be much disarray after the explosion and deaths of so many high-ranking politicians and churchmen, that they believed it would be simple to install Princess Elizabeth, one of the king's daughters, as Queen.

From Quiz But Wait! A Restoration Is Needed!

Answer: Stuart

The Stuart family ruled England after Elizabeth I died without an heir. The first Stuart monarch, James I, was Elizabeth's cousin from Scotland. His mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, was the niece of Henry VIII, as her grandmother, Margaret Tudor, was Henry's sister. James I, who also ruled Scotland as James VI, was the closest legitimate heir to the throne of England. While James was viewed in England as being financially extravagant, he was deemed generally likeable due to the fact that he was a Protestant married to a Protestant. His son, who became Charles I, however, was constantly at odds with Parliament and viewed with suspicion when he married a Catholic and appointed an Archbishop of Canterbury who many believed would lead England back to Catholicism. Charles I was executed during the English Civil War, and after the failure of the Protectorate his son, Charles I, was invited to return to England (in 1660) to reign as king.

From Quiz Back to the Seventeenth Century

Answer: Inigo Jones

The house was completed in only three years and still stands in the early twenty-first century, although the facade was covered by stone in the nineteenth century. The previous building on the site had been destroyed following a fire, and Jones was employed to design the replacement. Having studied Italian design, he incorporated his knowledge of Renaissance architecture into the building, which was the first in England to be built in what became known as neo-classical style. In 1649, the Banqueting House was the site of the execution of King Charles I. The other architects, while well known, are of later eras. Wren lived from 1632 to 1723, Brown from 1716 to 1783 and Vanbrugh from 1664 until 1726.

From Quiz Remember, Remember ...

Answer: Princess Elizabeth

As well as blowing up Parliament the plotters intended to kidnap James' daughter, Princess Elizabeth, from Coombe Abbey, Warwickshire, and install her as a puppet queen, Elizabeth II. She had been born in Scotland (and named in honour of Queen Elizabeth in an attempt to flatter the queen) in 1596 before her father became King of England and Scotland. Her mother was Anne of Denmark. Charles, who later became Charles I was her younger brother and Frederick of Denmark was their cousin.

From Quiz England in the 17th Century: A Miscellany

Answer: 1662

The loss of Calais by Mary I in 1558 is well known. However, England acquired Dunkirk (previously part of the Spanish Netherlands) in 1658 after the Battle of the Dunes. At the time, England was fighting as an ally of France against Spain. The English troops, together with a French contingent, were commanded by Marshal Turenne, who was most impressed by the good discipline of the Cromwellian forces. In 1662 Charles II sold Dunkirk to France.

From Quiz British History IX

Answer: Jacobites

The Jacobites wanted James II and his son back to rule, not the Hanovers.

From Quiz British History VIII

Answer: Monmouth and Argyle

Both were put down quickly. The Monmouth invasion was the last battle ever on English soil.

From Quiz British History VII

Answer: Cromwell

They also hanged his brother-in-law, who was also dead at the time. I guess it's the thought that counts.

From Quiz British History VI

Answer: Pride

160 members that remained after the eviction refused to take their seats.

From Quiz England in the 17th Century

Answer: The Gunpowder Plot

When Guy Fawkes and his conspirators decided to blow us the Houses of Parliament they could never have known how even today it is remembered every fifth of November with Bonfire Night.

From Quiz British History V

Answer: A radicalized Parliament

They were called roundheads because they 'weren't even masters of their trades'. (At the time apprentices had their hair cut so it looked like a 'round head'.)

From Quiz The Gunpowder Plot

Answer: James I (VI of Scotland)

When James I had ascended the throne of England in 1603, many English Catholics thought he would relax restrictions against the practice of their religion, in part because his Queen and mother was herself a Catholic. By 1605, these hopes remaining largely unfulfilled, and a group of extremists hatched the ill-fated plot.

From Quiz Tales of The Plot

Answer: State Opening of Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament is an important annual event in England. The ceremony is said to be very historic and ostentatious, dating back to the late fourteenth century. It was a time when the monarch, along with members of his household, would go to Westminster Abbey for a church service; then they would be joined by the members of Parliament in a walk to the Palace of Westminster. Although changes have been made to the ceremony over time, historians say that the modern State Opening of Parliament still contains some of the same elements of the first ones. James I was known to make a rather long speech from his throne called a King's Speech; interestingly, the modern ceremony also includes a walk through the cellars of the Palace of Westminster in hopes of foiling another Gunpowder Plot.

From Quiz Back to the Seventeenth Century

Answer: France

Henrietta Maria was a Princess of France, as her father was King Henry IV of that country. As England was officially a Protestant country, the new Queen's Catholic religion meant she was not popular, and also prevented her from being officially crowned. After the execution of her husband, Henrietta Maria lived in Paris, returning to England after her son, Charles II, was restored to the throne in 1660. Her name lives on, as the state of Maryland in the USA was named for her.

From Quiz British History IX

Answer: 1690

The battle took place north of Dublin. James had gone to Ireland to reconquer the land while William went to Ulster and went south in order to try and get rid of James.

From Quiz British History VIII

Answer: April 1687

This gave, among other things, freedom of worship to Catholics and non-conformists and it allowed them to hold office.

From Quiz British History VII

Answer: Oligarchy

This was when the titled and aristocracy ruled and lasted 170 years.

From Quiz British History VI

Answer: House of Commons

They thought that they were the supreme law (or should be) because they were elected, while the others were not.

From Quiz England in the 17th Century

Answer: The circulation of blood

In case you are wondering about the other discoveries. The milled-edge coins were first made in France in 1639. The wave theory of light was developed by Huygens in 1690. And the first English bank notes were used in 1718 - I'm not sure who came up with that idea. Someone who got sick of all the small change?

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Last Updated Dec 21 2024 5:55 AM

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