Assorted Wars Trivia

1. The Thirty Years' War is commonly said to have begun with the (Second) Defenestration of Prague when two officials and their secretary were punished by religious rivals. What is defenestration?

From Quiz Thirty Years of War

Answer: Being thrown out a window

The three men who were defenestrated were Count Vilem Slavata of Chlum, Count Jaroslav Borzita of Martinice, and their secretary, Philip Fabricius, who represented the Catholic side in a dispute within the Holy Roman Empire. The three men survived the fall although which reason one believed seemed to depend on the side taken in the conflict. Supporters of the Catholic side said that miraculous intervention was responsible for the men's survival. Supporters of the Protestant side said that the men survived because they landed in a conveniently placed dung cart. "Defenestration" is a neo-Latin word from "de" meaning out of or from and "fenestra" meaning window or opening. The event I described in the question is sometimes called the Second Defenestration because a similar incident occured in Prague in 1419 when a mob threw several individuals out a window who all, unfortunately, died from the fall.

From Quiz Weird Ways to Start a War

Answer: Postage stamps

Paraguay and Bolivia fell into dispute over the area of land known as the Gran Chaco. Paraguay wanted it to replace land area lost in the much earlier War of the Triple Alliance, while Bolivia wanted the access to the sea that its acquisition would grant. In 1928, Paraguay declared implicit ownership by issuing postage stamps illustrated with a map of the country with the Gran Chaco appended; in 1931 Bolivia replied in kind with the issue of similar stamps declaring its ownership of the area. This brought tensions to boiling point. Bolivia backed up its claim with a full military assault on a Paraguayan border garrison, heralding the start of a bloody conflict that saw the American continent's first use of tanks and aircraft in warfare.

From Quiz The First Gulf War 1990-91

Answer: 2 August 1990

In doing so, Saddam Hussein might have expected condemnation from the surrounding Arab countries when he invaded Kuwait, but never that the US would respond in the way it did and be able to build a coalition of 34 countries.

From Quiz The Thirty Years' War

Answer: Ferdinand II of Habsburg

Ferdinand II of Habsburg's objective was to institute a form of centralized rule throughout the Holy Roman Empire and subsequently to consolidate the Catholic position by annulling most of the Protestants' rights gained after the Peace of Augsburg (1555).

From Quiz Tug of War

Answer: Scotland

Berwick is England's most northerly town, located only a couple of miles south of the current border with Scotland. Its location so close to the border led to several battles for ownership, with William I of Scotland making an attempt to capture the town between 1173 and 1174. Although he was defeated, Richard I (known as Lionheart) later sold the town to William as a fund raising exercise for his Crusade. The town was then taken back into English possession by Edward I in 1296, before being re-captured by Scotland in 1318. Eventually, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later to become King Richard III) re-took Berwick in 1482 and it has remained part of England ever since.

From Quiz Can't We Just Get Along? Wars in History

Answer: The Opium War: 1840 - 1842

China was a closed society, content to market its goods in foreign lands, but resistant to other countries having trade access to China. Britain sought to remedy the situation by supporting the importation of opium into China. The effect in time for China was a high rate of addiction among Chinese males, including the Chinese military, depletion of silver as precious currency metal, and a huge trade imbalance in Britain's favour. The Chinese Emperor directed that Chinese smugglers be arrested, and that the stores of opium be seized from the foreign traders and destroyed. Britain attacked the Chinese coast, and waged hostilities against the Chinese for the next two years. The Treaty of Nanking was signed that opened several Chinese ports, including Shanghai and Canton to foreign trade. It also ceded control of Hong Kong to Great Britain; a situation that remained in place until 1997.

From Quiz The History of War

Answer: Peloponnesian War

In this war, it was the Delian League (led by Athens) versus the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta). Sparta ended up winning this particular war and the Delian League was dissolved.

From Quiz Women and War - The Crimea to WWII

Answer: Mary Seacole

Mary Seacole (1805-1881) was the daughter of a Scottish army officer and a free black Jamaican woman. She made the lengthy journey from Panama to the Crimea, via England, to offer convalescent facilities to soldiers. Her 'British Hotel' also provided accommodation for non-combatant visitors to the war zone. After the war Seacole settled in England where she became a masseuse to the Princess of Wales. Her activities in the Crimea are described in her autobiography 'Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands' (1857).

From Quiz A Century of Warfare

Answer: 33

This shocking statistic, coupled with the reports on poverty by Booth and Rowntree, forced the government to act to improve the lives of its citizens. The Boer War served as a wake up call to the British government on the poor state of army. Despite the British Army's vastly greater numbers and resources than the Boers, the British found the war very bloody and difficult. The war lasted from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902. In response to the guerrilla war waged by the Boers, the British herded Afrikaner civilians into concentration camps in order to deprive the guerrillas of support. An estimated 20% of the inmates died, which left a legacy of bitterness.

From Quiz Wars of Independence

Answer: 80 Year War

The 80 Year War was fought between 1568 and 1648. The Dutch were led by William II, Prince of Orange and Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange.

From Quiz Anglo-Zulu War

Answer: Sir Henry Bartle Frere

Sir Henry Bartle Frere was appointed High Commissioner to South Africa in 1874. He was appointed by Lord Carnarvon, who was seeking to mold South Africa into a federation like Canada.

From Quiz The French and Indian War (aka The Seven Years War

Answer: France vs. Britain

So many people say that The French and Indian War was the French fighting the Native Americans, but it was in fact Britain against French forces.

From Quiz Miscellaneous Wars

Answer: World War II

World War II had most of the world participating (except for many of the Latin American countries). It ended with a resounding victory for the Allies over the Axis powers. In Europe, the war was characterized by Hitler's desire for boundless expansion. In Asia and the Pacific, too, the ambitions of Japan also knew no limits. In the course of the war in Europe the Nazis committed what is now known as the Holocaust, involving the murder of about 6 million Jews and millions of other people. The war ended in 1945 in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, having ended in Africa earlier.

From Quiz War By Any Other Name

Answer: The War of the Holy League

King Henry VIII of England won a favorable peace from France after winning the Battle of the Spurs on August 16, 1513. The rest of the Holy League continued fighting France until the Pope Julius II's death, which helped cause the dissolution of the League.

From Quiz The War of Jenkins' Ear

Answer: 1739-1742

War was declared against Spain by Great Britain in October of 1739. There was no "official" end, although most historians agree that hostilities between Spain and England exclusively were over by 1742, mainly because there were almost no troops, as most had died of disease. The war was pretty much a stalemate, as neither side lost or gained any territory.

From Quiz The French and Indian War - Historical Pursuit

Answer: Ohio Valley

Britain wanted France out of Ohio Valley, so they fought for it.

From Quiz Zulu War - Rorke's Drift

Answer: 139

The defenders were made up of: Royal Engineers - Lieutenant Chard and his Batman/Driver, 24th Foot - Lieutenant Bromhead and 109 other ranks, other units - 27 giving a total of 139 of whom 35 were sick. Of these 15 were walking patients. Prior to the attack there were also a unit of Natal Native Contingent who fled their posts and a unit of Natal Native Horse (Durnford's Horse) who had fought at Isandhlwana but were exhausted and low on ammunition. After a brief skirmish with the Zulus the troopers refused to obey their officer and withdrew.

From Quiz Wallenstein and the Thirty Years War

Answer: Bohemia

He was born in Hermannitz on September 24, 1583. The ducal title awarded to him later was "Duke of Friedland".

From Quiz Sweden in the Thirty Years' War

Answer: 1630

By the end of 1629 the Habsburgs has come very close to achieving hegemony in Central Europe and in the Baltic region. On the 26th July the Swedes landed at Peenemünde in Pomerania and thus began for them a conflict that would drag on for 15 long years. There reasons for entering have been much debated; one of the main reasons was to prevent the Baltic being turned into a "Habsburg lake". Also Wallenstein, an Imperial general had been sending aid to the Poles.

From Quiz The French and Indian Wars

Answer: Schenectady

The Indians were highly feared in America because of their relentless massacres of the inhabitants of cities. Some people say that the French and Indian Wars actually started in 1689 when Indians (who were loyal the the British) raided Montreal.

From Quiz Wars and Conflicts of the 19th Century

Answer: The Crimean War

The Crimean War lasted from 1853 to 1856 and was a military conflict between Russia and a coalition of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire. It was a major turning point in the political history of post-Napoleonic Europe. The roots of the conflict lay in the "Eastern Question" resulting from the continuing decay of the Ottoman Empire, a development fraught with explosive implications for the European balance of power. Since the late 18th century, Russia had become more eager to take advantage of this situation to increase its influence in the Balkans and to wrest from the Ottoman Empire control of the straits between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The war was an event of major significance in European history. It marked the collapse of the arrangement whereby the victors of the Napoleonic Wars - Britain, Russia, Austria and Prussia - had cooperated to maintain peace in Europe for four decades. The myth of Russian might was laid to rest, and the breakup of the old coalition permitted Germany and Italy to free themselves from Austrian influence and emerge as nations in the decade that followed. Finally, the shock of the Crimean defeat was the catalyst for a program of sweeping internal reform in Russia under Nicholas's successor, Alexander II.

From Quiz Wars and Conflicts of the 20th Century

Answer: The Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939, was a conflict in Spain following the initial failure of a military rebellion to overthrow the country's democratically elected government. The war divided Spain both geographically and ideologically. Germany and Italy intervened on the side of the Fascists. It brought to power General Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain from the end of the war until his death almost 40 years later. By the time the war was over, an estimated 500,000 people had been killed in combat or by execution, or had died as a result of hunger or wounds. An additional 250,000 to 500,000 supporters of the losing side left Spain to avoid persecution.

From Quiz Little Known Wars

Answer: Great Britain and the United States

It began before the Civil War and ran through it. The main controversy was who controlled a group of islands in the Northwest Territory. The end result was the 49th parallel. War was never declared by either side. An American settler shot a pig owned by a British settler, who wanted the American arrested. The British sent six soldiers to arrest him and the American settlers asked General Winfeild Scott to help him. General Scott sent six soldiers to defend him so the British sent more troops and Scott countered. At one point there were over one thousand troops on the Island from each side. The Generals discussed it and agreed they were not going to risk lives over the death of a pig. They then told their respective governments to settle the matter through diplomacy. Soldiers from both sides remained on the island for the next fourteen years.

From Quiz Iraq War - Build-Up (UK perspective)

Answer: Iran and North Korea

North Korea already had an open nuclear weapons program.

From Quiz The Franco-Prussian War

Answer: Spain

After the overthrow of Queen Isabella II of Spain in the 1868 Spanish Revolution, the newly established Spanish government offered the crown to Prince Leopold. Had he accepted the offer, members of the Hohenzollern family would have ruled both Prussia and Spain, which would have been unacceptable to France.

From Quiz Sino-Japanese Wars, 1894-1945

Answer: Coal and iron

Japan was moving ahead and had great influence over Korea. It was encouraging Korea to modernise and meet growing world trade pressures (much toward their own interests). Many Korean officials and Japanese sympathisers wanted to break away from the conservative rule of the Chinese government.

From Quiz Wars - 19th and 20th Centuries

Answer: Crimean War

The Crimean War was fought between 1853 and 1856. It is remembered for being the first war where cameras where used to cover the events and also for one of the most heroic battles, the "Charge of Light Brigade" at Balaclava. In this war, Russia fought against a West European coalition headed by Britain. Also, the Crimean War was the first major conflict after the Napoleonic wars where new battle tactics such as artillery barrages were used.

From Quiz Mexican War

Answer: Texas

James K. Polk and many in the USA had the dream of a manifest destiny involving extending the USA from coast to coast.

From Quiz About War

Answer: Herodotus

Thucydides wrote his 'History' about the Peloponnesian war between the Spartans and the Athenians.

From Quiz Military History 1200 AD - 1815 AD

Answer: Mongols

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