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Richard II Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Richard II Quizzes, Trivia

Richard II Trivia

Richard II Trivia Quizzes

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2 Richard II quizzes and 25 Richard II trivia questions.
1.
  Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Very few kings in British History have given up the crown. Meet Richard II who abdicated. This quiz is about key people and key events in his troubled life.
Average, 15 Qns, Philian, Nov 07 14
Average
Philian
892 plays
2.
  Richard II    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here's a lil quiz on Richard II... Ever heard of him? No, he's NOT the Lionheart one! Yes, I DO know too much about English history. No, I do NOT have a life.
Tough, 10 Qns, Cait_The_Curst, Feb 10 17
Tough
Cait_The_Curst
1617 plays
Related Topics
  Richard II [Literature] (4 quizzes)


Richard II Trivia Questions
1. Edward, Prince of Wales, also known as the "Black Prince," was Richard's father. What was the name of his mother?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Joan

Joan was called the "Fair Maid of Kent", the daughter of the Earl of Kent who was a son of Edward I. She was thus of royal descent but had previously had been married to Thomas Holland. The Black Prince's marriage to Joan prevented what might have been a useful continental alliance into another royal family. It was said to be a love match.

2. What was Richard II's relationship to the previous king?

From Quiz Richard II

Answer: grandson

3. On which religious feast day was Richard born?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Epiphany - January 6th

The fact that he was born on January 6th was said to be a lucky omen. Great things were already expected of Richard, though he was at that time only the second son of the heir to the throne. The death of his elder brother, Edward of Angouleme, promoted him to second in line to the kingship after his father, the Black Prince.

4. Who was the first wife of Richard II?

From Quiz Richard II

Answer: Anne

Isabella (age 10) was his second wife, Berengaria was Richard I's wife, Joan was his mom.

5. How old was Richard when he came to the throne?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: 10

Richard was born on January 6, 1367, at Bordeaux in Gascony whilst his father was on campaign. He succeeded to the throne on the death of grandfather, Edward III, in 1377, and he was actually crowned on the July 16, 1377, at the age of ten in Westminster Abbey.

6. Who was Richard II's successor?

From Quiz Richard II

Answer: Henry IV

7. Who was the leader of the Council which ruled until Richard came of age?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, Richard's uncle

John of Gaunt was eldest surviving son of Edward III and thus Richard's oldest uncle. He was also the greatest landowner in the country after the King. He was a man of tremendous influence and had been a soldier in both France and Spain.

8. Who was the leader of the Peasants' Revolt that broke out in 1381, and which presented the 14 year old king with his first real crisis?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Wat Tyler

Wat Tyler was the leader of the rebels and Richard rode out to meet him at Smithfield. Though Tyler was killed, Richard offered pardons to other leaders and made promises that were never kept. The rebellion was crushed and the poor people of England were even worse off than before.

9. Who compared herself to the Richard II of Shakespeare's play?

From Quiz Richard II

Answer: Elizabeth I

10. What was the name of Richard's first queen, whom he married in 1382?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Anne of Bohemia

This marriage took place on the 14th January in St. Stephen's Chapel in the Palace of Westminster. When Anne of Bohemia died in 1394 Richard was said to be devastated and became even more isolated from the people around him. Anne was the daughter of the King of Bohemia who was known as the Holy Roman Emperor.

11. Who were Michael de la Pole and Robert de Vere?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Richard's favourites who were hated by many other lords.

Richard's generosity to these noblemen alienated the rest of the court, and led directly to the formation of the Lord Appellants who tried and convicted five of Richard's closest friends of treason.

12. Who was the priest who helped Wat Tyler lead the Peasant's Rebellion?

From Quiz Richard II

Answer: John Ball

'John Ball hath rungen his bell!'

13. Who was the chief leader of the Lords Appellant who formed the so-called "Merciless Parliament" to sentence Richard's favourites to death?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Thomas, Duke of Gloucester

Thomas, Duke of Gloucester, was Richard's youngest surviving uncle and a constant irritant to the monarch. Eventually Gloucester was imprisoned in Calais and then murdered by an unknown hand. Some people pointed the finger of suspicion in the direction of the person who had most reason to hate him. This is also an idea used by Shakespeare, though historians can not be conclusive on this point.

14. What was the name of Richard's second wife whom he married in 1396?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Isabella of Valois

This was another political marriage for Isabella was the daughter of Charles VI, King of France. She was only seven years old at the time of her marriage to Richard. The ceremony took place on the November 4, 1396, in Calais. She returned to France after Richard's death and later married the Duke of Orleans.

15. Richard was not the oldest son of Edward, the Black Prince. What was the name of his brother who died in infancy?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Edward

Edward of Angouleme was also born abroad whilst his father was on campaign. As he died in infancy there are few indications of his character and potential for kingship. Richard was thus the only hope of his father. This is a vivid contrast to Edward III who had many sons.

16. How did Richard II meet his end?

From Quiz Richard II

Answer: Murder

He was deposed and killed (probably starved to death) by Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV), his cousin. English royalty has a poor history of familial devotion.

17. How many children did Richard have by his two wives?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: None

Richard's first marriage to Anne of Bohemia was said to be a happy one but gave him no children. His second wife, Isabella, was only seven when he married her and would only be ten to eleven by the time he was imprisoned and then later murdered. The possibility of children from this union was therefore unlikely.

18. What relation was Richard to Henry the man who succeeded him on the throne?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: cousin

Richard's father, Edward, was the elder brother of John who was Henry's father. The two men were full first cousins. Shakespeare makes use of this fact in his play and also involves Aumerle, the son of Edmund of York, another brother of Richard's father.

19. In which country was Richard when Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV) launched his successful invasion?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Ireland

Whilst Richard was in Ireland Henry Bolingbroke (Henry IV) landed at Ravenspurgh in Yorkshire. As he marched across country a large number of lords including the powerful Northumberland family flocked to his support. When Richard returned he faced what he considered insurmountable odds and surrendered at Flint Castle.

20. Richard was first buried at King's Langley Church in Hertfordshire but Henry V ordered that his bones be moved to which place?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Westminster Abbey - to be with the tombs of many other English kings

Most historians agree that Richard II was probably murdered in Pontefract Castle round about the February 14, 1400. This was possibly done at Henry IV's instigation. Henry V was attempting to pay proper respect to a member of his own family when he later ordered that the bones to be move to Westminster Abbey.

21. Henry IV declared himself king with the consent of parliament, but who was Richard's named heir?

From Quiz Richard II - Richard of Bordeaux

Answer: Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March

Henry IV was of the "blood royal" and his descent was entirely through the male line: Edward III to John of Gaunt to himself. However, the Earl of March was descended from an elder brother of John of Gaunt who was called Lionel. Lionel's daughter, Philippa, married the Earl of March and thus their descendants also counted.

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