House of Normandy Trivia

1. Who was the first Duke of Normandy?

From Quiz The Norman Dynasty

Answer: Rollo

Rollo was a Viking. In the 9th century he invaded the north of France with a small band of men. The king of France at the time, Charles the Simple, offered Rollo the Duchy and he accepted. All the subsequent Dukes of Normandy are descended from him.

From Quiz William the Conqueror

Answer: Thumped her

William, though heir to his father's lands, was illegitimate, something considered less than desirable then. There are two versions of his enraged reaction to Matilda's reply. One is that he rode from Normandy and found her on her way to church, where he pulled her off her horse by her long braids and threw her on the ground. The other is that he rode to where she was living with her father, grabbed her by her braids, threw her to the ground and then thumped her. The foolish woman, who obviously suffered brain damage in this attack, then agreed to marry him. Some say she did this in order to stop her father running our gallant lad through with his sword. Either way, I feel his name should be changed to William the Conk-her-er. Despite all this, it was a marriage of love and the couple had eleven children together. After her death, the distraught William, devastated by her loss, became a very tyrannical ruler for the remainder of his life.

From Quiz British Royalty Part I

Answer: William I

William I was born the illegitimate son of Robert Duke of Normandy, but was soon proclaimed his heir due to the fact that there was no legitimate son. Moreover, King Harold had allegedly promised the throne to him, though under duress. With Pope Alexander II's consecrated banner of support William prepared to invade England. After some delay he landed at Hastings. 'The rest is history', as they say.

From Quiz Henry I - Youngest Son of the Conqueror

Answer: 3

The eldest brother was Robert who became Duke of Normandy. The second brother was Richard who was killed in a hunting accident in about 1075. The third brother was William who became William II known as William Rufus.

From Quiz William the Conqueror

Answer: Herleva or Arlette

Herleva was a glove-maker in Falaise. The two are said to have met when Robert spied on her washing in the river - but it's disputed if she was washing her body or merely her clothes!

From Quiz The Norman Dynasty

Answer: 1027

The first was Richard II the Fearless, who died early in the year. Next was his eldest son Richard III who died a few months after inheriting. After Richard III came his younger brother Robert I the Magnificent, who was the father of William the Conqueror.

From Quiz William the Conqueror

Answer: Stabbed the wrong child

William was the only male offspring of Robert I, the Duke of Normandy. Emma of Normandy, who was the wife of England's King Ethelred the Unready, was his grand aunt, and he was also connected to Canute, King of England, Denmark, Norway and part of Sweden - who was Emma's second husband. His mother's ancestry is a little hazy. She was the daughter of Fulbert of Falaise who was from a family of either tanners, undertakers or embalmers. She was not married to William's father, hence the lifelong slur of illegitimacy against his name. Of this particular attempt of the several made on his life when he was small, William was asleep in the room with another child - and the murderer stabbed the other unfortunate little one by mistake.

From Quiz British Royalty Part I

Answer: St. Stephen's Abbey, Caen

When it came to choosing his final resting place, he opted for his homeland.

From Quiz Henry I - Youngest Son of the Conqueror

Answer: Matilda of Flanders

Adela was Henry I's sister who married Stephen of Blois, the father of the future King Stephen. Constance was another sister who married the Duke of Brittany and Sybilla was Henry I's sister-in-law. She is the one that married Robert, his eldest brother.

From Quiz William II - known as William Rufus

Answer: Matilda of Flanders

In fact Adela and Cicely were two of William II's sisters and Sybilla was his sister-in-law (married to his brother Robert). Adela was also the mother of the future King Stephen.

From Quiz King Stephen & Empress Matilda

Answer: They were first cousins

They were also both grandchildren of William the Conqueror!

From Quiz The Norman Dynasty

Answer: Herleva

She and William's father were not married and she was the daughter of a local tanner called Fulbert. William was tormented for illegitimacy for the rest of his life.

From Quiz William the Conqueror

Answer: Seven years

And the attempts on his life continued. Three of his guardians, in their attempts to defend him, were despatched by rivals for his lands. He was however supported by Kenry Henry I of France, and when he was aged 15, was knighted by that monarch. By the time William turned nineteen, aided by Henry, he finally gained full control of Normandy and had overcome all the many threats of rebellions and invasions against him. The final battle against rebel Norman barons was at Caen in 1047, and in this he was also supported by the Catholic church.

From Quiz British Royalty Part I

Answer: Hunting accident

There is some debate as to whether William II's death was a genuine accident or whether it was planned by Henry I.

From Quiz Henry I - Youngest Son of the Conqueror

Answer: It was because he could write.

Henry was an unusual monarch in that he didn't have to rely totally upon church educated clerks to transact all his business without him being able to check it.

From Quiz William II - known as William Rufus

Answer: Richard

Robert was the eldest son of the Conqueror. Richard was the second to be born and William II was the third son. William II also lost his life while hunting, though no one knows if it was accidental or not. Some historians point the finger of suspicion at the fourth son, Henry, who became Henry I at his brother's death.

From Quiz King Stephen & Empress Matilda

Answer: In a maritime accident

He was sailing home from Normandy on one of the most extravagant ships of the time. He and his crew took advantage of the numerous bottles of fine wine onboard and became drunk. Because of this, they were unable to maneuver around an area of jagged rocks, where they crashed. Everyone on board drowned except for one of the workers.

From Quiz William the Conqueror

Answer: September 1066

He waited until the prevailing winds were in the right direction to bring him across. An added sense of good fortune and good timing meant that, at the time of his arrival, King Harold was fighting Norwegian invaders in the north of England. If he hadn't done this, he might not have won.

From Quiz The Norman Dynasty

Answer: Christmas Day

William was crowned William I King of England in Westminster Abbey on 25th of December while there was a riot happening outside the Abbey.

From Quiz British Royalty Part I

Answer: 25

His first wife gave him two legitimate children, leaving him twenty-five illegitimate children - the record among Kings of England. One of his legitimate children was Empress Matilda (as she became). Henry persuaded the barons to accept her as his heir, but things did not work as he planned. It was a veritable a hornets' nest!

From Quiz Henry I - Youngest Son of the Conqueror

Answer: Matilda

Matilda was thus the name of his mother - Matilda of Flanders, the name of his wife - Matilda of Scotland who was previously called Edith, and the name of his daughter - Matilda the Empress of Germany.

From Quiz William II - known as William Rufus

Answer: The Duke of Normandy

The Duchy of Normandy was the title that William I held before the conquest in 1066. Inevitably when he split the empire that he created it caused turmoil amongst his surviving sons. Robert naturally assumed that England should belong to him as well. Poor Henry was given no land and just inherited 5,000 pounds of silver.

From Quiz William the Conqueror

Answer: Matilda of Flanders

Matilda was a childhood playmate, daughter to William's patron and much-loved friend Baldwin of Flanders. Matilda of Scotland married Henry I and Edith Swan's Neck was Harold Godwineson's Danish mistress.

From Quiz The Norman Dynasty

Answer: Richard

Richard was the Duke of Bernay. He was killed by a stag in the New Forest in 1083, which is where his nephew in 1099 and his brother in 1100 were also killed. If he had lived he would have become the king of England and not his younger brother, William Rufus.

From Quiz British Royalty Part I

Answer: Stephen

Henry had many illegitimate children, none whom were able to succeed him and his only surviving legitimate child was a girl, Matilda. Many lords had sworn an oath of loyalty to Matilda. However, on Henry I's death Stephen proclaimed himself king, saying that his uncle had changed his mind about the succession. Stephen crowned himself king, and the same barons who had sworn fealty to Matilda supported him. Matilda reigned briefly in 1141. Her cause was taken up by her only surviving child.

From Quiz William II - known as William Rufus

Answer: Lanfranc

Lanfranc of Pavia was the man who educated William Rufus when young but William II showed little interest in the church other than as a means of raising revenue. Anselm is the Archbishop with whom Rufus clashed later in his reign. Curthose was the nickname given to Robert and Beauclerk was the nickname of Henry I.

From Quiz William the Conqueror

Answer: William (junior)

Robert was William's eldest son but was only given Norman lands in revenge for his rebelliousness; Richard died young. William (Rufus) became king and was succeeded by his brother, Henry I.

From Quiz The Norman Dynasty

Answer: Rufus

William was the third but favourite son of his father, William the Conqueror. William's oldest brother Robert rebelled against his father and so he was only given Normandy when his father died. William on the other hand succeeded in England. William had a red complexion and red hair - hence the nickname.

From Quiz British Royalty Part I

Answer: Henry II

Following the death of his son Eustace, Stephen was forced to accept a treaty allowing Empress Matilda's son to succeed him as Henry II. Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine, the ex-wife of King Louis VII of France (divorced because she couldn't produce sons). They had five sons: William, Henry the Young King, Geoffrey, Richard and John; and three daughters Matilda, Leonora and Joan. Henry the Young died before he could become king alone and his remaining brothers fought constantly with their father.

From Quiz Henry I - Youngest Son of the Conqueror

Answer: Yorkshire

He was born in September 1068 at Selby in Yorkshire. He died at St.Denis Le Fermont near Gisors on the 1st of December, 1135. His death is often attributed to eating too many eels. His body was buried in Reading Abbey.

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