Henry's Medieval Match 4 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leif Ericsson

Leif Ericsson found a new land in 1000 AD, but news of his discovery didn't travel to other places for a very long time. He was traveling back and forth from Iceland to Greenland, carrying supplies for his father, Eric the Red, who lived there, when his ship was blown off course during a storm.

He called the land that he found Vinland because of all the wild grapes that grew there; he and his men spent one winter there and went home, never to return.

Answer: Otto I

Otto, the Duke of Saxony and King of Germany, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in the year 936. In 955 he took part in a very famous battle called the Battle of Lechfeld. Fought between Otto's army and the army of nearby Poland, the German victory at the Battle of Lechfeld was so important because it stopped the invasion of the Magyars, a group of Hungarians, into Central Europe.

At this time, Europe was still suffering from the fall of the Roman Empire and the subsequent invasions of many different groups.

Answer: Ivan the Terrible

Called Ivan the Terrible because of his awful temper, Ivan Vasilyevich became the first czar of Russia when he was only sixteen years old! It is said that perhaps a better translation of his Russian name, Ivan Grozny, would be Ivan the Awesome in spite of his nasty moods! A capable ruler, he revised old law codes and introduced new ones, reorganized the army, and established the first printing house in Russia. Three years before Ivan died, he killed his oldest son and heir in a fit of rage. His great empire was left to his less competent son, Feodor.

Answer: William Tell

The story is that William Tell was the best archer in all of Switzerland! He belonged to a secret group of men who were against the rule of the Austrian Hapsburgs in his land; they agreed that they would collect weapons and fight together for their freedom.

When Tell refused to bow to the cap of the Austrian appointed governor, Gessler, he was arrested. Governor Gessler told William that he would be released if he would shoot an arrow off the top of his son's head. Even though William was successful in completing his task, the governor would not release him from jail.

He eventually escaped and led his group of friends in victory against the Hapsburgs, ensuring the freedom of all.

Answer: Vlad Tepes

How could a national hero also be known for his cruelty? Well, Vlad Tepes, which means Vlad the Impaler, fought very hard to keep his country, present-day Romania, free from the Ottoman Turks. On the other hand, Vlad was notoriously cruel to his enemies. One Ottoman sultan is said to have found 20,000 living bodies of people who had been impaled by Vlad. What made him so cruel? It is said that Vlad was captured by the Ottomans and held hostage for a time, learning their methods of dealing with enemies and eventually copying them.

Answer: Roger Bacon

Known as "Doctor Mirabilis" or "Wonderful Doctor", Roger Bacon studied at two of the earliest European universities - Oxford and the University of Paris. Inspired by the teachings of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, Bacon thought of many inventions, including eye glasses, steamships, and microscopes, that were eventually constructed by other people, and conducted experiments.

This is an amazing accomplishment, as he was also a Franciscan friar; some of his ideas were contrary to the beliefs of his church.

Answer: Saladin

Saladin was a Muslim who is known for capturing Jerusalem from the Christians in 1187. This event began the Third Crusade as European kings came to the Holy Land in an attempt to take the city back. Even though they were enemies on the battlefield, Saladin and Richard the Lionheart from England became friends. They negotiated a truce, called the Treaty of Jaffa, where it was agreed that Christians would be able to visit Jerusalem and other holy sites without paying any kind of tribute.

Answer: Kublai Khan

As a grandson of the great Genghis Khan, Kublai was given his own territory of China to rule; when he was in his thirties his brother, the Great Khan, made him ruler of northern China. After a partial conquest of southern China, Kublai found that his brother had died; he engaged in a four year civil war with another brother before being crowned the Great Khan and beginning the Yuan Dynasty. The modern city of Beijing was his capital - although at the time it was called Dadu - and he built a huge walled palace in the center of the city, as well as another in a place called Xanadu.

Answer: Urban II

Originally called Odo, Pope Urban II became one of the most influencial popes in history after calling for a Crusade to the Holy Land. Many Christians made religious pilgrimages to the Holy Land, the area where Jesus was born and lived; when the Muslim Seljuk Turks took over the land, however, the pilgrimages were not allowed.

In addition, the Turks were threatening Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire; even though the Byzantine Empire had broken away from the Catholic Church, Pope Urban announced the Crusades after being asked for assistance, hoping to reunite the two groups within Christianity. Altogether there were eight Crusades that lasted over a period of two hundred years.

The Christians failed miserably in their attempt to retake the Holy Land, but the effects of the wars were important and far-reaching.

Answer: Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa was a very famous African leader. Aside from being one of the wealthiest - if not the wealthiest - man in the world, he was interested in charitable acts and learning. Being a Muslim, he decided he wanted to travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage, to the holy temple there.

He took a journey of 1800 miles, and on his way, he gave out so much gold to everyone that it caused gold prices to plummet! His group of 60,000 people must have been something to behold! Mansa Musa returned to his kingdom with scholars, scientists, and other learned men from the region he visited, bringing learning from other places back to Mali.