Henry's Medieval Match 5 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer

When Chaucer was just a youngster he became the page of a noblewoman named Elizabeth de Burgh. He consequently came into the service of her husband, Lionel, and was in Lionel's service at the siege of Rheims during the Hundred Years War when he was captured by the French and held for ransom. King Edward III paid what is said to have been a substantial amount of money for young Chaucer's release; Chaucer would later hold a variety of positions at court, including Clerk of the King's Works, where he would oversee the king's building projects.

He went on to become the father of English literature, having written his famous book, "The Canterbury Tales" (1387) in English rather than Latin, even though he was fluent in both Latin and French. The stories, told by the pilgrims on their way to Canterbury to pay their respects at the tomb of Thomas a Becket, tell readers quite a bit about what life was like in England.

After his death he became the first writer to be buried in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Answer: Louis IX

The future Louis IX of France was raised by an extremely devout mother, Blanche of Castile, and became well known, both in France and the rest of Europe, for his piety and fairness. He established hospitals and orphanages and even used treasury money to feed the poor, often waiting on them in person with food from his own meals.

He was so respected by the other European leaders of his day that he was often asked to be the mediator in their disputes. During his reign he reformed France's legal system, many times serving as a judge.

In addition, he joined two Crusading armies, and died while in Africa on the Eighth Crusade in 1270. He was so well respected that he was canonized as a saint less than thirty years after his death.

Answer: Justinian

Justinian was married to quite an interesting lady named Theodora. Her father was a bear trainer and her mother was an actress. Theodora also made her living as an actress; as Justinian was heir to the throne of the Byzantine Empire he could not legally marry such a woman.

After Justinian had the law repealed, Theodora became Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire and is known for saving her husband's kingdom when she refused to leave during a revolt. Also known as Justinian I, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian wanted to try and reunite the eastern and western Roman Empires.

Although his military campaigns were not completely successful, he did succeed in building the Byzantine Empire to its largest extent and ruled much of what had been the old Roman Empire. Justinian also codified Roman law, which is still influencing our laws today.

Answer: Robert the Bruce

There is a story that Robert the Bruce, who became King of Scotland in 1306 was about ready to give up in his attempt to gain Scotland's independence from England. His army had been defeated six times and had scattered across the country. The Bruce had been forced to seek shelter in a cave.

While trying to think of a plan, he noticed there was a spider trying to weave a web across the cave. Six times it had tried to toss a thread to other other end of the cave, and six times it had failed. On the seventh attempt, the spider was able to attach the thread to the wall.

The legend is that the spider's success helped him decide to try again. He ruled Scotland for twenty-three years, during which time he finally was able to defeat the English, and was recognized by the Pope as the King of the Scots in 1324.

Answer: Frederick Barbarossa

When Frederick I became the Holy Roman Emperor he set his sights on rebuilding an empire that compared to the ones ruled by Charlemagne and Otto the Great. During his long reign, which spanned almost forty years, he led successful military campaigns and worked at reforming the laws of his empire.

In his late sixties he joined the Third Crusade and while leading his army died trying to cross a river in Asia Minor. There is a story, however, that Frederick is merely sleeping with his knights in a cave, waiting to restore his empire when the ravens outside the cave no longer fly.

His red beard (Barbarossa) continues to grow, and every now and then he awakens long enough to send a young boy out of the cave to see if the ravens are still flying.

Answer: Sundiata Keita

There is a story about Sundiata Keita that says that when he was born to one of the wives of the king of the Mandinka people, King Maghann, he was crippled. Even so, his parents loved and protected him from those who tried to ridicule him. He finally was able to learn to walk when he was seven years old. Sundiata, along with his mother and siblings, was forced into exile after the death of King Maghann and the subsequent Sosso overthrow of their homeland.

They stayed for several years with the nearby King of Mema, and Sundiata became a strong, powerful warrior. Eventually he was able to lead an army to free his people and establish a new empire called the Mali Empire in 1235.

He was given the title Mansa, which means "King of Kings", and is also known as the "Lion King of Mali" due to his courage and determination.

Answer: King John

John was the youngest son of King Henry II and was reportedly given the nickname Lackland by Henry because of his lack of land grants. Henry had three living sons who could succeed him, and two of John's brothers attempted to lead a rebellion against their father. From that point on, John was given a variety of land grants, reportedly becoming his father's favorite. Toward the end of Henry's life he had to deal with a rebellion led by Eleanor, his wife, and her favorite son, Richard.

It appears that John stayed out of it until it looked like Richard would win; as he was the only remaining son after Richard I became king, he became heir to the throne.

Although the Magna Carta gave more rights to English noblemen and freemen, it should be said here that John didn't sign it because he was concerned about the way the nobles were being treated.

He signed the document because the nobles made it clear that if he didn't do so, they would wage war.

Answer: Muhammad

Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised first by his grandfather and later by his uncle. As a young man Muhammad made a living as a merchant. When he was forty years old he was meditating in a cave outside Mecca when the angel Gabriel appeared to him; eventually Muhammad began to teach what had been revealed to him by God. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the final prophet, or Seal of the Prophets, sent by their God, Allah, the same God worshiped by Jews and Christians.

There are numerous stories about Muhammad's kindness and the way that he tried to teach his followers by example. In one, a poor man gave him a bunch of grapes, which Muhammad ate as the man watched. The poor man was so happy to be able to give something to a man he admired. Uncharacteristically, Muhammad ate the entire bunch without offering any to the other members of his group.

After the man left, he was asked why he hadn't shared as he normally did. Muhammad replied that the grapes were sour, and he feared that the others might not have been able to keep from letting that show.

He didn't want to hurt the feelings of the poor man who had sacrificed by giving such a gift.

Answer: Genghis Khan

A great warrior and political leader, Genghis Khan created a huge empire. Even though he had quite a reputation for brutality, Genghis Khan was able to create a system of government and taxation based on religious tolerance and merit. His establishment of control over the famous Silk Road, which facilitated communication, the exchange of ideas, and trade, is considered to be one of his greatest contributions. Surprisingly, it is not known exactly known what caused his death.

Some say he fell off a horse and died from his injuries, while others say he might have been wounded in battle.

It is known, however, that he had asked to be buried in an unmarked tomb. His men killed everyone with whom they came into contact on the way to his burial site, thought to be near his birthplace, in order to keep his secret.

Answer: Eric the Red

The story is that Eric the Red was quite a quick-tempered trouble maker and was exiled by his Viking comrades more than once for bad behavior. Upon being exiled from a settlement on Oxney for three years, it is believed that Eric spent the time exploring a land that was icy and cold in most areas, although there was some land that showed promise for the creation of a new settlement.

When he returned to Oxney, in an attempt to attract interest in settling this icy land, he named it Greenland, convincing many that the land would have endless opportunities.

In truth, a better name for the land would have been Iceland! Nevertheless, two settlements were established there and many colonists came. Other Vikings would bring needed provisions when possible. People continued to live in the settlements after Erik's death in 1002.