Favourites of The Frost Dragons: History Quiz

Answer: Genghis Khan

He is one of my all time heroes. His life story was written in five volumes by, in my opinion, one of the best writers of historical novels, Conn Iggulden. It shows him to be human, and vulnerable at times. Worth a read.

Answer: Jeanne d'Arc

More popularly known as Joan of Arc, Jeanne was born in Domrémy, France, on Monday, January 6th, 1412. In 1424, at the age of twelve, Jeanne claimed to hear the voices of various saints, telling her to stop the English from invading France. At the age of sixteen, the King of France granted Jeanne permission to join the French Army, alongside which she fought until her capture on Sunday, May 23rd, 1430 by the Burgundians. She was sold to the English and put on trial for witchcraft and heresy. On Monday, May 30th, 1431, Jeanne was taken to the marketplace in the French town of Rouen, where she was burned at the stake.

Twenty-five years later a re-trial was conducted and Jeanne was declared innocent of all crimes. In May 1920, five-hundred years after her death, Jeanne's church status was restored and she became one of France's patron saints.

Answer: Henry V of England

King Henry V was the English king that saw victory at the famous Battle of Agincourt, then going on to marry the French princess Catherine. Immortalised in Shakespeare's play "Henry V", this king was ruthless and strong-headed when angered, but he also had compassion and intelligence when conducting diplomacy with foreign nations.

Answer: Claudius

Claudius proved that 'playing the fool' could keep you alive in Roman times. After his nephew Caligula was murdered, the Praetorian Guard made him emperor, and he reigned for approximately thirteen years. Many historians believe that he was murdered by his fourth and last wife, Agrippina the Younger. He had five children, four natural and one adopted.

Worth watching the BBC series, 'I Claudius'. Derek Jacobi gives a brilliant performance as Claudius, and it also features a young Patrick Stewart as Sejanus.

Answer: Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix was leader of the Arverni Tribe, and gave Caesar a thrashing at the battle of Gergovia. Eventually, he was defeated by Caesar at the Battle of Alesia, taken captive and held for five years. During Caesars triumphal march, he was paraded through the streets of Rome, and then executed, probably strangled in his prison cell, as was the custom. Napoleon III erected a statue to him, on the supposed site of Alesia.

Answer: Edward Kelly

More popularly known as Ned, he was the eldest of seven children. In October 1876, he had his first run-in with police, after being charged with assaulting a pig trader. In April 1878, twelve years after the death of his father, Ned's mother, Ellen, was arrested for the attempted murder of a policeman. She was eventually sentenced to three years in prison. In October 1878 Ned, his brother, Dan, and two close friends, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne, formed The Kelly Gang. That same month, they surprised a group of police at Stringybark Creek in Victoria's Wombat Ranges. Sergeant Michael Kennedy, Constable Thomas Lonigan and Constable Michael Scanlan were killed.

In June 1880, Joe Byrne killed a former friend, Aaron Sherritt, after the gang learned that he'd been passing information to the police. They then took over a hotel in the Victorian town of Glenrowan. Police soon arrived, and in the shoot-out that followed, Joe, Steve and Dan were killed while Ned was arrested.
In October 1880, he went on trial for the murders of the three policemen at Stringybark Creek and was executed on November 11th. His last words are believed to have been: "So it has come to this. Such is life."

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

This man delved into just about everything! He was an author, scientist, postmaster, ambassador, 6th President of Pennsylvania, inventor, musician, and so much more. If I could go back in time, I would love to meet him.

Answer: John Adams

Thanks to his foresight, George Washington was named Commander of the Continental Army at the Second Continental Congress.

Answer: Sir. Francis Drake

This is kind of tricky because Magellan was the first to lead an expedition to circumnavigate the world, though he died before completing the voyage (and, in any case, he was Portugese). Francis Drake (1540-1596) earned his knighthood after his circumnavigation. To the Spanish he was known as the fierce pirate El Draque (the Dragon). Sir Francis Drake continued his seafaring until his death in Portobelo, in what is now Panama, after a failed siege attempt in Puerto Rico.

Answer: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Although his life ended abruptly and tragically at the age of 39, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work in the Civil Rights Movement was highly significant. In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting inequality through nonviolence. In 1963, during his "March on Washington" King delivered his most-memorable and probably most powerful speech ever, his "I Have A Dream" speech. According to Martin Luther King's page on Wikipedia.org, the "I Have A Dream" speech was pivotal in creating awareness for Civil Rights and was the primary factor in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.