Fun History III Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aegeae

The assassin was killed by three of Philip's bodyguards whilst trying to escape. There is no clear record of the trial which followed. However, two sons of Aeropus were found guilty and were executed. Some months later Attalus, one of the three bodyguards who had killed the assassin, resisted arrest and was killed in connection with the conspiracy.

Answer: False

It is a common misconception that Alexander the Great was Alexander I. He was in fact Alexander III as there had been two previous kings with that name.

Answer: Thothmes III

The wife of Thothmes III was Hatshepsut. It was she who truly ruled Egypt whilst she was alive. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thothmes I and he recognized her as his legitimate successor. He had sons, but by inferior wives. There was certainly some kind of internal strife as one of the sons, Thothmes II, appears to have ruled for a brief period of time. Whether unseated by a revolution or not is unclear. What is clear, however, is that Hatshepsut became Queen and took the very young Thothmes III as her husband after the demise of Thothmes II: this measure kept the succession within the family. Hatshepsut ruled for some twenty years, and during that time kept a firm hold on her young husband's pretentions to glory and authority.

When she died Thothmes III was left a clear field for his ambitions.

After pretty well obliterating all memory of his dead wife, which included defacing her monuments, he set off to achieve his goals. The battle of Megiddo against the Syrians in April 1479 BC, was a tactical masterpiece and a great victory for Egypt.

He was audacious, cunning, and courageous. Thothmes III died in the fifty fourth year of his nominal and thirty third year of his unfettered reign. He was succeeded by his equally warlike son Amenhotep II in 1447 BC.

Answer: Charles X

Upon becoming king, Charles X behaved foolishly. Ignoring the feeling of the times he made a determined effort to restore the old absolutism of the past. Bearing in mind the revolution and its causes, this was not a sensible course of action and his attempts met with failure. He was forced to abdicate in 1830.

Answer: Lord Castlereagh

Lord Castlereagh was firm believer in England first. His dealings with allies left, as far as they were concerned, a lot to be desired. He had no compunction about playing one off against the other in order to benefit British interest. It is said that in the end his 'brain gave way'.

The fact is he worked with savage intensity and yet to his dying day he was unpopular. He committed suicide in 1822.

Answer: Treaty of Portsmouth

The Treaty of Portsmouth ended the conflict. In effect, Russia was excluded from Manchuria, and Korea was awarded to Japan.

Answer: False

The correct answer is Omdurman. The Mahdi chose Omdurman as his capital in place of Khartoum in 1885. The tomb was built on his death by his successor, the Khalifa, in the same year.

Answer: A long lance

A sarissa was a long lance used by the Macedonians. It was quite light in comparison to the infantryman's pike. It had a metal joint in the centre and a blade at each end. The shaft was attached by a thong to the cavalryman's wrist so that if the spear broke he could still use the remainder of the weapon as a thrusting spear.

Answer: Wilhelm von Leeb

Field Marshal Wilhelm von Leeb's talents were not well used. An expert in defensive warfare he was called upon to direct massive panzer forces in 1941, a job for which he was not truly qualified. Nevertheless, had he been left to his own devices and not plagued by interference from Hitler he would most probably have captured Leningrad.

After arguing with Hitler on January 12, 1942 Leeb asked to be relieved of his command. He was replaced by Colonel-General von Kuechler the next day and never re-employed. Leeb was arrested by the allies at the end of the war.

In October 1948, at the age of seventy two, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment as a minor war criminal. Rather harsh treatment in view of his record. He died April 1956 aged seventy nine.

Answer: Phocion

Phocion was an honorable man imbued with immense good sense. However, he mistrusted Athenian democracy because it rarely listened to his advice. He was not one to court popularity and he never pandered to popular sentiment. No ego-maniac, he often doubted his own wisdom. Unfortunately he was no orator. Neither did he have much in the way of charisma. Always just and true, but always seemingly unsympathetic, might be a fair description.

His trial was a travesty of justice, but he met his death calmly and with no complaint.

After his death, realising that they had condemned an honest man (not for the first time) the Athenians raised a statue to his memory.