Great Battles in English History Quiz

Answer: Battle of Edington

The Danes had been harassing English towns for many years, typically holding a town and demanding payment as the price for their withdrawal. Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, decisively defeated Guthrum's forces of Danes (Vikings) at the Battle of Edington, ushering in an era of relative peace between the two groups.

The treaty which followed this battle defined boundaries for the two kingdoms.

Answer: Battle of Bannockburn

Scottish forces decisively defeated the English forces in this two-day battle. Unlike his father, Edward I, who had won most of his battles against the Scots, earning the title of "The Hammer of the Scots", Edward II proved to be an ineffective leader, and barely escaped the battle with his life.

The ultimate upshot of this battle was that England agreed to the 1328 Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton, recognizing the full independence of Scotland, and Scotland remained independent of England until the union of the two countries in 1707.

Answer: Battle of Agincourt

This battle, part of the Hundred Years' War between England and France, was the subject of the famous "St. Crispin's Day" speech in Shakespeare's play "Henry V". Henry V's forces emerged victorious from the Battle of Agincourt despite being outnumbered by the French forces. England suffered only 600 dead, compared to up to 10,000 Frenchmen.

After this decisive battle, England and France entered into the Treaty of Troyes, under which Henry was named heir apparent to the French throne. Unfortunately, Henry died prematurely in 1422 at the age of only 36, worn out by all of his military campaigns. Had he lived two more months, he would have been King of both England and France.

Answer: Battle of the Boyne

In this battle the forces of King William of Orange defeated the invading forces of James II, who had been deposed and exiled to France two years earlier, in what became known as the Glorious Revolution. After his defeat in the Battle of the Boyne, James II went back to France for good, and England was spared the return to Catholicism that James II would have represented.

Answer: Battle of Dettingen

The Battle of Dettingen was part of the War of the Austrian Succession, which lasted from 1740 to 1748. British, German and Austrian forces teamed up to defeat the French forces in this key battle. King George II personally led his troops into battle, the last time a British sovereign did so.

Answer: Battle of Yorktown

The "American War", as it was called in Britain, was very unpopular among the British populace, and they must have breathed a collective sigh of relief when it finally ended with the British surrender at Yorktown. The British historian George Otto Trevelyan says that only about a third of the British population supported the war, and King George III maintained support for the war in parliament only by the use of bribery and rotten boroughs.

It is said that when news of the surrender at Yorktown reached London, Prime Minister Lord North threw up his hands and thanked God that it was over.

Answer: Battle of Trafalgar

This battle, part of the Napoleonic Wars, established the British as the premier naval power in the world. Unfortunately, Admiral Nelson was killed in this battle. He is memorialized by a 169-foot tall monument located in Trafalgar Square in downtown London.

Answer: Battle of Balaclava

This battle was made (in)famous by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Charge of the Light Brigade". This ill-fated "charge" of 666 men resulted in almost half being either killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. It is believed to have come about as a result of a misinterpreted order from Lord Raglan, the British commanding officer.

Answer: Battle of Gallipoli

The Battle of Gallipoli, or Gallipoli Campaign, began on April 25, 1915, when British, French and ANZAC forces invaded the Gallipoli Peninsula, located in northwestern Turkey. Turkish resistance was so fierce that the allies abandoned the attack and began withdrawing in December of 1915.

The architect of the campaign, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, resigned his post in disgrace after the failure of the campaign.

Answer: Battle of Jutland

The 1916 Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between British and German fores for control of the North Sea. Both sides claimed victory, although the British losses of ships and men were greater than the German losses. However, Britain did succeed in denying Germany control of the crucial North Sea shipping lanes.

The Battle of Jutland was the last major naval battle fought primarily with battleships. By the time World War II rolled around, the submarine and the aircraft carrier had become the dominant weapons used in naval warfare.