Historical Battles and Campaigns Quiz

Answer: Marathon

The Battle of Marathon was fought between the citizens of Athens and the Persians. The Bay of Marathon is approximately 25 miles (40 km) from Athens. The Persian fleet landed at Marathon and expected to march easily to Athens. They were, however, met by a much smaller Athenian army which proceeded to achieve a remarkable victory, which forced the Persian task force to return to Asia. Eretria, Naxos and Lindos had been victories for the Persian forces during this first invasion. Pheidippides, a courier, was sent to run to Athens from Marathon to give news of the victory over the Persians. Due to the distance involved this was the inspiration for our modern sporting event, the Marathon.

Answer: Charles Martel

Charles Martel (680-741) was the illegitimate son of Pepin of Herstal (the de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace). As Pepin had no surviving legitimate sons Charles Martel became mayor of the Franks. He expanded Frankish territory and in 732 repulsed an onslaught from the Muslims at the Battle of Tours.

The victory has been termed as ending the "last of the great Arab invasions of Europe". The Moors were lead by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafigi, Governor-General of al-Andalus who was killed during the battle. Charlemagne (grandson of Charles Martel) became Charles I and united most of Western Europe. Carloman was the eldest son of Charles Martel.

Answer: William I of Normandy

William I of Normandy lead his Norman-French army to victory over an English army lead by the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson. William is best known as William the Conqueror and sometimes referred to as William the Bastard. He was the first Norman King of England and he reigned from 1066 until his death in 1087. King Harald Hardrada (Harald III of Norway) defeated the English at the Battle of Fulford in September 1066 but in turn was defeated by King Harold Godwinson five days later at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. King Edward the Confessor possibly indirectly initiated the Battle of Hastings as he died childless in January 1066.

This then set up the struggle by several claimants for his throne and to be crowned King of England.

Answer: Battle of Falkirk

The Battle of Falkirk (July 22, 1298) was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. In 1297 William Wallace defeated the English forces of John de Warenne and Hugh de Cressingham near Stirling on the River Forth a victory known as the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

The Battle of Methven took place in 1306 and Robert the Bruce was routed by Aymer de Valence who was a Franco-English nobleman. In 1314 the Battle of Bannockburn was a significant victory for Scotland led by Robert the Bruce over the English king, Edward II.

This battle is a landmark in Scottish history.

Answer: Battle of Cajamarca

The Battle of Cajamarca (1532) resulted in the ambush and capture of the Inca ruler Atahualpa by Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish force was rather small but they killed thousands of councellors and unarmed attendants in the great plaza of Cajamarca. The Battle of Cuzco (1533) was the taking of the capital city (Cuzco) of the Inca empire and by the Spanish.

The Siege of Tenochtitlan (1521) was the capital of the Aztec Empire and was the decisive event in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. In 1573 the forces of the Inca emperor Manco defeated the Spanish troops of Hernando Pizarro in the Battle of Ollantaytambo.

Answer: Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris was signed in Paris by representatives of Great Britain and the United States of America on September 3, 1783. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war of 1812 between Britain and the U.S. The Treaty of Grenville (1795) opened most of Ohio to white settlement and the Treaty of Alliance (1778) was the American Revolutionary War alliance with France.

Answer: Battle of Leipzig

It was the Battle of Leipzig (October 1813) that forced Napoleon's abdication and exiled to Elba in early 1814. He was beaten by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden. In February 1815 Napoleon escaped from Elba and once again took control of the French government. The Battle of Quatre Bras took place on June 16, 1815 in which Wellington withdrew to Waterloo for the major battle, two days later.

The Battle of Wavre took place on June 18-19, 1815 which the Prussian rear-guard used as a blocking action to stop 33,000 French troops from reaching Waterloo to assist Napoleon.The Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815) was the final defeat of Napoleon by the British, Dutch and Hanoverian armies led by the Duke of Wellington and the Prussian army led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.

It was after this defeat that Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean where he died in 1821.

Answer: Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam is also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg was the first major battle of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil. The combined total of dead, wounded and missing was nearly 23,000. Both the first Battle of Bull Run (July 21,1861) and the second Battle of Bull Run (August 28-30, 1862) were victories for the Confederates. The Battle of South Mountain that took place just three days before the Battle of Antietam and was also part of the Maryland Campaign with three pitched battles for possession of the three South Mountain passes.

The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) involved the largest number of casualties of the war and basically ended the South's attempts to invade the North.

Answer: Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun (February 21-December 20, 1916) was fought with over 1,000,000 soldiers from each side which resulted in a costly French victory. The French General Philippe Pétain became known as the Lion of Verdun. Sadly, after WWII he was tried and convicted of treason due to his actions of siding with Nazi Germany and forming the Vichy Government.

The Battle of Lone Pine (August 6-8, 1915) was part of the Gallipoli campaign between Australia and the Ottoman Empire fought in Turkey. During this two day battle seven Australian soldiers received the Victoria Cross.

The Battle of Jutland (May 31-June 1, 1916) was fought in the North Sea off the coast of Denmark making it the largest naval battle and the only full-scale clash of battleships in WWI. The Battle of the Somme (July 1- November 18, 1916) was one of the bloodiest battles in human history with over 1,000,000 men killed or wounded.

There was no conclusive result and the battle remained controversial as to its necessity, significance and effectiveness.

Answer: Sniper

Vasily Zaytsev (1915-1991) was a Soviet sniper and his exploits during the Battle of Stalingrad were documented in the film "Enemy at the Gates" starring Jude Law as Zaytsev. The Battle of Stalingrad lasted from August 1942 - February 1943 and was marked by close quarters combat. The German surrender at Stalingrad marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany* and the Soviets began their push towards Berlin. Zaytsev is credited with over 400 victims during WWII with 225 victims, including 11 enemy snipers during the Battle of Stalingrad. After the war settled in Kiev and studied at a textile university and later became a director of a textile factory in Kiev where he remained until his death in 1991.
Ivan Kozhedub (Soviet Union) was the highest-scoring Allied Flying Ace during WWII. Aleksandra Samusenko was the only female tank commander during WWII. She was decorated for her bravery at the Battle of Kursk (1943). Alexander Marinesko is considered to be the most effective submarine commander in the Soviet navy during WWII.

*Some professional military historians regard the Battle of Moscow (October 1941 to January 1942) as the first key turning point on the Eastern Front and arguably the 'beginning of the end for Nazi Germany': the plan for a quick, 'knock-out' blow against the Soviet Union had failed, and Germany would be fighting a war of attrition, something it was not prepared for or well placed to win.