Historical Terms II Trivia Quiz

Answer: An unflattering term to describe an educated woman

The term 'Bluestockings' was used in a critical and sexist sense to describe an educated woman. The expression derived from a club in London in the 18th century known as 'The Bluestocking Club'. In the 19th century as educational opportunities for women increased the expression extended to include any educated middle class woman.

Answer: Non secular title of Moslem rulers

Caliph (successor) was the title given to rulers of the Moslem world after Mohammed's death in 632AD. The first four of these acted as Imams, but in 680AD, after Mu'awiya died and passed it on to his son, Yazid I, the Caliphate became hereditary.
Over the centuries the Caliphate was assumed by various minor potentates, including the Fatamid Caliphate of North Africa (909-1171), also in Spain (923-1031) and the Mameluke Sultans of Egypt and Syria. The Ottomans were the last to use the title and it was finally abolished in March 1924.

Answer: An elite band of Ottoman infantry

Janissaries ('jeniceri', 'new troops') were an elite band of Ottoman foot soldiers formed by Bayazed I in the 14th century from Christian children taken from the conquered countries of Serbia and Albania and other Balkan nations. They were brought up as Moslems and never allowed to marry. Though at first selection was random, it later became more demanding and only the strongest were selected. Janissaries were distinctive in many ways.

They were paid on a regular basis, wore uniforms and inherited each other's goods upon death.

They acted as the Sultan's bodyguard and their bond with their ruler was absolute. However, in time they gained enormous power within the empire, too much for their own good, and in 1826 the Sultan Mahmud II had them massacred and the Janissaries abolished forever.

Answer: Hitler's destruction of the leadership of the SA

'Night of the Long Knives' refers to Adolf Hitler's destruction of the SA as a political force on 29-30 June 1934. On Hitler's orders the SS murdered the SA leader, Captain Ernst Roehm and about 150 other SA leaders. Many were killed at the Stadelheim Prison in Munich and others at the Military Academy in Lichterfelde near Berlin.

The aim of the slaughter was to crush the political power of the SA. However, other high ranking Nazi party members seized the opportunity to level old scores and it has been claimed that more that 1,000 people were killed, many of them were high ranking officials that had simply annoyed a Nazi bigwig or were anti Nazi party. Hitler himself first used the phrase 'Night of the Long Knives' at a speech in Berlin on 13 July 1934 where he 'excused' his act by claiming that a coup had been in the offing.

Answer: Tribute paid to the Pope

'Peter's Pence' was a cash tribute to the Pope first paid by King Offa of Mercia in the 8th century. It was also paid by King Ethelwulf in the 9th century supposedly to provide funds for a Saxon College at Rome. This tribute was also paid to Rome in the time of Alfred the Great (871-899).

It later came to be regarded as as a Papal right and was standardized as Hearth Money to be paid at the rate of £200 per year (an ample sum in those days) by the whole country. The practice was abolished by parliament in 1534.

Answer: Followers of a 15th century clergyman

The term 'Hussites' refers to the followers of John Hus, rector of Prague University in the early 15th century. Hus was a pupil of John Wycliffe, who had been excommunicated by Pope Alexander V in 1412. Hus continued spreading about his doctrine and was summoned to the Council of Constance.

He was assured of safe conduct by Sigismund, Emperor of Hungary but was seized whilst attending and burned as a heretic in 1415. The Hussites became a powerful body in Moravia and Bohemia, where they took up arms against both church and emperor. Hussites remained in insurrection until 1436 when their revolt was ended by the Treaty of Iglau.

Answer: A class of warship

'Ironclads' were a class of warship built by all the major powers between 1859 and the 1890s. Their wooden hulls were covered by iron plate making them almost impregnable to the weaponry of the day; they were also, by virtue of their strengthened frames, able to sport much heavier cannon than previously and no unmodified ship had a hope of defeating them. The 1860s and 1870s saw the pinnacle of the 'ironclads' career, particularly during the American Civil war.
By the 1890s the ironclad had given way to ships that were made completely of iron.

Answer: A civic dignitary

An alderman (old english = ealdorman) was a civic dignitary co-opted onto the local council where he was second in rank only to the mayor. Their duties over the centuries changed and were many and varied. There is a list of aldermen which dates back to 1290. By a statute of 1394 aldermen could be selected for life; a further statute in 1791 made them Justices of the Peace.
In 1835 the position of aldermen was regularized by the Municipal Corporations Act and confirmed by the 1888 Local Government (county councils) act.
Aldermen were appointed to local councils in order to provide stability and continuity in an otherwise volatile and unpredictable political system. They were appointed from amongst themselves or from other qualified persons. Their term of office was six years with one half standing for election every three years. The office was abolished in 1972.

Answer: Reformed Parliamentary army of the English Civil War

'The New Model Army' was a term which referred to the reformed parliamentary forces during the English civil war. The new Model Army was established by parliamentary ordinance in February 1645. The armies of Generals Waller and Essex were reorganized into a single force of 22,000 men. Thomas Fairfax was appointed commander of this army and Oliver Cromwell was made a Lieutenant General.

The morale and discipline of these troop was greatly improved by professional training and better pay and they rapidly made their presence felt on the battlefield and the English civil war entered a new and far more deadly phase.

Answer: 13th century peasant uprising

The term 'Pastoureaux' refers to a spontaneous uprising in 1251 of peasants and shepherds in north east France. The main object of the uprising was was to effect the rescue of the French King, Louis IX, who had been captured whilst on crusade in Egypt. Two other aims of the uprising were the reform of Church abuse and liberation of the Holy Land. The uprising was led by a Hungarian firebrand calling himself the 'Master of Hungary', his real name is unknown: long bearded, vocal and charismatic is about all that is known of him.
The originally well meant uprising soon developed into nothing more than local pillaging and killing coupled with violent excesses against priests and scholars. Jews also suffered extreme violence at the hands of the Pastoureaux. Badly led and out of control the whole thing was quickly suppressed in that same year and the 'Master of Hungary' was slaughtered along with many of his closest followers near Villeneuve-sur-Cher.
In the 14th century (1320) a second Pastoureaux movement sprang up, again incited by ignorant mystics. This time the objection was the seeming indifference of the French King, Philip V, with regard to the freeing of Palestine from Moslem rule. The second rising ended as did the first, in a welter of blood.