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Medieval Gossip Columnists Trivia Quiz

Medieval chroniclers were usually members of monastic orders. This quiz looks at chroniclers covering the turbulent reigns of Henry II and his sons Richard I and John.

A multiple-choice quiz by bracklaman. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
bracklaman

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
184,340

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
587

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This writer recorded events in the life of St Hugh of Lincoln and is therefore used by historians researching the reign of Henry II of England. Who was he? Hint

Adam of Eynsham

Gabriel of Ambridge

Johannes of Evesham

Edward of Snapesby

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Question 2 of 10

2. This writer is thought to have produced his account of the reign of King John in some secrecy and his anonymity has been preserved over the centuries. Hint

Monk of Barnwell

Monk of Coventry

Monk of Durham

Monk of Tintern

3. This author had a measure of personal independence through his own noble family connections. His writings cover the period from c. 1000 AD to c. 1154 AD. He also produced the first major source for the legends about King Arthur. Who was it? Hint

Geoffrey of Manorbier

Gervase of Canterbury

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Caldicot

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Question 4 of 10

4. This author (c. 1141 AD - c. 1210 AD) was a monk of Christ Church Priory of Canterbury Cathedral. His observations are understandably coloured by his admiration for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. Hint

Philip of Canterbury

Geoffrey of Canterbury

Gervase of Canterbury

Johannes of Canterbury

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Question 5 of 10

5. The youngest son of William de Barri, a Norman knight from Pembrokeshire and Nesta, a Welsh princess, he was a prolific and popular writer of his time. Hint

Geoffrey of Wales

Gerald of Wales

Gervase of Wales

Johannes of Wales

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Question 6 of 10

6. This author translated from French into Latin an account of the "Itinerary of Richard I" including his many wars, battles and campaigns as well as his Crusade. Hint

Gervais, Prior of Holy Trinity, Aldgate

Edward, Prior of Holy Trinity, Aldgate

Geoffrey, Prior of Holy Trinity, Aldgate

Richard, Prior of Holy Trinity, Aldgate

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Question 7 of 10

7. This writer who died in c. 1201 AD was at the time of his death Archdeacon of Middlesex and Canon and Archivist of St Paul's Cathedral. His writings contain extensive transcripts from government documents of the day. Hint

Ralph of Diceto

Ralph Dimagius

Ralph of London

Ralph of Coventus

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Question 8 of 10

8. He was both a civil servant and a King's Justice until his death in about 1201 AD. He accompanied Henry II to France in 1174 AD and was also present at the siege of Acre in 1191. He produced an extensive account of the reigns and lives of both Henry II and Richard I. Hint

Roger of Hoveden

Ralph of Diceto

Roger of Wendover

Robert of Torrington

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Question 9 of 10

9. As a preamble to his life of Thomas Becket this author wrote a much valued description of life in contemporary London. Hint

William Wilberforce

William Fitzstephen

William of Camden

William of Stevenage

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Question 10 of 10

10. This writer was born in Jersey, studied in Paris and Caen before being appointed Canon of Bayeux by Henry II in about 1160 AD. He wrote a Norman-French verse history of England from the time of Brutus, the legendary first ancient King of Britain. Hint

Robert Wallace

Roger Wallace

William Wallace

Barnes Wallace

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This writer recorded events in the life of St Hugh of Lincoln and is therefore used by historians researching the reign of Henry II of England. Who was he?

Answer: Adam of Eynsham

Adam was a monk in an establishment endowed by Hugh and his family. His account was very laudatory of Hugh and circumspect about Henry II, who was the benfactor of both Adam and his master Hugh.

2. This writer is thought to have produced his account of the reign of King John in some secrecy and his anonymity has been preserved over the centuries.

Answer: Monk of Barnwell

His account was lively, relatively objective and is regarded by many as an elegant chronicle of the troubled reign of King John.

Answer: Geoffrey of Monmouth

Probably of Breton or Norman origin Geoffrey became Archdeacon of Monmouth about 1140 AD and later about 1152 AD he became Bishop of St Asaph. His (fictitious) work "History of the Kings of Britain" was accepted as historical fact for many years.

Answer: Gervase of Canterbury

He wrote a chronicle of the deeds of the kings of his times and also a history of the Archbishops of Canterbury from St Augustine to Hubert Walter. It is generally accepted the they largely uncritical but include much useful contextual information about the period.

5. The youngest son of William de Barri, a Norman knight from Pembrokeshire and Nesta, a Welsh princess, he was a prolific and popular writer of his time.

Answer: Gerald of Wales

He was widely travelled and his accounts include contemporary geographical notes on Wales, Ireland and England. He also wrote an autobiography.
His works relected his own partiality to his homeland of Wales and his family links to the Normans. He did not much care for the Anglo-Saxons.

6. This author translated from French into Latin an account of the "Itinerary of Richard I" including his many wars, battles and campaigns as well as his Crusade.

Answer: Richard, Prior of Holy Trinity, Aldgate

The original author said he had written things down "amidst the din of war". Much of this work was adapted and disseminated by the troubadours from Aquitaine where this cultural tradition was fostered by the long timne patronage of Queen Eleanor (Richard I's mother).

Answer: Ralph of Diceto

His "Images of History" was a chronological record of the events of his time. He was a conscientious recorder of history who seemed to take care to check his facts. Curiously, although appalled by the murder of Thomas Becket he remained an admirer of Henry II.

Answer: Roger of Hoveden

His works were once attributed to his patron the Abbot Benedict of Peterborough. His accounts contained transcripts of original documents which are invaluable sources to the modern historian.

9. As a preamble to his life of Thomas Becket this author wrote a much valued description of life in contemporary London.

Answer: William Fitzstephen

He was a member of the Becket household and an eyewitness both to the murder and the earlier confrontation between Becket and Henry II at Northampton. Although fulsome in his praise of his late master he was careful not to criticise Henry II.

Answer: Robert Wallace

This verse history appeared to be based on the earlier chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth. It is in his history that the legend of Arthur and of the Round Table first appears in written form.

Source: Author bracklaman

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