Mighty Monarchs VIII (Hungary) Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. At the Battle of Lechfeld (Aug 9, 955 AD) the Magyars were defeated by the Saxons and forced to finally settle in Pannonia (modern Hungary). Which king of the Saxons ended the Magyar threat to Central Europe?

Answer: Otto I

The Magyars had originally been summoned into Central Europe (c. 894 AD) as allies of the Byzantine Empire in their war against the Bulgars. They migrated westward into Pannonia after being quickly defeated by the Bulgars. Between c. 900-955 AD they would periodically launch raids into central Europe and even into France. Otto I, King of the Saxons (936-973 AD), was eventually crowned Holy Roman Emperor (Feb 2, 962 AD) by Pope John XII.

He was later remembered as Otto 'the Great.'

2. The Kingdom of Hungary was created when this duke was crowned king by Pope Sylvester II (Aug 15, 1000 AD). He established the Arpad dynasty which held the throne till 1301 AD. Which individual was it?

Answer: Stephen I

Stephen I, the Saint (r. 997-1038 AD), had succeeded his father, Geza (r. 972-997 AD) as duke in 997 AD. He received his crown from the pope for his efforts to convert his pagan subjects to Christianity. He was also bestowed the title of the 'Apostolic King.'

3. Andrew II, King of Hungary, was one of the few Christian monarchs to answer the call of Pope Honorius III for a new crusade in 1216 AD. Which Crusade did he participate in?

Answer: Fifth

Andrew II (r. 1205-1235 AD) departed for the Holy Land in 1217 AD only to return home in 1218 AD before the major events of the Fifth Crusade (1217-1221 AD) unfolded.

4. In Feb 1241 AD the Mongols of the Golden Horde descended into the Kingdom of Hungary after devastating Poland. Batu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, led the Mongols and defeated the Hungarian king at the Battle of the Mohi Bridge (on the Sajo River) (Apr 11, 1241 AD). Which king was it?

Answer: Bela IV

Batu soon abandoned the campaign when the news of the death of the Great Khan Ogodai (or Ogedei, his uncle) reached him. He personally returned to Karakorum (Qaraqorum), capital of the Mongol Empire, to participate in the struggle over the succession. Bela IV (r. 1235-1270 AD), shortly before his death, secured peace with Ottokar II, the Great, King of Bohemia, by having his granddaughter, Kunhata, marry the Bohemian king.

He was succeeded by his son, Stephen V (r. 1270-1272 AD)

5. After the death of Andrew III in 1301 AD the Kingdom of Hungary was plunged into a civil war. Wenceslaus, King of Bohemia and King of Poland, briefly assumed the throne. The stuggle over the throne continued after his death and did not end till this individual was crowned in 1308 AD. Which individual was it?

Answer: Charles I

Andrew III (r. 1290-1301 AD) was the last of the Arpad dynasty. Wenceslaus (Premyslid dynasty) was already king of Bohemia (since 1278 AD) and king of Poland (since 1300 AD) before assuming the throne of Hungary (r. 1301-1305 AD). He was the father-in-law of Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew III. Charles I (r. 1308-1342 AD) was from the Angevin dynasty of Naples and claimed the throne through the earlier dynastic marriage (c. 1268 AD) between the grandchildren of Bela IV (Arpad dynasty) and the children of Charles I (Angevin dynasty), King of Sicily. Otto of Bavaria briefly reigned during the civil war (1305-1307 AD).

6. The so-called 'Crusade' of Nicopolis (1396 AD) was proclaimed by Pope Boniface IX and would be the last great international movement in Christendom to try and stem the advance of the Ottoman Turks into central Europe and the Balkans. The 'Crusaders' were led by this king of Hungary (and future Holy Roman Emperor). Which individual was it?

Answer: Sigismund

Sigismund (r. 1387-1437 AD) was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1410 AD and assumed the throne of Bohemia in 1419 AD. The 'Crusade' of Nicopolis was the first major encounter between western Europeans and the Ottomans and ended in the crushing defeat of the Christians at the hands of Bayazid I, the Thunderbolt, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, at the Battle of Nicopolis (Sep 25, 1396 AD). Sigismund barely escaped with his life.

He is famous for convening the 17th Ecumenical Council (of Constance) (Nov 1414-Apr 1418 AD) to finally settle the Great Schism of the Catholic Church (began in 1378 AD).

He is also famous (or infamous) for the burning of the Bohemian heretic John Hus (Jul 6, 1415 AD).

7. At the Battle of Varna (Nov 10, 1444 AD) Ladislaus III, King of Hungary and King of Poland, was defeated and killed by the Ottoman Turks (led by Sultan Murad II). This famous Hungarian noble from Transylvania accompanied the king on campaign but managed to escape the disaster at Varna to continue the struggle with the Turks. His son would even become king of Hungary in 1458 AD. Which individual was it?

Answer: John Hunyadi

Ladislaus III (Jagiellonian dynasty) was already king of Poland (since 1434 AD) before assuming the throne of Hungary (r. 1440-1444 AD). John Hunyadi's son, Matthias Corvinus, would become king of Hungary in 1458 AD. Vlad II, Dracul (the Dragon), Prince of Wallachia, was a member of the Order of the Dragon established by Sigismund in 1408 AD.

His son, Vlad III, Tepes (the Impaler) is more commonly referred to as Dracula - son of the Dragon. Scanderbeg ('prince Alexander') was the name given to George Castriotes by the Turks for his military prowess and leadership in defending Albania.

After his death (1467 AD) Albanian resistance soon collapsed.

8. Between 1301-1458 AD the Kingdom of Hungary was ruled by kings of various foreign extractions (Polish, German, Bohemian, and Neopolitan). In 1458 AD this Hungarian assumed the throne and brought the kingdom to its height of power and prestige. Who was it?

Answer: Matthias I Corvinus

Matthias I Corvinus (r. 1458-1490 AD) was famous throughtout Europe for the high culture of his court. During his reign he successfully held the Ottoman Turks at bay and consolidated royal power over his unruly nobles. Corvinus means 'the Raven' (from his coat of arms). Unfortunately he would turn out to be the last Hungarian king of Hungary.

After his death the throne passed to two Polish kings (1490-1526 AD) and then the Hungarian crown became the hereditary possession of the Austrian Hapsburg dynasty (1526-1918 AD).

9. At the Battle of Mohacs (Aug 29, 1526 AD) Louis II, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia, was defeated and killed by the Ottoman Turks under the command of the Sultan himself. Which Ottoman Sultan was it?

Answer: Suleiman I, the Magnificent

Louis II was king of both Hungary and Bohemia (r. 1516-1526 AD) but was a member of the Polish Jagiellonian dynasty. Suleiman added large portions of the Hungarian kingdom to the Ottoman Empire and in 1529 AD even threatened Vienna, capital of the Austrian Hapsburg dynasty.

10. In 1526 AD the Austrian Hapsburg dynasty assumed the throne of Hungary which it held til 1918 AD. The first Hapsburg king was the brother of the Holy Roman emperor, Charles V. Which individual was it?

Answer: Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I (r. 1526-1564 AD) was already Archduke of Austria (since 1522 AD) when he assumed the throne of Hungary. In 1515 AD he had married Anna, sister of Louis II. During Hapsurg rule the threat of the Ottoman Turks was eventually ended. The Hungarians would always resent the rule of their foreign kings.

They rose in an unsuccessful revolt in 1848 AD. The Hapsburgs eventually turned to their Hungarian subjects for support after their defeat by the Prussians (Seven Weeks' War 1866 AD). In 1867 AD the Austro-Hungarian Empire was declared giving the Hungarians equal status within the Austrian Empire.

The Empire disintegrated as a result of World War I (1914-1918 AD).

Source: Author hund

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Mighty Monarchs VIII covers the various rulers of Hungary from the final settlement of the Magyars (c. 955 AD) to the beginning of Hapsburg rule (1526 AD). Related odds and ends included. Good Luck!

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