Snippets of English History Quiz | European

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. During the last half of the 8th century AD, the King of Mercia ordered the construction of a massive earthwork which is roughly 150 miles long and, in places, follows the present-day border between England and Wales. Can you name this king?

Answer: Offa

Very little is known about Offa but he must have been a powerful ruler to have had sufficient resources at his disposal for the construction of such a formidable earthwork. Numismatists have remarked on the outstanding artistic merit of many coins struck in his reign.

Asser, a late 9th and early 10th century chronicler wrote: 'There was in Mercia, in fairly recent times, a certain vigorous king called Offa, who terrified all the neighbouring kings and provinces around him and who had a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea.' (From his work, 'Life of Alfred'.)

2. A monument, known as The Rufus Stone, stands in the northern section of The New Forest, in the south of England. It commemorates the death of an English king in the year 1100 AD, who was shot when he was hunting. Who was this king?

Answer: William II

Many historians think that William (nicknamed Rufus) was assassinated and that the arrow, shot by Sir Walter Tyrrell was meant to rid England of a ruthless and very unpopular king. The king's body was left untended by the members of the hunting party who all fled the scene. This seems to be the action of guilty people.

3. On the 29th December 1170 AD, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was brutally slain in his cathedral by four knights who believed that their king wanted to be rid of this man. Which king was this?

Answer: Henry II

Henry II wanted the laws of the land to be obeyed by everyone. His archbishop (Thomas Becket) opposed this idea because, at that time, the clergy were exempt from secular laws. The resultant wrangling between these two powerful men continued for years but it all came to a head when Henry received news of how Thomas had excommunicated some important bishops.

He exploded into a rage and is supposed to have yelled the words, 'Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?' -These words were spoken in anger (if, indeed, he said them at all) and not meant to be taken at face value. Four knights, present at the time, took matters into their own hands with the result that Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.

4. Just over 20 miles west of central London, on the banks of the River Thames, is a meadow called Runnymede. It was here, in 1215 AD, that an English king put his seal to a charter which is usually referred to by its Latin name of Magna Carta. Who was this king?

Answer: John

John's powerful barons obliged the king to accept this charter, which limited his rights as an absolute monarch and which granted civil liberties.
Lord Denning (a 20th century British judge) described this charter as the greatest constitutional document of all times - the foundation of the freedom of the individual against the arbitrary authority of the despot. Above all, it stressed the rule of law.

5. In the August of 1588 an army of 4,000 English troops was mustered at Tilbury, in Essex, ready to repel a Spanish invasion. Do you know what the missing word is in the following extract from the very-well-known speech which Queen Elizabeth the First made to these troops, to encourage them? 'I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and ______ of a king and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm.'

Answer: stomach

After their defeat at the Batle of Gravelines, the Spanish ships were driven north up the Channel but it was felt that they could still be a threat. It was also feared that the Spanish Duke of Parma's forces could invade England from the Netherlands: so the Earl of Leicester was maintaining the above-mentioned troops at the port of Tilbury.

They were all discharged two days after Elizabeth's famous speech because no invasion of England took place.

6. The Royal Oak is the name given to a tree which stands in Bishops' Wood, near Boscobel House in Staffordshire. It is the 'daughter tree' of the one in which a king of England once hid, to escape from the Roundhead soldiers, after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Who was this king?

Answer: Charles II

After his defeat at the battle, Charles fled and hoped to take refuge in Boscobel House but he was advised to climb up and hide overnight in an oak tree in the grounds because Roundhead soldiers were searching the house. After what must have been a most uncomfortable night, he came down and was able to hide in a priest's hole in the house for a while.

7. In July of 1717 the King wanted a concert on the River Thames. George Frederic Handel composed the very-famous 'Water Music' for this event. For which king was this music composed?

Answer: George I

Fifty musicians played this lengthy piece of music on a barge close to King George's barge. The King was so delighted with the music that the poor, tired musicians were obliged to play it three times!

8. During the reign of which English monarch did the following events occur:- -Britain defeated France after The Seven Years' War: -Britain lost the Thirteen Colonies in the American War of Independence: -Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo?

Answer: George III

George III was born in 1735 and died in 1820.
He is best remembered as 'The Mad King' and 'The King Who Lost America'.
Physicians of his time didn't understand the fits of mental instability which the king suffered from during the last half of his reign. In 1811 he became unfit to rule and his son George, Prince of Wales, became Prince Regent.
Several suggestions have been made, attempting to explain the king's recurrent mental attacks. The most popular one is that he suffered from an illness known as porphyria but there is insufficient evidence to determine what really caused his affliction.

9. 'We are not amused' is a very-well-known quotation. Do you know which of England's monarchs is supposed to have said it?

Answer: Victoria

In 'Notebooks of a Spinster Lady'(1919) Caroline Holland attested that Victoria said this in 1900 but declines to mention why she said it. It has been suggested that someone had just told a somewhat risqu� story was told at court.
In many of Queen Victoria's writings she very forthrightly indicates her extreme dislike of all the discomforts of pregnancy and childbirth. (She had nine children.) So, perhaps, she was 'not amused' by that side of her life.
It remains unknown as to why, where and when she made this famous remark.

10. In 1936 a king of England abdicated the throne thus becoming the first English monarch to do so of his own free will. Who was this king?

Answer: Edward VIII

Edward fell in love with Wallis Simpson and wished to marry her. She was an American and had been married two times. The royal family, the Church of England and Parliament were strongly opposed to the idea of this marriage. With the threat of government resignation hanging like the Sword of Damocles over his head, Edward made his choice and decided to abdicate in order to marry Mrs. Simpson.
On the 10th of December, 1936, he signed the abdication papers. The following day he announced his decision, in a radio speech, to a worldwide audience. Here is a small extract from that great speech:
'I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.'

Source: Author Jomarion

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

Snippets of English History Trivia Quiz

All the 'snippets' in this quiz are asssociated with a king or queen of England. See if you can make the right connections.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>