The UK in the Second Millennium Quiz

Answer: Book of Winchester

The "Liber de Wintonia" was originally written in Latin, although the scribes also used various dialect and abbreviated words of their own. Considered one of the most important documents in the history of England, the original manuscript is now kept at the British National Archive in London.

Answer: William Adelin

The White Ship was the pride of King Henry I's fleet. She set sail late at night, and historians record that the crew and most of the passengers had indulged in large amounts of alcohol before departure. Among those aboard were William Adelin (the only legitimate son of King Henry I), his illegitimate half-sister Mathilda, and illegitimate half-brother Richard.

The loss of Henry's only heir caused chaos for England when he died, with civil war breaking out between two claimants to the throne and their factions, lasting almost twenty years.

Answer: Stephen Langton

First signed (sealed) in 1215, the Magna Carta forms the foundation of English Law and is famous worldwide for the various legal principles which were set out in it. It was the election of Stephen Langton to the Archbishopric of Canterbury, against the wishes of King John, that led to the conflict between John and Pope Innocent III which ultimately resulted in the devising of the Magna Carta. Langton remained Archbishop of Canterbury until his death in 1228.

The site of the original signing at Runnymede is a small meadow about 20 miles from London.

It is also the site of a memorial to President John F Kennedy and, as such, the land on which the memorial stands belongs to the United States, having been gifted to their Government after Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the monument in 1965.

Answer: Bannockburn

There were several notable battles in the Scottish Wars of Independence including the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 (a victory for the Scots) and the Battle of Falkirk in 1298 (a victory for the English). King Edward I of England was essentially in control of Scotland early into the fourteenth century, but Robert the Bruce had other ideas.

He took control of the throne of Scotland in 1306, forcing Edward I to return to Scotland to confront Bruce. But Edward I died en route to Scotland, and Bruce then was able to take back most of Scotland before Edward I's successor, Edward II had time to react.

In June of 1314, Edward II led a large force against Bruce and the Scots, and despite significantly fewer and poorly equipped forces (estimates vary from 5,000 to 10,000 Scots versus 14,000 to 26,000 English/Welsh), Bruce and the Scots had a decisive victory at Bannockburn.

The English retreated, leaving northern England open to cross-border raids by the Scots.

Answer: Bosworth Field

Historians often divide the Plantagenet dynasty into three parts: The Angevins (1154-1216), the Plantagenets (1216-1399), and the Houses of Lancaster and York (1399-1485). It was the death of the House of York's Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field that is considered to be the end of the Plantagenet dynasty.

The Battle of Bosworth Field took place during the War of the Roses, and with Richard III's death, it was the last significant battle of that war. The belligerents in the war were the Houses of York and Lancaster and the Stanley family (who waited to decide which side to support until it was clear who was winning the battle).

The Yorkists outnumbered the Lancastrians, but the latter triumphed, with Henry VII becoming the first monarch of the Tudor dynasty.

Answer: The west coast of Ireland

The Armada ran into bad weather early in their journey, with some ships turning back off the coast of France. The battle commenced off the coast of Cornwall in July 1588 and by August 2, the Spanish had been chased up the east coast of Scotland, having lost five or six ships to combat.

The Spanish fleet then headed around Scotland and down the west coast of Ireland to return to Spain, but they encountered Atlantic storms that drove many of the ships onto the rocky coast of Ireland. The majority of the ships lost by the Spanish were lost there (an estimate of fifty to sixty-five ships), leaving Spanish King Phillip II to allegedly lament, "I sent the Armada against men, not God's winds and waves".

Answer: Charles II

Since the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, when the Church of England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, anti-Catholic feeling had grown to almost hysterical levels. Even the Great Fire of London in 1666 was claimed by some to be a Catholic-led act of arson. Oates' accusation of a 'Popish Plot' led to the trial and execution of many men before his lies were exposed. Oates was later sent to prison, but was pardoned upon the accession of William III and Mary II to the throne.

Answer: England & Scotland

England and Scotland had previously attempted to unite, though not always as peacefully as passing Acts of Union - England's attempts at taking Scotland by force several centuries earlier didn't pan out well. Though James VI of Scotland (and later also James I of England) declared a union between the two upon taking the throne, it didn't prove a particularly popular or effective decision, and James continued to reign over two kingdoms. Under Queen Anne's rule, negotiations became more favourable and a successful union looked more likely.

As two independent kingdoms, both England and Scotland needed to pass their Act through their respective Parliaments first. England passed the Union with Scotland Act first in 1706, with Scotland following with their Union with England Act in 1707.

The Parliaments were united from 1 May 1707.

Answer: Metropolitan Police Service

Prior to the establishment of a dedicated policing service, London relied on elected individuals (unpaid, to boot) to keep basic order. With the city rapidly expanding and populating in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, Peel, as Home Secretary, proposed a more effective method of law enforcement - the role of police officer would become a paid occupation and be carried out by civilians (rather than the previous system which oftentimes required intervention by a decidedly unorganised and ineffective military presence).

The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 passed through Parliament and London's dedicated police service was born.

Answer: The country gained its first female Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher led the Conservatives to a decisive victory in 1979, after a five-year Labour government helmed by Harold Wilson and James Callaghan. Thatcher's time as Prime Minister, which covered an impressive 10-11 years, was not without controversy; the Falklands War, stiff opposition from workers' unions, and an assassination attempt at the Grand Hotel in Brighton (amongst many other events) established her as one of the most divisive figures in British politics. Thatcher resigned in 1990 as a result of a leadership challenge within her party, and the Conservatives remained in power under new PM John Major until 1997.