They Fell at ...? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carthage

It was sacked by the Romans in the Third Punic War. Out of 700,000 inhabitants only 50,000 survived. They were sold into slavery and the city burned for ten days. Many believe this massacre was the worst systematic slaughter of non-combatants until WW2.

Answer: Octavian

Agrippa commanded Octavian's forces and routed Antony. Brutus was dead before this battle. Octavian (later Augustus )became master of the Roman world with this victory.

Answer: Vikings were defeated

The Vikings wreaked havoc both in Ireland and Europe, between 800 and 1014 A.D. After Clontarf they were never in a position to wage war in Ireland again.

Answer: Constantinople

Ottoman Turks captured this great city, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. An unexpected outcome was the arrival in Italy of thousands of refugees, who brought learning and artefacts with them when they fled. They worked frequently as teachers helping to boost the Renaissance.

Answer: Naval

It was the last sea battle where galleys were rowed into battle. Cervantes, author of 'Don Quixote', fought at Lepanto. I suppose everyone recalls having to learn 'Don John of Austria is going to the war' while in school? Thought so.

Answer: England and Scotland

There were two "Bishops' Wars", one in 1639 and another in 1640, when Charles I's attempts to impose Anglicanism on the Church in Scotland, led to violent opposition from the Scots.

Answer: Boyne

This battle confirmed William of Orange to the throne of Ireland. Most importantly, for the Irish people it shaped the politics of Ireland to the present day.

Answer: Seven Years' War

This war was fought over trading rights and at its end New France ceased to exist. Canada was annexed by the British.

Answer: Austria and Russia

Napoleon considered this to be one of his greatest victories.

Answer: 1864

At Cold Harbor, Grant was defeated by Lee. In the same year the Confederates were crushed by Schofield at the Battle of Franklin.

Answer: False

It was the Sioux who were massacred.

Answer: Japan and Russia

Nicholas, Tsar of all Russias, thought the Japanese were an inferior and laughable race and poor soldiers. He learned the hard way, at Port Arthur, Tsushima and Mukden, that they were not.

Answer: Marne

This was the First Battle of the Marne. Paris was saved. Look at the human cost!
French losses = 250,000
German losses = 250,000
British losses = 12,733
Horrifying.

Answer: The Somme

This battle was doomed from the start by poor planning, inflexibility of its commanders, poor equipment. The phrase 'Lions led by Donkeys', always comes to my mind when I think of the courage of the fallen, over a million of them.(British, German, French)

Answer: Passchendaele

This battle is officially called the Third Battle of Ypres. To this day it is a controversial battle. The mud was one of the greatest enemies the soldiers had to face. A survivor wrote "soldiers slept, crawled, ate and drowned in mud", and died in their thousands.