Hardest Wrong but Wromantic/Right but Repulsive - Part 3 Trivia Quiz | History

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. During the Leveller Mutinies of 1649, where were three of the mutineers shot on the orders of Oliver Cromwell?

Answer: Burford

Plans to invade Ireland, non-receipt of pay, and calls for Parliamentary elections led to unrest in the Army, and a series of mutinies occurred from the dissenting group known as the "Levellers". In Burford, a night attack on 13 May by Cromwell's troops successfully quelled the rebellion. Several hundred of the mutineers were locked in the local church, with three of the ringleaders, Cornet Thompson, Corporal Perkins and Private Church, executed by firing squad on 17 May.

2. Following his entry into the town of Drogheda after its capture by Parliamentary forces on 11 September 1649, Cromwell, on seeing the numbers of his men killed ordered that "no quarter" be given to the defenders. How many Royalists did he himself estimate were killed that night?

Answer: 2,000

Estimates of the dead vary in other accounts and, to this day, the figures are fiercely debated among historians. Historians also argue over whether Cromwell's actions stand out as particularly cruel, with some suggesting that the refusal of the garrison commander, Sir Arthur Aston, to surrender, and therefore requiring the town to be assaulted, meant that Cromwell was entitled to offer no quarter.

Others have seen the scale of the massacre as unprecedented, even in spite of the circumstances.

3. In May 1650, Charles II, then in exile in Europe, came to an agreement with the Scottish government for their support in his effort to regain the English throne. What was the name of the agreement?

Answer: Treaty of Breda

Charles II had been proclaimed King of Scots in February 1649, following the execution of his father. However, in order for Charles to obtain the service of a Scots army, the Scottish government made a number of demands on the King, largely requiring the adoption of Presbyterianism across the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland.

These demands were laid out in the document that came to be known as the Treaty of Breda, which was signed by Charles in the town of Breda in the Netherlands on 1 May 1650.

4. George Monck, who had commanded Parliament's forces in Ulster, was appointed to Cromwell's Council of War for the invasion of Scotland, while at the same time receiving his own regiment of infantry. This regiment, founded in 1650, still exists in the modern British Army, but what is its name?

Answer: Coldstream Guards

The Coldstream Guards are the longest serving regiment currently in the British Army, but are ranked second in seniority to the Grenadier Guards. This is due to the fact that the Coldstream was formed as part of the New Model Army, while the Grenadiers have been in the service of the Crown longer than the Coldstream.

However, the motto of the Coldstream Guards, 'Nulli Secundus' ('Second to None') means that they have never been referred to as the Second Regiment of Foot Guards.

5. The Battle of Dunbar in September 1650 took place when Parliament invaded Scotland. What was the purpose of the invasion?

Answer: To prevent a Scottish invasion of England

In June 1650, following the signing of the Treaty of Breda, Charles II arrived in Scotland to take command of the Scots army intended to secure his English throne. Upon hearing of the King's arrival, the English Council of State immediately made plans to invade Scotland as a means of preventing the Scots from invading England.

The Battle of Dunbar was the culmination of a two-month campaign that saw Cromwell and Parliament cause major setbacks in the King's efforts to regain the throne of England.

6. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell was appointed as Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. Whom did he succeed to the post?

Answer: Thomas Fairfax

Thomas Fairfax had led Parliament's forces during the First and Second Civil Wars, but was not in agreement with the decision to execute King Charles I. The intention to invade Scotland however was an act he found especially difficult to reconcile, as he saw Scotland as an ally, the Scots having signed the Solemn League and Covenant with the English Parliament in 1643.

As a result, he resigned command of the army and went to live in retirement in Yorkshire.

7. In February 1651, Edward Popham, Robert Blake and Robert Deane were reappointed by Act of Parliament for the third successive year to which position in the Parliamentary Navy?

Answer: General-at-Sea

These three officers were appointed via an Act of Parliament named "An Act for authorizing Col. Blake, Col. Popham, and Col. Dean or any two of them, to be Admiral and General of the Fleet now at sea", which set out ruling whereby all three or any two of these officers could "order manage and command" the fleet.

The appointments as General-at-Sea also gave them positions as Commissioners for the Admiralty and Navy, the body responsible for overall operational control of the Parliamentary Navy. In August 1651, Popham died of fever and was replaced by George Monck.

8. The location of which early Royalist victory in the First Civil War was the site of action during the Battle of Worcester, the final battle of the English Civil Wars?

Answer: Powick Bridge

Powick Bridge was a significant river crossing leading into Worcester, and was held by Royalist troops commanded by Major-General Robert Montgomery. However, Montgomery's soldiers were unable to hold the position, and were pushed back towards Worcester, allowing Parliamentary forces access to the southern road into the city.

The Parliamentary victory at Worcester ended the Royalist resistance, almost exactly nine years after the Royalist victory at Powick Bridge, at the beginning of the English Civil Wars.

9. Following the Battle of Worcester, Charles II was on the run from Parliament's forces. During his flight, he famously hid in an oak tree, but who hid with him?

Answer: William Careless

For six weeks, the King evaded capture by moving around the country in various disguises. He was aided by sympathetic Royalist supporters who provided shelter and advised him on how to carry off his disguises, including attempting to teach him local dialects.

He eventually made it to Shoreham in Sussex, from which safe passage to France had been arranged. The captain of the ship the King was to sail on recognised Charles and subsequently demanded more money in view of the risks of harbouring the most wanted man in England.

Although this was only a brief period of his life, Charles II was extremely proud of his success avoiding capture and forever grateful to those that helped him along the way, rewarding many of them upon the Restoration.

10. One month after victory at the Siege of Limerick in October 1651, Henry Ireton, Lord Deputy of Ireland, died. What was the cause of his death?

Answer: Plague

The effects of the Siege of Limerick were exacerbated by the arrival of plague, which was partly responsible for the city's surrender. When news of Ireton's death from the disease reach Cromwell, he is said to have been greatly saddened as he had lost not only a loyal deputy, but also a son-in-law, as Cromwell's daughter Bridget had married Henry in 1646.

The year after Ireton's death, Bridget married Charles Fleetwood, who had replaced him as Lord Deputy.

Source: Author Red_John

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

Wrong but Wromantic/Right but Repulsive - Part 3 Quiz

In January 1649, the Second Civil War ended with the execution of King Charles I and the abolition of the monarchy, leaving Parliament supreme in England. But the fighting did not end there. How much do you know about the Third Civil War?

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>