Knights' Tales Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sir Walter Scott

The novel is part of Scott's 'Waverley' series, which also includes 'Rob Roy' (1818) and 'Redgauntlet' (1824). 'Ivanhoe' is set in the late twelfth century and tells the story of Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who supports the Normans despite coming from a Saxon family.

The novel was also responsible for establishing many of the legends about Robin Hood, especially his association with the name of 'Locksley'.

Answer: Bath

'The Wife of Bath's Tale' is set in the times of King Arthur, and is about a knight who has one year to find the answer to the question 'what is it that most women desire?' or face execution for rape. Eventually, an old woman tells him the answer is 'to have control over her husband', which saves him from death but at the price of marrying the crone. Having surrendered to her will and kissed her, she turns into a beautiful young woman, so his submission is rewarded. 'The Knight's Tale' is a rather more conventional story of courtly love.

Answer: The Merry Wives of Windsor

Falstaff is the companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V, in the two historical plays and is depicted as fat, braggardly, vain and a coward. He is put aside once the prince becomes king, and does not appear in 'Henry V', although his death is mentioned.

In 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' Falstaff is trying to attract the attentions of two different women, Mistresses Page and Ford, in the hope that one of them will solve his financial difficulties. His plans come to naught and Falstaff is publicly humiliated while accepting that he deserved this outcome.

Answer: Connecticut

The novel was first published in 1899 and has had different variations on the title, but the commonly accepted one is 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. The story tells the tale of Hank Morgan, from Hartford, who finds himself back in time in medieval England. Using the knowledge he has from the future, Hank establishes himself as Arthur's chief minister before setting up factories and manufacturing modern weapons, including guns. Twain was attacking the romanticised views of the age of chivalry in the book, with Sir Walter Scott being a particular target.

Answer: Rocinante

Don Quixote is among the best known knights in fiction. Written by Miguel de Cervantes in Spanish, 'The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha' is the book's full English title, and the book was first published in English in 1612 (part one) and 1620 (part two).

The story is about Alonso Quijano who adopts his new name after reading too many books about chivalry and gives his horse the name of Rocinante after four days of deliberation. Shadowfax was the name of Gandalf's horse in 'Lord of the Rings' and Boxer was from 'Animal Farm'. Alfonso was the horse in the 'Pippi Longstocking' series of books.

Answer: G. A. Henty

Among Henty's other titles are 'Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main' (1883), 'With Lee in Virginia, A Story of the American Civil War' (1890) and 'Beric the Briton: A Story of the Roman Invasion' (1893). The books feature a fictional character placed in a real historic setting. 'A Knight of the White Cross', as it is usually known, features the hero, Gervaise Tresham, being sent from England by his father to join the Knights of St. John.

The siege in the book was the first unsuccessful siege by the Ottoman Empire in 1480.

Answer: Elizabeth I

Among the knights to feature in the poem are Braggadocchio, the braggart, Calidore, the knight of courtesy and Marinell, the knight of the sea. The 'Faerie Queene' herself is referred to as 'Gloriana' which was one of the names by which Elizabeth I was known.

The first part of the poem was published in 1590 with a further installment in 1596. Spenser himself referred to it as having been 'cloudily enwrapped in allegorical devises', with the knights of the poem representing various virtues.

Answer: The Red Knight

Alice is about to be attacked by The Red Knight, who views her as a pawn to be captured, but The White Knight comes to her rescue. He is portrayed as being rather clumsy, and falls off his horse regularly, due to his idiosyncratic riding style. The White Knight is also an inventor, with his horse wearing spiked anklets to guard against attacks from sharks.

The full title of the novel is 'Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There' and it was published in 1871 as a sequel to 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'.

Answer: Sir Mordred

Malory collected traditional tales of Arthurian legend from England and France, which he re-interpreted for his book, as well as adding some new material of his own. The book was first published by William Caxton in 1485 and has been the source of many later stories about Arthur and his knights, including Tennyson's 'The Idylls of the King'.

The final battle between Mordred and Arthur leads to the death of both, with Mordred managing to kill the king with his dying blow.

Answer: French

'La Chanson de Roland' is the oldest surviving literary work in French and is believed to have been written in the late eleventh century. The oldest manuscript is held in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England and has been estimated to have been written between 1140 and 1170.

The poem tells the story of the Battle of Roncesvalles, or Roncevaux Pass, which took place in 778. Roland was in charge of the troops of his leader, and uncle, Charlemagne in the battle, in which they suffered annihilation at the hands of the Basques.