Before They Were King Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alfred the Great

Ethelbald reigned from 856-860. Ethelbert from 860-866 and Ethelred I from 866-871. King Alfred reigned for longer than his three brothers put together for he lasted from 871 to 899.

Answer: George I

Queen Anne was the unfortunate monarch who lost so many children. Her son, William, Duke of Gloucester, was hydrocephalic and lived for only eleven years.

Answer: John

Whilst Richard was away on crusade in the Holy Land, Prince John set about undermining the authority that had been given to William Longchamp in England. When Richard was taken prisoner by Leopold of Austria on his way home, it gave Prince John and King Philip the opportunity they wanted to get rid of him for good.

Answer: George V

George's elder brother was called Prince Albert Victor but known to the family as Eddy. Only a few weeks after he was engaged to Princess Mary of Teck, Eddy died from pneumonia. Queen Victoria pushed the idea that George should marry Princess Mary and they were married in July 1893. King George V succeeded to the throne in 1910.

Answer: Edward III

The exact nature of Edward II's sexual relations with his favourites will probably never be known. It is likely, however, that this pushed Queen Isabella into Mortimer's arms. Having invaded England, seized power and imprisoned Edward II, Mortimer began to rule with tyrannical cruelty.

He installed Edward III as a figurehead and had Edward II murdered. The young king eventually turned on Mortimer and had him executed. Isabella was forced to retire to a nunnery.

Answer: Henry VIII

Henry VIII's elder brother was called Arthur and he was contracted in marriage to Catherine of Aragon. However, when Arthur died in 1502 Henry VII was determined to keep the Spanish alliance and advised his son to marry Catherine - which he did six weeks after his accession.

However, the legacy of his deceased brother's marriage before his accession came back to haunt Henry VIII and to change the religious face of England in the years that followed.

Answer: Henry I

The death of William II (William Rufus) in the New Forest remains one of the great mysteries of English history. Henry I certainly seized his opportunity to become king before his eldest brother, Robert, could make a move to press his claims. However, evidence linking Henry with his brother's death remains speculative.

Answer: William I

The year was 1066 and the two previous monarchs were Edward the Confessor and Harold Godwinson. There was even a Saxon claimant to the throne called Edgar Atheling who was chosen by the Witan to succeed Harold but who was never crowned. He renounced the succession in favour of William who then occupied London and ascended the throne.

Answer: George VI

Edward first met Wallis Simpson in 1931 and by 1934 he had determined to marry her. When his father died the affaire finally became public property and the British Government would not compromise on any question of Edward retaining the kingship and marrying a twice divorced woman.

The Duke of York, later George VI, was stunned by what happened but stepped forward to take on the role of king.

Answer: William IV

William was the third son of George III and Queen Charlotte. At the age of thirteen he became a midshipman in the navy and soon became a competent, if rather severe, officer.In 1827 he was appointed High Admiral of England, an entirely honorific post, and caused a great scandal by taking a squadron to sea in defiance of orders from the Admiralty.

Answer: Henry IV

When he was Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby and Duke of Hereford, the future Henry IV was banished by Richard in April 1398 for a period of ten years and his future seemed very bleak. However, when Richard seized all the possessions of the House of Lancaster after the death of Henry's father it gave him the spur he needed to return to England. Meeting little opposition he was crowned king of England on October 13th, 1399.

Answer: Richard III

Historians have disputed for a long time about who disposed of the two princes in the Tower of London. However, it is a matter of record that Richard III used his eldest brother's prior contract with Eleanor Butler to prove the princes' mother was not truly married to their father.

Hence a sermon was preached at St. Paul's that "bastard slips shall not take deep root". Richard was offered the crown instead.

Answer: James I

James I was the child of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley. Mary was held prisoner in England until 1587 when she was executed for treason.

Answer: James II

James II failed to recognise that his private convictions about faith did not give him the right or the power to impose his views on others. As the whole country was in a turmoil about religious views every step that James took was perilous. Eventually he was replaced by William III, James's nephew and son-in-law, who ruled England jointly with his wife Mary.

Answer: Edward VII

A certain Colonel Gordon-Cumming was accused of cheating and he sued some of the other players for slander. Edward was subpoenaed as a witness. The press censured Prince Edward for "his taste for the lowest type of gambling". This was an important stage in the public's gradual disillusionment with the British monarchy and an indicator of the growing power of the press.