Death and the Letter C Trivia Quiz

Answer: Clement VII

There have been 14 popes bearing the name Clement, but our boy is Clement VII. He was born Giulio de Giuliano de' Medici (yes, one of those Medicis) in 1478. He was the illegitimate son of Giuliano de' Medici, nephew of the magnificent Lorenzo, and cousin to Pope Leo X, whom he served as principal minister and confidant.

When Giulio became Pope himself, in 1523, he took the name Clement. He was thought to be a superb diplomat and a politically astute man, but his detractors thought he was too worldly and much too indifferent to what was going on in European religious circles, namely, the Protestant Reformation.

When Henry VIII petitioned Clement to grant a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, Clement stalled, unwilling to incur the wrath of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (who was related to Catherine).

The Pope sent spies to steal Henry's love letters to Anne Boleyn in order to prove that they were lovers. However, the letters provided no such evidence, and even Clement had to admit that there was nothing to show that Anne was not virtuous, even while he deplored the fact that she had a mind of her own. Clement continued to shilly-shally until he discovered that Anne had Lutheran tendencies, and that put paid to any hope of him granting the divorce from Catherine.

His interminable delays on the issue finally brought about the birth of the Church of England. Pope Clement VII died in 1534 after eating a dish of mushrooms which included a death cap, the most poisonous of all mushrooms. Although he has gone down in history as the man who wouldn't give Henry a divorce, thereby precipitating the separation of England from Rome, he's also the chap who commissioned Michelangelo's painting of 'The Last Judgment' in the Sistine Chapel, for which, I'm sure, he would prefer to be remembered.

Answer: Lord Cardigan

Lord Cardigan was responsible for what is generally thought to be one of the worst blunders in British military history, that same Charge of the Light Brigade, which took place during the Crimean War on October 25, 1854. Cardigan (who's full title was James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan) was by all accounts not the nicest fellow.

He was notoriously short-tempered (he once had a fellow-officer up on charges for placing a wine bottle on the dinner table, instead of having the wine decanted!) and was even tried for murder in 1841 after a duel with a fellow officer. (He was acquitted).

He joined the 8th Hussars in 1824, and by making judicious use of the prevailing practice of the sale of commissions he rose from the rank of lieutenant (1825) to captain (1826) to major (1830) and lieutenant-colonel (later in 1830).

In 1836 he became commander of the 11th Hussars, that same regiment that rode into the Valley of Death in 1854. He returned from that trip without a scratch, but his order to charge cost the lives of two-thirds of the men under his command. Trivia side note: The Crimean War was arguably the war that resulted in the most fashion innovations: the cardigan (that warm, wool sweater that buttons up the front, which was initiated by Lord Cardigan so that his troops wouldn't freeze to death in the Russian climate), the balaclava (headgear named for the Battle of Balaclava, nowadays worn by small children, skiers and bank robbers), and the Raglan sleeve (designed by Lord Raglan, one of the commanding officers, by which one could quickly don or doff one's coat) were all products of the Crimean War.

Answer: Cabbage Tree Ned

Edward Devine (1833-1909) was born in Tasmania and died at Ballarat in Australia. How he got the nickname Cabbage Tree Ned is beyond me. Is there such a thing as a cabbage tree? (Perhaps our Australian funtrivia quiz fans can tell us.)* Maybe he crashed into one. For many years, Ned was the driver of the coach that ran from Geelong to Ballarat. One of his chief claims to fame is the 1862 feat of driving a twelve-horse coach which carried 90 passengers (and over those roads, too!). That same coach carried the entire English cricket team which was making the first English cricket team visit to Australia, playing against the local talent. Ned was their coach driver for the entire trip.

*Thanks to funtrivia member Baloo55 for informing me that there is indeed such a thing as a cabbage tree. I tracked it down on the internet and from its picture it looks like a palm tree that mutated. You can see for yourself - keyword: cordyline. Thanks, Baloo.

Answer: Caedmon

Caedmon was an Anglo-Saxon poet who died at Whitby in 680. According to the Venerable Bede, Caedmon was an illiterate cowherd who was commanded by an angel in a dream to sing the creation, "which he straightway did". When he woke up, Caedmon remembered his verses and composed more, which were written down by a monk of Whitby. Caedmon was eventually received as a member of the Whitby Monastery and spent the rest of his life praising God in poetry.

Unfortunately, while his first poetic effort is preserved, in Latin, by Bede, the rest of his work is lost. Noel Coward was responsible for a great many songs, of course, but he could hardly be called the Father of English Song. Jack Cade was a fifteenth-century rebel who marched on London with a band of fellow-malcontents to present a list of grievances to Henry VI.

He camped at Blackheath, and after two days of waiting to see the king, his followers got fed up and turned to a little plunder and pillage to alleviate their boredom. They were soon dispersed and Jack himself was killed at Heathfield. I don't know if there were any poets named Tom Collins, but after a couple of belts of the liquid Tom Collins, you might break into song!

Answer: Jeremiah Clarke

Clarke was a gifted musician and composer. He was born c1674 and blew his brains out in 1707 because the woman on whom he had set his heart was of too high a station to entertain his suit (those things mattered in the 18th century). Ironically, Jeremiah's most famous work is 'The Prince of Denmark's March', more commonly known as 'The Trumpet Voluntary', and it is a popular choice of brides and grooms to see them down the aisle! The piece was written to honour George, Prince of Denmark, the husband of Anne, Queen of England, (she was the last monarch of the House of Stuart). Bad enough that Clarke's lady love spurned him, but for many, many years Henry Purcell, a contemporary of Clarke's, was credited with composing 'The Trumpet Voluntary'. William Croft was a student with Clarke of Dr. John Blow, Frederic Chopin died of TB, and Aaron Copland, the American composer of the haunting 'Appalachian Spring', died of Alzheimer's Disease in 1990.

Answer: Thomas Chippendale

Thomas Chippendale was born in Otley, Yorkshire in 1718 and in 1753 he migrated to London where he established himself as a leading furniture designer of his era. With Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite, Chippendale forms the 18th century Trinity of British Designers of Fine Furniture. Dr. Caligari is associated with a cabinet, true, but he's a fictional character and he doesn't count. Joe Cesare Colombo and Achille Castiliogni were both Italian designers (Joe was an industrial designer, Achille designed furniture).

Answer: Caracalla

Aurelius Antoninus, who was emperor of Rome from 211 to 217, was called Caracalla because he always wore the large, close fitting, hooded cloak of that name, instead of the more usual toga. The caracalla, which originated in Gaul, reached down to the heels and was slit to the waist before and behind. I have no idea why Caracalla preferred the caracalla to the toga. Maybe he had great legs and the caracalla showed them off better than the toga did. Caligula, which means Little Boots, was, the nickname of the infamous Emperor Gaius Germanicus. Maybe some folks called Aurelius Antoninus 'Cuckoo' because of his peculiar taste in haberdashery.

It would certainly apply to Caligula who was completely bonkers! The Charioteer is, of course, The Charioteer of Delphi, a classical Greek statue.

Answer: Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland

Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland, was perhaps the most notorious of Charles II's many mistresses, and one of the most long-lasting. Barbara, despite her many character flaws, understood that she was one of many (fifteen, to be exact), and the only one of Charles' mistresses whom she ever resented was the imperious Louise de Keroualles (but, then, all the mistresses hated Louise!). Barbara's liaison with Charles began in 1660, when the King was still in exile, and just one year after her marriage to Roger Palmer.

As a reward for Barbara's services, Charles created Roger Baron Limerick and Earl of Castlemaine. Barbara had six children, and Charles acknowledged himself to be father of five of them (John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough was generally thought to be the father of baby number six) - and it was after the birth of Barbara's second child, Charles Fitroy, in 1662, that Roger said "Enough's enough!" and the couple separated for good.

In June 1670, Charles II created Barbara Baroness Nonsuch, Countess of Southampton and Duchess of Cleveland in her own right.

The Dukedom was created with a special proviso that the title would pass to her oldest son Charles. Barbara was not above helping herself to money from the King's funds, known as the Privy Purse, as well as taking bribes from the Spanish and the French, who were well aware of her influence with the King. She died in 1709 of dropsy. Anna Maria Crouch was an actress who was one of the mistresses of the Prince of Wales before he became George IV. Arabella Churchill (one of Winston's ancestors) was one of the mistresses of Charles II's brother, James II, and Rosamund Clifford was mistress to Henry II. Kings certainly didn't seem to pay much attention to their marriage vows, did they?

Answer: Emmanuel

Emmanuel Courvoisier and Louis Gallois ran a wine and spirits shop in Bercy, a suburb of Paris. In 1811, the Emperor Napoleon dropped by to sample their wares, and pronounced their cognac the finest he'd ever tasted (and evidently Bonaparte knew his brandy).

Indeed, when he was exiled to St. Helena in 1814, Napoleon managed to have a few casks of Courvoisier's cognac shipped there along with him. Napoleon III appointed Courvoisier's son Felix, who was then head of the firm, as sole purveyor of cognac to the imperial household. Francois Couvoisier was valet to Lord William Russell, and he was executed in 1840 for murdering his master. Ludwig Courvoisier was Swiss, an eminent 19th century doctor who was responsible for Courvoisier's Law on Jaundice, and Sylvie Courvoisier is still with us.

She's a noted pianist who lives in New York.

Answer: Winston Churchill

If you said Winston, you win the cigar! The British Bulldog slipped the leash on January 24, 1965. You want to know what the dying words of the other three were? Lou Costello ( died March 3, 1959,): "That was the best ice cream soda I ever tasted." Frederic Chopin ( died October 16, 1849): "The earth is suffocating ... Swear to make them cut me open, so that I won't be buried alive." Bing Crosby (died October 14, 1977): "That was a great game of golf, fellers."