'Don't Lose Your Head!' Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charles I

Charles I has the unfortunate distinction of being the only English king to be publicly executed. He lost his head in 1649 after first losing the English Civil War.
Richard III was the last English king to die in battle, being defeated by Henry Tudor at Bosworth in 1485.
Edward II was murdered in 1327 by Roger de Mortimer and his henchmen at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
Henry VI was murdered in The Tower of London in 1471 on the orders of the Duke of York who had usurped the throne to become Edward IV.

Answer: Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard was a cousin of Anne Boleyn's and much younger than Henry when they married in 1540. Her illicit love life was less than discreet, and an embarrassed and enraged Henry had her led to the block.
Jane Seymour was Henry's third wife: she died shortly after giving birth to the future Edward VI.
Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves was more a matter of political expediency than an affair of the heart and was never consummated.
Catherine Parr was Henry's last wife; she not only out-lived him but went on to re-marry. She was married four times in all.

Answer: Jane Grey

When Edward VI died without an heir, the issue of succession was contentious: the powerful Duke of Northumberland was fearful of a Catholic Mary Tudor being appointed and sought to further his family's claims to the throne by marrying his son, Guildford Dudley to Jane Grey, who was Henry VIII's niece.

The plan was doomed to failure and the unfortunate Jane was executed in 1554, along with her young husband.

Answer: Sir Walter Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh was a one-time favourite of Elizabeth I but fell out of favour after a clandestine relationship with a lady-in-waiting. He was even less popular with Elizabeth's successor James I. Raleigh spent several years in the Tower of London before being executed in 1618.
Drake died of dysentery in the West Indies whilst fighting the Spanish in 1596.
Cook was killed by Hawaiian villagers in 1779.
Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Answer: Thomas Cromwell

Henry VIII rarely gave his executioners too much time off work! His one time trusted advisor Thomas Cromwell fell out of favour following the Anne of Cleves debacle. Although this was not the only issue of contention, it led to a private execution for Thomas in 1540.
Walter Cromwell was Thomas's father.
Oliver Cromwell was the Lord Protector of England from the during the Commonwealth years, following the execution of Charles I. His son Richard succeeded him until the restoration of Charles II in 1660.

Answer: Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots was executed in 1587 on the orders of Elizabeth I.
Mary I died in 1558 before she had any children by her marriage to Philip of Spain.
Mary II also died childless in 1694.
Mary of Teck was the wife of George V and grandmother of Elizabeth II, she died in 1953.

Answer: Thomas More

The Catholic Thomas More was sentenced to be beheaded in Henry VIII's reign. The sentence was carried out in 1535.
The protestant priests Ridley and Latimer were burned as heretics by Mary I in 1555.
Thomas Becket was famously murdered on the steps of Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, after falling out with Henry II.

Answer: Ist Duke of Monmouth

The Ist Duke of Monmouth was the illegitimate son of Charles II. He enjoyed a successful military career. When Charles II died without legal issue, the throne passed to his brother James II. The Duke of Monmouth attempted to take the throne but was captured and beheaded. Later it was realised that was no portrait had been painted of him prior to the execution, as was the usual custom. His head was stitched back onto his body in order for this to be done!
Lambert Simnel led a campaign to depose Henry VII. He was captured and probably expected to lose his head but was sentenced to work in the royal kitchens.
James Stuart and his son Charles were the son and grandson of James II, who was deposed by his daughter Mary and her husband William.
Both led ultimately unsuccessful campaigns to restore their right to the throne. Neither of them were executed.

Answer: True

Oliver Cromwell had been hugely instrumental in the execution of Charles I and was despised by all royalists. Charles II wanted "to make sure" he was really dead! Firstly the remains were taken from Westminster Abbey and hung in chains at Tyburn, after which the remains were beheaded.

The head was displayed on a pole outside Westminster Abbey, where it remained until 1685, and what was left thrown into a pit. The 'execution' took place on January 30 1661, which was the twelfth anniversary of Charles I's beheading.

Answer: Margaret Pole

The Catholic Reginald Pole was accused of treason against Henry VIII. As a consequence of this his 67 year old mother, Margaret, was also arrested and sentenced to death. Although due to be beheaded, the first blow actually landed on her shoulder, Margaret attempted to flee the scene but was brutally butchered by the executioner.
People used to dance around the May Pole.
Graham Poll is an English football referee. Referees and public executions? Now there's a thought ...! Only joking guys, keep up the good work.


Grateful thanks to mnbates for correction notice and brilliant pieces of information on Q's 8 and 10, much appreciated.