I Rule the Land: 1300 Edition Trivia Quiz

Answer: James II

James II (1267-1327), of the House of Barcelona, was King of Aragon and Valencia from 1291 until his death. In addition, at different times, he was also the King of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, and Majorca. His temporary conquest of Murcia granted Aragon some access to the Kingdom of Granada in the southern Iberian Peninsula.

Interestingly, James was married four times, but only had children with his second wife, by whom he had ten.

Answer: Ferdinand IV

Ferdinand IV (1285-1312), of the House of Ivrea, was King of Castile from 1295 until his death. Since he ascended the throne at the age of nine, his mother served as regent until shortly before his sixteenth birthday (1301). In 1309, his armies conquered the city of Gibraltar. His reign was turbulent with more than one threat of insubordination by the nobility.

Answer: Eric VI

Eric VI (1274-1319) of the House of Estriden, was King of Denmark from 1286 until 1319. His period of rule was a period of weakening of the Danish state. He was involved in a conflict with the Archbishop of Lund (Jens Grand) that required the intervention of the Pope.

The great debt that the crown incurred during his reign led to the mortgaging of large parts of Denmark to outsiders (primarily German nobility). Traditionally viewed positively, more recent historians tend to be more critical of Eric.

Answer: Edward I

Edward I (1239-1307) of the House of Anjou was King of England from 1272 until his death. He was known as Longshanks because of his height (he was six feet, two inches at a time when many were much shorter) and Hammer of the Scots because of his wars with that nation. Through wars he brought Wales under permanent English control.

His son, the future Edward II, was the first heir to the English throne to be given the title "Prince of Wales". In the Scottish succession crisis of the late 1200s, he first supported the rule of John Balliol (1292-1296) and from 1296-1306 attempted to personally claim control of Scotland. Great discrimination against the Jewish population in England in the 1200s culminated in the 1290 edict expelling all Jews from England (which was not be overturned until the 17th century).

Answer: Philip IV

Philip IV (1266-1316), of the House of Capet, was King of France from 1285 until his death. He was known as both the Fair for his handsomeness and the Iron King for his inflexibility. In 1306 he expelled the Jewish population of France from that country and the next year destroyed the order of Knights Templar.

He fought several inconclusive battles against the English (Edward, the King of England, was also Duke of Aquitaine in southwestern France). During Philip's reign, Pope Clement V moved the seat of Papal government from Rome to Avignon.

Answer: Albert I

Albert I (1255-1308), of the House of Habsburg, was King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. Albert was one of several members of the Habsburg family who were not crowned as Holy Roman Emperor because of factional strife. Though a stern leader, Albert concerned himself with the rights of often overlooked groups in medieval Europe such as serfs and Jews. As unofficial leader of the Holy Roman Empire, Albert dealt with strife throughout his reign.

As he was never officially Holy Roman Emperor historians generally refer to him as 'King of Germany'.

Answer: Wenceslaus II

Wenceslaus II (1271-1305), of the House of Přemyslid, was King of Poland from 1300 until his death (and King of Bohemia from 1278 until his death). Silver discovered in Bohemia quickly became a royal monopoly, leading to the issue of the first groschen-type coins. He would pass on the crowns of both Poland and Bohemia to his son.

Answer: Yury

Yury Danilovich (1281-1325) of the House of Rurikid, was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1300 until his death and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1318 until his death. During his reign, the Khan of the Golden Horde (Mongol occupiers of large portions of Russia) elevated Yury to the leading position among the Russian princes.

In charge of gathering the tribute to the Golden Horde, Yuri was hated by leaders and commoners alike.

Answer: Stefan II

Stefan Uros II Milutin (1253-1321), of the House Nemanjic, was King of Serbia from 1282 until his death. Much of his reign was spent in conflict. He fought attempts by the Latin Empire to influence the religious character of Serbia. He also fought wars against the Hungarians and the Mongols. He added some portions of the Byzantine Empire to Serbian control.

Answer: Birger

Birger Magnusson (1280-1321), of the House of Bjelbo, was King of Sweden from 1290 until 1318. During his reign, there was conflict within Sweden's church. A civil war that broke out during his reign led to Birger being temporarily captured by his brothers. At the conclusion of the war, he was forced into exile in Denmark.