I Rule the Land: 1500 Edition Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ferdinand II

Ferdinand II (1452-1516) was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death. His marriage to Isabella of Castile in 1469 would eventually lead to the unification of Castile and Aragon into Spain. During his life, he was king of several other areas, including Naples, Sardinia, and Sicily.

The reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish control was complete in 1492 with the capture of Grenada. The same year, Jews and Muslims within Spain were forced to either convert to Catholicism or leave Spain.

He remarried after Isabella's death although his only child from that marriage died in infancy.

Answer: Isabella I

Isabella (1451-1504) was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death. Pope Alexander VI would grant both Isabella and Ferdinand the descriptor "the Catholic". In 1492, her and Ferdinand sponsored Christopher Columbus's voyage to what would later be known as the West Indies.

The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas would grant Spain the "right" to explore and claim most of the Western Hemisphere. Isabella and Ferdinand worked well together and promoted the unification of Spain.

Answer: John

John (1455-1513), of the House of Oldenburg, was King of Denmark from 1483 to his death. Under the Union of Kalmar, he was also King of Norway and Sweden. While king, Denmark established a permanent navy. John allied himself with Ivan III of Moscow.

In Denmark, John had the support of the merchants and was open to the idea of appointing commoners to high positions at court. He was succeeded on the throne by his son, Christian II.

Answer: Henry VII

Henry (1457-1509), the founder of the Tudor Dynasty, ruled England from 1485 to his death. His defeat of Richard III at Bosworth Field largely ended the War of the Roses. Overshadowed in the future by his son (Henry VIII), Henry VII did much to stabilize England.

He focused more on raising revenue than spending it. Though this policy made the English crown wealthy, it also made the people ready for a change after his death. He concluded the first peace treaty with Scotland in two centuries.

Answer: Louis XII

Louis (1462-1515), of the Orleans branch of the House of Valois, was King of France from 1498 until his death. Because of his reduction of government expenses, he was able to reduce taxes. His involvement in the so-called Italian Wars led to him becoming King of Naples for a few years.

His popularity in France led to him being named "Father of the People" in 1506. He was succeeded by his cousin, Francis I, who was the husband of his daughter Claude. Salic Law prevented Claude from ruling France as Queen Regnant.

Answer: Maximilian I

Maximilian (1459-1519), of the House of Habsburg, served as "de facto" Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death. Due to his inability and/or unwillingness to travel to Rome, Maximilian was never formally crowned. He had already been named King of the Romans (a traditional title of the Emperor) in 1486. During his reign, the Swiss Confederacy gained de facto independence from the Empire.

His costly wars forced the Empire to borrow an enormous sum of money that would only be paid off slowly during much of the sixteenth century.

Answer: Vladislaus II

Vladislaus II (1456-1516) ruled as King of Hungary from 1490 until his death, after defeating an attempt by his younger brother, John August, to claim the throne. He also ruled as King of Bohemia, from 1471 till his death. He ruled in collaboration with the Royal Council and the Hungarian Diet. With royal power lessened, the Hungarian nobility used its strength to limit the freedoms of the commoners. During his reign, the expanding Ottoman Empire provided a substantial external threat.

Answer: John I Albert

John I Albert (1459-1501), of the Jagiellonian Dynasty, was King of Poland from 1492 until his death. John was elected King of Hungary in 1490, but his brother, Vladislaus, defeated him for control of that nation. Success in battle against the Tatars while still Prince encouraged him to lead military forces against the Ottoman Turks as king, which proved less successful.

He was succeeded by his younger brother, Alexander.

Answer: Ivan III

Ivan III (1440-1505) was Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of the Rus' (Russians) from 1462 until his death. His success as leader led to him receiving the descriptive "the Great". He was very effective at consolidating his power and ended his reign controlling three times the land than he did at its start.

His support of Orthodoxy and opposition to Catholicism deepened the cultural separation from western Europe. After his marriage to Sophia, niece of the last Byzantine Emperor, some people began to view Moscow as the successor to Constantinople.

Answer: James IV

James IV (1473-1513), of the House of Stuart, ruled Scotland from 1488 until his death. A common problem facing the Stuart monarchs of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was early deaths or abdication, leading to ascension of children (sometimes infants) to the throne. James was at least somewhat fortunate that he became king at the age of 15. James was very successful as a ruler politically as well as intellectually and culturally.

In 1503 he married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England. Through this marriage, the descendants of James would eventually rule England, as well as Scotland.