I Rule the Land: 800 Edition Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alfonso II

Alfonso II (c. 760-842), nicknamed the Chaste, was King of Asturias (the northern part of the Iberian peninsula) in 783 and from 791 until his death. His seeking military aid to deal with attacks on the eastern part of Asturias from Charlemagne led to recognition of Asturias as a kingdom by the Franks and the Pope. Alfonso discovered what was believed to the be the tomb of Saint James the Great.

Answer: Kardam

Kardam (735-c. 803) was Khan of Bulgaria from 777 until his death. During his reign the Bulgarian Empire was involved in several conflicts with the Byzantine Empire, usually emerging victorious, and at one point having the Byzantines pay tribute. Kardam appears in more than one Byzantine source in the 790s.

Answer: Irene

Irene of Athens (c. 752-803), also called Irene Sarantapechaina, was Empress of the Byzantine Empire from 797-802. Previously she had been consort of Emperor Leo VI and regent for son, Constantine VI, whom she killed by gouging out his eyes, as he attempted to move away from her influence.

While regent, she called the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, which temporarily laid the issue of iconoclasm (dealing with the use of religious icons) to rest. Charlemagne was named Emperor, in part, because of the Pope's distaste for the idea of a reigning Empress.

Answer: Sigfred

Sigfred ruled as King of the Danes from 777 until his death (c. 804). He is mentioned in one source as providing refuge and some (unnamed) aid to the King of the Saxons, who fled from Charlemagne's attacks on his land. He is also mentioned in other accounts as negotiating with envoys from Charlemagne.

Some Christian sources describe the pagan Sigfred as a wild animal ruling over wild animals, a description that should be taken with a grain of salt.

Answer: Charlemagne

Charles I (c. 748-814), known as Charlemagne or Charles the Great, was the King of the Franks from 768 until his death (co-ruling with his brother Carloman for the first three years). He was also King of the Lombards from 774 until his death and proclaimed Emperor (later Holy Roman Emperor) by the Pope on Christmas Day, 800. During his rule, the kingdom was in the midst of the Carolingian Renaissance, a brief cultural reflowering in Western Europe. During his reign, he also extended Frankish rule into parts of what are now Spain, Germany, and Italy.

Answer: Coenwulf

Coenwulf was King of Mercia (central England) from 796 until his death in 821. During his reign, Mercia held influence over other parts of England including Kent and East Anglia. During his reign, a new Christian Archdiocese was created, centered around the city of Lichfield. Coenwulf was succeeded on the throne by his brother, Coelwulf I.

Answer: Eardwulf

Eardwulf (before 790-830) was King of Northumbria (northern England and parts of southern Scotland) from 796-806 and again for an indeterminate time beginning in 808. He faced several challenges to his rule (as was not uncommon in Northumbria in the eighth century). It is thought that King Coenwulf of Mercia may have played a role in his deposition in 806.

Answer: Leo III

Leo III (c. 750-816), a native of Rome, was elected Pope in 795 and served until his death. He showed early in his reign that he considered the Frankish Kingdom the protector of the Holy See. This may have played a part in his decision to crown Charlemagne Emperor in 800. He played a part of restoring King Eardwulf of Northumbria to his throne in 808. Leo III was canonized in 1673.

Answer: Causintin

Causintin (Constantin) mac Fergusa (before 775-820) was King of the Picts (in modern Scotland) from 789 until his death. One Irish record describes Causintin defeating Conall mac Taidg in battle in the year he ascended the throne. He is also said to have established the community of Dunkeld, in Scotland. Causintin was succeeded as king by his brother Oengus.

Answer: Beorhtric

Beorhtric, with a name meaning "Magnificent Power", ruled Wessex from 786 to 802. During his reign, the Synod of Chelsea was held in 787, approving Lichfield becoming the center of an archdiocese. In 789, the first Viking raids on England, took place on the Dorset shore. He was succeeded by Egbert, son of a previous King, who was returning from exile.