Little Black Project: Raven Rulers Quiz

Answer: He was killed by his secretary at his own request

Emperor Nero (a name meaning "black", although it is not known why it was chosen as a regnal name for him) was the last of the five Julio-Claudean emperors, the line that had started with Augustus. His reign was characterised by an iron fist and a lavish lifestyle, anecdotally documented by the claim that he played the fiddle while Rome burned in the Great Fire of 64 AD. While this is likely untrue, Nero exploited the fire to claim prime real estate upon which to build a lavish palace. When he was declared an enemy and condemned to death in 68 AD, he chose to suicide but could not actually manage to do the deed himself, so he commanded his secretary to kill him.

(Question provided by WesleyCrusher)

Answer: Madagascar

Queen Ranavolana I was the first of the twelve wives of King Radama I of Madagascar. After his death, she moved quickly to take the throne. During her reign, she tried to make her country self-sufficient, breaking ties with most western powers. Ironically, she chose to wear French royal fashion at her court. She was known for being ruthless, eliminating political rivals and persecuting the growing number of Christian missionaries on the island. Some called her the "Mad Queen of Madagascar". She took as her lover a young shipwrecked Frenchman, who is alleged to have fathered her son. With his assistance, she introduced manufacturing of guns, soaps, silks and ceramics. In 1857, her son and former lover attempted unsuccessfully to overthrow her. She died in 1861.


(Question provided by pitegny)

Answer: The Kingdom of Kush

Kush was a region of Nubia at the southern end of the Nile valley, bordering Egypt at the first cataract at Elephantine. Kushite rule began shortly after the New Kingdom of Egypt collapsed. Kushites invaded Egypt in the 8th century BCE, and the monarchs of Kush also became the Pharaohs of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. This rule lasted for a hundred years, before they were driven out of Egypt by the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

The Kushites appear not to have discriminated on grounds of sex, as there was a healthy sprinkling of strong female monarchs in charge of the Kingdom, some of whom were associated with military victories and also with great building periods. They used animal-driven water wheels for irrigation and were generally as advanced as their traditional Egyptian counterparts.

(Question provided by windrush)

Answer: Bushranger

John "Black" Caesar was of unknown African parentage and may have been born on Madagascar in about 1763. On 13th March 1786 he was convicted of the theft of twelve pounds and sentenced to transportation to Australia for seven years. John was a big, strong man and a good worker. However he absconded from custody regularly. He learnt to live in the bush, stealing from small settlements when necessary. Usually he was caught relatively easily. John escaped from custody for the last time in December 1795 and led a gang of absconders and vagabonds in the Port Jackson (now Sydney Harbour) area-becoming Australia's first bushranger. Gossip in the colony made "Black" Caesar's crimes and abilities at leading his gang much greater than they were. On 29th January 1796 Governor Hunter offered a reward of five gallons of rum for his capture and by 15th February Caesar was shot and killed by John Wimbow.


(Question provided by em1958)

Answer: Queen Anne's Revenge

"La Concorde" was renamed "Queen Anne's Revenge" by Blackbeard after its capture in 1717 and having been equipped with 40 guns. The ship ran aground in 1718 on a sandbar close to Beaufort, North Carolina. There are differing stories as to whether or not Blackbeard harmed or murdered any captives, and it is said that he commanded his ships with the consent of their crews. Blackbeard was only active for a couple of years (1716-1718), taking a short time to earn such a fearsome reputation. He was killed in 1718, being somewhere between 35 and 40 years old.

The "Black Pearl" and "Jolly Roger" are fictional ships seen in "Pirate of the Caribbean" and "Peter Pan", respectively. The "Royal Fortune" was the ship of Bartholomew Roberts.

(Question provided by Lones78)

Answer: Toussaint Louverture

François-Dominique Toussaint Breda was born on the plantation Breda on the French colony Sainte-Domingue (part of the Hispaniola island). There is no evidence of the exact date of his birth, situated according to different sources somewhere between 1739 and 1746. His middle name suggest he was born on All Saints' Day (November 1), but once more this is debated.

In 1791 Breda joined the Haitian uprising, and soon adopted his surname "Louverture" to indicate his willingness to negotiate. He became the sole ruler of almost the complete territory of present-day Haiti in 1794, in alliance with (but independent of) France. Only André Rigaud held a southern territory in Haiti, but Louverture defeated Rigaud in 1801.

Napoleon Bonaparte informed him that he had the intention of drafting a constitution for Haiti, but Louverture appointed himself a commission to do so, hoping to maintain the abolition of slavery.

In 1802 General Charles Leclerc landed in Haiti, with instructions to end independence. But as yellow fever decimated Leclerc's army, Haiti remained independent. Louverture deposed his official functions and as succeeded by Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
Louverture was arrested as insurgent and transported to a French jail, where he died in 1803.

(Question provided by JanIQ)

Answer: Building dozens of fortified medieval castles

Fulk Nerra (also known as Fulk the Black) was an early leader of the county of Anjou, an area located in north-western France. His lengthy rule over the region was aided by both military success on the battlefield and his policy of building a network of defensive towers and castles around his territory. Many of the ruined remains of his later stone structures can still be seen dotted about the landscape, while others have since been incorporated into later buildings, including the Chateau d'Angers. In total, Fulk Nerra was responsible for the construction of around 100 medieval castles as well as a number of abbeys.

(Question provided by Fifiona81)

Answer: King Charles Stuart II

King Charles Stuart II ruled Scotland between 1649 and 1651 and England, Scotland and Ireland from 1660 to 1685, after succeeding his father, Charles I. Charles II lived through the last Bubonic Plague outbreak in London (1665), the great fire of London (1666) and the overthrow of his father by Oliver Cromwell. So, how does "Merry King Charles Stuart II: The Black King of England" make his way into this quiz? Although Charles had darker than "normal" colouring (compared with his family and other rulers of the time), his surname (Stuart) has roots meaning "black" - depending on which story you hear, it could come from "Svart" which is Nordic for black, or "Swarthy", which means Black in old English.

Answer: Thailand

Naresuan was the 18th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Siamese kingdom that existed from the 14th to 18th century. As Prince Naret he was known as the "Black Prince", while his younger brother Ekathotsarot was known as the "White Prince". Naresuan is honoured in Thailand for his military prowess including a legendary elephant battle with the Crown Prince of Burma. His many attempts to secure freedom for the Ayutthaya kingdom from the Burmese Taungoo Empire have led to him being known as Naresuan the Great. He remains one of the most revered Thai kings and has featured on Thai bank notes, and had a Thai university, conservation park and frigate named after him.

The Black Temple, along with the White and Blue Temples, is found in the Thai province of Chiang Rai. All three temples were built relatively recently and have no connection with Naresuan.

(Question provided by zorba_scank)

Answer: Alexander the Great

Cleitus the Black was an officer who served under Alexander the Great during his military conquests. During the Battle of Granicus in 334 BC, Alexander was attacked by the Persian Satrap (or governor) Sphithridates when Cleitus attacked the satrap, cut off his arm and saved Alexander's life. The heroic move gained Cleitus many favours. However, Alexander reorganised his army and Cleitus was demoted. During a drunken brawl, the two men got into a food fight that culminated in Alexander killing Cleitus with a javelin.

(Question provided by Joepetz)