Pi's History Mysteries Trivia Quiz

Answer: Richard III

Richard III was supposed to be the protector of his nephews, Edward IV's sons, after that king's death, but before the coronation of the elder, Edward VI, took place, Richard claimed that they were bastards as the marriage to their mother was not legitimate.

The young princes were put in the Tower of London. Richard was crowned on 6th July, 1483 and the princes were not seen after August of that year. Although there are groups that claim Richard's innocence, those were ruthless times and it was not rare for claimants to the throne or powerful lords to be eliminated.

In 1485, Henry Tudor, aided by the armies of Richard's opponents, defeated Richard at Bosworth Field, and after having himself crowned as Henry VII, married the young princes' sister, Elizabeth of York, to strengthen his claim to the throne.

Answer: Winston Churchill

Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965) held many posts in government, and was twice Prime Minister. Most famously, he was the inspirational leader of Britain during the Second World War; he made many powerful speeches designed to rally the courage and determination of the country, few of which have ever been surpassed. Churchill also won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953, for his 'mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values'. Almost as famous as the man himself were his cigars - he was rarely seen without one.

Answer: Lady Godiva

It is not known whether the famous "ride" actually took place. However, the legend of Lady Godiva is embedded in our collective consciousness despite little evidence of its occurrence. Godiva and her husband, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, were benefactors of religious orders and founded or otherwise funded several religious institutions of the day. Godiva was devout in her religious beliefs so the notion of her exposing herself publicly seems quite far-fetched.

As the legend goes, she had repeatedly appealed to Leofric to repeal the oppressive taxes placed on the people of Coventry, but to no avail. Worn down by the constancy of her pleadings, he agreed to her request on the condition that she ride naked through the streets which, according to the legend, she did, resulting in the eventual abolition of the taxes. No matter, it is a wonderful story which spawned many beautiful artworks, most notably John Collier's "Lady Godiva".

Answer: Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette, an Archduchess of Austria, was born in 1755. She married Louis-August, Dauphin of France when she was a mere 14 years old and he was only 15. She became unpopular as the years passed due, in large part, to her profligacy in spending while poverty for the common man was rampant.

There were rumours that she may have been unfaithful to her husband, which also did not sit well with the people of France. Louis was viewed as increasingly incompetent due, mainly, to the financial crisis which engulfed France. Resentment from the lower classes continued to grow resulting in the French Revolution and a republic being proclaimed in September of 1792. Louis was executed by guillotine in January of the following year. Marie-Antoinette fell to the same fate in October.

The phrase "Let them eat cake" is widely attributed to her but there is controversy as to whether she said this and exactly what the significance of the original French was.

Answer: Elizabeth I

Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She came into the world a Princess in 1533, but was declared illegitimate after her mother's execution in May of 1536 for alleged high treason. Elizabeth began her reign in November 1558 and ruled for nearly 45 years. During that time, there were many who loved her, and she them, and there were great expectations that she would wed.

However, no such event was ever to occur. The Virgin Queen died on March 24, 1603 at Richmond Palace. The Golden Age of England had ended.

Answer: Henry VIII

Henry VIII was not originally expected to become king as he was the younger son, but his brother, Arthur, died before he could ascend the throne. Henry's first wife was his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. This was a political alliance and he was frequently unfaithful.

She bore him one child, Mary. Henry was desperate for a son, and when his roving eye alighted on Anne Boleyn he asked Catherine for a divorce. Being a staunch Catholic she refused. The Pope refused to annul the marriage, and this led to England splitting from Rome and becoming Protestant. Marriage to Anne produced only another daughter, Elizabeth, and soon Henry was looking for reasons to be rid of her.

She was beheaded on charges of treason and adultery. On the day of her execution he married Jane Seymour.

She did give him his longed for son, Edward, but died shortly after. From her he decided on another political alliance and Anne of Cleves was chosen. He had only seen her portrait. Once he saw her in person he decided she was too ugly.

She, mindful of his reputation, gratefully agreed to a divorce and to being designated his beloved 'Sister'. He gave her a generous pension, and she lived happily in England for the rest of her life, and remained on good terms with Henry. His roving eye then alighted on Catherine Howard, a cousin of Anne Boleyn. She was married to him for less than two years before she too was executed for adultery and treason. His final wife was Katherine Parr, who had been married twice before. By this time Henry was in bad health and she was more of a nurse than a wife. Despite that she often went in fear of her life, and indeed he once had an arrest warrant drawn up for her. She assumed guardianship of his other children and was influential in having both Mary and Elizabeth restored to the line of succession. Henry had previously had them declared illegitimate. She outlived him and later married Thomas Seymour.

Answer: William Wallace

William Wallace, as memorably portrayed by Mel Gibson in the film "Braveheart" (1995), was a Scottish lord who led the rebellion against Edward I, "The Hammer of the Scots". Scotland was fighting for independence. When Margaret of Norway died there was no clear line of succession. Edward I was invited to arbitrate between the various claimants, but instead he invaded. Wallace became one of the leaders of the rebellion, and scored a victory over Edward's army at Stirling Bridge (1297). He was defeated at the Battle of Falkirk (1298). He evaded capture until 1305. He was taken to London, tried for treason, and was executed by hanging, drawing and quartering, an especially barbaric punishment, at Smithfield. His head was then displayed on London Bridge and his four limbs displayed in Newcastle, Berwick on Tweed, Stirling and Perth.

After the death of Edward I rebellion in Scotland flared again, with the memorable defeat of Edward II by Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

If we ignore the various fictional accounts then, apart from the military campaigns of 1297/98 and his capture and execution, little is known of the real William Wallace. His elevation to folk hero and legend have managed to obscure any real facts. Even his date of birth and the name of his father are not definitely known.

Answer: Adolf Hitler

On April 29, 1945, Adolf Hitler, Fuhrer of Germany, wed his beloved Eva Braun in the Fuhrerbunker. The next day they both suffered ignominious deaths, she by cyanide poisoning and he by a self-inflicted gunshot. Hitler knew there was no way out. The Red Army was close at hand and there would be no leniency for the crimes and barbarities he inflicted on so many during the war years.

Answer: Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1820, to a wealthy English family. While in her youth, she was called by God to serve others and eventually became a nurse despite the protests from her family due to the social expectations of the times.

In 1854, she volunteered for service in the Crimean War and, with her group of thirty-eight nurses, she took her place at Selimiye Barracks in Scutari, Turkey to minister to the wounded. She was appalled at the poor treatment, if any, given to patients and strove to ameliorate the situation thereby lessening the death rate among those in her care.

Her work in the Crimea set the stage for her further work in nursing, most notably by bringing good repute to the work itself. She has been immortalized by Longfellow in his poem "Santa Filomena" where the familiar name which she came to be known by, "The Lady with a Lamp", is mentioned.

Answer: Sir Ernest Shackleton

A true hero, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was born in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland in 1874. His calling was that of an explorer and he took his first trip to the Antarctic, serving with Scott in 1901. Sadly, he was sent home due to ill health but that didn't stop his grand ambition to be the first to the South Pole.

The Nimrod Expedition in 1909, saw him come within 190 km of the Pole, well outside of his grasp, before the party had to turn back. After the prize had been won by Amundsen in 1912, he became enthralled with the notion of crossing the Antarctic continent, from one sea to the other via the Pole.

In 1914 he set sail but the expedition came to an abrupt end when the Endurance became trapped in sea ice. After nine months of the crew living on the ice in hopes that Endurance would be freed with the thaw, she instead broke up with the enormous pressure of moving ice, and down she went. From that point on, Shackleton's goal was to return his men to their families which, despite the appalling conditions, he did.

Not one was lost. On the way to his final Antarctic expedition several years later, Shackleton suffered a heart attack but pressed on, arriving at South Georgia island on January 4, 1922 where he perished the next day. He is buried on the island, forever to be remembered for his absolute devotion to those in his charge.