Rogues, Rebels and Renegades Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Wallace

William Wallace (1270-1305) was a Scottish knight and rebel who fought for his country's freedom against England. He rebelled and, with Andrew Moray in 1297, they defeated the English forces at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Wallace was captured by the English and handed over to King Edward I. He he was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason. Mel Gibson played the role of William Wallace in the 1995 movie "Braveheart". The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning five including Best Picture.

Answer: Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was a true rebel and nicknamed "The Maid of Orleans". She helped pave the way for an eventual French victory over the English to end the "Hundred Years' War". She was captured by the Burgundians who had sided with the English. She was sold to the English, tried and was was burnt at the stake in 1431 at the age of 19 years. She became a saint after being beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920.

Answer: Vidkun Quisling

Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945) was a renegade who headed the Norwegian government during the Nazi occupation of WWII. From 1942-1945 he lead the pro-Nazi puppet government and after WWII he was put on trial for charges including murder, embezzlement and high treason against the State of Norway. He was executed by firing squad on October 24, 1945.

Answer: Al Capone

The gangster Al Capone (1899-1947) personified the meaning of a rogue. He was a ruthless gangster who was the boss of the Chicago Outfit for seven years. The organisation was involved in criminal activities including racketeering, corruption, murder, money laundering, extortion and drug trafficking. He was eventually prosecuted for tax evasion in 1931 and sent to prison. He was released from prison in 1939 a very sick man and died in 1947 of cardiac arrest.

Answer: P. T. Barnum

Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891) was a showman and rogue who is remembered for promoting hoaxes and human curiosities and is rumoured to be credited with the saying "There's a sucker born every minute". He founded the Barnum & Bailey Circus and was also a politician, author and publisher.

Answer: Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) was a renegade who defected to the British in 1780. He was a general in the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War but crossed to the British forces and led them against men who had previously trusted him. He was made a Brigadier General in the British Army. When Britain surrendered in 1781, Arnold and his family fled to England where he died in 1801. He was looked upon as a "traitor" by those of his country of birth.

Answer: Che Guevara

Che Guevara (1928-1967) was a rebel, revolutionary, guerrilla leader, author and diplomat. He was born in Argentina and after on and off studies he completed his medical degree in 1953. He was working at the general hospital in Mexico City and giving medical lectures when he met the Castro brothers from Cuba.

He was intrigued and supported their views on anti-imperialism and the struggles of the poor. He embarked on the war to liberate Cuba, firstly as a doctor and then as a fearless and ruthless guerrilla leader and an inspiration to his men.

After the success of the revolution Fidel Castro sent him on a goodwill tour to Europe and Asia. He eventually had a fallout with Castro on their conflicting views on Communism and Marxism. He went to Bolivia to train guerrillas to overthrown the Bolivian government.

He was betrayed, captured and shot on October 9, 1967.

Answer: Edward Teach

Better known as Blackbeard the pirate, Edward Teach (1680-1718) based his rogue operations around the West Indies and he was a shrewd leader who advocated the use of violence amongst his men to put fear into those that he plundered. He was eventually tracked down in coastal North Carolina and killed in an attack by British forces and his severed head was suspended from one of the victorious ships.

Answer: William Joyce

William Joyce (1906-1946) the renegade, was born in New York his family moved to Ireland when he was very young. After the Irish War for Independence (1919-1921) the family moved to England as his mother was English. He graduated from the University of London and developed an interest in Fascism.

In 1932 he joined the British Union of Fascists (BUF) and became involved in their propaganda. In 1939 with the impending declaration of war he and his wife fled to Germany where he became a German citizen in 1940.

He broadcast German propaganda on Germany's English radio service and earned the nickname "Lord Haw-Haw". He urged British people to surrender and it is estimated that he had between 6-18 million regular and occasional listeners in the UK.

In 1945 he was captured by British forces and taken to England to face trial for high treason. He was found guilty and executed by hanging on January 3, 1946.

Answer: Pancho Villa

Francisco "Pancho" Villa (1878-1923) was a rebel and was a revolutionary leader in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) that helped transform the culture and government of the country. He lead his forces in the north and had an alliance with Emiliano Zapata who lead his revolutionary forces in the south.

In 1920, Adolfo de la Huerta became the 38th President of Mexico and Pancho Villa retired from hostilities and settled in a hacienda in the state of Chihuahua. Due to political differences he was killed in his car with his bodyguards while returning to the hacienda from visiting nearby Parral on July 20, 1923.