The Maypole and The Elephant Trivia Quiz

Answer: George I

George I arrived in England in 1714 unable to speak the language, and with two mistresses in tow. One, Ehrengard Melusine von der Schulenberg, was tall and thin and was instantly dubbed "The Maypole", whilst the other, Sophia von Kielmansegg, was short and fat and was christened "The Elephant". She was also George's illegitimate half sister. They went everywhere together, giving rise to much mockery, as well as speculation as to whether they continued this togetherness in other areas.

George I only came to the throne because he was a Protestant. There were at least 50 relatives of Queen Anne with better claims, but they were all Catholic and were excluded from the succession.

Answer: Maria Fitzherbert

The widowed Maria Fitzherbert met George IV when he was still Prince of Wales, and they went through a marriage ceremony in December 1785. The marriage was considered invalid because it had not been approved by the King and Privy Council. Had it been considered valid under the Royal Marriage Act George would not have been able to ascend to the throne because Mrs. Fitzherbert was a Catholic. Pope Pius VII however declared the marriage was valid under church law.

The relationship continued after George's marriage to Caroline of Brunswick, but ended in 1811.

After George's death it was discovered that he had kept all her letters, and William IV, the next king, even offered her a dukedom, which she declined.

Answer: Rosamund Clifford

The relationship between Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine was always volatile, and when she encouraged their sons to rebel against him he placed her under house imprisonment. He is reputed to have had around eleven mistresses, but the names of most of them are not recorded. The one who is remembered, although little is actually known about her, is Rosamund Clifford. She began a relationship with the king in 1163, which lasted until her death in around 1176. In Elizabethan times a popular story was that she was poisoned by Eleanor, and this was fuelled by the "Ballad of Fair Rosamund" by Thomas Delaney. There is however no record of what caused her death, or any proof that she was murdered by Eleanor.

The three incorrect answers are also mistresses of Henry II, although Alys of France is more speculation than fact.

Answer: Isabella

Isabella of France, often referred to as the "She-Wolf of France", was the wife of Edward II. Despite fathering five children he had male favourites, and it is generally accepted that he had homosexual relationships with both Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser. Isabella and Mortimer returned from a diplomatic mission to France in 1326 with an army of mercenaries and deposed Edward, who subsequently agreed to abdicate in favour of his son, Edward III.

He later died in mysterious circumstances, and Isabella and Mortimer are believed to have arranged his murder. Isabella reigned as Regent for her son with Mortimer by her side, but in 1330 Edward III seized power and deposed Mortimer, whom he later had executed. Isabella was given a generous allowance but was exiled from court for the rest of her life.

Answer: Frances Stewart

Frances Stewart (or Stuart) was described as one of the great beauties of the Restoration Era. Her father was a doctor at the court of Charles I's widow, and Frances was born in Paris. She was sent to England after the restoration to act as lady in waiting to Charles II's new wife. Charles became infatuated with her, and at one stage there were even rumours that he was considering divorcing his wife to marry her.

She steadfastly refused to become his mistress and eventually married the Duke of Richmond.

Her face was used as the model for Britannia and she continued to appear on British coins right up to decimalisation in 1971.

Answer: Alice Keppel

Edward VII, eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, came to the throne in 1901. He had numerous affairs, and his mistresses included Lily Langtry (The 'Jersey Lily'), Alice Keppel, Lady Brooke, Princess de Mouchy and Pincess de Sagan. When still Prince of Wales he was involved in several scandals, including being caught playing in an illegal card game and being accused in court of having an affair with Lady Mordaunt. His life was not entirely focused on fun. He was the first member of the royal family to tour the USA, and he visited most of Europe, as well as Canada and India, on behalf of the royal family and the country.

Judith Keppel's great-great-grandfather was the brother-in-law of Alice Keppel.

Answer: Lord Darnley

Mary married Lord Darnley in 1565, and quickly discovered that he was a dissolute drunkard who preferred card games and taverns to his wife. Lord Bothwell was a leading member of her Council and she came to rely on his advice. By 1567 they had become lovers.

After her husband and a group of his friends murdered her secretary, David Rizzio, because he believed she was having an affair with him, Bothwell and his companions decided Darnley had to be disposed of. As a Catholic, Mary would not divorce him so murder was decided on.

In 1567 the house Darnley was in was blown up, he survived but was strangled and stabbed as he tried to escape. Within days Mary and Bothwell were being blamed. Bothwell then abducted Mary and, allegedly, forced her to marry him, although many now believe the abduction was simply a ploy that she knew about.

However, eventually the Protestant lords forced her abdication, and Bothwell fled abroad where he died 10 years later. Mary spent the rest of her life in captivity and was eventually executed by Elizabeth I.

Answer: Elizabeth Blount

Henry started his relationship with Elizabeth (Bessie) Blount around 1514 when she was a lady in waiting to his wife Catherine of Aragon. The affair continued for around eight years, and she bore him his only acknowledged illegitimate child, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset. Soon after his son's birth Henry began his affair with Mary Boleyn, and Elizabeth Blount fades from the scene.

She was never recognised as his official mistress, no-one was ever given that title by Henry, but her importance to history is that she proved Henry was capable of fathering a healthy male child. Jane Seymour bore him his only legitimate son, who became Edward VI, but he was always sickly and died when he was only 15.

Answer: Lucy Walter

Lucy Walter was the mistress of Charles II while he was in exile in the Hague.
She gave birth to James, Duke of Monmouth, in 1649 and Charles acknowledged paternity. He was far from her first lover and after the affair ended she appears to have led a somewhat dissolute life, dying in Paris in 1658.

After the death of Charles II his brother, James, came to the throne but because he was Catholic he was not popular. The Duke of Monmouth led a rebellion against him, claiming to be the true Protestant heir. He was defeated at the Battle of Sedgemoor and was later executed for treason. Many of his followers were also executed or deported during what came to be known as the "Bloody Assizes" presided over by Judge Jeffreys.

Answer: Edward IV

Although we know many early Kings had mistresses their details are not recorded, but in the case of Edward IV some of them are. In his younger days he often went through a form of marriage with them to get them to sleep with him, but there was usually insufficient proof of this marriage for it to be validated at a later date. One such case was Lady Eleanor Talbot.

However, in the case of Elizabeth Woodville there was sufficient evidence of marriage for her to be accepted as his legitimate wife and Queen. Two of her children came to be known as the "Princes in The Tower".