The Lost Kingdom Trivia Quiz

Answer: France

The French monarchy was overthrown in 1792 as a result of the French Revolution and replaced by the First Republic. Napoleon's rise to power displaced the republic with an empire in 1804. Napoleon's subsequent defeat by the anti-French forces led to the restoration of the Bourbon kingdom.

The overthrow of King Louis Philippe in the 1848 revolution led to the Second Republic of which Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was elected president later that year. However, in 1852 Louis-Napoleon overthrew his own republic and proclaimed himself Emperor Napoleon III. In the wake of the Franco-Prussian War, his empire was replaced with the Third Republic in 1870.

While the intention of many in the French government after 1870 was to return once more to a kingdom, the Third Republic lasted until the defeat of France by Nazi Germany in 1940. The Fourth Republic lasted from 1946 until constitutional changes ushered in the Fifth Republic in 1958.

Answer: Spain

Spain was a republic very briefly from 1873-75 and then again from 1931 when the restored monarchy was overthrown. In 1947, the Spanish dictator General Franco declared the monarchy restored once more but did not allow the claimant to the throne to return to Spain. However, on Franco's death in 1975 Juan Carlos, grandson of the last reigning king, became monarch.

Answer: Italy

Although the Italian king, Victor Emmanuel III, was involved in the coup which removed Mussolini from power and led to Italy changing sides during the Second World War, he was seen as being closely tied to the Fascist regime and even his abdication in favour of his son, Umberto II, could not repair the damage done to the monarchy and Italian people voted to move to a republic.

Answer: 1922

The Ottoman Empire had allied with Germany during the First World War and had seen its empire dismembered as a result of the punishing Treaty of Sevres which ended its involvement in the war.

In response, the Sultan was overthrown by an army officer named Mustafa Kemal, who in time took the name Ataturk and became Turkey's first president.

Answer: Portugal

Manuel had come to the throne in 1908 following the assassination of his father and older brother by republicans. Republican sentiment continued to grow and Manuel was forced to flee the country in 1910. Portugal has been a republic ever since.

Answer: Iran

The Islamic Revolution of 1979 swept Mohammad Reza Shah from power and replaced his government with an Islamic Republic under the overall guidance of the Ayatollah Khomeini.

The other countries mentioned in this question were all monarchies during the 20th Century. Iraq became a republic in 1958, Libya in 1969 and Afghanistan in 1973.

Answer: 1911

Pu Yi was only five when the country of which he was emperor became a republic. He would later become emperor of the Japanese puppet-state of Manchukuo but after the Second World War he became a private citizen of the People's Republic of China, dying in 1967.

Answer: Greece

Greece was a republic for eleven years between 1924 and 1935 before the monarchy was restored.

However, in 1974 (following the overthrow of the military junta who had taken power in 1967) the country became a republic again.

The monarchies of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Romania were all ended (in 1945, 1946 and 1947 respectively) by the Communist regimes that came to power in those countries after the war.

Answer: Gamel Abdel Nasser

A military coup in 1952 forced the abdication of King Farouk in favour of his young son King Fuad II. A republic was declared in 1953 with Muhammed Naguib as president. However, the following year Naguib was forced out and replaced by Colonel Nasser, who had been the main driving force behind the coup.

Sadat and Mubarak were Nasser's successors as president while Qaddafi was the army officer who led the coup that overthrew the Libyan monarchy.

Answer: Brazil

Brazil became an empire on gaining independence from Portugal in 1822. However, a coup in 1889 ended the reign of the second emperor, Pedro II.

Mexico also became an empire in 1822 on gaining independence from Spain. However, that empire lasted only until 1823. A second empire lasted from 1864-67.