Medieval History Trivia

1. This knight was both a priest and a scholar. He chronicled William the Conqueror's invasion of England while serving as his chaplain. Who was he?

From Quiz The Days of Knights

Answer: William of Poitiers

William of Poitiers was raised to become a knight. Much of what we know about the Norman Conquest of England can be attributed to William. He was not immune, however, from romantising his boss's accomplishments.

From Quiz Disasters That Shook The World

Answer: Bohemia

Approximately 900 people (including 400 children) died because of this tornado near Vysherad, Bohemia (now Czech Republic). (This was one of the relatively few documented tornadoes in Europe during the Middle Ages.) A contemporary account describes the tornado as "a strong wind like Satan himself". The tornado would destroy or damage many buildings in the town including Vysherad Castle.

From Quiz Medieval Europe Assortment

Answer: Odoacer

Flavius Odoacer deposed the 16 year old Romulus and declared himself as King of Rome. Odoacer was killed by Theodoric in Ravenna in 493 AD. Alaric, the first king of the Visigoths, died in 410 AD. Vercingetorix was a Gaul leader defeated by Julius Caesar and Theodoric was king of the Ostrogoths.

From Quiz The Nasty 14th Century

Answer: Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War from 1337 to 1453, involved hostages, countless changes of land ownership, and tremendous developments in making war more lethal for both combatants and civilians. It began as the quest to find an heir to the French throne, and is still the longest war in the history of Western civilization.

From Quiz Illuminating the Dark Ages

Answer: Roman

The Dark Ages lasted from approximately 450-800 AD (or for some, till about 1000 AD), and the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West is generally taken as the approximate start of the Dark Ages. In 395 AD the Empire had been definitively split into two distinct halves - the Western and the Eastern. The Eastern Roman Empire continued to prosper long after the disintegration of the Western Empire. It began to crumble for several reasons. One of these was the continual internal rebellions and uprisings by the peoples of the lands the Romans had taken. The invasions into this conquered territory by Germanic tribes from beyond the boundary of the Rhine and Danube rivers was another. Discontent in the Empire's various territorial rulers, put in as area governors, also played a part. Then there was the deterioration of the great Roman army itself. It no longer trained or operated at peak efficiency. Finally, there was a general economic slowdown in the entire area which further contributed to its collapse. There is no exact date for this collapse because the decline took place over a lengthy period of time. The coup de grace took place between 450-476 AD. By 500 AD, Germanic tribes basically controlled all of Western Europe. The Dark Ages had begun. The Eastern half of the Roman Empire, known now as the Byzantine Empire, continued to exist for a further 1,000 years until eventually falling to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

From Quiz Sir William Marshal: The Greatest Knight

Answer: Stephen

His exact date of birth remains unknown. There is no record and William himself was never sure. The best estimate is that he was born between 1144 and 1147.

From Quiz Condottieri - Medieval Mercenaries

Answer: contract

The contract the condottieri signed set the length of service, payment, provisions and other basic agreements between the mercenaries and their employer.

From Quiz The Life of Richard Nevill Earl of Warwick

Answer: 1428

Richard Nevill was born in 1428, possibly at Bisham in Bedfordshire.

From Quiz 12th-15th Century Europe

Answer: University of Bologna, Italy

After it was founded in 1088, it first gained reputation as a school of law. Faculties of medicine, art, and theological (religious) studies were subsequently added. The Univesity of Al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco, founded in 859, is said to be the oldest university in the world.

From Quiz The Black Death

Answer: 1347-1351

However, there is evidence of the plague affecting areas of China dozens of years before. The bubonic plague reappeared sporadically in Europe at various times until well into the 18th century.

From Quiz English Medieval Bonanza

Answer: Magna Carta

Magna Carta Liberatum was written in Latin orignally and was issued in the year 1215. Subjects of King John, angered by his oppressive rule and high taxation forced him to put his seal on this charter at Runnymede in 15 June 1215. The Provisions of Oxford was issued in 1258 during the reign of Henry III, son of King John. The Charter of Liberties was issued in 1100 by Henry I. The Kent Compromise was a hoax. No such document ever existed.

From Quiz Melee Weapons (Mainly Medieval)

Answer: Long sword

The long sword was the cheapest, quickest and most simple kind of sword to make. The first swords were made of arsenic copper.

From Quiz Medieval Weaponry

Answer: It was used to give the killing blow, called a mercygiver because it 'put him out of his misery'

Another name for this weapon is misericorde, derived from the Latin word 'misericordia', meaning mercy. In medieval times, warfare was bloody and brutal, and often a knight would receive a fatal wound, but it would take hours, or even days, of agony before he actually died. The mercygiver was thin enough to slip between cracks of armor to finish an enemy off immediately, saving him from a painful, lingering death.

From Quiz The Middle Ages

Answer: On top of a hill

A castle was a stronghold and home for nobles. When built upon a hill, the castle guards could see an approaching attack before the attacking force got close to the castle walls. This eliminated the element of surprise and meant that attackers would have to fight their way uphill.

From Quiz Medieval Cold Weapons

Answer: Because it was not a chivalric weapon

Soldiers used bastard swords from 13th century, but until 15th century they couldn't be used in duels, nor were there schools teaching the actual use of these weapons.

From Quiz Medieval Miscellany

Answer: France

The Albigensian Crusade, also known as the Cathar Crusade, took place from 1209 to 1229, and was meant to crush the Cathars of the Languedoc region of France. The Cathars believed that the physical world was evil and the realm of the devil, while the spirit world was the realm of God. The movement was very popular at the time, but was branded heretical by the Church.

From Quiz Knightly Wear

Answer: on the head

The sallet was a common helmet (especially in Germany) during the 15th century. Recognizable by its tail and deep skull piece. It was held in place with a chin strap. Most were also fitted with a sliding visor. This was the helmet commonly worn by the orcs in the Middle Earth Trilogy to give a good visual example.

From Quiz Hanseatic Cities 2

Answer: Lüneburg

It was passed to Hanover in 1705 and to Prussia in 1866.

From Quiz The Code of Chivalry

Answer: a set of guidelines for knights

The Code of Chivalry was a set of guidelines for an ideal knight. Of course, not all knights went exactly by the rules, but this was what 'the knight' wanted to be. Another example of that is the stories of King Arthur. While it is true that he existed, he wasn't a king. The stories of King Arthur that we know and love today were basically what knights wanted to be.

From Quiz Medieval Card Games

Answer: We really don't know for sure

It is commonly thought that card games were introduced to Europe at some time in the 12th century. The above choices are all popular theories. Paper was invented in AD817 in China so card games could have existed in the Orient from the 9th century. The Chinese and Koreans have a unique set of dominos (p'ai) unlike those found in school playgrounds today, and are used exactly like our western playing cards. Two of the oldest of these , yü-p'u, "slips", and yeh-tzâ, "leaves" can be dated to 259CE and 951CE respectively. The medieval Chinese dictionary "Ching tsze tung" by Eul Koung states that dotted playing cards were invented in the reign of S'eun-ho - 1120. These are likely ivory placarts (like dominoes), not actual pieces of card with pictures on them though.

From Quiz In the Feudal Court of Sir Hugo

Answer: Permission to sell livestock

The places where animals were sold became very important as villages and then towns developed from them. Many towns eventually got charters from the local lords to have the right to govern themselves. Tolls sometimes also had to be paid on roads, just like today.

From Quiz Middle Ages - Other Missing Links

Answer: Cumans

These were nomadic tribes from the steppes of Asia which came to Europe, in wave after wave, in the Early Middle Ages. In their unstoppable migration, these mounted peoples collided with the Germanic and Slavic tribes, which were forced to move further to the west.

From Quiz The Middle Ages

Answer: Donatist

The Donatists were a schismatic group, originating in North Africa where the founder, Donatus, was born. According to the Donatists, only the most righteous and pure could be members of the Christian church, making for a very exclusivist agenda. The Catholics (the name of which means 'universal'... there is no mistake in its selection), waged battles against Donatist heretics for nearly twelve centuries.

From Quiz Life in Medieval London

Answer: use one of the city's public latrines

Medieval London had many public latrines. The best-known ones were on London Bridge and emptied directly into the Thames.

From Quiz Mighty Monarchs XIV (Holy Roman Empire)

Answer: Otto I

Otto I, the Great (r. 936-973 AD) ascended the throne with only the traditional title of 'King of the Romans.' A man could not legally call himself emperor until he was crowned by the pope in Rome. Until the official coronation he would use the title of 'King of the Romans.' He was finally crowned by Pope John XII on February 2, 962 AD.

From Quiz What If ...

Answer: In a castle

This was a private area kept for the lord and his family.

From Quiz Hanseatic Cities

Answer: Danzig

Danzig is today called Gdansk.

From Quiz Middle Ages - Missing Links

Answer: Vandals

These were the most important Germanic tribes, which settled mostly in the northern part of Europe. Later they began raiding the Western Roman Empire and eventually lead to its definitive downfall in 476 A.D.

From Quiz Mighty Monarchs XII (Sicily)

Answer: Roger of Hauteville

Roger I (r. 1072-1101 AD) and his older brother (Robert Guiscard) were the sons of Tancred of Hauteville. They arrived in southern Italy (c. 1050 AD) as mercenaries to make their fortunes. Robert was created duke of the newly formed Duchy of Apulia by Pope Nicholas II (1059 AD). Roger was created Count of Sicily (1072 AD) before the reconquest of the island was completed (Syracuse fell in 1085 AD). In 1089 AD Roger married the formidable Adelaide of Salona. He was succeeded by his eldest son Simon (r. 1101-1105 AD) with Adelaide as regent.

From Quiz Medieval Words and Terms

Answer: Snood

A Qalansuwa is a high, conical cap worn by men. A Cupa is a large vat, or cask. Wimples where head pieces worn by low born women, a simple cloth head covering to keep the hair back and covered.

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