Reign of Love

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. He was the nephew of the Byzantine Emperor. She was a reformed actress and courtesan. The law forbade their marriage, so he changed the law, and thus began a historic partnership during which the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire were briefly reunited. Who were they? Livia Drusilla and Augustus Euphemia and Justin Theodora and Justinian Agrippina and Claudius

2. He was a Mughal emperor with three wives; she, the "jewel of the palace," was his favorite. After her death in childbirth, he built a tomb for her that is famous the world over as a symbol of love. Who were they? Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan Mariam uz-Zamani and Akbar Udaipuri Mahal and Aurangzeb Nur Jahan and Jahangir

3. Love isn't always enough, even for royalty. She was a widow, daughter of a sugar planter in the Caribbean; he was a French military officer who saw an opening for something grander. Together they became Emperor and Empress, but their marriage was doomed by affairs and dynastic ambitions, and they divorced five years later. His last word was her name. Who were they? Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI Hildegard and Charlemagne Eugenie and Napoleon III Josephine and Napoleon

4. She was a Spanish princess, distrusted by the people she had come to rule, who endured civil war and crusade at the side of her husband. He was a longlegged English king whose life was marked by war with nobles and neighbors. Their love endured her death; the crosses he built to honor her burial procession have made their mark on English geography. Who were they? Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England Eleanor of Castile and Edward I of England Empress Matilda of England and Geoffrey of Anjou Ælfgifu of Northampton and Cnut the Great

5. She was a German princess, fiercely devout; he was a Russian prince in an authoritarian family. When they met as teenaged cousins they fell for each other at once, and they spent years lobbying their parents to make the match. Though they were happy in their marriage and named saints after their deaths, their story had a horrific ending. Who were they? Anastasia and Alexei Alexandra and Nicholas II Maria and Alexander III Nadia and Vladimir II

6. Here's another case where even royal love couldn't make a happy ending. She was a young Bavarian duchess; he, her cousin, was an emperor who was supposed to make a match with her sister. They fell for each other at once, but their marriage suffered from intrusive in-laws and the loss of a child. When she was assassinated, he was devastated by words unsaid and things undone. Who were they? Elisabeth and Frederick Sophie and Franz Karl Elisabeth and Franz Josef Sophie and Franz Ferdinand

7. He was a Biblical king with many wives and concubines; she was the wife of one of his officers. He fell hopelessly in love with her when he first saw her. Their marriage began with adultery and murder, but at the end of his life, it was her counsel and her son that the king honored. Who were they? Michal and David Deborah and Lapidoth Jezebel and Ahab Bathsheba and David

8. He wasn't one for true love, but one of his six queens saw more enduring tenderness from him than the rest combined. He was an absolute monarch and a religious reformer who was desperate for a son. She was a quiet English noblewoman who died soon after childbirth and is buried next to her husband. Who were they? Jane Seymour and Henry VIII Catherine Parr and Edward VI Catherine Howard and Henry VIII Anne of Cleves and Henry VII

9. He was Pharaoh of all Egypt, a religious reformer who continues to fascinate people today. She was his Great Royal Wife, and her very name proclaimed her beauty. The art of their day shows them as affectionate partners, a sharp departure from depictions of other ancient Egyptian marriages. Who were they? Nefertiti and Akhenaten Ankhesenamun and Ay Hatshepsut and Thutmose II Tiye and Amenhotep III

10. She was a British princess, destined to lend her name to an era. He was the son of a German duke. When they wed, they launched a great partnership; their grandchildren ruled much of Europe. Who were they? Anne and George Alexandra and Edward Victoria and Albert Elizabeth and Philip