Scandinavian History Trivia

1. The first definite signs of a permanent establishment in what is now Copenhagen date from 1167 and are called what after a Danish bishop who defended Copenhagen from invaders. What was that building?

From Quiz The History of Copenhagen

Answer: Absalon's Castle

Absalon was a Danish bishop and close friend to Danish King Valdemar. He is considered one of Copenhagen's founding fathers. Absalon's Castle was actually a complex of several different buildings, including a church. The castle no longer exists but its ruins can be found underneath Christiansborg Palace, home of the Danish Parliament.

From Quiz The History of Oslo

Answer: New research showed Oslo was actually founded before 1050

Archeologists determined that Oslo had been founded at least a few decades before 1050 but could not decide on a conclusive date. Gravesites found in excavated churches indicated people had been living in the area since at least 980 A.D. In 2000, the people of Oslo celebrated the city's 1000th anniversary because it was believed that the actual millennium had already passed without notice.

From Quiz The History of Helsinki

Answer: Gustav I

The king's plan failed as Helsinki wasn't able to sustain a large population. Poverty and disease ran rampant throughout the city and a plague in 1710 killed most of the permanent population.

From Quiz Compilation of Swedish History

Answer: Kalmar Union

The union lasted from 1397 in the reign of Queen Margarete I of Denmark (reigned 1387-1412) till 1523, when Swedish king Gustav Vasa was declared king of Sweden. Norway stayed with Denmark as "Denmark-Norway" until 1814, when Sweden gained Norway at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

From Quiz Charles XII and the Great Northern War

Answer: Saxony

The anti-Swedish alliance was brought together by Johann Patkul, a Livonian exile. Although Elector Augustus of Saxony was also king of Poland, Poland itself claimed to be neutral at the beginning of the war.

From Quiz Basic Swedish History

Answer: Mimir

Odin gave his eye to Mimir so he could drink from the well. He actually wore a hat so people shouldn't notice that he was missing an eye. Hugin and Munin are Odin's ravens and he sent across the world to report what was happening.

From Quiz Swedish History

Answer: His father died in an aircraft accident

Sadly, the Swedish crownprince, Gustav Adolf, died in a plane accident at Copenhagen airport, Kastrup, in 1947. The Prince Gustav Adolf Memorial Fund was created in 1948, for the promotion of child welfare.

From Quiz Scandinavian History 900-2000

Answer: Harald Fairhair

The Kingdom dissolved after his death.

From Quiz Swedish Names of Finnish Cities

Answer: Helsingfors

Helsinki was founded by Gustavus Vasa in 1550 and made capital in 1812.

From Quiz The History of Stockholm

Answer: The Danes

Since Stockholm was such an essential city in Sweden, whoever controlled it controlled Sweden. The Danes and the Swedes were in constant battle over the city. Denmark, led by Christian II, conquered the city in November of 1520. On November 7, the systematic execution of Swedish nobles and other Swedes who supported independence started, which ultimately saw dozens of people executed. Christian II attempted to justify the bloodbath by saying it was necessary to avoid interference from the Pope, but he later backtracked and said his troops went rogue and the attacks were unordered.

From Quiz The History of Copenhagen

Answer: Fishing

Copenhagen's location surrounded by many bodies of water and consisting of many islands made it an ideal city for the fishing industry. This was particularly noteworthy during the Lenten season when Catholics, who made up most of West Europe's population at the time, could not eat meat and Copenhagen's fish made it an even more popular city.

From Quiz The History of Oslo

Answer: St. Clement's Church

St. Clement's Church was built around the year 1000 A.D. It went out of commission soon after the Reformation when the population of the Old Town declined. St. Clement's no longer stands but its ruin can be seen in Old Town Oslo.

From Quiz The History of Helsinki

Answer: Suomenlinna

Sveaborg was initially built to protect Sweden from Russian invasions. Sveaborg is the Swedish name. The Finns called it Viapori until independence in 1917 when it was renamed Suomenlinna. The fortress spans an archipelago of six islands and is a popular tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Suomenlinna is no longer used as a fortress but it is a museum. It is often called a town within Helsinki because there are some permanent residents who live and work on Suomenlinna.

From Quiz Compilation of Swedish History

Answer: 1521

This war is called the "Swedish War of Liberation". Sweden did not agree to the costly wars by Denmark to conquer Holstein and Pomerania. After two years of bloody rebellion, the fighting stopped. King Gustav Vasa was made king, and Sweden also gained the territories of Scania and Blekinge.

From Quiz Charles XII and the Great Northern War

Answer: hunting bears

Bear hunting was a favorite sport with Swedish kings. Charles shot his first bear at 11. Later he thought the use of firearms or even steel was unfair to the animal, so from then on he only used wooden forks.

From Quiz Basic Swedish History

Answer: They were burned with their ships

Often one or more of their slaves was burned with them. Obviously, this involved human sacrifice.

From Quiz Swedish History

Answer: Denmark

Kristian II, or Kristian the Tyrant as he was called in Sweden, came from Denmark and was responsible for the "Stockholm Bloodbath" (8-9 November 1520), in which 80 people was executed. Kristian executed them because they were supporters to Sten Sture, who was one of his enemies. Kristian II was a Danish and Norwegian king, who also reigned Sweden 1520-1521. Kristian killed the supporters to Sten Sture because Sten wanted to depose him.

From Quiz Scandinavian History 900-2000

Answer: Harald Bluetooth

The domain of Harald Bluetooth for a period also encompassed Northern Germany and all of Norway. He was the first Christian King of Denmark.

From Quiz Swedish Names of Finnish Cities

Answer: Åbo & Abo & åbo

Turku is the oldest city in Finland, established in 1229. It´s also the fourth biggest and was capital until 1812. It was scene of signing of Treaty of Åbo in 1743 which granted Russia a southern portion of Finland from Sweden.

From Quiz The History of Stockholm

Answer: Gustav I

Gustav I took Stockholm at the end of the Swedish War of Liberation. As a result of the war, Sweden became independent and returned two small regions to Norway-Denmark, both of which are now back in Sweden. As king, Gustav I was known to be ruthless, quashing rebellion after rebellion. However, he also gained popular and prestige by splitting away from the influence of the Pope and the Swedish Lutheran Church grew under his reign. He also is responsible for building many famous Swedish buildings that are still in existence, including the Royal Opera House, although the opera company wouldn't come along until 1773.

From Quiz The History of Copenhagen

Answer: Eric of Pomerania

Eric VII of Denmark, better known as Eric of Pomerania, was an ambitious king. He attempted to take many different provinces around Europe but almost always failed. Margaret I, who was monarch before Eric, nearly had Schleswig in Danish possession but when he took over, he abandoned her diplomacy for war. He did not take Schleswig and actually lost territory to the Holy Roman Empire. Although he sent the Danish economy spiraling down, he managed to rebound by instituting tolls on ships called "sound dues". However, Eric had been steadily losing support from all classes of people in Denmark and Sweden and he was thrown out of Copenhagen in 1428.

From Quiz The History of Oslo

Answer: Akershus Fortress

Akerhus Fortress was built after an unsuccessful attack by Alv Erlingsson. King Haakon V believed Oslo's existing defensive walls were not strong enough to protect the city. The fortress and the adjoining castle have been in continuous use since its construction and was the scene of mass executions when Nazi Germany occupied Oslo in World War II.

From Quiz The History of Helsinki

Answer: Russia

The land that was Finland became known as the Grand Duchy of Finland with Helsinki as its capital. The Finnish War began when Sweden violated the terms of the Treaty of Tilsit by aligning with Britain against France and Denmark and because King Gustav Adolf foolishly thought his small Swedish army could successfully defeat the larger, stronger Russian military. King Gustav Adolf wanted Denmark's Norwegian territory and was angry that France, a then ally of Russia, was dominating the Baltic Sea.

From Quiz Compilation of Swedish History

Answer: Delaware

Although the parts of the colony were in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well, the capital, Fort Christina, was in Delaware. It was on the Delaware River and the Schuylkill River, and was the first of the three colonies that Sweden had in the New World. The others were St. Barthélemy in the West Indies which was Swedish from 1784-1878, when it was sold to France. (The capital is still called Gustavia after the Swedish king, Gustav III). Guadeloupe was also very briefly Swedish towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

From Quiz Charles XII and the Great Northern War

Answer: Schleswig

The Swedish navy navigated through a narrow strait that had never been sailed through before and took the Danes by surprise. There was little resistance to the landing. However, Denmark rejoined the war after Poltava and drove the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp out of Schleswig.

From Quiz Basic Swedish History

Answer: Ansgar

The rest of Europe thought that the Vikings were brutal robbers and that maybe they would behave better if they became Christians. So Louis the Pious sent Ansgar to convert them in 829.

From Quiz Scandinavian History 900-2000

Answer: Canute I

Canute I was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018 and King of Norway from 1028. He invaded England in 1013 with his father Sweyn I, King of Denmark. He was proclaimed King on Sweyn's death in 1014 by his Viking army. His son Hardicanute was made King of Denmark in 1028 and of England in 1040.

From Quiz Swedish Names of Finnish Cities

Answer: Tammerfors

Tampere was established in 1779. It was a stronghold for the "reds" during the civil war in 1918. It's the third biggest city in Finland. It´s an important industrial city.

From Quiz The History of Stockholm

Answer: The Old Town

Stadsholmen was believed to be the most populous area of Stockholm at the time. The fire started at a private residence and quickly grew and lasted for three days. About one-fifth of the city was destroyed. However, there had been plans to redesign Stockholm as many nobles and merchants believed Stockholm was not evolving with the times. This fire sped up the city's rebuilding.

From Quiz The History of Copenhagen

Answer: Amusement park

Dyrehavsbakken began when Copenhagen's water supply suddenly became undrinkable, and one of the few places to get water was this royal spring. When people flocked to Dyrehavsbakken, entertainers and food vendors also went and it eventually grew larger and larger. Dyrehavsbakken did not actually have any rides until 1932 when a wooden roller coaster called Rutschebanen was built which still exists today. Dyrehavsbakken is Denmark's second most visited amusement park after the famous Tivoli Gardens.

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