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House of Orange 1689-1702
1.
  William III and Mary II   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
A revolution and a joint monarchy. What do you know about the life and times of William of Orange and Queen Mary?
Average, 15 Qns, Philian, Jul 04 04
Average
Philian
1398 plays

House of Orange Trivia Questions

1. From which English monarch was William III directly descended?

From Quiz
William III and Mary II

Answer: Charles I

William was the product of the union between the Prince of Orange and Mary Stuart, the daughter of Charles I. Charles I was thus William's grandfather. William was born in the Hague in 1650 and Mary (his wife) was born in 1662.

2. Who were the parents of Mary II, the joint monarch with William III?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: James II and Anne Hyde

Mary was brought up as a Protestant but James II converted to Catholicism. Parliament hoped that the succession would pass to James' Protestant daughters (Mary and Anne) and their descendants. However, when James married the Catholic Mary of Modena and she produced a male heir it destroyed their hopes.

3. Against which French king did William spend many years fighting in order to preserve his country from a foreign take-over?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: Louis XIV

Ironically power was thrust into William's hands by the French invasion of the Netherlands. William was made stadtholder, captain general and admiral for life. He managed to drive the French out and finally concluded a treaty with them in 1678.

4. In which county of England did William land with his forces in 1688?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: Devon

William had been invited to the country by seven important nobles. He landed with an army of about 15,000. However, James II had succeeded in alienating practically everybody and the transfer of power was accomplished without bloodshed. James was allowed to escape to France.

5. What was the name given to the takeover of England by William III in 1688?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: The Glorious Revolution

The revolution was probably regarded as "glorious" because it was accomplished without bloodshed and after a time when it seemed that James II was bent on overturning the Protestant church. The horrors of the Civil War had lingered in many memories and, though James II was mostly detested, people were reluctant to rebel.

6. James II made one attempt to regain the throne but was defeated in Ireland at which battle?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: Battle of the Boyne

James II ran away once more to France and spent the rest of his life in exile. However, his descendants through his second wife, Mary of Modena, continued to organise rebellions against William, Anne, and George I and George II. Most notable amongst these attempts to re-establish the Stuart line were the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745.

7. Parliament wanted Mary to accept the throne alone with William as her consort but which person insisted that William should be joint monarch?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: Mary herself

Mary was completely devoted to and subservient to her husband. William did not want to accept the throne as his through right of conquest and preferred to be named king by Parliament through his birthright. In the end William and Mary had their way.

8. What were the names of the two political parties in England during the period of William and Mary's reign?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: Whigs and Tories

The Whigs and the Tories disagreed over many things such as how commerce should be conducted and which foreign alliances should be developed. However, they agreed on the need to maintain the supremacy of parliament over the monarchy and on how essential it was to eliminate Catholic influence in government.

9. Which financial institution was set up in England in 1694?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: The Bank of England

The Bank of England was set up largely by the Whigs under the influence of Charles Montagu, earl of Halifax. This addressed the issue of the national debt and the financing of foreign wars.

10. What was the main effect of the Settlement Act of 1701?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: It established Parliament as the supreme ruler of the country.

Parliament established its supremacy by a series of measures in the act. It prohibited foreign wars without parliament's consent. It stopped any foreigner from holding public office in England. All ministerial appointments had to be approved by parliament. All future monarchs were thus stripped of powers they had used (and abused) for centuries.

11. Queen Mary died in 1694. What was believed to be the cause of her death?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: smallpox

Mary was 12 years younger than her husband. She was only in her thirty-second year when she died. It is said by some historians that Mary was liked by the people of England, though they remained indifferent to her husband. After an early feeling of repulsion Mary grew to like and admire William. William expressed great and probably genuine sorrow at his wife's death.

12. What was the name of William III's long-standing mistress?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: Elizabeth Villiers

Elizabeth Villiers was one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting. In spite of this affair William and Mary remained on good terms with each other throughout their marriage. He seemed cold and indifferent during their marriage but was affected by deep grief at her death.

13. Which notorious event took place in Scotland in 1692 which William III appeared to condone?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: The Massacre of Glencoe

Rivalry and enmity between Scottish clans was often used by governments in England in order to maintain their grip on the country and to suppress risings in favour of the Stuarts. When the Campbells slaughtered the MacDonalds there was revulsion throughout Scotland and many accusations as to what was behind it all.

14. During the latter years of William III's reign which person became the centre of disaffection for those who disliked his policies?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: Anne, his sister-in-law

Anne was William and Mary's heir. The marriage between the joint monarchs had produced no children. The Catholic King James and his descendants by his second marriage were now debarred from the throne. Anne, the Protestant princess, who was married to a Protestant prince of Denmark, was sure to inherit. Important people began to look to the future and to curry favour with the next monarch.

15. In what activity had William III been engaged before his death?

From Quiz William III and Mary II

Answer: riding his horse

The popular story is that William was thrown from his horse when it stumbled over a mole-hill. From that time onwards Jacobites used to drink a toast to the mole as the bringer about of the downfall and death of the man that had usurped their dynasty.

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