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Quiz about Decisive Battles  Which Ones Are They
Quiz about Decisive Battles  Which Ones Are They

Decisive Battles: Which Ones Are They? Quiz


This is a selection of historically decisive battles in chronological order. The descriptions of the outcomes should help you to select the correct names of the battles.

A multiple-choice quiz by smeone. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
smeone
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
370,022
Updated
Feb 16 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
693
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 69 (10/10), Guest 1 (8/10), 1995Tarpon (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. This battle took place between the Greeks and Persian invaders in 490 B.C. The Greek victory was important because it established the supremacy of Greek culture, which eventually led to Western Civilisation, a 2,500 year period that defined much of the world we know today. Name that battle. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In 1066, Harold the Saxon King of England, unsuccessfully and fatally attempted to fight off an invasion by William, Duke of Normandy. The societal changes that the Norman Conquest caused are said to be not only the most radical in Europe up until the First World War, but also the swiftest. Which battle was this?

Answer: (One Word - name of an English seaside town)
Question 3 of 10
3. In this face-off between the French and the English in 1429, the French were led by Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant. The French victory was important since it freed them from the yoke of future English rule, a rule of the type that caused civil strife in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants up until the early 2lst century. Which battle was this? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. During the Spanish Conquests of Peru, 1532, a battle took place between the Incan Emperor Atahualpa, and the Conquistador, Pizarro, with the Spaniards trouncing the Incans. Spain was subsequently guaranteed a strong foothold in South America, introducing its culture, language and religion to change irreversibly the nature of the continent. Name the decisive battle. Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In 1588 the English repelled an attempted Spanish invasion. Under Queen Elizabeth I, England was a Protestant power beginning to be reckoned with on the world stage. Had Spain succeeded in returning England to Catholicism, history would have been very different. The British Empire might never have emerged. This event is named "The Defeat of the Spanish _______? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Two generals, an Englishman, Wolfe, and a Frenchman, Montcalm, fought in a battle at Quebec City in 1759. While the victory went to Britain, both generals were killed. The culture of Canada's dominating colonial power was soon decided, with the French to this day striving to keep their identity in a primarily English-speaking Canada. Which key battle was this? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In 1815 during the Napoleonic Wars, a decisive battle took place in what is now Belgium. France was defeated by a coalition army, with the British contingent led by the Duke of Wellington. This victory ended Napoleon's designs for dominating Europe, and brought about a period of relative peace in Europe that lasted for almost 100 years. France, however, was never as powerful again. What battle was this? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. 1862 saw one of the bloodiest battles in the American Civil War. Over 22,000 soldiers died or were wounded in one day. This battle turned the tide from a possible Confederate victory to a certain Union victory, thus giving Lincoln the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Which battle was this? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This World War II battle was fought between German, Hungarian, Romanian and Italian armies on the one hand and the Soviet Army on the other. It culminated in a devastating defeat for the Axis. In Europe this battle, more than any other, is widely regarded as the turning point - in the sense that after this defeat Germany had no realistic prospect of winning World War II. Which battle was it? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. During the Chinese Civil War this battle in 1948, between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Kuomintang - both fighting for control of China - was won by the Communists. The Nationalist defeat drastically altered the history of that beleaguered country. What was the name of this battle? Hint



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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This battle took place between the Greeks and Persian invaders in 490 B.C. The Greek victory was important because it established the supremacy of Greek culture, which eventually led to Western Civilisation, a 2,500 year period that defined much of the world we know today. Name that battle.

Answer: Marathon

The Battle of Marathon is one of the earliest recorded battles. Since Greek culture is the basis of Western civilization, obviously the battle was a defining moment for European culture, a culture which dominated and formed much of the New World, the British Empire and other European colonial rules.

The race that is the pride of long distance runners and holds a star spot in Olympic games, gets its name from Marathon. Legend says that a runner was sent to inform Athens of the victory. It took him three hours to run the twenty or so miles, and he dropped dead after delivering his message.
2. In 1066, Harold the Saxon King of England, unsuccessfully and fatally attempted to fight off an invasion by William, Duke of Normandy. The societal changes that the Norman Conquest caused are said to be not only the most radical in Europe up until the First World War, but also the swiftest. Which battle was this?

Answer: Hastings

All British schoolchildren know the date of 1066. This is mainly because 1066 is the last time that England was successfully invaded by a foreign power. The sea is a formidable deterrent surrounding the British Isles.

The arrival of the Normans changed the prevailing Anglo-Saxon culture very rapidly. They brought a French-speaking court, a new line of kings, aristocracy and clergy, so bringing England more closely into line with France and the rest of Europe than it had been under Anglo-Saxon rule.
3. In this face-off between the French and the English in 1429, the French were led by Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant. The French victory was important since it freed them from the yoke of future English rule, a rule of the type that caused civil strife in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants up until the early 2lst century. Which battle was this?

Answer: Siege of Orleans

Joan of Arc, now St. Joan, is well-known for her religious dreams (she heard voices), for dressing as a man in full French armour, and for having been burnt at the stake for heresy.

George Bernard Shaw wrote an informative play about these events, "St. Joan", where we get to understand the forces that were at work at that time.

She was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1920.
4. During the Spanish Conquests of Peru, 1532, a battle took place between the Incan Emperor Atahualpa, and the Conquistador, Pizarro, with the Spaniards trouncing the Incans. Spain was subsequently guaranteed a strong foothold in South America, introducing its culture, language and religion to change irreversibly the nature of the continent. Name the decisive battle.

Answer: Cajamarca

There is an extremely informative play by Peter Shaffer, "The Royal Hunt of the Sun", written in 1964. If you would like to understand this conflict between two opposing worlds, the Spanish and the Inca, reading Shaffer's work is a bit more entertaining than reading a drier history text. The play sheds light directly on the Battle of Cajamorca.

I was rooting for Atahualpa and his people the whole time, but then, perhaps, that was what the author intended.
5. In 1588 the English repelled an attempted Spanish invasion. Under Queen Elizabeth I, England was a Protestant power beginning to be reckoned with on the world stage. Had Spain succeeded in returning England to Catholicism, history would have been very different. The British Empire might never have emerged. This event is named "The Defeat of the Spanish _______?

Answer: Armada

In a nutshell, King Phillip of Spain wanted England to be Catholic again after the "heretical" work that Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I had done in creating the Protestant Church of England. Henry had made himself Head of the Church of England and had renounced the authority of the Pope of Rome.

His daughter Elizabeth, a bastard according to Catholics, was now running England, quite well as a matter of fact, so someone had to put a stop to it, or so thought King Phillip of Spain. How wrong can one Armada - or man - be?
6. Two generals, an Englishman, Wolfe, and a Frenchman, Montcalm, fought in a battle at Quebec City in 1759. While the victory went to Britain, both generals were killed. The culture of Canada's dominating colonial power was soon decided, with the French to this day striving to keep their identity in a primarily English-speaking Canada. Which key battle was this?

Answer: Plains of Abraham

Tourists who visit Quebec City can visit the Plains of Abraham which have been preserved so that we can see where the battle was fought. There is also lots of information about how the battle was played out, and the strategies used by either side in this pivotal battle.

Quebec City itself is a "must-see" place. It is the oldest walled city in North America where the old town with its colonial architecture is preserved. While French is the official language of Quebec and the second official language of Canada, English-speaking visitors need not feel nervous. Everyone in tourist areas of the city speaks fine and welcoming English. Fortunately, however, the food is also French!
7. In 1815 during the Napoleonic Wars, a decisive battle took place in what is now Belgium. France was defeated by a coalition army, with the British contingent led by the Duke of Wellington. This victory ended Napoleon's designs for dominating Europe, and brought about a period of relative peace in Europe that lasted for almost 100 years. France, however, was never as powerful again. What battle was this?

Answer: Waterloo

The expression "meeting one's Waterloo" comes from this decisive battle and means to be completely and utterly confounded. In other words, you have met your match.

In my opinion, France was doing fine as a Republic following the revolution. Napoleon's decision to turn it back into a monarchy (empire in fact) did nothing to assist France, only causing it grief and instability.

Of course, once war did return to French soil, in the form of World War One, the devastation of that gruesome trench warfare which ravaged the country for almost four years is still evident today in many parts of the countryside of Northern France.
8. 1862 saw one of the bloodiest battles in the American Civil War. Over 22,000 soldiers died or were wounded in one day. This battle turned the tide from a possible Confederate victory to a certain Union victory, thus giving Lincoln the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Which battle was this?

Answer: Antietam

The Emancipation Proclamation, of course, led to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery, finally recognizing the blood, sweat and tears that had all gone into building and supporting the economy of the South. In addition to this outcome of Antietam, the Union was preserved. Basically, the United States of America, as we know its structure and society today, all sprang from that pivotal battle, including, probably, all Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s.
9. This World War II battle was fought between German, Hungarian, Romanian and Italian armies on the one hand and the Soviet Army on the other. It culminated in a devastating defeat for the Axis. In Europe this battle, more than any other, is widely regarded as the turning point - in the sense that after this defeat Germany had no realistic prospect of winning World War II. Which battle was it?

Answer: Battle of Stalingrad

Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union - Operation Barbarossa - was undertaken on the assumption that it was possible to win a 'blitzkrieg' type of war (on a vast scale) against the Soviet Union. However, at an early stage Germany deviated from the original plan, and suffered its first major defeat *on land* when it was repulsed from Moscow in November 1941-January 1942.

The failure of the Germans to take Moscow meant that thereafter they had to fight what amounted to a war of attrition. 1942 became their 'make or break' year on the Eastern Front. In August 1942 they (and their Axis allies) began a push towards the Caucasus and towards Stalingrad. It was fought with ferocious intensity on both sides and ended in a spectacular defeat for the Axis forces. Though the war on the Eastern Front continued for over two more years, Germany no longer had any real prospect of victory.
10. During the Chinese Civil War this battle in 1948, between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Kuomintang - both fighting for control of China - was won by the Communists. The Nationalist defeat drastically altered the history of that beleaguered country. What was the name of this battle?

Answer: Battle of Huai-Hai

A Nationalist victory at Huai-Hai would have meant, of course, a completely different role for China in world events. There would not have been any Communist support for North Korea's invasion of the South - no Korean War, and no support of North Vietnam taking over South Vietnam - no Vietnam War.

Chiang the Nationalist Leader had more outward-looking views and more Western ties and would have taken a completely different more open role in world events. The Communist take-over of China kept that country locked into painful isolation, a condition which has only eased following President Nixon's first visit to China in 1972. The opening-up of China, "the sleeping giant" has led, for example, to the Peoples' Republic of China replacing Taiwan as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. And, finally and ironically, China's attitude towards trade and manufacture seems remarkably like capitalism to us.
Source: Author smeone

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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