French History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Louis XIV

Louis XIV built Versailles on the site of a small hunting lodge built by his father. The court was previously in Paris; as a boy, Louis was frightened by an uprising during which an attempt was made to storm the palace. When grown up, Louis wanted to get away from Paris and from potential danger. He thought Versailles was the answer.

Answer: Bourbon

The three French royal houses were Capet, followed by Valois, followed by Bourbon.

Answer: Austria

Born Archduchess Maria Antonia, Antoinette was one of Empress Maria Theresa's 18 children born in Vienna, Austria.

Answer: Louvre

The Louvre, one of the largest of European palaces, has become the largest museum in Western Europe.

Answer: the sun

Prevalent in the design of Versailles is the sun, hence Louis XIV's sobriquet 'the Sun King.'

Answer: 17

The last crowned 'Louis' was Louis XVIII, who reigned from 1814-24.
He was the grandson of Louis XV and a brother of Louis XVI, who was executed in the course of the French Revolution. The latter's son, who died, was (theoretically anyway) king from 1793-9; he became Louis XVII upon the death of his father, but was never crowned.

Answer: Bonaparte

The Bourbon kings were followed by Napoleon Bonaparte, who took the crown out of the Pope's hands and crowned himself 'Emperor of the French' in 1804.

Answer: Louis XIV

Louis XIV reigned for 72 years.

Answer: Place de la Concorde

At the time of the revolution, a statue of Louis XV was removed to make room for the guillotine. Now known as the Place de la Concorde, it is the largest square in Paris, and contains a huge Egyptian obelisque.

Answer: 1789

The revolution began in 1789, when some hungry Parisians stormed the Bastille, and basicallly ended upon the beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in 1792. Interesting that all of the leaders of the revolution suffered the same fate during the Reign of Terror as those they condemned - the guillotine.