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Quiz about Know Your Frankish History
Quiz about Know Your Frankish History

Know Your Frankish History! Trivia Quiz


The Franks kept culture alive during the Middle Ages, and established a true empire for the first time since the Romans, short-lived though it was ... Let's see what you remember about these great people!

A multiple-choice quiz by jfdileo. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
jfdileo
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
20,794
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
13 / 20
Plays
2315
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 120 (6/20), NekoNeko_1276 (15/20), Guest 71 (8/20).
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Question 1 of 20
1. Name the first major Frankish dynasty: Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. Name the first Christian king of the Franks: Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. Name the children of Pepin the Short: Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. Name the tale that commemorates the Battle of Roncesvalles Pass in 778A.D.: Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. In what mountain range was Roncesvalles Pass located? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. Where was the decisive battle fought in 732 A.D. that established Charles Martel's place in history? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. Name the first king of the Carolingian dynasty: Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. When was Charlemagne crowned Emperor by Pope Leo III? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. What was the hereditary title of the Carolingian leaders before they became Kings? Hint


Question 10 of 20
10. Who was the last king of the Merovingian dynasty? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. Which Frankish leader was known as 'The Hammer'? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. Where was Charlemagne's principal palace and school? Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. Name the most famous teacher at Charlemagne's palace school: Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. Name Charlemagne's principal contemporary biographer: Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. Who was (most probably) the Monk of Saint Gall? Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. Which enemies figured prominently in the wars of Charlemagne's reign? Hint


Question 17 of 20
17. Who succeeded Louis the Pious? Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. Which Pope crowned Pepin the Short? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. The 'Donation of Pepin' refers to: Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. Name the wife of Pepin the Short: Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 120: 6/20
Mar 16 2024 : NekoNeko_1276: 15/20
Feb 28 2024 : Guest 71: 8/20
Feb 03 2024 : Guest 193: 7/20

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Name the first major Frankish dynasty:

Answer: Merovingian

This dynasty ended Roman control of the region in the fifth century A.D., but was itself toppled by the Austrasian Franks (nothing to do with Australia!) in the eighth century A.D.
2. Name the first Christian king of the Franks:

Answer: Clovis I

The Salian Frankish king Clovis I, overthrew the last Roman Governor of Gaul, Syagrius, in 486 A.D.
3. Name the children of Pepin the Short:

Answer: Charles, Carloman, Pepin, and Gisela

Charles sent Carloman off to a monastery as soon as he could, and Gisela also spent most of her life in a convent. Pepin died in childhood and Carloman died in suspicious circumstances.
4. Name the tale that commemorates the Battle of Roncesvalles Pass in 778A.D.:

Answer: The Song of Roland

The only solid historical evidence of this battle is a line in Einhard's life of Charlemagne. 'The Song of Roland' nevertheless became a popular minstrel standard in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, demonstrating the romantic view that later Europeans had for the Carolingian Renaissance.
5. In what mountain range was Roncesvalles Pass located?

Answer: The Pyrenees

6. Where was the decisive battle fought in 732 A.D. that established Charles Martel's place in history?

Answer: Between Tours and Poitiers

This battle turned the tide of the century. Until this fight, the Saracens looked like they might control all of Europe, rather than just the Iberian peninsula.
7. Name the first king of the Carolingian dynasty:

Answer: Pepin the Short

People often presume that the dynasty was named for its first king, but while it is certainly named for its most famous kings, the first one to wear the crown was indeed Pepin the Short, in 754 A.D.
8. When was Charlemagne crowned Emperor by Pope Leo III?

Answer: Christmas Day, 800 A.D.

Charlemagne claimed that the coronation by the Pope was a complete surprise, and that he wouldn't have gone to church that day if he had known what the Pope had in mind.
9. What was the hereditary title of the Carolingian leaders before they became Kings?

Answer: Mayor of the Palace

By Childeric III's time (okay, long before that), the King was little more than a figurehead, and the Mayor of the Palace did all the work. It was only a matter of time before the guy with the power decided he deserved the title too.
10. Who was the last king of the Merovingian dynasty?

Answer: Childeric III

The poor guy knew he was in for it when several Senators from his own party met him in the Oval Office and told him 'you won't even have our votes in an impeachment; we think you should just resign.' Oops, wrong example...
11. Which Frankish leader was known as 'The Hammer'?

Answer: Charles Martel

If you had defeated the undefeatable Saracens, your friends would probably have come up with a cool nickname for you too!
12. Where was Charlemagne's principal palace and school?

Answer: Aachen

Frankish kings usually had several 'palaces' -- none of them terribly formal, since they generally rode the circuit. Charlemagne was quite unusual (for a Frank) in establishing a relatively permanent and central seat of Government at Aachen.
13. Name the most famous teacher at Charlemagne's palace school:

Answer: Alcuin of York

Legend has it that it wasn't easy to coax Alcuin from his monastery in England, but Charlemagne was adament that his school be the best possible. Alcuin stayed at Aachen from 782 A.D. to 796 A.D., then resided at the abbey of St. Martin in Tours until his death in 804 A.D.
14. Name Charlemagne's principal contemporary biographer:

Answer: Einhard

Einhard lived at Aachen for many years as a trusted friend of the Charlemagne and his heirs, and his 'Life of Charlemagne' is a classic Latin biography, probably based on the model of the works of Suetonius.
15. Who was (most probably) the Monk of Saint Gall?

Answer: Notker the Stammerer

In contrast to Einhard's 'Life of Charlemagne,' the Monk of Saint Gall's 'Charlemagne' is a very readable collection of anecdotes about Charlemagne, some probably apocryphal, often compared to Parson Weems' biography of George Washington.
16. Which enemies figured prominently in the wars of Charlemagne's reign?

Answer: Saxons, Avars, and Bavarians

Charlemagne beat the Avars and Bavarians relatively easily. He never could quite manage to keep those pesky Saxons down, though. Very frustrating for him.
17. Who succeeded Louis the Pious?

Answer: Lothair I

Poor Louis the Pious. His sons were always conspiring against him, and after he died and left the kingdom to Lothair I, his eldest, they fought and split up the kingdom. See, he should have hired a good estate planner...
18. Which Pope crowned Pepin the Short?

Answer: Stephen II

Popes were always turning to the Franks for protection against their neighbors in those days. Of course, they had good {reason;} some of their neighbors weren't very neighborly.
19. The 'Donation of Pepin' refers to:

Answer: The Papal States

20. Name the wife of Pepin the Short:

Answer: Bertrada

Bertrada was a rather strong 'queen mother'.
Source: Author jfdileo

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