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Quiz about The Tudors ReWrite History  Season One
Quiz about The Tudors ReWrite History  Season One

The Tudors Re-Write History - Season One Quiz


Season One of this lavish and entertaining series featured a plethora of bogus events, scenery and whatnot -- and a few nuggets of historical fact. How many mistakes did you spot?

A multiple-choice quiz by ignotus. Estimated time: 8 mins.
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Author
ignotus
Time
8 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
288,594
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
13 / 25
Plays
3197
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 138 (17/25), Guest 165 (22/25), Guest 86 (17/25).
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Question 1 of 25
1. The "sweating sickness" stalks Tudor England, causing hallucinations, perspiration and rapid death. Really? Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. Young Thomas Tallis has an affair with a male courtier. Really? Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. Sir William Compton, a young courtier, dies alone and without friends or family - except for his commoner mistress who dies soon afterward. The only thing he leaves behind is a wooden box full of trinkets, which is sent to his friend, Henry VIII. Really? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. Henry VIII has an affair with a married noblewoman, Elizabeth Blount, leading to the birth of a son. Really? Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. Henry's sister Margaret marries the elderly (and somewhat unsanitary) King of Portugal. Really? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. Henry's sister Margaret murders the elderly (and somewhat unsanitary) King of Portugal. Really? Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. Henry's sister Margaret marries Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, without Henry's permission. Really? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. Henry VIII's sister dies childless. Really? Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. Henry's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy dies in childhood. Really? Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. Cardinal Wolsey is the son of a butcher. Really? Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. Poor Richard Pace - minor character, innocent man, framed by Wolsey, tossed into the Tower, loses his mind. Reminds you of the yeoman who always dies in the first scene of the old Star Trek series. Really? Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. Catherine of Aragon is rather dark, wan, and thin. Really? Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. Cardinal Wolsey tries to arrange a collective security treaty among European nations to outlaw war, but it is never signed. Really? Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. Henry and Francis I of France meet near Calais for a festival of friendship, but things turn sour when Francis beats Henry in a wrestling match. Really? Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. At the beginning of the series, Henry's uncle is murdered in Italy by French agents. Really? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. Henry celebrates the birth of an illegitimate child by firing a flintlock musket. Really? Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. Henry confers with Cardinal Wolsey in the Palace of Whitehall, where Henry lives. Really? Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. Elderly Pope Alexander dies after a long illness. The Italian Cardinal Orsini is elected Pope instead of Cardinal Wolsey. Really? Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. Before pursuing Anne Boleyn, Henry has an affair with her sister Mary. Really? Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. Anne Boleyn is beautiful, with blue eyes and fair skin. Really? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. When Cardinal Wolsey falls from power, Henry allows him to remain as Archbishop of York. Wolsey reluctantly moves north with his long-time mistress. Really? Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. Cardinal Wolsey commits suicide after his arrest on a charge of treason. Really? Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V has an oddly protruding lower jaw. Really? Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. Kindly humanist and saint-to-be Thomas More watches approvingly as Simon Fish, a Protestant, is burned at the stake. Really? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. Thomas Tallis composes alone on the pipe organ, deftly manipulating the pedals. Really? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 138: 17/25
Mar 22 2024 : Guest 165: 22/25
Mar 16 2024 : Guest 86: 17/25
Mar 16 2024 : Guest 208: 12/25
Mar 12 2024 : Guest 165: 11/25
Mar 02 2024 : Guest 31: 19/25
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 86: 15/25
Feb 25 2024 : Guest 120: 12/25
Feb 16 2024 : Guest 149: 5/25

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The "sweating sickness" stalks Tudor England, causing hallucinations, perspiration and rapid death. Really?

Answer: Yes: medical science is unsure exactly what it was

The sweating sickness, as it was called, apparently originated in France. The disease apparently struck wealthy victims more often than the low-born, making it particularly frightening to the upper classes. It vanished within a few decades. Modern medicine is uncertain of what it really was: hanta virus has been suggested.
2. Young Thomas Tallis has an affair with a male courtier. Really?

Answer: No: completely impossible

Thomas Tallis was the leading composer of the early Anglican Church. He never met Sir William Compton, who died (of the sweating sickness) in 1528, at least 15 years before Tallis came to London. Tallis was happily married; Sir William less so; both were apparently "straight." In 1528, the year of Compton's death, Compton was 53 years old and Tallis would have been about 25.
3. Sir William Compton, a young courtier, dies alone and without friends or family - except for his commoner mistress who dies soon afterward. The only thing he leaves behind is a wooden box full of trinkets, which is sent to his friend, Henry VIII. Really?

Answer: No: Compton left a family and lots of property

Sir William Compton died a wealthy man in his fifties. His vast estates and fabled Tudor mansion at Compton Wyngate (the exterior of which is seen in the series) were left to his son Peter. The Compton family had lived on the site since at least 1204.

They have lived there ever since (except for brief spells when the family chose to live another of its mansions). Sir William allegedly had an affair with a noblewoman, though this may have been a rumor started by jealous opponents. There is no historical indication of the commoner mistress.
4. Henry VIII has an affair with a married noblewoman, Elizabeth Blount, leading to the birth of a son. Really?

Answer: No: she was single when the child was born

Elizabeth Blount was unmarried during her affair with Henry. She was also significantly younger than the actress who portrayed her. After the birth of Henry Fitzroy, the king arranged a marriage for her by rewarding the prospective husband, as a way of taking care of mother and child. Later, Henry bestowed further wealth and favor upon his son.
5. Henry's sister Margaret marries the elderly (and somewhat unsanitary) King of Portugal. Really?

Answer: No: it never happened

Margaret Tudor was the oldest of Henry VII's surviving children. Neither she nor her sister Mary were ever married to the King of Portugal. Margaret Tudor married James IV of Scotland, and became the mother of James V and grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots.
6. Henry's sister Margaret murders the elderly (and somewhat unsanitary) King of Portugal. Really?

Answer: No: they never met

Margaret Tudor never met, let alone married or murdered, the King of Portugal. There is no record of her ever setting foot (or pillow?) in Lisbon. Likewise, her amorous shipboard encounter with Charles Brandon is bogus. Mary Tudor - Margaret's sister - married Charles Brandon after the death of her first husband, the King of France.
7. Henry's sister Margaret marries Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, without Henry's permission. Really?

Answer: Sort of: the bride was Henry's other sister Mary

Henry's younger sister Mary Tudor does not appear in the series. Mary married Louis XII of France in 1514, when she was 18 and Louis was 52. Louis died soon thereafter, of natural causes. Henry sent his friend Brandon to fetch Mary back to England.

Henry intended to marry her off to another foreign royal family, and exacted Brandon's promise that he would not propose to her. Breaking his promise, Brandon married her in secret in France in March 1515, and then "officially" in Greenwich in May 1515.

Henry was livid, but rejected advice to imprison Brandon. The couple eventually reconciled with Henry.
8. Henry VIII's sister dies childless. Really?

Answer: No: Henry had nieces and nephews

The series has only one sister (Margaret), who marries Charles Brandon and dies without issue. The real Henry VIII had two sisters, and both had surviving children. Henry's real sister Mary, who was married to Charles Brandon, had three children of their marriage. Of major historical significance, their daughter Lady Frances Brandon married Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset.

Their daughter was the tragic Queen, Lady Jane Grey -- who presumably will never be born on the series.
9. Henry's illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy dies in childhood. Really?

Answer: No: he married and lived to age 17

Henry Fitzroy (1519-1536) was the only illegitimate offspring that Henry officially acknowledged. Created 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, he also held other important positions. The young man married Lady Mary Howard, only daughter of the Duke of Norfolk, in 1533.

He apparently succumbed to tuberculosis, though modern researchers have questioned that conclusion. In any event, he definitely did not die of the sweating sickness as portrayed in the series.
10. Cardinal Wolsey is the son of a butcher. Really?

Answer: Probably: a butcher or a cloth merchant

Cardinal Wolsey rose from modest origins to become for a time one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in England. His father was Robert Wolsey of Ipswich (1438-96). Later accounts indicate that Robert was a butcher, though some historians think this was intended to demean the Cardinal after his death.

Other sources say Robert Wolsey was a prosperous merchant, possibly a cloth dealer, who was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field. Young Thomas attended Ipswich School, Magdalen College School and Magdalen College, Oxford, which suggests that his family had some money.
11. Poor Richard Pace - minor character, innocent man, framed by Wolsey, tossed into the Tower, loses his mind. Reminds you of the yeoman who always dies in the first scene of the old Star Trek series. Really?

Answer: No: total nonsense

Richard Pace was a learned and well-respected diplomat, who had no particular problem with Cardinal Wolsey or anyone else at court. Indeed, Wolsey entrusted Pace with several important missions. Pace was never incarcerated in the Tower (or anywhere else), and there's no proof he was ever arrested for anything.

He lived into his fifties (a ripe age in those days), spending his last 10 years in comfortable retirement and scholarly pursuits -- using his keen and unimpaired mind.
12. Catherine of Aragon is rather dark, wan, and thin. Really?

Answer: No: she was plump, with light-colored hair and fair skin

Catherine was about four years older than Henry. Portraits and verbal descriptions agree that she was on the heavier side though not obese, and had reddish or chestnut-colored hair and blue eyes -- due to her partly English ancestry. Befitting her station and given the style of the time, Catherine would have protected her skin from the sun and used cosmetics (often toxic) to further lighten her complexion.
13. Cardinal Wolsey tries to arrange a collective security treaty among European nations to outlaw war, but it is never signed. Really?

Answer: Close: the treaty was signed

The Treaty of London was signed beginning in 1518, by France, England, the Holy Roman Empire, the Papacy, Burgundy, Spain, the Netherlands and others. It was directed against the Ottoman empire, which was attempting to expand into the Balkans. Considered a diplomatic triumph for Wolsey and Henry, it lasted only a few years.
14. Henry and Francis I of France meet near Calais for a festival of friendship, but things turn sour when Francis beats Henry in a wrestling match. Really?

Answer: Probably: French accounts describe the match and its aftermath

The Field of the Cloth of Gold was the site of Henry's meeting with Francis in June 1520. The series' depiction of the affair appears fairly accurate, including the temporary "castle" and the wine-dispensing fountains. Henry also met with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V before and afterward, but those occasions were far more modest.
15. At the beginning of the series, Henry's uncle is murdered in Italy by French agents. Really?

Answer: No: never happened

Henry had no uncle in diplomatic service. There was a real historical figure named Sir William Courtenay, who was married to Henry's aunt -- but he died of of natural causes in 1511.
16. Henry celebrates the birth of an illegitimate child by firing a flintlock musket. Really?

Answer: No: flintlocks weren't invented for another hundred years

This is one of several physical anachronisms in the series. The ladies' court dress is too revealing -- more typical of the 17th century. Watch carefully for the asphalt driveways in some scenes, and note the metal leaf springs on the too-modern carriages.
17. Henry confers with Cardinal Wolsey in the Palace of Whitehall, where Henry lives. Really?

Answer: No: Henry seized Whitehall after Wolsey fell from power

In 1530, Henry moved into the palace, then known as "York Place," to live with Anne Boleyn. It was first called "Whitehall" about ten years thereafter. The exterior of the palace as shown in the series is fairly accurate, but probably from a later date.

The Palace of Whitehall was expanded over the years, until it was destroyed by fire in 1698. The only surviving portion of the palace is the Banqueting House, built in the early 17th century -- and famous as the site of the execution of Charles I. Today, the name Whitehall survives as a street lined with government offices.
18. Elderly Pope Alexander dies after a long illness. The Italian Cardinal Orsini is elected Pope instead of Cardinal Wolsey. Really?

Answer: No: the names and dates are wrong

The series has a real problem with Papal succession. Wolsey sought the Papacy, but . . . the Pope at the time the series begins was Leo X. Leo died, suddenly and unexpectedly, in 1521, a year after Henry's meeting with Francis I at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Leo was succeeded by Adrian of Utrecht, who was -- significantly -- the former tutor of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

When Adrian died a year later, Cardinal Medici was elected Pope Clement VII. Pope Clement blocked Henry's annulment, arguably because he was in Charles V's control.

This is portrayed in the series, but the Pope's name is wrong. Had Leo X lived, he would undoubtedly have rejected the annulment, since he was far closer to Charles V.
19. Before pursuing Anne Boleyn, Henry has an affair with her sister Mary. Really?

Answer: Yes: got that right

Mary Boleyn was sent to France in 1514, as maid of honor to Henry's sister Mary Tudor, who married King Louis XII. Since Mary Tudor doesn't exist in the series, the reason for Mary Boleyn's sojourn in France is fudged a bit. When Louis died in 1515 -- another omission -- Mary Boleyn stayed on because her father Thomas Boleyn was the English ambassador. While in France, Mary Boleyn probably had several affairs, as suggested in the series. In 1519, she returned to England and in 1520 married Sir William Carey, a court official. At some point between 1520 and 1526, Mary had her affair with Henry, although they were fairly discreet. Either one or both of Mary's children may have been fathered by Henry. Mary Boleyn is a distant ancestor of several famous figures including Winston Churchill, P. G. Wodehouse, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles Darwin.
20. Anne Boleyn is beautiful, with blue eyes and fair skin. Really?

Answer: No: nearly black eyes and olive skin; not a great beauty

Anne Boleyn impressed most contemporaries as vivacious, clever, graceful and bewitching, although she was not considered a beauty. Those who called her ugly were probably politically motivated. Anne's personality and education seemed to be her chief attractions. Her dark eyes provoked favorable comment. She probably had a French accent.
21. When Cardinal Wolsey falls from power, Henry allows him to remain as Archbishop of York. Wolsey reluctantly moves north with his long-time mistress. Really?

Answer: Yes: by that time, Wolsey had two children

Cardinal Wolsey was appointed Archbishop of York in 1514, but never set foot in the city until Henry dismissed him in 1530. The living conditions in the series appear to be accurate. Wolsey and his mistress, Joan Larke, had two children: Dorothy (born about 1512) and Thomas (born about 1528). The children did not live with the Cardinal.
22. Cardinal Wolsey commits suicide after his arrest on a charge of treason. Really?

Answer: No: he died of natural causes

Wolsey was arrested but not taken into physical custody. He was accused of treason and ordered to travel to London where he would be imprisoned in the Tower. He fell ill and died on November 29, 1530, before reaching London. He was believed to be in his mid-50s.

There is absolutely no historical evidence suggesting suicide, which would have been an unthinkable sin even for the Cardinal.
23. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V has an oddly protruding lower jaw. Really?

Answer: Yes: it was an hereditary condition

Charles V's lower jaw interfered with chewing, leading to life-long indigestion. He hated banquets because of the embarassment. Charles also suffered from gout and epilepsy, though the latter diagnosis may not have been medically accurate. His deteriorating physical condition probably led to his retirement from power in 1556 -- well after the time period of the first series.
24. Kindly humanist and saint-to-be Thomas More watches approvingly as Simon Fish, a Protestant, is burned at the stake. Really?

Answer: No: More burned Protestants but not Fish

Simon Fish was an early Protestant pamphleteer, who also promoted William Tyndale's English translation of the New Testament. For these "crimes," More had Fish arrested for heresy. Fish died of plague in 1531 before the death sentence could be carried out.

In all, More was responsible for the burning of six Protestant martyrs (as the series mentions), including one James Bainham. Bainham married Fish's widow, and was burned at the stake in 1532. The unfortunate lady does not appear in the series.
25. Thomas Tallis composes alone on the pipe organ, deftly manipulating the pedals. Really?

Answer: No: many errors here

The scene in Episode 7 was rife with inaccuracies. A Tudor-era pipe organ required at least two people to play: one at the keyboard and another to work the bellows. Given the size of the instrument in the scene, it likely required multiple assistants. Pedals were introduced to England around 1700.

The organ stops in the scene are closed, so the instrument could not have made a sound. Incidentally, the trumpet fanfares aren't right either. Tudor cornets had no valves; the note intervals are too small (and accurate); the music sounds like Purcell . . . And the tune the series passes off as "Greensleeves"?
Source: Author ignotus

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