War History in Roman Numerals Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Egyptians

The date (BC) DXXV corresponds to the year BC 525.
The Persian commander was King Cambyses II and the Egyptian commander was Pharaoh Psamtik III (aka Psammenitus). According to the historian Ctesias, the Egyptians suffered tremendous losses, fifty thousand dead, whereas the Persians lost only seven thousand.

Answer: Demophilus

The year (BC) CDLXXX corresponds to the year BC 480.
Demophilus and his 700 Thespians stood beside the Spartans at their glorious last stand and shared their fate. Though Demophilus is somewhat eclipsed by Leonidas, there is a monument to him and his soldiers in the battlefield, as well as one in modern Thespiae.

Answer: Darius III

The year (BC) CCCXXXI corresponds to BC 331.
Darius III Codomannus lost the battle and was soon killed by the renegade satrap Bessus. Bessus tried to flee, but he was finally captured by Alexander and sentenced to death for killing his king. Alexander was saddened that his adversary, Darius, died dishonorably and had him buried with honors.

Answer: Rome and Carthage

The date (BC) CCXVI corresponds to the year BC 216.
The Battle of Cannae was fought during the Second Punic War, with Rome and Carthage being the belligerents. The Battle itself was a triumph for the Carthaginians under Hannibal Barca, but Hannibal hesitated and did not move against Rome.

Answer: Battle of Hastings

The date MLXVI corresponds to the year 1066.
The Battle of Hastings was fought on October 14, 1066. The Normans under William won a great victory and the English commander, King Harold Godwinson, was killed in the battle. The victor, William, founded a monastery at the location of the battle, with the high altar of the church being placed at the spot of Harold's fall.

Answer: Charles d'Albret

The date MCDXV corresponds to the year 1415.
Charles d'Albret was the commanding general of the French in the Battle of Agincourt. He was killed in the fray, while his two chief subordinates, Jean le Maingre and Charles d'Orleans were taken prisoner. The French suffered staggering losses, mainly due to the English archers, with the toal being almost 10,000 killed and 1,500 noblemen taken prisoner. The English suffered 112 dead and a number of wounded.

Answer: Battle of Yorktown

The date MDCCLXXXI corresponds to the year 1781.
The Battle of Yorktown lasted from September 28 to October 11, 1781. The Americans under George Washington had been reinforced by the French under Comte de Rochambeau, after the official alliance between France and the Thirteen Colonies. It is said that, when Cornwallis decided to surrender, he hid himself and commissioned another man to surrender his sword to Washington.

Answer: Battle of Fredericksburg

The date MDCCCLXII corresponds to the year 1862. The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought on December 11-15, 1862, with the most serious fighting taking place on Decmeber 13. After US Major General McClellan's failure to actively pursue the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under General Robert E. Lee, during his retreat into Virginia after the Battle of Sharpsburg (Antietam), US President Lincoln replaced McClellan with Burnside. Burnside followed a more aggressive policy, but his crossing of the Rappahannock River was delayed by the absence of pontoon boats. Thus, General Lee had time to entrench and repulse the attack, inflicting staggering casualties to the US forces.

Answer: The Franco-Prussian War

The date MDCCCLXX corresponds to the year 1870.
The Franco-Prussian War was fought between France and Prussia and it was largely caused by the desire of Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck to unify all of Germany under the banner of Prussia. The Battle of Sedan was a stunning Prussian victory, since the Prussians captured the whole French Army of Châlons, including Emperor Napoleon III. The Second French Empire fell soon afterwards and the Third Republic was established. Bismarck's gamble had succeeded and Prussia became the leading Continental European power, unifying the German states.

Answer: Dwight Eisenhower (Allies) and Erwin Rommel (Axis)

The date MCMXLIV corresponds to the year 1944.
The success of the Invasion of Normandy decisively turned the tide against the Axis forces on the Western Front. Soon, the Allies had liberated all of France. The Western Allies were, by the end of 1944 and the beginning of 1945, poised to strike against Nazi Germany form the West and the USSR was ready to strike from the East.