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Quiz about Ruling England 1 Early Cerdic Dynasty

Ruling England 1 - Early Cerdic Dynasty Quiz

The first of a series on the British Monarchy. Beginning with the Cerdic dynasty - the Kings of the West Saxons. Hope you find them interesting. I learned a great deal from 'Re-assessing Anglo- Saxon England' by Eric John, and http://www.encyclopedia.co

A multiple-choice quiz by chiara_langley. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
chiara_langley

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
223,945

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
287

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Here we are in the 490s. Much of the information on this period is debatable to say the least, as we are often forced to rely on sources which are not always the most unbiased! One such chronicler was Gildas, a Welsh monk. Which of the following would be an accurate way to describe his feelings towards the Anglo-Saxons? Hint

He felt they were brave warriors, who had only been conquered due to other races' superior weaponry

He felt that they were not a warlike race, but were scholarly and wise

He felt that they had never recovered from the loss of their great leader, Boudicca

He felt they were weak and unwilling to fight, and prone to debauchery

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Question 2 of 10

2. Cerdic, the first ruler of the West Saxons, was most probably from a from which group of peoples? Hint

Celtic

Germanic

Roman

Gallic

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Question 3 of 10

3. Before going further, let's get something straight. Where exactly was the Kingdom of the West Saxons in at the time of the Cerdic dynasty? Hint

It covered much of south and south-west England excluding Cornwall.

It covered the areas now known as Devon and Cornwall

It covered much of the south and south-west of England, including Cornwall

It covered the area now known as Kent

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Question 4 of 10

4. Ceawlin was the next King of the West Saxons. Under what circumstances is his nephew, Ceol, recorded as succeeding him? Hint

Ceawlin passed the throne of the West Saxons to Ceol, as he wished to concentrate on ruling Mercia

Ceol defeated Ceawlin in battle

Ceol proved Ceawlin's illegitimacy, and dethroned him

Ceawlin died naturally, and bequeathed the throne to Ceol

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Question 5 of 10

5. Ceolwulf, the brother of Ceol, was the next to succeed to the throne of the West Saxons. Ceolwulf produced coins, many of which were minted at Winchester and Exeter.

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. Cynegils, the son of Ceol, was the first king of the West Saxons to do what? Hint

Form a parliament

Marry

Convert to Christianity

Be defeated in battle

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Question 7 of 10

7. Cynegils' eldest son, Cwichelm, ruled with his father. When did he convert to Christianity? Hint

499

Around 635

Around 542

775

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Question 8 of 10

8. Cenwalh succeeded his father, Cynegils, in 643. His reign was interrupted for three years beginning in 645 when he was driven out of Wessex by which king? Hint

Aella of Cornwall

Penda of Mercia

Cygrud of Sussex

Anna of East Anglia

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Question 9 of 10

9. Seaxburh ruled alongside Cenwalh for the final two years of his reign. How were they related? Hint

They were husband and wife

they were uncle and nephew

They were father and son

They were twin brothers

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Question 10 of 10

10. Finally, there are many different opinions on who was the first 'real' King of England. Whom does Queen Elizabeth II cite as being so on her official website? Hint

Cerdic

Arthur

William I

Egbert

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: He felt they were weak and unwilling to fight, and prone to debauchery

Gildas was not what one could call enthusiastic about the Anglo-Saxons, though he was significantly more unhappy with the 'pure Saxons' ('...a race hateful to both God and men' in his humble opinion.) He was certainly not a fan of Boudicca, describing her as 'that deceitful lioness'. http://www.postroman.info/gildas/gildas_history2.htm gives a useful summary of part of Gilda's only surviving work, De Excidio Brittaniae, from which these quotes were taken. You'll be pleased to know that I haven't relied on Gildas for any of the other information in this quiz, but please do bear in mind that the bias he suffered from is there to a greater or lesser extent in all secondary historical sources. If you have some info which might affect the answers to any of these questions, please message me - I'll be happy to learn!

2. Cerdic, the first ruler of the West Saxons, was most probably from a from which group of peoples?

Answer: Germanic

Cerdic was from a Germanic tribe which hailed from the north-west of Germany. He landed in England in 495AD, and captured a significant portion of of the south-west of mainland Britain. On his death he was succeeded by his son, Cynric.

3. Before going further, let's get something straight. Where exactly was the Kingdom of the West Saxons in at the time of the Cerdic dynasty?

Answer: It covered much of south and south-west England excluding Cornwall.

As boundaries were constantly shifting at this time, it's impossible to define exactly where 'Wessex' was. It covered a slightly different area from that of the later kingdom of Wessex.

4. Ceawlin was the next King of the West Saxons. Under what circumstances is his nephew, Ceol, recorded as succeeding him?

Answer: Ceol defeated Ceawlin in battle

Ceol's father, Cutha, had often fought alongside the Ceawlin, but at the battle of Wanborough in Wiltshire, Ceol turned against his ruler, defeated him and seized the title.

5. Ceolwulf, the brother of Ceol, was the next to succeed to the throne of the West Saxons. Ceolwulf produced coins, many of which were minted at Winchester and Exeter.

Answer: False

None of the kings of Cerdic dynasty ever produced coins. This is unfortunate, as coins can provide useful information about monarchs and kingdoms.

6. Cynegils, the son of Ceol, was the first king of the West Saxons to do what?

Answer: Convert to Christianity

Cynegils reigned for thirty-two years - a rare achievement in such unstable times.

7. Cynegils' eldest son, Cwichelm, ruled with his father. When did he convert to Christianity?

Answer: Around 635

Cwichelm resisted Christianity for some time, but was finally baptized shortly before his death in 636.

8. Cenwalh succeeded his father, Cynegils, in 643. His reign was interrupted for three years beginning in 645 when he was driven out of Wessex by which king?

Answer: Penda of Mercia

Anna of East Anglia was generally an ally of Cenwalh.

9. Seaxburh ruled alongside Cenwalh for the final two years of his reign. How were they related?

Answer: They were husband and wife

We do not really know what happened to Seaxburh after Cenwalh's death. She may have become an Abbess, though it is possible that she ruled alone for some time after the death of her husband.

10. Finally, there are many different opinions on who was the first 'real' King of England. Whom does Queen Elizabeth II cite as being so on her official website?

Answer: Egbert

William I was the first Norman king, but by no means the first English one. Cerdic was the first of the kings of the West Saxons, but only ruled his own tribe (with occasional attempts to trample on a few others!) King Arthur is famous in legend, though some documents cite him as being as factual and as the King of Wessex - this further shows us how blurred the line between legend and fact really is. Egbert began as king of Wessex (by then a pretty well defined territory) in 802, and after defeating most of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, he proclaimed himself King of England. However, it's unclear how much real power he had in kingdoms like Mercia and Northumbria.

Thanks to Bloomsby for the help with this quiz.

Source: Author chiara_langley

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