All the Ones Trivia Quiz

Answer: George I

George I became the first of the Hanoverian monarchs in 1714 in succession to the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne. His claim wasn't the strongest, but he was a Protestant and the other claimants were Roman Catholic, including James Francis Edward Stuart and his son, Charles, known as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' and the 'Young Pretender'.

The Jacobite rebellions were aimed at putting Charles on the English throne. The rebellions failed and George reigned until 1727 when his son, George II, succeeded him.

The most recent George, prior to 2025, is George VI, father of Elizabeth II.

Answer: Mary I

The clue refers to the queen often nicknamed 'Bloody Mary'. Henry VIII had established a Protestant church, not necessarily for unselfish reasons as the Pope had denied him the divorce from Catherine of Aragon that he desperately wanted. He was succeeded by his only son, Edward VI, who died when only fifteen years old. Henry's oldest daughter, Mary, became queen but was a staunch Roman Catholic.

This led to many executions of those who followed the Protestant faith as Mary established her right to the throne and the religion which England should follow. Her reign lasted only five years but between 250 and 300 people were burned at the stake due to her religious zeal.

The second Queen Mary ruled jointly with her husband, William III. Mary is classed as a 'queen regnant', being the daughter of James II.

Answer: Charles I

This is Charles I, the only monarch to be executed and succeeded by a commoner in Oliver Cromwell. Charles was king from 1625 until 1649. His problems began when he tried to ignore parliament and exercise his power, claiming the 'divine right of kings'. This led to the English Civil War of 1642 to 1651, and ended with the public execution of Charles, by beheading, in 1649.

Cromwell's death led to the restoration of the monarchy with Charles II being officially restored to the throne in 1660. The third King Charles became ruler in 2022.

Answer: James I

James I was already King James VI of Scotland when he inherited the English throne as well in 1603, becoming the first monarch of the Stuart dynasty. His reign lasted until 1625 when another of the 'firsts', Charles, succeeded him.

James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots from her marriage to Lord Darnley and succeeded her as the Scottish monarch in 1567 when she abdicated, but not voluntarily. She was eventually executed on the orders of Elizabeth I, who died childless leaving James to succeed her.

Answer: William I

Better known to history as William the Conqueror, William invaded England and seized the throne in 1066 by defeating Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. The death of Edward the Confessor had led to this situation since both William and Harald Hardrada, the king of Norway, believed they had been named as Edward's successor. Harold Godwinson, being on the spot, had already been crowned leading to invasions by both Harald and William.

Harold II successfully saw off the Norse invasion but not William's so Harold became the last Saxon king and William the first Norman monarch. He reigned until his death and was succeeded in 1087 by his son as William II. William IV of Hanover, reigned from 1830 until 1837. His successor was Queen Victoria, who doesn't qualify for the quiz as she's the only monarch with that name.

Answer: Richard I

Richard I, known as the 'Lionheart', ruled from 1189 until 1199, but spent most of his reign on crusades or in what is now France, where he held several dukedoms. His wife, Berengaria of Navarre, didn't visit England during Richard's lifetime. His death was caused by a wound which turned gangrenous and took place in the region of Aquitaine. Richard was succeeded by his younger brother, the infamous King John, but not without controversy as a son of an older brother also had a valid claim.

The other kings called Richard were the second, reigning from 1367-1400 before being deposed by Henry IV and Richard III, ruler from 1483 until 1485 when he died during the Battle of Bosworth Field, leading to the first Tudor king, Henry VII.

Answer: Harold I

Harold I was king from 1037-1040, his death. His father was Cnut, perhaps better known as Canute, and when Harold died his half-brother, named Harthacnut, became king. The cause of Harold's death, said to be due to a 'sudden sickness', is something of a mystery, although Harthacnut could not be directly responsible since he was not in England at the time.

The nickname of Harefoot is usually said to refer to him being a fast runner. There have only been two Harolds at the time of writing. Harold II was the king who died at the Battle of Hastings.

Answer: Henry I

Henry I was the fourth son of William I. His older brother, Robert Curthose, succeeded to the Duchy of Normandy while William Rufus became King William II of England. When William died while hunting, shot by an arrow in what was said to be an accident, Henry seized the opportunity and the throne. Robert made two attempts to dislodge him, but they ended in failure with Henry gaining Normandy as well and Robert being imprisoned. Henry was known as 'Beauclerc', being well-educated, and reigned from 1100 until his death in 1135. This led to a period of uncertainty as he had no living male heir, with his daughter, Matilda, and Stephen, Henry's nephew from his sister Adela, both laying claim to the throne. Stephen prevailed.

England has had eight kings named Henry, with Henry VIII being the last of them (by the end of the 20th century) and among the best known, and notorious, monarchs.

Answer: Edward I

The oldest son of Henry III, Edward I was the ruler of England from 1272 to 1307. His reign was marked by conflict with both Wales and Scotland, then independent countries of course, being targets. In Wales, Edward triumphed and ordered the building of numerous castles and walls, the remains of which can be seen to this day. Among them are Harlech, Conwy and the unfinished Beaumaris on Anglesey. Edward also fought against Scotland and gained the epithet 'Hammer of the Scots' as a result. He was also unusually tall for the time and was commonly called 'Longshanks'.

Edward was just the first of eight kings to bear the name up to the end of the twentieth century. The most recent was Edward VIII, who was the monarch briefly in 1936 before abdicating so he could marry a divorced woman.

Answer: Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and gained the throne in 1558 when Mary I died. Elizabeth was a Protestant, and her reign meant that Roman Catholics were now the targets, although she was never as bloodthirsty as her predecessor. Her reign saw the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots who was implicated in a plot to usurp the throne. Elizabeth never married, leaving the succession in doubt, but named James VI of Scotland as her heir. He became king when Elizabeth died in 1603, and has been included in this quiz as one of the 'firsts'.

There has been another Elizabeth, with Elizabeth II reigning from 1952 until 2022, making her the longest reigning monarch in the long history of the United Kingdom and England. Elizabeth was not raised in the expectation of becoming queen, but the abdication of Edward VIII meant the throne passed to George VI, her father.