Welsh History Trivia

1. Which tribe of people was defeated by the invading Roman legions in the area that is now Cardiff during the reign of Vespasian in AD 75?

From Quiz The History of Cardiff

Answer: Silures

The Romans had invaded Wales the decade before under Nero. Although the ancient Romans were quite advanced militarily compared to the Silures, the Silures were able to put up a fight for sometime before being conquered. Once the Romans seized the land, the Silures became integrated within Roman culture, although they still held their own identity.

From Quiz How Green Was My Valley?

Answer: Offa's Dyke

It was built on the orders of Offa, King of Mercia, who lived from 757 to 796 A.D.in order to keep out the ferocious Welsh, who constantly raided the English villages just across the border. The dyke was 27 feet wide and 8 feet high.

From Quiz Medieval Castles of Wales

Answer: Caernarfon

Caernarfon had been a popular site for defence. The Romans had fortifications here, and the Welsh Princes had a castle on the site before the Conquest by the English. Edward II was said to have been born here, in the Eagle Tower, and was presented to the people as 'the native-born prince who could speak no English.' Caernarfon Castle was also the location for the investiture of Prince Charles as the current Prince of Wales in 1969. In 2003, Caernarfon was voted by the British public as number 9 in the Top Ten Finest Castles of Britain.

From Quiz The History of Cardiff

Answer: Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle was built on the site of an ancient Roman fortress by the Normans. It is not known who exactly ordered its building but popular lore states it to have been William the Conqueror. The castle is one of the most visited landmarks in Cardiff, although it no longer has its original appearance, having undergone several complete renovations in the course of its history.

From Quiz A Brief History of Wales

Answer: 35 years

Many is the story told of the Romans' attempts to conquer Wales - one of the most notable is of the Legions, under Paulinus in 61AD, turning up on the coast near what we now call Caernarfon, and being faced apparently by thousands of ghosts on the opposing shore, latter day Anglesey. The Legions were spooked by this, Paulinus tore up his orders from the Emperor Nero, and promptly turned his army back the way they'd come. Having returned to London, Paulinus was ordered for a second time, on peril of his life, to go back and capture Anglesey. Having crossed the water (what we now know as the Menai Straits), the Romans confronted the "ghosts" on the beach - who were in fact pacifist Celtic Druids, with their heads daubed with lime, who put up no resistance to the Roman swords, and were promptly annihilated where they stood. This was a strategically important capture for the Romans, as the Druids on Anglesey were seen as the spiritual leaders of the Celtic tribes - they also controlled the shipping of gold to and from the Northern parts of Britain. Various strongholds in Wales continued to resist control for a further 17 years, though, and it was only under Agricola, in 78AD, that the conquest of Wales was finally regarded as being complete.

From Quiz Wales Through the Ages

Answer: King Arthur

Some scholars still question whether Arthur existed but he has captured the imagination nevertheless. The common image of King Arthur as a courtly, chivalric ruler was actually constructed by a Frenchman, Chretien de Troyes in the 12th century. Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good) was a 10th century Welsh king who was responsible for creating a code of Welsh law which stood for centuries. King Offa was actually a Saxon king, ruler of the kingdom of Mercia. He created the dyke that bears his name which formed the boundary between Saxon Britain and Welsh Britain. King Uther did actually exist and was not, as is often supposed, an invention of Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 'History of the Kings of Britain'. However, it's almost without question that Geoffrey invented many details about Uther, just as he did about Arthur.

From Quiz How Green Was My Valley?

Answer: Longbow

A full 500 years before use by the English, the Welsh used the longbow to great effect and it is recorded that Offrid, the son of Edwin, King of Northumbria, was killed by an arrow from a Welsh longbow in the year 633 A.D.

From Quiz The History of Cardiff

Answer: Llywelyn Bren

Bren, like his great-grandfather, Ifor Bach, stormed Cardiff Castle as part of his revolt. Bren was unsuccessful and surrendered his life to spare his supporters. This was seen as an honorable move and many believed it would spare his life. However, Hugh Despenser the Younger, against orders from the king, executed Bren anyway by hanging him than drawing and quartering him. That execution was the downfall of both Despenser and King Edward II, as it was widely viewed as an unjustifiable act of tyranny.

From Quiz A Brief History of Wales

Answer: Offa's Dyke

Offa was the King of Mercia in the late 8th century, and had the dyke built primarily to delineate the extent of his lands. It's interesting that in Welsh the dyke is called "Clawdd Offa" - Offa's fence, or hedge. The engineering was pretty simple - a huge trench dug out, with the earth piled up on one side - as much as 70 feet wide and 8 feet tall in some places to this day - which would give the impression of it being a dyke on one side, and a huge hedge or fence on the other.

From Quiz Wales Through the Ages

Answer: St David

St. David was the grandson of a Welsh prince, Ceredig. The others are the patron saints of Scotland (Andrew), Ireland (Patrick) and England (George).

From Quiz The History of Cardiff

Answer: Herbert

The Herbert family first rose started in 1461 when William Herbert was made Baron of Raglan. The Herberts remain an influential family into modern times. George Herbert was the financier behind the expedition to find King Tut's tomb in 1922. He opened it with Howard Carter and he died soon afterward, allegedly part of the curse of King Tut. It was also during this time period that the common citizens of Cardiff could own their own homes and businesses, which they were not allowed to previously.

From Quiz How Green Was My Valley?

Answer: The Irish potato famine

The potato famine affected many of the Irish, who came to Wales and since they would work for less money than the Welsh, took their jobs, which led many of the Welsh to seek out work in the New World.

From Quiz The History of Cardiff

Answer: Battle of St. Fagans

The Battle of St. Fagans was fought between a group of Royalists, led by John Poyer, and the New Model Army, a pro-Parliamentary force. The Royalists who fought at St. Fagans were once Parliamentarians who turned their backs on them. They were soundly defeated by Thomas Horton, and Oliver Cromwell was then able to secure Wales for Parliamentary forces.

From Quiz History of Wales (1830-1980)

Answer: Labour

James Keir Hardie was born in a settlement close to Motherwell, Scotland in 1856. In 1893, he was instrumental in setting up the Independent Labour Party, which in turn became part of a somewhat larger organisation, the Labour Party. With an industrial background, which included stints in Scottish mines, Keir Hardie was a perfect representative for a constituency that included the town of Merthyr Tydfil. By 1903, Hardie was already one of the "movers and shakers" of British politics when he was involved in the Lib-Lab (Liberal-Labour) pact; another person involved in this pact was future Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald who had also served as an MP for a Welsh constituency (Aberavon). This pact saw the Liberal Party and the Labour Party refusing to stand against each other at selected constituencies in the 1906 general election so as not to split the anti-Conservative vote. The result was a very poor election for the incumbent Conservatives, and a win for Liberal leader Henry Campbell-Bannerman propped up by Hardie, MacDonald and their Labour cohorts.

From Quiz A Brief History of Wales

Answer: Llewellyn ap Gruffydd

Llewellyn ap Gruffydd was also known as "Llewellyn ein Llyw Olaf" which literally means "Llewellyn our last steering wheel, or leader". He was also known as Llewellyn III of Gwynedd, or Llewellyn II of Wales - Llewellyn I being his grandfather, Llewellyn the Great. Owain Glyndwr came along a hundred years or so later - but never actually succeeded in uniting the whole of Wales. David Lloyd George was a 20th century Welsh Prime Minister of Britain, and Samuel Brain founded one of Wales' best known breweries!

From Quiz How Green Was My Valley?

Answer: Pennsylvania

The Welsh men left the valleys, went to Pennsylvania, found work and sent for their families. When they were given positions of responsibility, they would write home and invite many more Welsh people to join them. Welsh migration to the U.S. had begun much earlier, however. For such a small country like Wales, it is amazing they have had such a great effect on the USA, with many of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence having Welsh ancestry.

From Quiz Medieval Castles of Wales

Answer: crenellation

A battlement is the basic wall itself, and need not have a crenellated top. The merlon is the part that projects upwards, and the crenelle is the opening between the merlons. The entire thing, which forms the classic image of a castle, is the crenellation.

From Quiz The History of Cardiff

Answer: Docks and harbors

John Crichton-Stuart, also known as Lord Mount Stuart and the 2nd Marquess of Bute, not only built the docks and harbors, but also established numerous coal mines and ironworks. Much of the coal and iron was exported. This improvement to Cardiff's infrastructure helped the city expand economically and move away from its dependency on agriculture. Later Marquesses of Bute followed in his footsteps and built railways to connect Cardiff to other cities by land.

From Quiz History of Wales (1830-1980)

Answer: Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru was founded during the inter-war period in 1925 but it took the Welsh political group over forty years to win its first seat at the Westminster parliament. Even by the general election of 2010, the party continued to struggle against Labour's dominance in Wales with Plaid winning in only three of forty Welsh constituencies. In its early years, Plaid Cymru's main area of concern was the decline of Welsh language usage; they believed that by establishing Welsh as the only official language in Wales, more people would be persuaded to learn the language and use it on a daily basis. By the 1930s, Welsh autonomy was brought to the fore and perhaps to emphasise this desire for self-governance, the party took a neutral stance throughout the course of the Second World War. Moving forward to the 21st century, the modernised aims of the party still included the nationalistic desire for an independent Wales but also included a rather conflicting ideal that Wales should be a part of the European Union (not a very nationalistic proposition at all)!

From Quiz A Brief History of Wales

Answer: Owain Glyndwr

Owain Glyndwr (or Owen Glendower in the anglicized form) was the scourge of the English for many years at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries. He managed to unite the various factions within Wales for the first time in over 100 years, and his armies were constantly harrying the occupying forces of the English Kings Richard II and Henry IV. However, Glyndwr is known to have received most of his education in England, before becoming on of Richard II's knights, and distinguishing himself in battle under the English colours on numerous occasions. What precisely made him turn his back on England, return to Wales and lead the Welsh forces against the English? No one is quite sure, but he did this successfully enough to merit an important part in Shakespeare's play "Henry IV", where he is referred to as being "not in the role of common men".

From Quiz Wales Through the Ages

Answer: Marcher lords

The Marcher lords were subjects of the English king but were not answerable to English law. Each Marcher lordship was, in effect, an independent kingdom. The March lasted for over 400 years and formed an important element in the history of Wales.

From Quiz How Green Was My Valley?

Answer: Argentina

The ship, Mimosa, landed in Patagonia, Argentina, where 150 Welsh settlers disembarked. Why Patagonia ? It was noted that the Welsh in the USA had started to lose their national identity, so Patagonia was chosen as it was a wild country that the Argentinians did not want to tame. Isolated, the Welsh were left alone and kept to their ways, their language, their religion. The villages still bear Welsh names but now the Argentinian government have insisted that they cannot be separate any longer. The Welsh must now have Spanish names so children are not called Myfanwy or Bleddyn but Jose and Maria. You can still go to Trevelin and get a cup of tea at Nain Maggie's.

From Quiz The History of Cardiff

Answer: Barry

One of the main reasons Barry was able to do so well in the coal industry was because its harbors and docks could be accessed all day, year-round, while Cardiff's could only be accessed when the tides were right. People in Cardiff worried about how Barry's success would hurt them financially. This was somewhat ameliorated when the British government announced that Cardiff would still remain the center of the coal industry and that the Coal Exchange, which regulates coal prices, would remain in Cardiff as well.

From Quiz History of Wales (1830-1980)

Answer: Liverpool

The piece of legislation in question was a bill that was presented to the UK Parliament at Westminster which sought to create a new reservoir in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The controversial aspect of this is that the bill was sponsored by Liverpool City Council and that with the passing of the bill, the local authorities of north Wales would not need to be consulted. The bill indeed did pass through parliament and the area of Gwynedd that was deemed desirable was flooded to create a reservoir in 1965. Capel Celyn was a village that was situated in the area to be flooded and so the settlement had to be evacuated. As well as the impact it had on the lives of those in Capel Celyn, there was also the indirect effect of support for the Welsh political party, Plaid Cymru increasing. It could be suggested that this was due to a portion of the electorate in Wales feeling as though the voice of the Welsh people was not being heard in Westminster; this is evidenced by the fact that despite all but one of the 36 politicians representing Welsh constituencies voting against the bill, it still passed. In 1965, the same year as the flooding, the Welsh Office was set up in Whitehall by the then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson.

From Quiz A Brief History of Wales

Answer: Henry Tudor

Henry Tudor (or Harri Tudur, as he was christened) was born in Pembroke Castle in 1457. After defeating Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, he became Henry VIIth of England, the first king of the Tudor Dynasty. He was the father of Henry VIIIth - who passed some of the sternest "anti Welsh" legislation in British history, ironically! Barry John is a Welsh rugby player who became known as "The King" after his triumphs with the British Lions rugby team in New Zealand in 1971, and Richard Llewellyn, though sharing the name of Wales' last two recognized kings, and known for writing the very Welsh novel "How Green was My Valley" in 1939, was actually English!

From Quiz Wales Through the Ages

Answer: Edward I

Edward I conquered Wales before turning his attention to Scotland. He named his son, Edward II as Prince of Wales. This started the tradition of giving the eldest son of the English monarch the title of "Prince of Wales".

From Quiz How Green Was My Valley?

Answer: Tea

Black Bart captured 400 ships, amassed a staggering 50 million pounds in loot, encouraged prayer but discouraged drinking and gambling. His favourite drink was tea, and he was something of a toff. He achieved this during the period 1719 to 1722, when he was killed in battle.

From Quiz Medieval Castles of Wales

Answer: 13th

Gilbert de Clare began the work in 1268. He died in 1295, and his son, also Gilbert, continued the work.

From Quiz Wales Through the Ages

Answer: Owain Glyndwr

Glyndwr's revolt lasted from 1400-1412. Owain Glyndwr was descended from the royal Welsh dynasties of Powys and Deheubarth and could have been said to have a genuine claim to the title of Prince of Wales. Proclaimed Prince of Wales by his supporters in 1400, virtually all of Wales recognised his authority by 1405. However, he suffered several setbacks and the response to a request for assistance from France proved disappointing. Owain Glyndwr ended his days a fugitive, probably dying around 1416.

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