Who's Who: The Worthies Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great, king of the Macedonians from 336-323 BC, ruled one of the largest ancient empires - and - never lost a battle! From the age of twenty, when he became king, until his death at thirty-three, he built an empire that stretched from modern-day Egypt to Greece to Pakistan. Sources disagree on how many cities he founded, but it was somewhere between 20-70. Most were named after himself, but one, Bucephala, was named after his favorite horse! His conquest brought about a mixing of the ancient cultures of Greece, Egypt, Persia, and the Middle East, and brought forth the Hellenistic Age, a time of great learning in science, literature, and the arts.

Answer: Julius Caesar

Caesar was a very successful military general; he not only completed the conquest of Gaul, which almost doubled the size of the Roman empire at the time, but also defeated Pompey the Great in their civil war. It is said that Caesar was one of the generals that the young Napoleon studied, as he memorized parts of Caesar's memoir on the Gallic Wars. Caesar also used his genius to organize a government that was hopelessly corrupt.

He gave away free land to army veterans, which helped with the massive unemployment problem in the Rome of his time, and lowered debts, taxes, and interest rates.

He also extended the title of citizenship to different areas in the empire, ending some of the social unrest. After consulting with Egyptian scientists, he revised the Roman calendar, which was a mess (remember the month of July is named for him) and lent his name to future leadership terms like "czar" and "kaiser".

Answer: Hector

The oldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, Hector was considered to be the bravest Trojan warrior. In the "Iliad", Homer states that Hector did not approve of the war that was fought over Helen and was genuinely upset that his brother, Paris, has carried away another man's wife; even so, he served as the commander of the Trojan army for ten years during the Greek siege of Troy.

When fighting the Greek hero, Ajax, in a hand-to-hand contest, neither claimed the victory; instead they exchanged gifts as a symbols of the respect they held for one another.

After Hector killed Patroclus, the friend of Achilles, he was killed by Achilles. His death marked the beginning of the end of Troy.

Answer: Joshua

Holding a position of respect among Jews, and eventually Christians and Muslims, Joshua appeared first in the Bible as a kind of helper to Moses. He traveled to Mt. Sinai with him, and was one of the spies sent to explore the land of Canaan after the Hebrews escaped from Egyptian slavery.

After Moses left the group, Joshua took over as commander, leading the "reconquest" of the area, beginning with the Battle of Jericho, and continuing until the land was once again held by the Hebrews. According to belief, he was also the one who divided the land between the tribes, giving all except the Levites a portion of Canaan.

Answer: David

David, of course, gained recognition among the Hebrews after killing the giant Philistine, Goliath. Even so, the jealousy of Saul led to a period of time in which David was viewed as an outlaw by some. During this time he continued to protect the Hebrew people and eventually was elected to take his rightful place as king.

While he was king, David successfully led an attack on the city of Jerusalem and made it his capital. A great warrior, David expanded the empire, thoroughly defeating the Philistines, and subjugating smaller kingdoms on Israel's borders.

Answer: Judas Maccabeus

Judas Maccabeus was not only a Jewish priest, he was also a great military leader; his name, "Maccabeus", or "the Hammer", is believed by some to have resulted from his ruthlessness in battle. He was the leader of the revolt, called the Maccabean Revolt, against the Seleucid Empire, that had been established by one of the generals of Alexander the Great.

His leadership in the victory at Jerusalem led to the celebration of Hanukkah, which commemorates the rebuilding and reestablishment of the Second Temple as the center of Jewish worship.

He is still praised today, not only for his ability as a warrior, but because he liberated the Jewish people and always remembered to praise God for his victories.

Answer: Arthur

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table are considered to be the quintessential medieval heroes. Raised by the legendary Merlin, it was said that Arthur and his men consulted the wizard when they established the rules associated with the code of chivalry. Those rules were followed by knights for hundreds of years. Arthur was not perfect, but he tried to be; he emulated the Christian warrior, who defended women, children, and the weak.

He was courageous and humble while fighting in a savage age to defend his home and people from the invasions of the Germanic Saxons.

Answer: Charlemagne

Another Christian warrior, Charlemagne had the ambition of rebuilding the Roman Empire and reestablishing its glory. He did this, however, by spreading Christianity. He sent missionaries to those pagan tribes that had invaded the old Roman Empire. If they willingly converted, they were welcomed into his empire; if they didn't, they were conquered.

In addition to spreading Christianity, Charlemagne also attempted to establish centers of learning. Although they were primarily for the wealthy, other boys who showed promise could be selected to attend. Never learning to read or write himself, Charlemagne directed scholars to invent lower case letters, as Latin, the language of his day, was traditionally written in all upper case. For his success in uniting the Europe of his day, as well as his support of cultural pursuits, he is called the "Father of Europe".

Answer: Godfrey of Bouillon

Godfrey of Bouillon, also known as the "Baron of the Holy Sepulchre" and the "Crusader King", was one of the leaders of the First Crusade. It was the only war in the series that succeeded in its purpose - the capture of Jerusalem from the Muslims. He took the title "Advocate" even though he was offered the kingship because he believed that Christ was the one and only true king. Shortly after his death, Godfrey became the stuff of which legends are made. Stories were written about his strength - supposedly he beheaded a camel with one swipe of his sword and he wrestled a bear and won! Most of all, however, he was viewed as a chivalrous knight who rescued the Holy Land.

Answer: Bertrand du Guesclin

Okay! Some other "Worthies" have been suggested or added to the original list. What about Hercules or Pompey the Great? The list goes on. Bertrand du Guesclin was added by Eustache Deschamps because he is considered to be the warrior hero who helped to save France (before Joan of Arc, of course) from the English during the Hundred Years War, winning four of the six battles in which he participated.

As Constable of France he was the country's main military leader, chosen, not because he was a nobleman, but because he was a professional soldier with a good reputation.