Who's Who: Great Kings Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alexander III

By the time Alexander III was thirty years old, he ruled one of the largest ancient empires. Spending all of his reign as a king on what became a long successful military campaign, Alexander not only founded at least twenty cities, but also spread Greek culture throughout his empire, that included parts of Egypt, Greece, Persia, and all the way to India.

The cultural diffusion that occurred due to his conquests ushered in the Hellenistic Age, a time of great learning in several areas, such as art, science, literature, philosophy, and mathematics, and influenced future scholars for many centuries.

Answer: Alfred

The Vikings attacked England in 866; however, it took three years for them to make their way to Wessex, which Alfred, the youngest son of Ęthelwulf, had inherited from his brother, Ęthelred. One smart cookie, Alfred negotiated a payoff in 871 that seems to have temporarily appeased the Vikings. What Alfred really did was buy himself some time, so that he could build his army and erect fortifications (burhs) in strategic areas.

By the time the Vikings returned to Wessex in 875, it was the only kingdom in England that was left unconquered - but Alfred was ready! After defeating the Vikings at the Battle of Edington in 878, Alfred's treaty contained them in an area called the Danelaw.

In addition, Alfred made changes in the navy, building faster ships, and the army, splitting it into two groups which allowed him to always have fresh soldiers available.

Answer: Ashoka

While it is true that Ashoka began his reign in a less-than-stellar way by killing off his half-brothers, after successfully expanding his empire, he ruled over land that extended from modern-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh. According to legends, after seeing the death and destruction caused by the Kalinga War, which is believed to have caused 200,000 deaths, Ashoka converted to Buddhism, supported Buddhist monks and missionaries, and maintained peaceful relationships with nearby kingdoms rather than continuing his conquest.

His edicts show that he provided medical and humane treatment for both the people and animals in his empire, and treated those in his empire with respect and fairness; in addition, he was tolerant of other peoples and religions.

Answer: Charles I

Charles I was given the name Charlemagne by his contemporaries! Why? One explanation is that he was a very tall and robust man. Einhard says that "he measured in height seven times the length of his own foot." Some say that it was due to the size of his empire.

By the time of his death, Charlemagne controlled the area of present-day France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany west of the Rhine, Austria, Switzerland, and northern Italy. His goal was to unite all of the Germanic tribes into a Christian kingdom.

Others believe that it was because he was an able administrator. The empire was divided into three hundred districts, each with a count appointed to take care of secular business, a duke appointed to take care of military matters, and a bishop appointed to manage religious affairs. Still others believe that Charles was great due to his advancement of learning. Concerned even about the education of his daughters, Charlemagne established learning centers throughout his empire and began a period that scholars call the Carolingian Renaissance.

Answer: Constantine I

Shortly after Constantine became the Roman emperor, he made his conversion to Christianity public. By issuing the Edict of Milan, he ended the religious persecutions of Christians that had been sporadically occurring in the Roman empire since the time of Nero.

As emperor, he made many political and economic reforms, including the introduction of a new gold coin, the solidus, to help fight against inflation. Years later, he built a new Roman capital on the site of the ancient Greek village of Byzantium and named it after himself.

This city eventually became the capital of the eastern Roman empire, which was known as the Byzantine Empire; after the fall of Rome, Constantinople became known as the Second Rome, and continued to be an intellectual and cultural center of the area until being taken over by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Today the city is called Istanbul.

Answer: Peter I

When he became czar, Peter I, influenced by the philosophes of the Enlightenment, westernized Russian government, society, and culture. Constantly securing and expanding the borders of his vast empire, he modernized the army by doing away the the idea of service only by the nobility and the hereditary streltsy marksmen; he kept the nobles as officers, but also enlisted serfs and townspeople who the nobles were then expected to train. Dreaming of a Baltic fleet, he provided for the building of 52 battleships, hundreds of other vessels, and a new Baltic port, St. Petersburg. Concerned about the lack of industry in Russia, he focused on the metal industry, as well as other manufacturing; the foreign trade turnover increased by a factor of seven during his reign.

In addition, he improved the administration of the Russian government, established a new Governing Senate, and introduced the Table of Ranks, doing away with the inherited powers of the nobles, so that anyone with intelligence and hard work could attain government office. Because of Peter's efforts, Russia became a leading European power by the time of his death in 1725.

Answer: Cyrus II

Stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River, Cyrus the Great created a huge empire while respecting the customs and beliefs of those he conquered. While he lived in a world where conquered people were enslaved and their cities destroyed, Cyrus did neither of those things.

After dividing his empire into provinces called satrapys and appointing a satrap, or governor, to administer the region, he allowed the conquered people an amazing amount of autonomy as long as they paid taxes and kept the peace.

He released the Jews from their Babylonian exile that had been imposed by King Nebuchadnezzar II and allowed them to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus followed Zoroastrianism, which greatly influenced the way he treated people in his empire. Focusing on good versus evil and a final Judgement Day, the religion promised happiness in the afterlife to those who followed the good path.

Answer: Otto I

Otto I was not only King of Germany from 936-973, but was also crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the pope in 962. His defeat of the Hungarian Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld saved his Christian kingdom and ended the Hungarian invasions. Not only did he defeat the pagan Magyars, he also sent missionaries to convert them to Christianity.

His reign, along with those of his successors, Otto II and Otto III, is sometimes called the Ottonian Renaissance, as learning in the land increased through contact with the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople and other cities due to their patronage of the arts and architecture.

Answer: Herod I

Calling Herod "Great" is a bit of a paradox. Some historians call him "the greatest builder in Jewish history"; he expanded the Second Temple in Jerusalem, a port at Caesarea Maritima, in honor of his friend, Augustus, which stimulated trade and commerce, and a great palace fortress at Masada, among others. On the other hand, the phrase "out-Herod Herod" isn't a compliment.

He was responsible for the deaths of members of his own family, rabbis, and the boy babies, called the Massacre of the Innocents, at the time of Christ's birth as told in the Bible.

Answer: Ramses II

Ramses II of the ancient Egyptian Nineteenth Dynasty ruled for sixty-six years, living to the age of ninety years! During his reign as pharaoh, revolts were suppressed and some of the empire that had been lost by 18th Dynasty pharaohs was recovered. One of the battles to regain empire, the Battle of Kadesh, was claimed as a victory by both sides! It led to the signing of the first nonagression pact in history between the ancient Egyptians and the Hittites. Also concerning himself with building projects, Ramses built a new capital, Pi-Ramesses, in the Nile Delta, expanded the temples at Karnak and Thebes, built a mortuary temple for himself, as well as the fabulous Abu Simbel in Nubia.

While it is known that he took credit for buildings made by earlier pharaohs, historians nevertheless agree that he deserves the title, Great Ancestor, that was given to him by his own people.