Medieval Miscellany Trivia Quiz

Answer: France

The Albigensian Crusade, also known as the Cathar Crusade, took place from 1209 to 1229, and was meant to crush the Cathars of the Languedoc region of France. The Cathars believed that the physical world was evil and the realm of the devil, while the spirit world was the realm of God. The movement was very popular at the time, but was branded heretical by the Church.

Answer: Alcuin of York

Alcuin was invited to the Carolingian Court by Charlemagne himself, and was later made Abbot of St. Martin's of Tours, in France. He was a deacon in the Church, but lived as a monk would.

Answer: Dominicans

The Dominican Order was created by St. Dominic as the Order of Friar Preachers as a mendicant order to preach to the increasing numbers of town and city dwellers.

Answer: Albertus Magnus

Albert the Great was of German descent, and was a member of the Dominican Order.

Answer: All of these reasons

Peter the Hermit rode a donkey everywhere he went, and did eventually make it to Jerusalem with the Knights of the First Crusade, but not before his peasant army experienced a great massacre at the hands of Turkish soldiers.

Answer: Charles Martel

Charles Martel ("the Hammer") was the de facto ruler of the Frankish realms as Mayor of the Palace to the Merovingian King, who at the time of the Battle of Tours was Theoderic IV. By this time the Merovingian dynasty had lost most of its power, eventually allowing Pepin the Short (Martel's son and father of Charlemagne) to take over as King of the Franks in 751.

Answer: Romanesque

Romanesque architecture is widely called "Norman" architecture in the British Isles. It evolved into Gothic in the 12th century.

Answer: England

St. Boniface left Wessex in England in 716 and again in 718 on a mission to convert the heathens of Frisia and the dark German forests outside the boundaries of the old Roman Empire. His style of conversion was very confrontational and he angered many through his efforts. He was killed in Frisia in 754.

Answer: Vikings

The Vikings were raiding both the Irish and British coastlines throughout the period, founding many towns and settlements along with pillaging monasteries and villages.

Answer: Robert of Molesme

Robert was Abbot of the Cluniac monastery at Molesme when he left to form the Cistercian Order. Though he was given the land to build a new monastery and he had many followers, he was ordered to return to Molesme as abbot after the remaining monks there petitioned the pope. Robert died at Molesme, and it was left to Prior Alberic to actually build the first monastery of the Cistercian Order.