World History Made Simple - 16th Century Quiz

Answer: Wittenberg

Luther was a German monk and theologian who was critical of the sale of indulgences by Catholic clergy. He also challenged the authority of the Pope by claiming that the Bible was the sole source of religious authority and that believers were saved by faith alone. Luther's ideas were an inspiration for the Reformation and ultimately changed the course of Western civilization.

Answer: The Magnificent

Suleiman became Sultan upon the death of this father Selim. Under his rule the Ottoman Empire became a world power with conquests in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. He was also a great patron of the arts and a fair ruler who was also known as Suleiman the Lawgiver.

Answer: Magellan

Although he died before its completion, Magellan's expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe. He was also the first European to reach Tierra del Fuego on South America's southern tip.

Answer: Pizarro

Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro began his conquest of Peru with 300 men and 100 horses. He completed the task in 1533 and took the Incan leader Atahualpa prisoner. Instead of attacking, an army of some 40,000 Incans allowed a ransom to be paid. After receiving the payment, Pizarro had Atahualpa executed and the Incan Empire ended.

Answer: Copernicus

Greek, Indian and Muslim scholars had theorized for centuries that the earth revolved around the sun. In 1543 Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus published "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" or "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres". This work is considered by many as one of the most important landmarks in modern science and as the birth of modern astronomy.

Answer: Elizabeth

The Elizabethan Age began with the accession to the English throne of the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. During her 44 year reign Shakespeare flourished while Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe. As philosopher Francis Bacon expressed his thoughts, England colonized North America. The Commonwealth of Virginia in the U.S. was named for the "virgin queen".

Answer: Michelangelo

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni sculpted the Pieta, which depicted the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Christ, in 1499 when he was 24 years old. He was also commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This project was depicted in the 1965 film "The Agony and the Ecstasy" starring Charlton Heston.

Answer: Ivan

Ivan IV Vasilyevich came to the throne of Russia at the age of three when his father, Vasili III died. He was known in Russia as Ivan Grozny, which translates into the English Ivan the Terrible. His long reign was not so terrible as he oversaw peaceful reform and modernizations in his country while establishing favorable trade relations.

Answer: Walter Raleigh

One hundred men and seventeen women settled on Roanoke island, off of the Virginia coast. When a supply ship returned three years later there was no trace of the colonists. The only clue was the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree. The fate of the colonists remains a mystery to the present day.

Answer: Spain

The defeat of the Spanish armada by the outnumbered English navy marked the beginning of Spain's slow decline as a world power and the rise of England. The English were free to colonize North America without Spanish interference.