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Quiz about Edward II the Monarch Who Failed

Edward II - the Monarch Who Failed Quiz

His father conquered Wales and his son defeated the French but Edward II remains firmly on the list of great losers. Try this multi-choice quiz to see why.

A multiple-choice quiz by Philian. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
Philian

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
133,728

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
7 / 15

Plays
775

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. How many sisters did Edward II have? Hint

five

three

none

two

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Question 2 of 15

2. What title did Edward II bestow on his friend Gaveston? Hint

Earl of Essex

Earl of Cornwall

Earl of Warwick

Earl of Devon

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Question 3 of 15

3. Edward I disliked Gaveston so much that he is reported to have made a personal physical attack on the Prince (later Edward II) in his anger. What form did this attack take? Hint

He slapped him hard across the face.

He hit him round the head with the flat of his sword.

He scratched his hand with a ring.

He pulled out handfuls of Edward's hair.

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Question 4 of 15

4. What were the names and titles of Edward II's two half-brothers? (They shared the same father but a different mother; one of the half-brothers was executed in 1330). Hint

Thomas Earl of Norfolk, and Edmund, Earl of Kent

William, Earl of Gloucester and Richard, Earl of March

William, Earl of York and John, Earl of Surrey

Roger, Earl of Essex and Henry, Earl of Suffolk

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Question 5 of 15

5. Edward II was succeeded by Edward III but, apart from this eldest son, what were the other children he had by his wife Isabella? Hint

one son and two daughters

just one other son and no daughters

one son and three daughters

no other sons and two daughters

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Question 6 of 15

6. Which of the following activities were strongly to Edward II's tastes? Hint

boating and swimming

taking part in tournaments and battles

reading and going to church

dalliance with ladies of the court

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Question 7 of 15

7. Which unusual country activities did Edward II like to take part in? Hint

archery and hunting

hedging and ditching

cock-fighting and bear-baiting

looking after pigs and chickens

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Question 8 of 15

8. At which castle in the north of England did Edward's favourite Gaveston fall into the hands of the rebel lords? Hint

York

Scarborough

Middleham

Durham

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Question 9 of 15

9. Which rich nobleman died at Bannockburn with the result that the three heiresses to his vast estates were married off to the King's favourites? Hint

Earl of Worcester

Earl of Gloucester

Earl of Warwick

Earl of Lincoln

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Question 10 of 15

10. The Earl of Lancaster (Edward's cousin) was the greatest land owner in the north of England and became the king's greatest opponent. What was his first name? Hint

William

Richard

Henry

Thomas

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Question 11 of 15

11. What happened at the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322? Hint

The Scots trapped and defeated the English.

Despenser was defeated, captured and executed.

Lancaster was defeated, captured and executed.

The English trapped and defeated the Scots.

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Question 12 of 15

12. Which position did Robert Baldock hold under Edward II? Hint

Archbishop of Canterbury

Chancellor

Steward of the Household

Commander of the King's Army

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Question 13 of 15

13. Who or what was responsible for the overthrow of the Despenser rule of the country? Hint

The northern magnates under Lancaster

The leading churchmen under the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Marcher Lords of the Welsh borders

The faction led by Queen Isabella and Mortimer

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Question 14 of 15

14. In which part of Britain was Edward II when he was taken prisoner by Henry of Lancaster, the previous earl's brother? Hint

Wales

Ireland

Northern England

Scotland

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Question 15 of 15

15. What was the only condition that Edward II asked for when he agreed to resign the throne? Hint

That Mortimer should not be his son's guardian.

That he be allowed to live peacefully in a monastery.

That his son should succeed him as Edward III

That he be buried alongside his favourite Gaveston.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. How many sisters did Edward II have?

Answer: five

Mary became a nun. All of the other four sisters married -Eleanor married the King of Aragon, Joan married the Earl of Gloucester, Margaret married the Duke of Lorraine, Elizabeth married the Count of Holland and later the Earl of Hereford and Essex. Edward I had ensured that his family was very powerfully connected.

2. What title did Edward II bestow on his friend Gaveston?

Answer: Earl of Cornwall

This is the first example of Edward's foolish misuse of the power of patronage. Giving titles and lands was a way of confirming the allegiance of powerful men to the crown. Previously, Cornwall was a title that went to a member of the royal family and not to a foreign (Gascon in Gaveston's case) nobody.

3. Edward I disliked Gaveston so much that he is reported to have made a personal physical attack on the Prince (later Edward II) in his anger. What form did this attack take?

Answer: He pulled out handfuls of Edward's hair.

Edward I's temper was said to be remarkable. On another occasion he lost his temper with one of his daughters and ruined one of her pieces of jewellery. Edward II's "fondness" for Gaveston set him at odds with his father and then later with his principal noblemen.

4. What were the names and titles of Edward II's two half-brothers? (They shared the same father but a different mother; one of the half-brothers was executed in 1330).

Answer: Thomas Earl of Norfolk, and Edmund, Earl of Kent

It was Edmund, Earl of Kent who was executed in 1330. This was during the time that the young Edward III was controlled by his mother and her lover, Roger Mortimer.

5. Edward II was succeeded by Edward III but, apart from this eldest son, what were the other children he had by his wife Isabella?

Answer: one son and two daughters

Edward's second son was John, Earl of Cornwall (after Gaveston's death). John died in 1336 aged 20. Edward II's daughter Joan married David Bruce, King of Scotland. His younger daughter married Reynald, Duke of Gueldres. Though rumoured to be homosexual, Edward did his "royal duty" and produced legitimate issue to carry on the line.

6. Which of the following activities were strongly to Edward II's tastes?

Answer: boating and swimming

Edward's delight in sports to do with the water was well known. After defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn the Scots composed a mocking song to taunt the English, "What would the King of England have won Scotland with 'Rumbalow'?" An oarsman's chant of the time was "Heavalow, Rumbalow".

7. Which unusual country activities did Edward II like to take part in?

Answer: hedging and ditching

After Bannockburn one royal messenger said it was not surprising the king did not win battles as he spent his time hedging and ditching rather than hearing mass. One household account records quantities of iron and plaster bought for "the private works of the king". He also liked to build walls.

8. At which castle in the north of England did Edward's favourite Gaveston fall into the hands of the rebel lords?

Answer: Scarborough

The rebel lords (sometimes called the Ordainers because of the list of ordinances or demands they drew up) soon disposed of Gaveston once he was in their power. The Earl of Warwick managed to steal him away from the safe-conduct of the Earl of Pembroke. After a quick trial he was executed at Blacklow Hill.

9. Which rich nobleman died at Bannockburn with the result that the three heiresses to his vast estates were married off to the King's favourites?

Answer: Earl of Gloucester

Hugh Audley and Wiiliam Montague were just household knights who married two of the three heiresses to Gloucester's fortune. The third heiress was married to the younger Despenser who gradually became Edward II's most preferred favourite. Eventually Despenser began to make inroads into the lands of the other two unfortunate knights. Once again Edward II misused the power of patronage and this time with the greatest windfall of land known to any medieval monarch.

10. The Earl of Lancaster (Edward's cousin) was the greatest land owner in the north of England and became the king's greatest opponent. What was his first name?

Answer: Thomas

Thomas of Lancaster organised the opposition to the King and his favourites. However,historians have judged that he had almost as little skill for leadership as Edward. He was involved in too many private land disputes and quarrels to carry through to a conclusion any rebellion against Edward II.

11. What happened at the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322?

Answer: Lancaster was defeated, captured and executed.

Lancaster didn't really put up much of a fight. Unlike Edward I or Edward III neither Edward II nor Thomas of Lancaster seem to have had much relish for a military campaign. Boroughbridge was won for Edward II by Andrew Harclay (Earl of Carlisle), employing tactics he had learned from the Scottish campaigns.

12. Which position did Robert Baldock hold under Edward II?

Answer: Chancellor

Baldock was ruthless and efficient where raising money was concerned. He was a close ally of Despenser. One of his tactics was to force men to pay large fictitious debts by producing fraudulent deeds. Most of this money went straight to Despenser rather than to the Exchequer.

13. Who or what was responsible for the overthrow of the Despenser rule of the country?

Answer: The faction led by Queen Isabella and Mortimer

Lnacaster was long dead. Mortimer was a Marcher lord but only became Earl of March after Isabella had taken over. The Archbishop of Canterbury did help to force the issue of Edward II's abdication after the Despensers had been executed.

14. In which part of Britain was Edward II when he was taken prisoner by Henry of Lancaster, the previous earl's brother?

Answer: Wales

As soon as Isabella landed in Suffolk in September 1326 all of Edward II's supporters ran away. Edward himself was eventually captured in Glamorgan and taken to Kenilworth Castle by Henry of Lancaster. Despenser was executed at Hereford and his genital were cut off and burned in front of him for being a heretic and a sodomite.

15. What was the only condition that Edward II asked for when he agreed to resign the throne?

Answer: That his son should succeed him as Edward III

The Archbishop of Canterbury by this stage was also against Edward. This was because Edward had failed not just in the patronage of the nobles but also in keeping on the right side of the Church. Edward's son did succeed him but, though Edward was killed in 1327, Mortimer's rule was not overturned until October 1330.

Source: Author Philian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Lanni before going online.
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