Ten August(us) Personages Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gaius Octavius Thurinus

The Emperor Augustus was the adopted heir and successor of the ill-fated Julius Caesar (also known as Gaius Julius Caesar) who had previously ruled over the Roman Empire, but as Dictator rather than Emperor. He was born Gaius Octavius Thurinus and before he took control of the empire he was generally known as Octavianus or Octavian. He was the grandson of Julius Caesar's sister, Julia, and was raised by his grandmother (and later adopted by his great-uncle) after the death of his father when he was four years old. Augustus proved to be a highly successful emperor and his reign saw massive expansion of the Roman Empire's boundaries, a large-scale redevelopment of the city of Rome and significant reform of taxation, the military and other services. In addition he was responsible for the start of a period of peace known as the Pax Romana.

The name Augustus was actually a title bestowed on him in 27 BC by the Roman Senate to represent his religious authority and roughly translates into English as "the illustrious one". On Augustus' death in 14 AD (at the age of 75) the name and title passed on to his successors (although they tended to be known by their real names or other titles).

Marcus Antonius (better known as Marc Anthony) and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus were members of the Second Triumvirate along with Augustus.

Answer: Augustus John

Augustus John (1878-1961) was a Welsh artist who achieved acclaim early in his career for his drawing of figures and for developing a technique of sketching with oil paints. However, he is best known for his post-war career as a portrait artist - famous people whose portraits were painted by John include T. E. Lawrence, Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw and Dylan Thomas. He was also the brother of fellow artist, Gwen John.

During the First World War, John went to the front lines in France alongside a Canadian Infantry regiment. As a result, many of his war portraits are of Canadian soldiers. Other works, including a large mural, were commissioned by the Canadian-British newspaper publisher, Lord Beaverbrook, for the Canadian War Memorials Fund.

Answer: Prime Minister

The Duke of Grafton was a Whig politician who took up the role of Prime Minister when his predecessor, the Earl of Chatham (also known as William Pitt the Elder), resigned due to ill health. However, his time in the top job was short-lived due to serious criticism of his foreign policy that stemmed from his refusal to intervene in the French invasion of Corsica (a British ally). He was also condemned as corrupt by the author of the 'Junius Letters', a series of anonymous political commentaries published in the newspapers throughout his tenure. He was replaced as Prime Minister by Lord North, who had held the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer in Grafton's government. The roles of Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary weren't instituted until 1782.

The Duke of Grafton's family surname - 'Fitzroy' - derived from the fact that his great-grandfather (the 1st Duke of Grafton) was one of the illegitimate children of King Charles II and his mistress Barbara Villiers.

Answer: Mathematics

Love waves occur in elastodynamics and seismology and - in very simple terms - represent the movement of particles across a surface. In seismology they are also known as Q waves and are the cause of horizontal ground movement during earthquakes. Their existence was first predicted by the mathematician A. E. H. Love (presumably his full name was a bit lengthy for use on a day-to-day basis) in 1911. Love also studied the impact of tides on astronomical bodies and discovered a number of mathematical parameters in relation to this that are now known as Love numbers.

Love was born in 1863, studied at the University of Cambridge and spent most of his working life as a professor at the University of Oxford. He was the recipient of the Royal Society's Royal Medal (awarded for contribution to knowledge of the physical sciences) in 1909 and Sylvester Medal (awarded for mathematical research) in 1937. He died in 1940 at the age of 77.

Answer: Duke of Sussex

Prince Augustus Frederick (1773-1843) was granted the title of Duke of Sussex by his father in 1801. His first marriage was to Lady Augusta Murray (a great combination of names) but was deemed illegal because the couple had a secret wedding in Rome and had failed to get the King's permission, as required by the Royal Marriages Act, 1772. As a result, his children by this marriage were considered to be illegitimate and his son was not able to inherit his father's titles, which therefore became extinct on his death. Although Prince Augustus Frederick had married again after the death of Lady Augusta, his second marriage to Lady Cecilia Buggin had been childless and also declared illegal under the same act.

The title of Duke of Sussex was revived in 2018 and granted to Prince Harry - the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II - on the occasion of his marriage to the American actress Meghan Markle. The title of Duke of Cambridge was given to Harry's brother Prince William when he got married in 2011 and had previously been held by Augustus' younger brother, Prince Adolphus. The title of Duke of York has commonly been granted to the second son of the monarch since the 15th century and the title of Duke of Edinburgh was first created for King George III's father and later held by both a son of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II's husband.

Answer: The Elizabeth Tower

The medieval Palace of Westminster was almost totally destroyed by fire in 1834 and the replacement building in the Gothic Revival style (which was constructed between 1840 and 1876) was largely designed by Sir Charles Barry. However, the new palace's interiors and the Elizabeth Tower - the home of the giant bell, Big Ben - were designed by Augustus Pugin. The Elizabeth Tower was completed in 1859 and was officially known as the Clock Tower for over 150 years until it was renamed for Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

Augustus Pugin was a convert to Roman Catholicism and built many Roman Catholic churches around England in the 1830s and 1840s, as well as St. Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham. He also supplied designs for a number of churches in Australia and designed additions for the Earl of Shrewsbury's residence, Alton Towers, which later became part of the theme park of the same name.

The Tower of London dates back to the reign of William the Conqueror and developed gradually over the following centuries. Buckingham Palace was largely developed in the mid-19th century by the architects John Nash and Edward Blore and the London Eye is a giant observation wheel, which opened on the south bank of the River Thames in 2000.

Answer: Indian Mutiny

The conflict in question is known by a variety of names, including the Indian Mutiny, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and India's First War of Independence. Fighting continued for around 18 months and while the British claimed victory, the conflict did result in the end of the British East India Company's rule over the country. Instead, the British Crown took direct control and made promises of improved rights for the Indian people. The incorrect options were all 19th century wars involving Britain, but the Napoleonic Wars lasted from 1803-1815, the Crimean War from 1853-1856 and the First Boer War took place in 1880-1881.

Captain Augustus Anson was the second son of the Earl of Lichfield and was just 22 years old when his regiment - the 84th Regiment of Foot - took part in fighting during the Indian Mutiny. He was decorated for his actions at the Battles of Bolandshahr and Lucknow and was one of a total of 182 people awarded the Victoria Cross during the conflict. The medal is given "for valour in the presence of the enemy". Anson went on to become a Member of Parliament and died in 1877 at the age of 42.

Answer: Iowa

Augustus Caesar Dodge was one of the first two US Senators for Iowa who were elected in 1848, the other being George W. Jones. Dodge had previously served as the then Iowa Territory's delegate to the US House of Representatives from 1840 until Iowa achieved statehood in 1846. The gap between Iowa's admission to the Union and the election of its first two US Senators can be explained by the fact that the initial elections held ended in a stalemate with none of the candidates achieving the minimum number of votes required to be elected. After leaving office in 1855, Dodge was appointed as the US Ambassador to Spain by President Franklin Pierce and he later failed in a bid to be elected as Governor of Iowa.

Dodge is also noted for being one half of the first father and son pairing to serve concurrently as US Senators. His father, Henry Dodge, held the position of US Senator for Wisconsin from 1848 to 1857.

Ohio became a state of the US in 1803, Utah was admitted in 1896 and Arizona became the 48th state in 1912.

Answer: Rock of Ages

Augustus Montague Toplady was a Calvinist clergyman who wrote his famous hymn 'Rock of Ages' while working as an Anglican deacon in the parish of Blagdon, Somerset prior to his ordination. His inspiration for the title of the hymn is said to have come from a rocky gorge near Blagdon where he once took shelter during a thunderstorm, although some scholars have dismissed the claim as an unsubstantiated legend. In the United States, the lyrics of 'Rock of Ages' (which start "Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee") are commonly sung to a tune known as 'Toplady' by Thomas Hastings, although an alternative version known as 'Redhead 76' by Richard Redhead is more common in the UK.

Toplady spent most of his life as a parish priest in the south-west of England, but he was also a noted theologian and an outspoken critic of John Wesley.

The musical 'Rock of Ages' was written by Chris D'Arienzo and is a "jukebox musical" featuring songs by rock groups of the 1980s such as Bon Jovi, Styx and Twisted Sister.

Answer: The Strong

King Augustus II of Poland was known as "The Strong" and ruled from 1697 to 1706 and again from 1709 to 1733. His nickname was derived from his physical strength rather than any special political power or strength of character. Historical sources suggest that he liked showing off his ability to snap horseshoes in half and he also gained alternative nicknames such as "Iron-Hand" and "the Saxon Hercules".

Augustus was elected to the position of King of Poland in 1697 rather than inheriting it directly. However, prior to his election he was the Elector of Saxony - a royal position that he had inherited from his elder brother in 1694. His first period of kingship wasn't particularly successful and was marred by a series of wars and battles that eventually concluded in Poland's defeat by Sweden and Augustus being forced from the throne. However, Sweden's control over the area was immediately weakened by the growing strength of the Russian Empire and Augustus was reinstated by Tsar Peter the Great three years later. However, he was not a "strong" king as his rule remained reliant on Russian support.

The incorrect options were all epithets that have been given to rulers of Poland (either kings or dukes) over the centuries - none of them were very complimentary.