British History Quiz

Malte279 · **Reply #20 on:** December 10, 2004, 02:04:58 AM

King John "the landless" (brother of Richard the Lionheart) lost almost his whole treasure in 1216 when he crossed a coastal stripe near a large bay with very inconstant water levels, known by the way as "The Wash". John died a few days later. The treasure has never been found.

Nick22 · **Reply #21 on:** December 10, 2004, 03:50:03 PM

Wasn't he the same Prince John who figured in the Robin Hood legends?
Anyway here the question's. Which Queen ruled for the shortest time?
Nick

Malte279 · **Reply #22 on:** December 10, 2004, 04:25:17 PM

Indeed, he is one of the "bad guys" from the robin hood legends. The bad lion in the Don Bluth movie.
Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England from July 6 to July 19th 1553, so for less than two weeks. I don't think there was any queen who ruled England for shorter a time, was there?

Nick22 · **Reply #23 on:** December 10, 2004, 05:21:06 PM

Yep, she was executed in 1557 for treason. Your turn Malte.
Nick

Malte279 · **Reply #24 on:** December 13, 2004, 04:00:43 AM

What were the high ranking leaders of the Norman invaders in 1066 armed with? One hint, you can clearly see it on the Bayeux Tapestry.

Nick22 · **Reply #25 on:** December 13, 2004, 10:49:37 AM

My guess would be swords and lances. And I have never seen that tapestry.
Nick

Malte279 · **Reply #26 on:** December 14, 2004, 07:56:33 AM

Swords and lances were what everyone was carrying those days. It seems however that the Norman leaders had sort of a sense of differentiating themselves from others by carrying a weapon one would not really expect an army leader to carry. Perhaps it was also kind of a sign to identify the leaders in a battle at a time when heraldry only began to emerge.
Anyway, one doesn't have to go to Bayeux nowadays to take a look at this famous tapestry.

Nick22 · **Reply #27 on:** December 14, 2004, 10:40:26 AM

A flag, to symbolize thier colors?
Nick

Threehorn · **Reply #28 on:** December 14, 2004, 10:50:33 AM

maybe...

-Threehorn

Nick22 · **Reply #29 on:** December 14, 2004, 11:12:54 AM

Have you seen the tapestry in question Threehorn?
Nick

Threehorn · **Reply #30 on:** December 14, 2004, 11:17:00 AM

once... but that was 13 years ago when I was 5 or 6.

-Threehorn

Nick22 · **Reply #31 on:** December 14, 2004, 11:17:51 AM

So You couldn't remeber what it looked like... oh well thanks for the info.
Nick

Malte279 · **Reply #32 on:** December 14, 2004, 02:05:07 PM

No it is not a flag, but really a weapon to hit somebody. The weapon seems a little strange for the leaders of an army of knights, which is why I came up with this question. There are many pictures of the Bayeux tapestry in the internet some of which show William the conqueror or his brother Odon, the bishop of Bayeux, both of which are carrying this weapon I'm talking of.

Threehorn · **Reply #33 on:** December 14, 2004, 02:44:49 PM

so that was the answer?

-Threehorn

Malte279 · **Reply #34 on:** December 14, 2004, 04:07:03 PM

Come on. Go to google, type in tapestry of Bayeux and perhaps William and Odon and you will be able to tell me.

Nick22 · **Reply #35 on:** December 14, 2004, 05:22:48 PM

Odo is carrying a club.
Nick

Malte279 · **Reply #36 on:** December 14, 2004, 05:44:08 PM

Indeed he is! Cheers!

William too is schown carrying a wooden club into battle. It is not exactly the kind of weapon we would suppose a knight, duke and king to be to carry.
Here is a picture of the tapestry showing Odo:

And here is one that shows William:

Both of them carry their clubs.

Nick22 · **Reply #37 on:** December 14, 2004, 05:46:53 PM

Odo was a bishop. Bishops were forbidden to shed blood, except if they were involved in battle. Here's another question: How old was King Geaorge the III when he died?
Nick

Malte279 · **Reply #38 on:** December 15, 2004, 12:34:59 PM

^ Well, most non-clerical people weren't exactly welcome to kill other people either. Not that a great many of them really minded.

King George III. was born on June 4th 1738 and died on January 29th 1820 (blind, deaf, and insane), so he was 81 years old.

The next question is about the same king, and it is sort of a crossing over with US history. George III. was the British king by the time of the American Revolution.
One Englishman in America wrote a very famous pamphlet titled "comon sense" which ultimately made up the Americans' mind to fight for their independence from England (which had not been their official aim till then). In this pamphlet the author gives some rather unflattering statements about George III. and kings in general. Please name the author and give an example for such an unflattering remark from the pamphlet.

Nick22 · **Reply #39 on:** December 15, 2004, 01:22:14 PM

You are correct. The writer of Common Sense was Thomas Paine.
Nick