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William the Conqueror - Quiz
Contributed by: Newell
  • 1. Which battle did William the Conqueror famously win in 1066?
A) Battle of Bannockburn
B) Battle of Bosworth Field
C) Battle of Agincourt
D) Battle of Hastings
  • 2. Which country did William the Conqueror invade and conquer?
A) France
B) England
C) Spain
D) Germany
  • 3. In which year did William the Conqueror become the King of England?
A) 1200
B) 1400
C) 1000
D) 1066
  • 4. Which famous document did William the Conqueror commission?
A) Declaration of Independence
B) Bill of Rights
C) Magna Carta
D) Domesday Book
  • 5. What was William the Conqueror's coronation site in England?
A) Salisbury Cathedral
B) Canterbury Cathedral
C) York Minster
D) Westminster Abbey
  • 6. What was the name of the rebellion that William the Conqueror suppressed in the North of England?
A) Harrying of the North
B) Rising of the North
C) Uprising of the North
D) Revolt of the North
  • 7. Which of William the Conqueror's sons succeeded him as King of England?
A) Robert Curthose
B) Richard the Fearless
C) Henry I
D) William II
  • 8. What was the name given to William the Conqueror's army?
A) Norman Army
B) Roman Army
C) Viking Army
D) Saxon Army
  • 9. Which title did William the Conqueror hold before becoming King of England?
A) Baron of Cornwall
B) Duke of Normandy
C) Viscount of Kent
D) Earl of Wessex
  • 10. Which famous English construction commissioned by William the Conqueror still stands today?
A) Palace of Westminster
B) Buckingham Palace
C) Tower of London
D) Windsor Castle
  • 11. When did William become Duke of Normandy?
A) 1035 onward
B) 1050 onward
C) 1066 onward
D) 1047 onward
  • 12. Who succeeded William as Duke of Normandy?
A) Richard the Fearless
B) Henry I
C) William Rufus
D) Robert Curthose
  • 13. Who was named king of England by Edward the Confessor on his deathbed?
A) Edgar Ætheling
B) Harald Hardrada
C) William the Conqueror
D) Harold Godwinson
  • 14. What was William's relationship to Edward the Confessor?
A) Brother-in-law
B) Second cousin
C) First cousin once removed
D) Nephew
  • 15. Where is William buried?
A) Westminster Abbey
B) Caen
C) Rouen Cathedral
D) Bayeux Cathedral
  • 16. What was the main purpose of the Domesday Book?
A) Listing Norman laws
B) Documenting religious practices
C) Surveying land-holdings for taxation and administration
D) Recording military victories
  • 17. What was a major difficulty in William's final years?
A) Conflict with the Pope over church reforms
B) Troubles with his son, Robert Curthose
C) Economic depression in England
D) Loss of Normandy to the French king
  • 18. What was William's approach to governing his domains?
A) Administering each part separately
B) Abdicating control of Normandy
C) Centralizing power in London
D) Creating a unified empire
  • 19. Who began raiding what became Normandy in the late 8th century?
A) Anglo-Saxons
B) Franks
C) Norsemen
D) Vikings
  • 20. What was the core area that became the duchy of Normandy?
A) Caen
B) Paris
C) The lands around Rouen
D) Bayeux
  • 21. Who took Emma, sister of Richard II, Duke of Normandy, as his second wife in 1002?
A) King Æthelred the Unready
B) Harold Harefoot
C) Cnut
D) Richard II
  • 22. Who became king of England after Harold's death in 1040?
A) Alfred
B) Harthacnut
C) William the Conqueror
D) Edward the Confessor
  • 23. Who was proclaimed king of England after Harthacnut's death in June 1042?
A) William the Conqueror
B) Harold Harefoot
C) Edward
D) Cnut
  • 24. In which year was William the Conqueror most likely born?
A) 1040
B) 1028
C) 1027
D) 1030
  • 25. What was Herleva's possible occupation?
A) Duchess
B) Queen
C) Noblewoman
D) Tanner or embalmer
  • 26. Who did Herleva marry after Robert I?
A) Robert I
B) Fulbert of Falaise
C) Walter
D) Herluin de Conteville
  • 27. What was one accusation against Robert I regarding Richard III's death?
A) Exiling Richard III
B) Fleeing with Richard III
C) Killing Richard III
D) Imprisoning Richard III
  • 28. Who did Norman sources claim performed Harold's coronation?
A) Stigand
B) Ealdred, the Archbishop of York
C) William of Poitiers
D) Pope Alexander II
  • 29. Who was wounded during the Angevin attack on Maine?
A) Simon de Crépy
B) Count Fulk le Rechin
C) Earl Ralph
D) King Philip of France
  • 30. Where did Harold take a defensive position during the Battle of Hastings?
A) London
B) Hastings Castle
C) Senlac Hill
D) Pevensey Bay
  • 31. What county did Simon de Crépy hand over to King Philip before becoming a monk?
A) Maine
B) Amiens
C) Normandy
D) The Vexin
  • 32. What did William build to subdue the Isle of Ely in 1071?
A) A causeway
B) A fortress
C) A tunnel
D) A bridge
  • 33. Who attempted to expand their authority into the county of Maine after Hugh IV's death?
A) Geoffrey Martel
B) William the Conqueror
C) Guy of Burgundy
D) King Henry
  • 34. When was the Domesday Book mostly completed?
A) By 1075
B) By Christmas 1085
C) By 1 August 1086
D) By 1099
  • 35. How did the English soldiers initially defend themselves at Hastings?
A) As a shield wall along the ridge
B) By retreating to Senlac Hill
C) Using cavalry charges
D) With archers from higher ground
  • 36. Which city did William capture to secure his line of retreat to Normandy?
A) Winchester
B) Southwark
C) Wallingford
D) Canterbury
  • 37. Where did William's fleet eventually sail from?
A) River Dives
B) Isle of Wight
C) Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
D) Valery-sur-Somme
  • 38. Who arrived with a fleet of 200 ships but found Norwich already surrendered?
A) Odo of Bayeux
B) Roger de Breteuil
C) Ralph de Gael
D) Cnut, the Danish king's brother
  • 39. Which city did William besiege in December 1067?
A) Southwark
B) Canterbury
C) Winchester
D) Exeter
  • 40. Who was captured and imprisoned on the Isle of Ely?
A) Morcar
B) Hereward the Wake
C) William fitzOsbern
D) Earl Edwin
  • 41. What did Robert I support for the English princes?
A) Their return to England
B) Their exile in northern France
C) Their marriage to Norman princesses
D) Their coronation as kings
  • 42. What law did William introduce related to hunting?
A) Hunting rights decree
B) Forest law
C) Wildlife protection statute
D) Game preservation act
  • 43. Where did Ralph go after leaving Norwich Castle?
A) Herefordshire
B) Brittany
C) Denmark
D) Normandy
  • 44. What was the typical rate of danegeld per hide each year?
A) Ten shillings
B) Five shillings
C) Two shillings
D) One pound
  • 45. What was the outcome of William and King Henry's campaign against Geoffrey Martel?
A) They completely defeated Geoffrey Martel.
B) They captured an Angevin fortress but accomplished little else.
C) They formed a lasting alliance with Geoffrey Martel.
D) Geoffrey Martel joined forces with William and King Henry.
  • 46. Where did the Battle of Fulford take place?
A) Near York
B) On Senlac Hill
C) In London
D) At Hastings
  • 47. Who did some of the English clergy and magnates nominate as king after William's victory?
A) William fitzOsbern
B) Edgar the Ætheling
C) Waltheof
D) Stigand
  • 48. Who was married to Waltheof, one of the earls confirmed in their lands by William?
A) Edith
B) Gytha
C) William's niece Judith
D) Matilda
  • 49. What tactic did William use to draw English troops into pursuit?
A) Direct frontal assaults
B) Surprise attacks at dawn
C) Ambushes from higher ground
D) Feigned retreats
  • 50. What did Robert build during his campaign against the Scots?
A) The 'new castle' at Newcastle upon Tyne
B) A palace in Rouen
C) A fortification in Maine
D) A monastery in Normandy
  • 51. What happened to William's body when it was lowered into the tomb?
A) The tomb burst open, spreading a foul odor.
B) It disappeared mysteriously.
C) It was stolen by thieves.
D) It fit perfectly without issue.
  • 52. What tax did William continue to collect in England?
A) Poll taxes
B) Customs duties
C) Danegeld
D) Tithes
  • 53. Which castle did William build first during his march through Edwin's lands?
A) York Castle
B) Lincoln Castle
C) Warwick Castle
D) Nottingham Castle
  • 54. Who defeated Harold's sons' forces near Bristol?
A) FitzOsbern
B) Eadnoth
C) Stigand
D) Odo
  • 55. What year did William make peace with King Philip?
A) 1077
B) 1080
C) 1078
D) 1076
  • 56. What was the relationship between William and Matilda's marriage and papal-Norman relations?
A) The marriage caused a permanent rift with the Pope.
B) Papal sanction was probably secured earlier due to generally good relations.
C) The Pope immediately sanctioned the marriage.
D) There were no papal-Norman relations during this period.
  • 57. How many sons did William and Matilda have?
A) Three
B) Four
C) Two
D) Six
  • 58. Which family held strategic lands between Normandy, Maine, and Anjou?
A) The Martel family
B) The Flanders family
C) The Bellême family
D) The Evreux family
  • 59. What process describes the granting of lands to household knights by William?
A) Subinfeudation
B) Feudalization
C) Enfeoffment
D) Manorialism
  • 60. Did Robert I marry a daughter of King Cnut?
A) There is no record of any engagement.
B) Yes, but the marriage was annulled.
C) No, no marriage took place.
D) Yes, and they had several children.
  • 61. Who was appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury in 1070?
A) Æthelmær
B) Odo, William's half-brother.
C) Lanfranc
D) Stigand
  • 62. Who was crowned alongside William's wife Matilda in May 1068?
A) Edgar the Ætheling
B) Judith
C) Matilda herself
D) Gytha
  • 63. In what year did William order the compilation of the Domesday Book?
A) 1077
B) 1066
C) 1085
D) 1092
  • 64. Who did Sweyn join forces with during his raid along the Humber and East Anglia?
A) Count Baldwin VI
B) William fitzOsbern
C) Hereward the Wake
D) Earl Edwin
  • 65. What time did the Battle of Hastings begin?
A) About 9 am on 14 October
B) In the afternoon on 14 October
C) Midnight on 13 October
D) At dawn on 25 September
  • 66. What relic of William survived the disturbances to his grave?
A) His crown
B) His sword
C) A piece of his armor
D) One thigh bone
  • 67. Where did Harold's sons raid from during William's absence in England?
A) Ireland
B) Scotland
C) Normandy
D) Wales
  • 68. Who secured control of the castle at Dol before William's siege?
A) Count Fulk le Rechin
B) Simon de Crépy
C) King Philip of France
D) Earl Ralph
  • 69. Where did William the Conqueror land in England?
A) Pevensey Bay
B) London
C) York
D) Hastings
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