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