Life in Medieval England

This section of the blog consists of:

• Daily Life - 3 parts
• Fun Stuff ~ Quizzes
• Image Gallery - which can now be found *Here*


• Fun Stuff ~ Quizzes

To conclude this section of the blog I've decided to post a couple of quick quizzes for readers to play around with before I get back into the more serious stuff such as Anglo-Norman Warfare, the Biographies, and an indepth look at the reign of King Stephen. Enjoy!

Quiz No. 1

Test your knowledge of the late Saxon/Norman period:

1. Alfred the Great reigned from:
a. 791-820
b. 871-900
c. 659-679

2. Along with feudalism, the Normans bought to Britain a particular style of architecture best described as:
a. Early English Gothic - flying buttresses
b. Concentric castle building - curtain walls and barbicans
c. Romanesque - chevron and beakhead ornamentation

3. Edward the Confessor founded Westminster Abbey in:
a. 1042
b. 1141
c. 1045

4. The compilation of the 'Doomsday Book' took place in:
a. 1086
b. 1082
c. 1126

5. Who ruled the House of Wessex in the years between 940-946:
a. Edgar
b. Edmund I
c. Ethelred II

Quiz No. 2

The House of Normandy:

1. Duke William of Normandy was also known as:
a. The Bastard
b. Curtmantle
c. Longshanks

2. His son was known as William Rufus because:
a. he often wore a red cloak
b. of his ruddy complexion
c. he liked to hunt red deer in Nottingham Forest

3. King Stephen, the last of the Norman Kings, ruled England during the years:
a. 1035-54
b. 1135-54
c. 1126-54

4. Geoffrey of Anjou, husband of The Empress Matilda, founded the Plantagenet family name when he chose the planta genista as his emblem - this was:
a. a sprig of yellow broom flower
b. a sprig from a young oak tree
c. a sprig of heather

5. Henry II ruled England between:
a. 1054-89
b. 1154-89
c. 1135-89

Quiz No. 3

The Saxon and Norman era:

1. A 'Who am I?' question. It has been said my marriage got off to a somewhat stormy, violent start but it proved sound and 11 children were produced from it. I died in 1083 and was buried at l'Abbaye aux Dames which I had founded.
a. Eleanor of Aquitane
b. Matilda of Flanders
c. Margaret of Anjou

2. Many fine words have been spoken of this member of the House of Wessex who ruled during the years 871AD-900AD.
a. Athelstan
b. Edward, the Martyr
c. Alfred, the Great

3. This former Queen wed William d'Aubigny in 1139, and unlike her previous marriage which failed to produce any children, this second marriage produced 7 children who survived until adulthood.
a. Matilda of Boulogne
b. Adelica of Louvain (Adeliza of Leuven)
c. Adela, Countess of Blois

4. This man was the mainstay of The Empress Matilda's campaigns to wrest the English crown from Stephen of Blois.
a. Robert of Gloucester
b. William of Anjou
c. Robert of Leicester

5. History often applies the moniker of 'The Unready' to this sovereign's name.
a. Edmund I
b. Egbert
c. Ethelred II

Now of course you didn't cheat LOL! Here are the answers:

Quiz No. 1 Late Saxon/Norman period - The answers are: 1. (b) 871-900; 2. (c) Romanesque - chevron and beakhead ornamentation; 3. (c) 1045; 4. (a) 1086; 5. (b) Edmund I

Quiz No. 2 The House of Normandy - The answers are: 1. (a) The Bastard; 2. (b) of his ruddy complexion; 3. (b) 1135-54; 4. (a) a sprig of yellow broom flower; 5. (b) 1154-89

Quiz No. 3 The Saxon and Norman era - The answers are: 1. (b) Matilda of Flanders; 2. (c) Alfred, the Great; 3. (b) Adelica of Louvain (Adeliza of Leuven); 4. (a) Robert of Gloucester; 5. (c) Ethelred II