Image: Wiki Commons via Mrlopez2681
About This Quiz
For centuries, the monarchy was the political foundation of the entire world. Civilizations separated by vast chasms of space, culture, and language all knelt before the thrones of their mighty kings. But these people were anything but uniform. They were as different from one another as can be imagined, strong and weak, brave and cowardly, cunning and foolhardy. The price of granting power through noble birth was to put the fates of entire nations into the hands of the genetic lottery. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose, not in some backstreet gambling den, but rather on the entire stage of human history.
Besides personality traits, there were the simple truths of genetics to consider. In order to maintain the supposed purity of their royal blood as well as the practical considerations of consolidating and acquiring wealth and title, a limited number of noble families married into each other again and again and again. Over time, this resulted in increased genetic diseases and malformities, creating an additional challenge for those born into nobility.
In spite of all of this, though, few can question the dignity and aristocratic bearing with which these monarchs held themselves. Indeed, you can see their nobility shine through in the images we have in this very quiz. Can you identify these kings by their royal portraiture? A great challenge, to be sure. Are you worthy of it?
Wiki Commons
Which King is pictured here?
Charles II
Henry VIII
Henry VIII, King of England is known for many things, but his greatest claim of fame is how the pope's refusal to grant him the annulment to his marriage led to him breaking the Church of England away from Rome entirely.
George I
Edward III
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What is the name of this mighty liege?
Richard III
Richard III was the final royal scion of the House of York, and last of the English Plantagenet Kings. His defeat at Bosworth Field saw the closing of England's Middle Ages, but he was forever immortalized in Shakespere's play, named after him.
Childreic I
Edward V
James II
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Who was this great Lord of Kings?
Theuderic
William VIII
Conan the Crooked
Charles the Great
Charles the Great was King of both the Franks and Lombards, but his mightiest achievement was the creation of what would be called The Holy Roman Empire. He was known as "The Father of Europe" as so much of Western Europe was united under his single rule.
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Wiki Commons via Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Would you dare to identify this King?
Barbarossa
Frederic I
John III
Henri II
Henri II of France was a Valois King who struggled both in wars with the Hapsburgs and the nascent struggles with the French Huguenots. He met a sudden death from a wound he received in a jousting tournament.
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Shield your eyes from the majesty of this King!
Heinrich IV
Charles X
Louis XIV
Louis XIV, known to the world as The Sun King, was the absolute apex of French Royal splendor. He reigned for an astonishing 72 years. Although the majesty of his court is unquestioned, he also had a darker side: he revoked the Edict of Nantes, which effectively led to the destruction of France's Protestant minority.
Arnulf
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Wiki Commons via Mathiasrex
Which mighty monarch is this?
Therese
Vladimir II
Konrad I
Friedrich I
Friedrich I, also known as Barbarossa for his mighty red beard, was a Holy Roman Emperor. He was extraordinarily skilled in both warfare and legal matters, and he enacted the restoration of Roman Civil Law to the Empire. He fell, after a long rule, during the 3rd Crusade.
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Wiki Commons via Titian
What implacable royal is to be found below?
Charles V
Charles V ruled the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, AND the Kingdom of Burgundy over the course of his reign, making his Kingdom unthinkably vast. He battled Ottomans at the gates of Vienna, the French crown, and the Schmalkaldic League of Protestants in Germany.
George II
Winston I
William II
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Which noble lord is below?
Edward III
John I
Henri IV
Henri IV, also known as Henri of Navarre, was the King of France. He was known for his making the immensely difficult decision to adopt Catholicism so as to end the religious wars rocking France at the time. He also promulgated the Edict of Nantes, allowing for a period of tolerance between French Protestants and Catholics.
Louis X
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Who was this resplendent emperor?
Stephen
Napoleon I
Napoleon I, known to history as simply Napoleon, was the Emperor of the French. His aggressive attempt to reshape Europe combined his military genius, France's Levee en Masse, and extraordinary daring, setting off a huge European- and later world- conflict.
Louis XII
Edward I
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To which King, pictured here, do you pledge your loyalty?
Vlad Tepes
Edward I
Edward I, King of England, was also known as Longshanks and the "Hammer of the Scots." Edward crushed Wales at last, constructing a series of castles there that would finally subjugate the region, warred with the Scots and struggled with France to (successfully) recover Aquitaine.
Charles VI
Henri I
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Which of these is the pictured King?
Frederich II
Francoise I
James II
John I
John I of England comes to us with a reputation for cruelty and poor diplomacy with his lords. He lost much of his French continental holdings, was temporarily excommunicated, and ended up fighting in a civil war against his nobility.
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Which powerful potentate is this?
Childeric
Edward II
Edward II of England suffered many great misfortunes. His closeness to a noble friend resulted in discord among the nobility, he was defeated by Robert the Bruce and forced to sign a treaty with Scotland, and his own wife turned on him and invaded England with French help, deposing him in favor of his 14-year-old son.
Henri III
Francis
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Which Lion-Hearted King is pictured here?
Richard I
Richard I was King of England, but he spent most of his life either in his holdings in Aquitaine or away on Crusade. A laconic man, he was also known as Oc e No (Yes and No) for his brief manner of speech. He is the rare English King to actually be remembered by his nickname, the Lionhearted.
James III
Edward VI
Edgar
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Can your eye spy which of these Kings stands here?
Winston II
Alfred
Harold II
The final Anglo-Saxon to rule England, Harold II ascended to the throne in 1066, but soon found himself beset on all sides by enemy. Winning a battle in the North, he turned and faced William the Conqueror, and it is there he fell at the Battle of Hastings.
Charles
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Which liege lord reigneth beneath?
Aelfwyn
Aethelstan
Burgred
Canute (Knut), the Great
Canute (Knut), the Great was King of Norway, Denmark AND England. Not bad for a Viking! He helped restore English prosperity through the simple mechanism of putting a leash on his own Norse raiders, thereby letting the economy recover.
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Which King rules beneath this text?
Richard II
Edward, the Confessor
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great, King of England, encouraged learning and culture while simultaneously engulfed in a brutal war against the Danes and their Vikings. His victories kept the Danes from total control of the isle.
William III
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Which ill King is pictured below?
George III
George III, King of England, is best known in the U.S. for being the King who fought against American Independence. He suffered from mental illness due to an unknown cause, and as his life went on, it eventually became a permanent state of affairs.
St. Sigebert
Pippin
William IX, the Troubadour
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Which great lord stands below?
John II
Drogo
Alan I, Wrybeard
Aethelred II, the Unready
Aethelred II, the Unready (which means poorly advised in the original English), faced an English kingship of constant battle. His attempt at paying off the Danes did not last, and he ended up exiled to the continent he later re-invaded but found himself struggling both against his own son and other Danes.
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By Unknown Artist c. 1580 Original version of a 1620 painting, via Wikimedia Commons
Which lord of battle is portrayed below?
Harold II
Stephen
William I, the Conqueror
William I, the Conqueror, was the Norman Lord of conquered England, forever changing the destiny of the British Isles. His victory at the Battle of Hastings brought peace to the war-torn country and would eventually lead to massive changes in the country's ruling class.
Beornwulf
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Which penitent liege is pictured here?
James III, the Repentant
Yuri, the Truly Sorry
Edward, the Confessor
Edward, the Confessor was a peaceable, religious king of England, whose pious nature gave way to his royal nickname. Though he was not martyred, he was nonetheless nominated for sainthood some time after his death.
Kyle, the Apologetic
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Which ruler's portrait hangs here?
Henry V
Henry V of England saw his country to the apex of its power. A Lancasterian monarch, his total victory at Agincourt so crippled the French King that he became regent of France, and returned Normandy to English rule.
John II
Edward IV
Richard II
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Which monarch shines beside this text?
Connor II
Edward the Dutiful
William IV
William IV of England was the final King of the House of Hannover. His reign is notable for ending slavery in the British Empire, changing the Poor Law, and altering the British electoral system.
James III
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Wiki Commons via Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th to 16th Century
Which King is pictured here?
Dagbert
Clovis
Clovis, King of the Franks, brought together the disparate Frankish tribes under a single King for the first time in History. His victories would lead to the formation of the Kingdom that later peoples would know as France.
Childeric
Theudoric III
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Wiki Commons via G Garitan
Which grand royal stands at my side?
Francis II
Uther
Henri II
Louis I
Louis I, called The Pious, was the son of Charlemagne and heir to the Holy Roman Empire.
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Wiki Commons via Anton Graff
Which invincible King reigns here?
Lothair II
Otto IV
Frederick II
Frederick II of Prussia, also known as Frederick the Great, is famous for his conquest of Silesia and consequential incredible victory against a host of European enemies. His military successes saw Prussia rise to be a true rival to neighboring Austria and has secured him a lasting legacy of fame.
Heinrich I
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Wiki Commons via Jan z Gelnhausenu - Gelhausenův kodex
Which King is proudly pictured here?
Adolf of Nassau
Wenceslas of Bohemia
Wenceslas of Bohemia was most noted for his heroic defense of his Kingdom against the forces of the Mongols under Subutai. His incredible victories helped shield Europe from the Mongols, cementing his reputation as an incredible leader.
Ferdinand I
Franz II (Francis II)
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Wiki Commons via Hans Bocksberger der Ãltere - Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank.
Which mighty lord commands beside these words?
Louis VIII, le Lion
Louis XII
Otto II
Ferdinand I
Ferdinand I, elder brother to Charles V, was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. He continued his brother's Ottoman conflicts, but his greatest accomplishment was before his ascent to the throne- he enacted the Peace of Augsburg, temporarily staying the brutal wars of religion rocking the Empire.
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Wiki Commons via Franz Xaver Winterhalter - The Royal Collection
Which Citizen-King is this?
Otto IV
Ludwig II
Louis-Philippe
Louis-Philippe ruled France as King through his position at the head of the Orleanist conservative party. His rule is largely seen as a transitional one, as the Revolution of 1848 saw him cast into exile in the U.K.
Heinrich III
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Wiki Commons via Paul Delaroche
Which man pictured below rules without question?
Ivan II
Peter I
Peter I, Tsar of Russia, bears the well-earned title Peter the Great. He vastly increased the size of the Russian empire through military means, and sought to modernize it culturally, scientifically and economically based on Western principles.
John IV
Godfrey II
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Wiki Commons via Kopengagener Museum
Which dreaded ruler is this?
Ivan IV
Ivan IV of Russia, known forever as Ivan the Terrible, greatly expanded the size of his empire, but at a cost: his brutality and paranoia toward his nobles prompted many deaths, including his killing of his own son and heir.
Richard II
Yuri Andropov
Vlad II
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Which Great Liege Stands Here?
Godfrey
Nicholas II
Nicholas II was the final Emperor of Russia. Known for his violent crushing of the 1905 revolution, anti-semitic pogroms and his role in the Great War, Nicholas (and this family) met his end at the hands of the Bolshevik Revolutionaries.
Ivan III
Anthony
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Which raiding sovereign is pictured here?
Harald I Bluetooth
Harald I Bluetooth, besides being a raider Viking par excellence, is known for being the first King of Denmark, as well as introducing Christianity to that Norse country. His rule of Norway proved more tenuous, however.
Alexis I
William III
Henry VII
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Which towering lord rules here?
Harald
Gustav II Adolf
Gustav II Adolf is widely regarded as one of the all-time great Swedish Kings, and indeed one of the greatest European rulers as well. He was tremendously successful both militarily and in his reorganization of the Swedish bureaucracy, and was seen as the champion of the nascent Protestant faith.
Hans III
Valdemar
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Which bold ruler is this?
Edwin
Friedrich I
Stanislaw II
Stanislaw II was the final King of Poland. Although well liked for his progressive legislation, his military failures led to the partition of Poland, the country eventually falling under Russian domination.
Siegered
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Which dashing liege is portrayed here?
Henry I
Henry I, fourth son of William the Conqueror, ruled England and Normandy with a steady hand. He soon found his Norman home under attack by multiple rival claimants, but he bested them all, finally allowing the Kingdom time to come together.
Harold II
William
Steven
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Whose royal spirit inhabits this image?
James II
Edward III
Edward III of England was born a warrior and wasted no time in showing it. He started his reign by overthrowing the treacherous Roger Mortimer, after which he attacked Scotland. Soon after this, he declared his intention to seize the French throne, starting the 100 Years War.
Richard
Markus
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Who is this a royal portrait of?
Ormus III
Karl I
Edward I
Henry VI
Henry VI of England saw his Kingdom war fortunes fall as his own mental acuity declined. Under his rule, England's French holdings diminished, and eventually, he was overthrown in part due to his mental illness. A brief restoration did not last, and he died in prison.
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Which liege lord stands here?
Francis I
James I
James I, first Stuart King of England, was the son of the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots. When Elizabeth died childless, he became King of Scotland and England. His reign saw continued cultural flowering in England, and he dutifully steered clear of the wars of religion that rocked the continent.
Edward II
Robert the Bruce
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Which ruler has claimed this image?
Athelred
Edric I
William III
William III, King of England, also known as William of Orange, was also the sovereign Prince of Orange, of the Dutch Republic. His bloodless capture of the Throne in England's Glorious Revolution led to a rarely seen shared monarchy between himself and his cousin, Mary, who he married.
Henri
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Who is this potent potentate?
Edward III
George I
George I had literally 50 relatives with a greater claim to the throne of England than he. But they were all Catholic, which was forbidden. Hence he lucked into the job. By the end of his reign, experts agree, England had truly shifted power into the hands of Parliament.
William of York
Carl Knudson
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You Got:
/40
Wiki Commons via Mrlopez2681