Zultan's West European History-Question-a-Day Quiz

[ZultanofZex]

Apparently Sweden was too narrow...trying a new one...

It lasted almost an entire year, and the cost was about 700.000 casualties.

Vaux and Douaumont are names connected to this event, moronic stupidity and cruelty beyond imagination are two others.

What am I talking about?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Define Western... As I remembered it, we had a long discussion thread on just exactly what constitutes 'Western'...

I like to have neat categories for these quiz types.

 

[ZultanofZex]

Defenition;

Western Europe, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the End of the Cold War.

Not including western nations interest in the colonies. Eastern limit, Germany, present day Austria and Italy.

Southern Limit: The mediterranian Sea

Wetsern Limit: The Atlantic ocean. Ok, then I inculde the Brittish islands

 

[Vrylakas]

Vaux and Douaumont are names connected to this event, moronic stupidity and cruelty beyond imagination are two others.

What am I talking about?

You're talking about the extremely bloody, fierce and ultimately pointless Battle of Verdun in World War I. These two forts were central to the Franco-German struggle in that battle.

 

[ZultanofZex]

James Macpherson wrote a "best seller" 1765. It happened to be a favorite of Napoleon, and when one of his generals, later to become a king, asked his Emperor for a suiting name for his son, Napoleon wanted him to christian him after one of the heroes in the book. The name is still popular, especially in norhtern.Europe.

What is the main character of this book, (his name is in the title of the book. and for an extra point, what name did Napoleon suggest for his general's son?

--Sorry...Verdun was of course right!

 

[Pangur Bán]

The title of the book is The Works of Ossian, the Son of Fingal . The main character is Fingal.

As for the name, I couldn't tell you that without googling it.

 

[ZultanofZex]

Well done! It is indeed The poems of Ossian. The name I was after was Ossian!

The name from The Poems of Ossian is not Fingal, but another character in the works...I'll give you some more time for that one...

Question three, Verdun and Ossian have been done so far...

napoleon admired another person, namely Fredrick the Great, and especially his conduct during one of the most important battles he faught. In this battle, the Austrians were routed, even though they had the benefit of a low wall, during the hight of the battle....what is the name of the villgae, also the name of the battle?

 

[Pangur Bán]

Originally posted by ZultanofZex
Well done! It is indeed The poems of Ossian. The name I was after was Ossian!

The name from The Poems of Ossian is not Fingal, but another character in the works...I'll give you some more time for that one...

Ossian was not the main character, he was the alleged author. Fingal was the main character.


BTW, that question was an invasion of my territory. Beware, I am a jealous man :rocket:

 

[ZultanofZex]

No, I know...however, it is important for the thread to know it is the poetry of Ossian...Ossian is the key word here....you'll see later what I talk about.

 

[Knight-Dragon]

It was the one in which Prussia seized Silesia fr the Austrians. Wild guess - Sadow? Sadowa? Sorry, can't remember name...

 

[ZultanofZex]

Nope, Sadowa in much later...also known as Königsgrätz..

 

[jack merchant]

Leuthen ?

 

[ZultanofZex]

Leuthen! Yes! well done...moving on from the frozen battlefield of Leuthen and heading southwest....to a place that once was the home of one of the biggest languages in Europe, and also the home of a very special form of Christianity...so special that the Pope ordered several crusades to root the heretics out...what region am I thinking about?

 

[Serutan]

I think this is southern France, the Maritime Alps/Rivera area.

IIRC when one of the cities was captured by the crusaders, and
the army's bishop was asked how to tell faithful from heretic, he
replied "Kill them all; God will know his own".

 

[yaroslav]

And, if I recall it correctly, the special form of Christianity was called 'albigens' (at least in Spanish) and the language was the language of Oc (IIRC, again)

 

[jack merchant]

IIRC, they were actually called the Kathars (and lived predominantly in the Languedoc as Serutan said). The name Albigens refers to the French city of Albi and the eponymous crusades.

 

[yaroslav]

Oh, yes, but was the special form of Christinaty called 'Kathars' or 'Albigens'? I don't know it exactly

 

[SeleucusNicator]

I've heard Cathars and Alibigenesians used interchangeably. In English, I'm pretty sure its up to you our your prefered source as to which one you use.

 

[ZultanofZex]

Languedoc! Well done!

 

[ZultanofZex]

Back to the future, and moving north...

In his time, he was considered the best commander in Europe. He was short, hairy, had a bad temper, spent all his time getting drunk and had sex with pretty much every female he saw...

This said, he was very much in love with his wife, and was heart broken when she died, so heart broken that he had to comfort himself with a teenaged german noble lady.

He had been a soldier all his life, but his fame (infamy?) started when he was quite old. He died only a few years later...with his boots on.

Although he won a few battles, his greatest triumph, the feat that made him famous, was a retreat. This event was depicted in many newslattere of the time.

To the local civilians, he was hated, and often referred to as the old arsonist. the war he fought in, spiralled down in cruelty much thanks to him, although he was very loved by his troops.

His parents had been traitors, but the new king pardoned him and made him one of his lietenants. He was heartbroken as the king died, in battle, during the same war where he years later would have a command.

This is a hard one, so please use google.