History quiz

[Sarmatian]

Sounds like Marco Polo to me.

No.

I'm looking for a 19th century guy...

[Prussian to the Iron]

merriwether lewis/ william clark?

[Sarmatian]

nope

Started out as a missionary...

I really thought this was gonna be easy...

[Brandy Blue]

Dr Livingstone, I presume?

If I am right, then let the next poster ask the next question, please. I've been having trouble logging in here lately and don't know when I will next succeed.

[Sarmatian]

Dr Livingstone, I presume?


Yes, and I feel thankful that I am here to welcome you :laugh4:

David Livingstone (19 March 1813–1 May 1873), Scottish missionary in Africa, the first white man to see Mosi-oa-Tunya, the falls we know today as Victoria Falls. Famous for his several travels in Africa, especially the one along Zambezi river making him a first European to make a transcontinental trip across Africa. Accounts of his travels were extremely popular in the UK, even with the common people, giving him practically celebrity status.

As BB said, next poster may ask a question... (Tehnically I'm the next poster, but I'm sure he didn't mean me :laugh4:)

[Prussian to the Iron]

I guess i'll go then........

during the 1880's, this building was created in berlin as the "lunatic and idiot institution" for 'calm and agitated lunatics, agitated and unclean sick people, epileptic lunatics and bodily afflicted lunatics'

it later added new patients, as an 'abstinence sanatorium' for the drug addicted and the alcoholic, as well as the 'inferior races'. the 'inferior races' added in the 1930's were forcefully sterlized(castrated) so they could not reproduce and create more 'idiots' as they were accused of doing.

at the start of WWII, most of the doctors here joined the nazi 'office for the extermination of those unworthy of life' on Tiergartenstraße 4, the so-named 'T4 action'. over 9000 men,women, and children were tortured, experimented on, and killed here, but many more were transported through the sanatorium to other places to be slaughtered.

what building is this?

p.s: im jewish so i can ask nazi questions :D

[the tokai]

No.

I'm looking for a 19th century guy...
Yeah after I posted I realized Marco Polo was the one who wrote one of his books in prison, not the one who had his book finished after his death, but couldn't correct it because I couldn't get on the org anymore.

[Xipe Totec]

Landesklinik Brandenburg? :wall:

[Prussian to the Iron]

nein

[Xipe Totec]

Wittenau Sanatorium

'Aha a place of learning and ... ?' :help: what comes next?

[Prussian to the Iron]

Yes!!!! go Xipe

[Xipe Totec]

Danke mein herr.

Okay orgahs ... Which famous Roman became emperor at 14, tried to marry a Vestal Virgin :shocked:, went on to have at least 3 wives, became a transvestite prostitute who wished to be surgically transformed into a woman :kiss2:, liked to be beaten by one of his slaves :whip:, and was finally killed by his guards whilst hiding in a latrine at the age of 18, when he tried to have his cousin and adopted son murdered :thumbsdown:.

[Prussian to the Iron]

jesus christ.......thats horrible!!

anyway:

Romulus Augustulus?

[Xipe Totec]

Nope. Romulus Augustulus abdicated and retired peacefully at the ripe old age of 16.

[Quintus.JC]

Danke mein herr.

Okay orgahs ... Which famous Roman became emperor at 14, tried to marry a Vestal Virgin :shocked:, went on to have at least 3 wives, became a transvestite prostitute who wished to be surgically transformed into a woman :kiss2:, liked to be beaten by one of his slaves :whip:, and was finally killed by his guards whilst hiding in a latrine at the age of 18, when he tried to have his cousin and adopted son murdered :thumbsdown:.

The famously debauched Elagabalus, possiblely one of the worst emperor in Roman history.

[Xipe Totec]

That's the kiddie. And there certainly were quite a few exceptional candidates for that accolade. The baton is yours Quintus.JC.

[Quintus.JC]

Cheers.

The battle I'm looking for is one so decisive that it paved the way for the unification of a nation. Lasting several years and involving men power of the grandest scale in the ancient times. Famously hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the losing side were buried alive after the battle because fear of revolt. What is the battle?

[Xipe Totec]

The Battle of Julu 207 b.c. after which 200,000 Qin soldiers were buried alive on the orders of the victorious Chu rebel leader Xiang Lu?

[Xipe Totec]

Or was it the battle of Changping in 260 bc after which 400,000 Zhao soldiers were buried alive on the orders of Qin general Bai Qi?

[Quintus.JC]

Or was it the battle of Changping in 260 bc after which 400,000 Zhao soldiers were buried alive on the orders of Qin general Bai Qi?

Now come to mention it my description was a big vague, but you got it anyway. The battle of Changping it is. Your turn again mate.

The commander Zhao Kuo at Changping was prophesied for disaster as his father Zhao She warned on his death bed that his son should never be allowed to command an army. The more famous tale was that "as soon as Zhao Kuo's mother heard that he was going off to the front, she immediately went to the King and told him this tale: one day, when the late Zhao She and Zhao Kuo were talking military tactics and playing Chinese chess, she was amazed to see the son beating the more experienced father every single time. However, Zhao She was not impressed. When asked why, Zhao She said, "This boy treats a battle like a game of chess, his men like mere pawns that can be sacrificed at will. He has no idea what real warfare is like! He can never command an army." source wikipedia

[Prussian to the Iron]

yeah, i think the fact that lots of guys were buried alive alone is a bit vague.

[Xipe Totec]

Which great warrior king died of a nose bleed on the night of his wedding?

[Prussian to the Iron]

easy. Atilla the Hun!


and, wasn't it the night of one of his weddings to a princess who hated him?

[Xipe Totec]

Yes of course that's right. Ildico was found weeping next to his body the next morning. Most likely they both passed out too drunk to properly enjoy the evening. In the film she engineered their meeting and eventual marriage at the instigation of Aetius purely to murder Attila in revenge for her father's death. Absurd.

Over to you Prussian Iron!

[Prussian to the Iron]

ooooooh. you see i vaguely remembered something about a murder theory for revenge. i didnt rememeber anything else though.

hmmm.........let me think......


in 1300, this city was one of the last iberian-moorish cities still standing against the spaniards brutal reconquista, aimed at efeating and driving all muslims off the iberian peninsula.

oddly enough, it was actually attacked during the second crusade by Alfonso VII, king of Galicia, Leon, and Castille, when most of its buildings and people were slaughtered. it was then turned back over to the Almoravid empire.

what is this city, which was bombarded by Germans during the Spanish Civil War?

[Xipe Totec]

Almeria

[Prussian to the Iron]

yes! go

[Xipe Totec]

Which European country gained its independence after a short victorious war in which only 18 of its soldiers were killed?

[Prussian to the Iron]

is it still a country right now?

[Xipe Totec]

Yes

[al Roumi]

Which European country gained its independence after a short victorious war in which only 18 of its soldiers were killed?

Is it Slovenia?


Casualties
Due to the short duration and low intensity of the war, casualties were low. According to Slovenian estimates, the JNA suffered 44 fatalities and 146 wounded, while the Slovenians had 18 killed and 182 wounded. Twelve foreign nationals were killed in the conflict, principally journalists and Bulgarian truck drivers who had strayed into the line of fire. 4,692 JNA soldiers and 252 federal police officers were captured by the Slovenian side. According to post-war assessments made by the JNA, its material losses amounted to 31 tanks, 22 armoured personnel carriers, 6 helicopters, 6,787 infantry weapons, 87 artillery pieces and 124 air defence weapons damaged, destroyed or confiscated. Property damage was fairly light, due to the scattered and short-term nature of the fighting. - Wikipedia

[Xipe Totec]

Yes that is correct. They were very fortunate to escape the horror which engulfed most of the former republics of the F.R. Jugoslavija. I was fortunate to visit Slovenia for a holiday at Lake Bled some years before the troubles started. Over to you for the next question then alh_p!

[al Roumi]

Thanks Xipe totec, I visited Slovenia a few years ago and remember hearing of their amazingly one sided independance.

The next question then is:

Which Ottoman Sultan did Timur "the Lame" (of MTW2 Timurid *fame*) defeat?

[Sarmatian]

Beyazid, at the battle of Angora 1402.

[al Roumi]

Yes! Sorry it took me till now to check back in. Your turn Sarmatian...

[Sarmatian]

I'm too lazy to think of a question now. Next poster, please...

[Prussian to the Iron]

if you give me til tonight, ill have a good one up, i promise.


i hope you guys know alot qbout the crusades...........

[Prussian to the Iron]

part 1:the battle of Harran was a less-well known battle, in which 2 different turkish factions joined together. which factions were these?

part 2: what was another name for this battle?

[Xipe Totec]

The Seljuks and Artuqids fought together at Ar-Raqqah.

[Prussian to the Iron]

yep.

just so you guys know:

i didnt get it up last night because i had to look for something in my 'Battles of the Crusades' book. it's really pretty interesting; it covers every religiously driven battle from (i belive) 1011-1400's. from the reconquista all the way through Outremer, through eastern europe and poland(teutonic campaign basically), and ending with a hungarian crusader battle in the near-east. i reccomend it.

[Xipe Totec]

What was the location of the great sea battle fought in the early hours of a morning at the end of the sixteenth century, in which 300 Japanese ships were sunk or captured. Their Korean and Chinese adversaries lost just one ship, on which all aboard were indiscriminately slaughtered by the Japanese.:shame:

[Centurion1]

Battle of Hansando, its the most famous of that time period. its hard to know though because the Koreans won most of the battles in this time frame

[Xipe Totec]

Sorry not the answer I was looking for. The Japanese lost 59 ships at the Battle of Hansando and the Koreans none. Chinese were not involved.

[Prussian to the Iron]

battle of noryang?

200 jap ships sunk, 100 captured.

koreans loss: 500 soldiers/sailors.

[Xipe Totec]

Yes! :beam:

The battle which finally saw an end to Hideyoshi's ambitions to conquer China and Korea. The great Korean admiral Yi Sunshin whose brilliance saved his nation from ignominious stark defeat, was killed by a stray shot from an arquebus on the deck of his flagship as the battle raged on. His dying command was for his death not to be announced for fear of affecting his men's morale, so his nephew donned his armour and bestrode the quarterdeck whilst his body was hidden in his cabin.

Over to you P.I.

[Prussian to the Iron]

yay!!!!

ok.....um.......


in 1887, this king of hawaii forcibly signed this constitution, which took away nearly all the power from the hawaiian monarchy?

[Xipe Totec]

King David Kalakaua signed the 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii, also known as the Bayonet Constitution because it was imposed by an armed militia of 3000 residents, including the famous Honolulu Rifles :laugh4: . The main effect was to limit suffrage, which had been previously universal for males, to rich landowners and businessmen. The large numbers of Asian immigrants were specifically excluded also. Eventually the move resulted in sovereignty passing to the USA which meant lots of Coca-Cola, hamburgers, diabetes and Japanese bombs.

[Prussian to the Iron]

wow. Xipe, we are such wikipedia-whores https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/images/smilies/gc/gc-laugh4.gif https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/images/smilies/gc/gc-laugh4.gif !!!!

back to you!

[Xipe Totec]

It's all just too easy.

Which Meso-American city was the last great capital of its people, featuring a huge rectangular masonry platform, on which were five great stepped circular pyramids containing the remains of their past kings or Kasonsis ?

I found it in a :book:

[aimlesswanderer]

It wasn't the Aztecs, probably not the Maya, but my good friend google suggested it is the last Tarascan capital, the greatly unpronouceable Tzintzuntzan.

[Centurion1]

Tenochitlan???, Macchu Picchu???

[Prussian to the Iron]

it couldnt be tenochtitlan; thats waaaaaay too easy.

......................tenochtitlan? :P

[Xipe Totec]

aimlesswanderer has it correct, it was Tzintzuntzan. Don't forget to read and reply to my superb Tarascan M2TW campaign guide, which no-one has bothered to reply to since I wrote it last October! ~:mecry:

Actually I got too bored to finish it. It was just melee with Jaguars, opponents ran away, Jaguars stopped fighting and then couldn't catch them to finish the job. Gah!

[aimlesswanderer]

This city was the capital city of the first dynasty to unite the country, but which ruled the whole country for less than 20 years before rebellion brought it to an end. The first man to unite the country was recorded in histories as being known for his cruelty, suspiciousness and superstitiousness.

[seireikhaan]

Xianyang.

[aimlesswanderer]

Correct. That was clearly too easy, next time I had better include less clues. Over to you then Shinseikhaan.

[Prussian to the Iron]

honestly, this sentence alone i could've gotten the answer:

This city was the capital city of the first dynasty to unite the country

[Centurion1]

Not to mention the part about the suspicious leader. That just screamed qin (sp?) to me

[Prussian to the Iron]

qin is correct. i dont know how the letters in english look like it says 'kin' instead of 'chin', but.....you know.

[Centurion1]

Yeah i thought so. So may we get the next question, grrr i will get one right eventually

[Prussian to the Iron]

shinseiikhan?

ummmm.......

hey if no one asks a question within the next day can i go?

[seireikhaan]

Sorry guys, I honestly forgot. Whoever wants to ask the next question can go right ahead.

[Prussian to the Iron]

in this game, released in 2009, you can use large smurfs, named 'pandours'. what is the name of the head smurf of the pandour order of the austrian smurf-town?

JK




ok here, based on info from my 'Medieval History' class:

another 2-part question:

In this 12th century document chronicling the early history of the Slavs and European Russia, the northern Slavic peoples banded together to drive out this group of vikings in the mid 9th century. however, the Slavs soon bean to attack and slaughter each other, leading to the invitation of 3 brothers of the same vikings whom they had just driven out.

so:

1) what is the 12th century document?
2) what is the viking group?

[Xipe Totec]

In the Ancient Chronicle of the monk Nestor of Kiev, the vikings are referred to as the Varangians. I am sure any players or ex-players of MTW will be very familiar with the Byzantine's stalwart Varangian Guards!

[Prussian to the Iron]

the verangians are correct, but the chronicle is wrong.

[Xipe Totec]

Also known as the Russian Chronicle?

'THE THREE PRINCES. During the years 6386, 6369, and 6370, [from 860-862] the Varangians crossed the Sea. This time the people who had already submitted to them refused to pay them tribute longer, and wished to govern themselves, but there was no sense of justice among them. One family raised itself against the others, and this foolishness brought frequent disaster. They therefore decided among themselves, "Let us seek a Prince who will govern us and who will give us justice." In order to find him, the Slavs crossed the Sea and sought him among the Varangians. The Chudes, the Slavs, the Krivichs and other peoples together spoke thus to the princes of Varangia: "Our country is large and has everything in abundance except that we lack order and justice; come take possession and govern us." Three Varangian brothers together with their families went, in effect, to occupy Slavonia. They settled among the Slavs, and in the country they built the city of Ladoga. The eldest of the three, Rurik, set up his residence along the banks of the river of that name. The second, Sineous, set up his house in the regions of the Blanc. The third, Trouvor, at Isbosk. That part of Russia was later called Novgorod by the Varangians, but the residents of that country, before the arrival of Rurik, had been known only by the name of Slavs. '

[Prussian to the Iron]

not the russian chronicle either...

[Xipe Totec]

Tale of Bygone Years? :laugh4:

[Centurion1]

I think its the chronicle of john skylitzes. It was produced in the mid 12th century

[Prussian to the Iron]

nope. neither of those.

[Centurion1]

The PRIMARY CHRONICLE, one of Russia's first historical annals, it mentions varangians.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Yes! the Primary Chronicle is correct! go Centurion!

[Xipe Totec]

The Primary Chronicle is also known as the Russian Chronicle and in Russian the 'Tale of Bygone Years', and was written mainly by Nestor of Kiev.

[Centurion1]

Ahh, i gotta go somewhere so here's one off the top of my head. A certain chronicle is known as the first British history book. Who wrote it, where was it written (a little more specific than Britain please :sweatdrop:), and when was it written (just the time frame please.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Anglo-Saxon chronicle?

compiled of 9 chronicles dated from 60 B.C.-1154 A.D.

[Megas Methuselah]

Anglo-Saxon chronicle?

compiled of 9 chronicles dated from 60 B.C.-1154 A.D.

Yeah, wikipedia is great, isn't it?

[Centurion1]

yeah wikipedia, is great isn't it

It is,

However those answers are wrong, try again.
Oh and dont forget who and where

[Prussian to the Iron]

was it created at any 1 time by any 1 person?

and was it english or irish? british is a little vague.

[Xipe Totec]

The 'Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum' written by the Venerable Bede in Northumbria, completed in or around 731 AD.

[Centurion1]

Congratulations, Xipe your question

[Xipe Totec]

Many thanks Centurion1, I wasn't really expecting that to be correct.:beam:

Back to the Romans then. Which Caesar was brutally murdered whilst travelling with his army in a closed litter. The foul deed was not discovered for many days, and the litter travelled along with the column as normal, until eventually the unendurable stench proved impossible to conceal. Who was blamed for the murder and subsequently killed, and which well-known future Emperor was probably really behind the heinous act?

Of course for Xipe such a smell is quite usual.

[Centurion1]

Numerian was killed (his father was killed slightly before this by "lightning" possibly a euphemism for something more blade-like)

A man named Aper was accused
But the true beneficiary and the most likely author of the perpetration was Diocletian, a well known emperor for setting up the tetrachy, and the last persecution of Christians.

[Xipe Totec]

All correct - well done Centurion1. Interesting that such a great persecutor of Christians as Diocletian should have been the originator of the terms 'Vicar' and 'Diocese'.:beam:

The honour of teeing off is yours, Centurion1.

[Centurion1]

OK well here goes. What is the name of Genghis Khans 1st son and what does it mean in Mongolian. (this is a very easy question, i stole it from a book I'm reading at the moment)

[Xipe Totec]

If you believe his mother, it was Jochi which translates as 'Guest' or 'the unexpected'. There was considerable doubt about his paternity however.:embarassed:

[Centurion1]

Correct Xipe, take it away

Book is Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world, excellent book i highly recommend it

[Xipe Totec]

Thanks I got that one from a book too - 'Storm From The East'. Very good with lots of pretty pictures in it. And this...

Which famous Mongol was a descendant of both Genghis Khan and Timur the Lame, and established a great and lasting empire? What was his son given to spare the lives of the family of one of his defeated adversaries?

[seireikhaan]

Hmmm.... He's not really a Mongol, but Babur sounds like the only one who fits the rest of the description. I'm stumped as to the second part of the equation.

[Prussian to the Iron]

thats a bit of a vague question. 'a great and lasting empire' could be....lots, and lots, and lots of people.

more details would be nice.

[A Very Super Market]

Thanks I got that one from a book too - 'Storm From The East'. Very good with lots of pretty pictures in it. And this...

Which famous Mongol was a descendant of both Genghis Khan and Timur the Lame, and established a great and lasting empire? What was his son given to spare the lives of the family of one of his defeated adversaries?

:confused:

Hmm.... I doubt it's one of the khanates, since they split up everytime the leader died....

Perhaps it would be in India?

[seireikhaan]

I'm about 99% positive its Babur he's referring to, founder of the Mughal Empire. I don't know diddly about his sons though.

[Xipe Totec]

Babur is correct, there aren't too many people in history descended from Genghis and Timur (apart from Babur's descendants of course), but can anyone get the second part of the question? I could narrow it down immensely by saying it was a famous item stolen by 'we British' :sultan: and rather uncharacteristically we never gave it back! (may be some sarcasm here)

[Prussian to the Iron]

the mughal empire wasnt long and lasting, but whatever.

[Xipe Totec]

the mughal empire wasnt long and lasting, but whatever.


Mughal Empire: Established April 26, 1526 - ended September 21st, 1857, (Wikipedia). Over 330 years. Its population around 1700 has been estimated as between 110 and 130 million, over a territory of over 4 million km² (1.5 million mi²). Great and Lasting?. :yes:

It doesn't last very long in ETW though, because it builds too many camel and dervish units which whirl around willy-nilly until they are shot or blown up. I think in Babur's day they had better generals or something.

Anyway it's still way too easy. One Mughal chap used to hide it in his turban all the time apparently :sultan:, and someone quite famous in the UK wears it on special occasions :bling:

[Prussian to the Iron]

330 years. and most of those were chaotic.

i dont get how they dont have barely any firearm units in E:TW though. i mean, its india for christs sake! they had firearms far before the europeans!

[Centurion1]

Obviously some piece of jewelry, perhaps it is the agra diamond? A lovely pink diamond given to babur by a raja for sparing his life, it was reputedly given to humayn (sp?) and he wore it in his turban. Reputedly worth 32.7 million dollars

[A Very Super Market]

They simply didn't utilise it as the Europeans did. The Chinese discovered the thing, and they still didn't get past the Arquebusier phase. India and China were both just too comfortable compared to complete cluster**** that was Europe, thus, they had no reason to aggressively develop new weapons and tactics. The Chinese especially.

Speaking of the Chinese, I hope you're aware that the Tang dynasty, regarded as the height of ancient China, saw the An Shi rebellion, taking more deaths than World War One. Internal turbulence in any pre-modern era nation shouldn't affect the definition of a "Great" empire. Hell, you can see the similar chaos in Europe. The War of the Roses.... Thirty Years War... Hussites.... The list goes on.

Anyways, I'm going to guess "Diamonds" But I think Khaan gets to ask the next question.

[Xipe Totec]

There are several candidates for the identity of Babur's diamond. The one I am after fits the clues in my last post. It's ridiculously obvious from that, and I can't believe no-one has given me the complete answer yet! I thought just guessing Babur was too easy so I added a little extra question to make it more of a challenge. Big clue: It's only worn by women because it reputedly has an ancient curse which only affects men. There's a famous woman in the UK who has homologous DNA sequences with a certain lady by the name of Victoria who used to be quite well known in India at one time.:laugh4:

She also shares common ancestry at the great grandfather/mother level with her idiot of a husband through both her maternal and paternal blood lines, and has some rather dubious offspring. Now that's a family with some serious inbreeding!

One of their more distant relatives, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia etc. had a similar level of common ancestry through both his parents with his first wife, the lovely Spanish Infanta Margarita Theresa. She was also the daughter of his sister. And she was the daughter of his Uncle Philip IV of Spain, who had also married his sister's daughter (Leopold's sister). She died tragically at the age of 21 following a string of miscarriages and had 5 live births who died in early infancy. One girl survived until early adulthood. Don't even think about the Hapsburg lip. Leopold was a classic case of mandibular prognathism, commonly referred to by his doting subjects as 'hogmouth'. Leopold is also my Emperor of Austria-Hungary-Prussia-Hannover-Saxony-Poland-Lithuania in my current ETW campaign, and is quite the magnificent monarch.

[Prussian to the Iron]

bindis?

[Xipe Totec]

bindis?

:gah2:

It's the name of a famous diamond. Very famous. Probably the most famous in the world. Owned by the richest woman in the world :7queen:. On display in the greatest city in the world (well in the UK anyway). Seen by hordes of tourists every day.

[Centurion1]

The koh-i-nur diamond

[Xipe Totec]

The koh-i-nur diamond


Yes indeed!

For those who don't know it forms part of the Crown Jewels, being set into the crown which was made for the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, the mother of our current glorious monarch Elizabeth II - Her Royal Highness and most better-than-the-rest-of-us-ness, whose DNA is too refined to mix with mere commoners. The purity of the Royal bloodline can only be preserved by 'keeping it in the family'.

We don't want all those carefully nurtured mutations to die out, now do we? :beam:

Okay enough radical republican raving, I pass the sceptre to you, Centurion1, and place upon your head the honourable diadem of the Nex Quest Yon.

[Centurion1]

Ah, ironically enough i was going to guess that at the beginning but i thought the agara diamond was a better match.

Ah well here goes, what was the name of the castle in syria that was fought over repeatedly. (still in good condition to this very day)

[Prussian to the Iron]

I'd have to say Damascus

[aimlesswanderer]

Must be Krak des Chevaliers.

[Centurion1]

krak de chevaliers was indeed correct. damascus is a huge metropolis and all the old city walls are mostly down.

Take it away aimless wanderer

[Prussian to the Iron]

ah. you guys ned to be a little more specific in your questions; i'm sure lots of castles have been fought over repeatedly in syria. not sure how many are in good condition though.....

[Centurion1]

I thought you would get that pi cause you said you read a book about crusades....

The krak de chevaliers is a immensely famous castle and the only one remaining to this day in good condition.

[Prussian to the Iron]

I know it's famous, I just didnt know if it was still in good condition. when you said 'syria', I immediately thought of damascus. it's really the first castle in syria i had ever heard about. i like saying it alot for some reason....

[aimlesswanderer]

I was the 4th son of the holder of a minor castle, and went on to serve the most powerful lord in the province, who subsequently became the major power in the land. I eventually rose to be one of his most powerful vassals, and received a large parcel of land as a reward. When he was treacherously killed, I transferred my allegiance to an old friend, who became the most powerful man in the country, and served him for many years. On his death I was entrusted with his son's welfare, but I died shortly afterwards. Who am I?

I hope you find this challenging, but not too challenging. More clues if you need them.

[al Roumi]

I was the 4th son of the holder of a minor castle, and went on to serve the most powerful lord in the province, who subsequently became the major power in the land. I eventually rose to be one of his most powerful vassals, and received a large parcel of land as a reward. When he was treacherously killed, I transferred my allegiance to an old friend, who became the most powerful man in the country, and served him for many years. On his death I was entrusted with his son's welfare, but I died shortly afterwards. Who am I?

I hope you find this challenging, but not too challenging. More clues if you need them.

er, i think that's probably too lacking in references... I agree you don't want to give it all away and make it easy but you've included no obviously distinguishing feature of the individual to even start pinning them down to say: a geographic region, time (beyond whenever "castles" are relevant) or achievements (beyond some not very defining stuff).

Nothing in your post indicates anyone of particular fame or renown, maybe you've deliberately avoided mentioning something that would instantly give the game away -but there's not much left in that case!

Why on earth is this person famous? :D

[Centurion1]

Well i am no master of the game but it seems rather simple to me. The tone of his voice appears to be to me Japanese, so i believe this is a japanese person.

now i have read a book by James Clavell (favorite book) called shogun and this parallels that story somewhat. When one of the Dictators named Goroda (step below shogun) is assasinated by Akechi Jinsai, a samurai named Torananga signs on with Nakamura who becomes in all but name the shogun. Now Nakamura has one son named yaemon and he is too young when nakamura dies to inherit the throne. So a council of regents is set up and Yaemon is taken care of until he comes to age by Torananga among others. The only problem is i cant remember if this was a true story or not....

could also be Ishido

I still think its japanese but im dont think my answer is right

Ieyasu Tokugawa

Oh and no one said it had to be famous, just historical

[aimlesswanderer]

It isn't Tokugawa Ieyasu, but you are correct that the person is Japanese, Centurion1.

[Prussian to the Iron]

this is probably wrong, but i like playing age of empires age of kings on my DS.

Minamoto Yoshitsune?

[Centurion1]

Yeah for some reason it just screamed japan at me. ill have to think on who else it could be though.....

[Prussian to the Iron]

can we have a time period? like 1200-1500 A.D.?

[aimlesswanderer]

It isn't Yoshitsune, and he was a contemporary of Ieyasu.

[Centurion1]

Im basically throwing around shoguns names now but......

nobunaga? (gah that feels like a weak answer even to me)

[Prussian to the Iron]

Honda Tadakatsu, Ishikawa Kazumasa, Koriki Kiyonaga, Hattori Hanzō, Sakai Tadatsugu, and Sakakibara Yasumasa.


if all of those are wrong, then screw it.

[aimlesswanderer]

OK, better give you some more clues.

He was a vassal of Nobunaga and was famous for his spear skills.

More clues if you need them

His wife was famous, and his fief was famous for being the richest in the country.

[Prussian to the Iron]

finally, some real clues!


Toyotomi Hideyoshi?
Niwa Nagahide?


by the way: saying someone 'was famous' doesnt mean crap. different people, sources, writeers, and just about everything have different definitions of 'famous'. i wouldn't consider somebody famous unless just about everyone knows their name; like Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, Julius Caesar, Duke William of Normandy, etc., or unless they significantly change history.

take for example Duke William of Normandy. Had he not conquered england and unified it under 1 strong rule, theres no telling how much france could have expanded without hinderance from the brits.

also, japanese typically aren't famous to most people; they were isolationist up until the late 1800's, which was forced mostly.

/rant

sorry i had to do that, its just that im getting tired of questions saying 'i was famous. i wass a vasal. guess who i am.'



Toyotomi Hideyoshi?

[aimlesswanderer]

He was one of Hideyoshi's old friends and was one of the council of regents who were to take care of his son after he died.

That is enough clues, but if you still can't figure it out -

Maeda Toshiie

Sorry if it was a bit too obscure. You ask the next question.

[Prussian to the Iron]

aah. you know i can only get so far on wikipedia right :P?


ok here goes:

according to legend, in 1212, an unnoficial crusade was launched. Led by a frenchman, Stephen, and a German, Nicholas, neither army ever reached the holy land, though there were supposedly 37,000 crusaders combined.

Those who were not killed were sold into slavery, or had died from hunger.

what crusade was this?

[aimlesswanderer]

I wanted a question where you couldn't just plug in the clues and choose the first google hit. Maybe it was a bit obscure.

Off the top of my head, was this the infamous Children's Crusade, which was a complete and utter disaster?

[Prussian to the Iron]

off the top of my head, yes, it is.

go ahead aimless, but please don't do another japan question. almost noone here can answer those.

[aimlesswanderer]

OK, a question not about Japan.

I was a brilliant general whose success caused strain with my ruler, whose suspicion meant that I was often given little support on my many campaigns. I greatly helped to enlarge the empire and went some way to restoring it to its former territorial glory. I eventually died within weeks of the death of my suspicious ruler. Who am I?

[Prussian to the Iron]

details. more details. no one is going to be able to get it with: brilliant general, caused stress, got little support, enlarged empire, and died within weeks of the ruler.

really? that has to be an extremely common story. basically all that was intertwined with briliant general, except for the death. many, many generals have recieved little support frm the ruler, for fear of them gaining power.

[aimlesswanderer]

Ok, this should make it easy. The capital city of the empire is now known as Istanbul.

[Centurion1]

Ah, so either an ottoman or a Greek. i would go with an ottoman because except for Justinian, the byzantine empire never really exploded in growth, and Justinian was a emperor not a general............hmmm

[Prussian to the Iron]

well, centurion, you go ahead and do ottomans, and ill go byzantine. after all, he did say 'is no known as', so i figure it means it was constantinople during the time of this person.

damn, if you had asked this question like, 2 weeks ago, i would have been able to answer this in a second. medieval history class was focused on byzantines a couple weeks ago.


to the history book!

[Xipe Totec]

Flavius Belisarius ( ca. 500 – 565)

'One of the defining features of Belisarius' career was his operating under conditions of little or no support from his emperor Justinian and Byzantium, and nonetheless succeeding through military genius.'

'Belisarius and Justinian, whose sometimes strained partnership increased the size of the empire by 45%, died within a few weeks of one another in November of 565.'

Quotes from Wikipedia.

[aimlesswanderer]

That's right Xipe, over to you.

[Xipe Totec]

Thanks chum. Let's have a weird one for a change eh?

Which famous U.S. geologist threw his little hammer just for fun during a historic live TV broadcast, so that it took over six seconds to hit the ground.

Amazing! Many people think the film was not a live broadcast but a slowed down video hoax!

[Prussian to the Iron]

Harrison H. 'Jack' Schmidt?

[aimlesswanderer]

Umm, was that on the moon? Low gravity and all that.

[Prussian to the Iron]

yeah. its on youtube :P

he throws the hammer up....then it falls back down behind the lunar lander. its a bit hard to see though; its filmed from pretty far away.

[Xipe Totec]

Yes that's right! I'm inclined to believe that was authentic. Not so hard to get then, eh?

Over to you, Prussian Iron ...

[Prussian to the Iron]

cool.

At this battle, in 732, the Carolingian franks and an Andalusian Umayyad force met eachother on the battlefield. The Carolingian commander, nicknamed "The Hammer", formed up on a hill, with forests all around him, with 3 times his force below him, forcing the deadly Umayyad cavalry to be caught in a frontal attack, against a phalanx of extremely experienced men. After being routed, the Umayyad cavalry ended up running ack to the camp, while Frankish scouts freed slaves and stole loot. The infantry, believing this to be a full retreat, ended up turning and running back to Andalusia.

What battle was this, and what were the commanders names?

[Warmaster Horus]

Hmm... Battle of Tours, with the Franks being led by Charles Martel. No idea for the Moorish commander.

[Prussian to the Iron]

right battle, right frank.

'No idea'. hm. i'm pretty sure that isn't a moorish name :P

[Xipe Totec]

Abu Said Abdul Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Bishr ibn Al Sarem Al 'Aki Al Ghafiqi was his full name. Usually known to historians as Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi. To his close friends he often said 'you can call me Al'.

:laugh4:

[Prussian to the Iron]

haha! al!

right you are xipe. hmmm, how will this work out?

warmaser horus, if you want to go i guess go. sorry xipe, he did get 2/3 right

[Xipe Totec]

Yeah I think that's fair. I just looked it up on Wiki anyway.

[Warmaster Horus]

I've been thinking on and off about this, and I'm a bit too distracted to find a good one out. Xipe Totec, go on.

[Xipe Totec]

Okay, but don't say you didn't have the chance to avoid this ridiculous question!

Great-great-grandfather to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and great-grandfather to her husband Prince Philip. I was unsuccessful in my attempt to marry my cousin, who was also great-great-grandmother to both Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip. Who am I and which cousin was I trying to marry?

:7queen::dunce2:

:ears: :goofy: :freak: :wreck:

[Prussian to the Iron]

oh my god.....xipe, wh would you try to marry your cousin?! you sick bastard.....

obviously jk lol


umm......

Christian the 9th, of Denmark?

no idea who he tried to marry.

[Xipe Totec]

Yeah you're right about Christian IX of Denmark. The cousin he 'loved and lost' was a much more well known ancestor of QE II, especially renowned for her outstanding contribution to the 'bleeding' genetic diseases in the Royal Blood of the European Monarchies' 'tightly-knit' family!

She owned a rather large diamond as well!

[aimlesswanderer]

Possibly the best example of why you shouldn't keep marrying relatives - the royal families of Europe! :oops:

[Prussian to the Iron]

apparently, at least 9 major countries in europe are ruled by direct descendants of christian. he was a horny little bastard :P

[Xipe Totec]

On a positive note, the well-documented family trees with 'more mutants than you could shake a stick at' has proved invaluable for Human Geneticists. The mode of inheritance for a particular gene can be readily deduced from a logical analysis of the 'royal vegetables'. In cases where 'common people' are affected, such as when servant girls are paid-off to hide their 'bastard offspring' of over-eager royals, this knowledge can help doctors prevent more such unfortunate individuals being born into the 'normal' poulation.

:scholar:

[Prussian to the Iron]

could it be queen victoria, the first british empress of india?

[Xipe Totec]

Yes indeed, the great Queen Victoria!

Unusually for a royal, Victoria chose to marry her first cousin, Prince Albert :no:. However the union proved very fruitful and she gave birth a mere 9 months later. She endured an incredible five assassination attempts in the first ten years of her reign.

The appearance of haemophilia in her children suggests that most likely there was a new mutation in either the sperm or ovum from which Victoria was derived. The unsavoury alternative is that she was illegitimate and not 'of the royal blood'. A bally commoner, no less, unthinkable! :shame:

She passed the gene onto 2 of her 5 daughters, who were unaffected being female like herself, but passed the disease on to their children. Of her 4 sons, only one had the disease (each had a 50% chance), Prince Leopold, who died after slipping over at the Yacht Club in Cannes, when an excess of claret and morphine was administered to ease his painful knee. Rasputin was obviously indisposed at that time. :dizzy2:

Okay - ova to you, Prussian Iron!

[Prussian to the Iron]

sorry for the long response time; CoD 4 MP gets pretty enthralling once you get a G36C and an AK47-U with double tap.....

anyway:

The Ottoman empire was a large and powerful empire for a hefty period of time. What man was the Ottoman Empire named after, what was his name in Arabic, and what was his first major military victory?

[Xipe Totec]

Otto von Bismarck, or I Mustafa Iron Und Bluden All Jermani, as he is known to Islamic scholars. His first great victory was in the Second War of Schleswig, when he defeated our old friend Christian IX of Denmark. :laugh4:

[Prussian to the Iron]

LOL!!!!!!

it took me a second to get that, i thought you were being serious until i read 'Bluden all Jermani'!

[Xipe Totec]

عثمان بن أرطغرل , Osman I or Othman I El-Gazi.

In 1302 he defeated the Byzantines at Nicaea. He also conquered the fair Mal Hatun but I assume you are looking for a martial rather than a marital feat. Some 24 years later occurred the most famous victory of his reign, the capture of Bursa.

[Prussian to the Iron]

yeah back to you.

it seems like its just you and me, and then an occasional person who comes in.

[Centurion1]

Hey i am here. i have gotten a few, but i look for questions that are either really easy or that arent going to take like a minute on wikipedia (a challenge)

[Xipe Totec]

Tribune of the Plebs, Censor, twice Consul, I celebrated two triumphs after victories in Hispania and Sardinia. At age 45, I married the 18 year-old daughter of a man whose brilliant leadership saved Rome from one of history's greatest generals. Of our 12 children only three survived, of which my two sons made my family name famous for all time, although they both met violent deaths at the hands of a Senatorial mob. :rtwno:

What name do I share with one of my famous sons and a famous uncle who was also twice consul?

No wikipedia necessary for this easy one! :beam:

[Prussian to the Iron]

julius caesar?

just guessing since you said no wikipedia needed.

[Xipe Totec]

No, not that easy! The person I am after lived some time before Julius Caesar's day.

If any latin scholars are in attendance, can they confirm that Caesar should rightfully be pronounced like 'kaiser'. I was taught in my first Latin class that C is always a hard consonant like our K, and that ae is said like I (although it is like 'ee' in Greek). I find it hard to understand why the entire English speaking world insists on saying 'See-zer' when it is clearly incorrect. :inquisitive:

[Prussian to the Iron]

it...doesnt matter, but i think i know why:

1) just about every historian and scholar that goes on TV pronounces it like that. that means most people will go by that.

2) 'Kaiser' is commonly associated with the Third Reich, even though it is simply a German term meaning 'Emperor'. Being associated with Hitler means that most people want to steer clear of it, no matter what. It's like if there was a Roman Emperor named 'Holocaust'. Most people, instead of ponouncing and spellling it the same, would probably pronounce it 'Hah-los-aoost'. It's more of an ethical deal in this case.

3) Caesar sounds cooler :D

[Centurion1]

Tribune of the Plebs, Censor, twice Consul, I celebrated two triumphs after victories in Hispania and Sardinia. At age 45, I married the 18 year-old daughter of a man whose brilliant leadership saved Rome from one of history's greatest generals. Of our 12 children only three survived, of which my two sons made my family name famous for all time, although they both met violent deaths at the hands of a Senatorial mob.

What name do I share with one of my famous sons and a famous uncle who was also twice consul?

No Wikipedia necessary for this easy one!

You included a lot of clues. Clue number one, triumphs after victories in Hispania and Sardinia. This firmly roots it in Punic times these areas were firmly roman, especially Sardinia. Clue two, man whose brilliant leadership etc. Duh, if the battles of this time period were in Sardinia and Hispania, then it must be Hannibal, the man who most threatened Rome in its youth. Final clue, tribune of the plebes. Not that many people are tribune of the plebes.

Give me something worth a challenge. The man you are looking for is obviously Tiberius Gracchus Major also known as Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus.


Oh and i take Latin. The reason it is pronounced Caesar instead of kaser (like laser with a k) is because of differences between pagan Latin (normal spoken latin) and ecclesiastical Latin (that of the church. Ecclesiastical is the type most people learned back in the day because the Catholic church was the big dog and was the only one spreading around Latin.

[Xipe Totec]

Well done Centurion1, you certainly know your plebs from your patricians. Please celebrate a quick ovation and proceed with your next petition to this noble house. Thanks to you and Ferrum Prussiorum for your representations on the subject of Gaius Julius Caesar. I am sure Cicero would concur. Henceforth, I shall withdraw my veto .:2thumbsup:

Gaius Julius Caesar (pronounced [ˈɡaː.i.us ˈjuːli.us ˈkaɪsar] in Classical Latin; conventionally /ˈɡaɪ.əs ˈdʒuːli.əs ˈsiːzər/ in English), Wikipedia.

[Centurion1]

So my question is an easy one.

What emperor made gains into Armenia and Parthia.

[the tokai]

So my question is an easy one.

What emperor made gains into Armenia and Parthia.
Has to be Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, I don't think any other emperors went as far east as him.

[Xipe Totec]

Yeah got to be Trajan. Although I'd call him Imperator Caesar Divi Nervae Filius Nerva Traianus Optimus Augustus Germanicus Dacicus Parthicus, out of respect for his divinity. Some later emperors had a bash at Parthia, but Armenia was long since under Roman dominion, more thanks to Lucius Licinius 'not enough men for an army, too many for an embassy' Lucullus than that shameless scoundrel Pompey 'steal the glory at the last minute when the enemy is already beaten but can't beat a proper general with a smaller army and no cavalry' Magnus.

[Centurion1]

Yeah got to be Trajan. Although I'd call him Imperator Caesar Divi Nervae Filius Nerva Traianus Optimus Augustus Germanicus Dacicus Parthicus, out of respect for his divinity. Some later emperors had a bash at Parthia, but Armenia was long since under Roman dominion, more thanks to Lucius Licinius 'not enough men for an army, too many for an embassy' Lucullus than that shameless scoundrel Pompey 'steal the glory at the last minute when the enemy is already beaten but can't beat a proper general with a smaller army and no cavalry' Magnus.

Nice answer, very detailed and can't say i argue. However, Tokai has got a faster trigger finger it appears.

Take it away tokai.

[the tokai]

Right. The man I'm looking for is someone from the modern era, who served under a famous general in Africa and went on to be the leader of his Western-European homeland. He also wrote a book about a river and was involved in the development of a war-winning weapon. Who am I looking for?

[Xipe Totec]

Winston Churchill. Served under Kitchener in the Sudan. Wrote a book about it called 'the River War' (The Nile being the river in question). Involved in the development of the tank in WWI. Became British Prime Minister during WWII. :beam:

[the tokai]

Winston Churchill. Served under Kitchener in the Sudan. Wrote a book about it called 'the River War' (The Nile being the river in question). Involved in the development of the tank in WWI. Became British Prime Minister during WWII. :beam:
Correct, correct, correct, correct and correct. The floor is yours Xipe Totec.

[Xipe Totec]

Many thanks the tokai. Here goes:

Born during the first world war. A descendent of Fernando III of Castile and Jean de Brienne, King of Jerusalem and Emperor of Constantinople. In WWII I was captured by the Nazis and placed in Stalag IXa POW camp, but managed to escape at the third attempt over a year later. Working first for the Vichy regime and then with the resistance I fell out with General De Gaulle who became a rival and opponent for many years. I was eventually elected President of France and served for 14 years before ill-health caused me to retire without seeking re-election. Who am I?

[Prussian to the Iron]

Francois Mitterrand, without a doubt!

P.S: no wikipedia involved; type in Stalag IX-A, nothing comes up.

[Xipe Totec]

Oui monsieur!
Au-dessus de à vous pour la prochaine question, Fer Prussien!

Vorbei zu Ihnen für die folgende Frage, Preussisches Eisen!

次の質問のためのあなたにに、プロイセンの鉄!

Over to you for the next question Prussian Iron!

[Prussian to the Iron]

hmmm......

which Ligurian pope was famous for his encouragement of Humanism and establishing Libraries?

[Centurion1]

Could i be so bold as to say Pope Nicholas the V?

[Prussian to the Iron]

perhaps.....

go centurion.

[Centurion1]

Alright ill give it a twirl.

How long did the 100 years war last and what was the final battle. (please do not answer a hundred)

[Prussian to the Iron]

thats way too easy:

116 years, and the last battle was castillon

[Centurion1]

I know i cringed while i wrote it. i am just not good at writing these questions.

[Prussian to the Iron]

During the dark ages, this Archbishop was accused of heresy by a political enemy. After the council of ephesus, he was exiled to egypt and founded the assyrian church. who was the archbishop, and who was the political enemy who acused him of heresy?

[Xipe Totec]

Then Archbishop of Constantinople, Nestorius objected to calling Mary the 'Mother of God' and preferred the term 'Mother of Christ'. He propounded the view that Mary gave birth to the man Jesus, not to God.

The Pope of Alexandria, Saint Cyril objected to this view that Jesus was a man separate from God, and labelled Nestorius' view as heresy. He pursuaded Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II to convene a council on the matter. Cyril and his supporters concluded the debate before the much delayed Nestorius and his followers could arrive, declaring Nestorius deposed and exiled. Eventually he was forced into exile within Cyril's jurisdiction in Egypt. :egypt: The issue caused a major schism within the church, but with the Pope taking Cyril's view, seventeen bishops who agreed with Nestorius were quickly removed from office. :smash:

The Nestorian church was protected and given succour by the Sassanid Persians in order to annoy their Byzantine rivals. It flourished and spread as far as China and India. Today there are as many as 170,000 adherents in Syria, Iraq, Iran and India.

I think Jesus was a fine man his mother should have been proud of. :2thumbsup: Not afraid to stand up and say what he believed in, whatever powerful men he might upset in the process.

God is the word good with a letter 'o' taken out. Deities are things for people to believe in who don't have a better alternative: why did the creator make a billion years of fossils all neatly packaged into layers, why the hell were dinosaurs wandering about for 200 million years before God decided to make something in his own image? And for gawds sake why does the galaxy contain 100,000,000,000 stars, and why are there millions of billions of other galaxies spinning around it? :dizzy2:

I think whether you go with indivisible oneness or just think Mary 'popped a sprog', you need a very large dose of faith to believe that God created all that just to test yours. If you believe that, then you'll believe anything, and that suits people with very large gardens just fine. :yes:

Of course Xipe Totec really does exist ...

[Centurion1]

Ugh i knew that. i just hate writing questions. (12 years of catholic schooling)

[Prussian to the Iron]

xipe, did you copy that from wikipedia, or did you really write that all yourself?

[Xipe Totec]

That's all my own work. Although I would like to give credit where credit is due. Some of the factual information may be similar to what could be found on wikipedia. The ranting is definitely all my own though. :laugh4:

Is the answer right though, you didn't say?

[Prussian to the Iron]

oh yes, it is right.

[Xipe Totec]

Okay.


Three world famous men, all born in the same year in late seventeenth century Europe. All wrote music of such lasting impact that they are still considered today among the greatest composers of the baroque era. All three also feature in my well-preserved record collection.

Who are they, and in which year were they born?

Hint: you have all heard of two of them for sure. The third is not so well known, but is certainly the most celebrated composer of all time for one particular instrument, which was part of most live music performances ... of a certain quality ... during their lifetimes.

[Brandy Blue]

I think Jesus was a fine man his mother should have been proud of. :2thumbsup: Not afraid to stand up and say what he believed in, whatever powerful men he might upset in the process.

God is the word good with a letter 'o' taken out. Deities are things for people to believe in who don't have a better alternative: why did the creator make a billion years of fossils all neatly packaged into layers, why the hell were dinosaurs wandering about for 200 million years before God decided to make something in his own image? And for gawds sake why does the galaxy contain 100,000,000,000 stars, and why are there millions of billions of other galaxies spinning around it? :dizzy2:

I think whether you go with indivisible oneness or just think Mary 'popped a sprog', you need a very large dose of faith to believe that God created all that just to test yours. If you believe that, then you'll believe anything, and that suits people with very large gardens just fine. :yes:

Of course Xipe Totec really does exist ...


Play fair, Xipe. There are lots of questions that the agnostics and athiests can't answer either.

For instance, your rant implies that you believe in goodness. If there is no higher or universal good (which we might as well call God) then "goodness" is probably a matter of social convention and personal opinion, and has no existence, as such, at all. In which case, who cares about good? Might as well not bother praising Jesus or anyone else.

Besides, to say that God "created all that just to test" your faith is a pretty heavy distortion of the Christian faith. Its easy to prove a belief "wrong" if you misrepresent it in the first place.

[Prussian to the Iron]

hey hey hey guys, lets not make this a religious thread unless the question is sstrictly about religion. and lets try to steer clear of those unless it does not suggest or attempt to press the askers belief on someone else. like mine was.

[Xipe Totec]

Feel free to make passing comments if you answer the question first! This is a quiz thread as Prussian Iron highlighted. I think if you take the time to research a topic and post a detailed response it is reasonable to put your own view on the subject. I accept that I did express opinions which are not universally held. None are. I can remember the Pope announcing that the RC church finally accepted that the Earth moved around the Sun, rather than the other way round. Instead of burning people they could have looked through a telescope (!). I agree with most of what Jesus said, but I don't want to praise him every day. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I will believe things which check out with what I can see rather than what people said 2000 years ago.

I like much of the music inspired by the Christian faith. Some of the best examples were written by the chaps in the question. Which still remains to be answered.

[Samurai Waki]

Okay.


Three world famous men, all born in the same year in late seventeenth century Europe. All wrote music of such lasting impact that they are still considered today among the greatest composers of the baroque era. All three also feature in my well-preserved record collection.

Who are they, and in which year were they born?

Hint: you have all heard of two of them for sure. The third is not so well known, but is certainly the most celebrated composer of all time for one particular instrument, which was part of most live music performances ... of a certain quality ... during their lifetimes.

Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti?

year was 1685.

[Xipe Totec]

Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti?

year was 1685.

Congratulations Wakizashi, we have a winner!

Please enlighten us with a test of our wisdom before I lose my faith in this thread.

宗教を避けなさい :laugh4:

[Samurai Waki]

I'm going to make you guys dig deep on this one :wiseguy:

I was born in Poltava, to Cossack Gentry. My family's wealth sent me to the Imperial Institution for Pages where I excelled, and was commissioned in the Guards as Aide-De-Camp to Tsar Alexander I.
I was present at the Battle of Austerlitz, but was only an officer for our Auxiliary Army sent to assist.

Soon after, I campaigned against the Turks, where I distinguished myself as a Capable Commander, but it wasn't until later that I gained my Country's attention by commanding my infantry division against the French, where I was awarded the rank of Lieutenant General.

After the Coalition against Napoleon was over, I would find peace for several years, only to be later sent against the Persians, and then again the Turks. Because of my skill, I became Count of our newly conquered Territories, as well as rose to the rank of Field Marshal.

I put the final nail in the Coffin, for any hopes of the Polish gaining independence for many years. I am also one of the few men to have gained the Title of Field Marshal from three great powers who were often at war with each other.

I was the most senior Commander to take part in the Crimean War, but was injured early on, and left my Army to a more physically capable General.

I lived for many years after, but was finally laid to rest in Sevastopol.

Who am I?

[miotas]

Ivan Prasovich(something like that:embarassed:)? I don't know about all the other stuff but I do know a few random things about the crimean war. I'm not sure if that's him though.

EDIT
Ooo! can I make up for my not knowing his name properly by saying the more physically capable general was Prince... :uhoh: :oops: :shame:
:tongue::clown:

[Prussian to the Iron]

Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov

[Samurai Waki]

Ivan Prasovich

Paskovich. But close enough! :thumbsup:

[miotas]

Hey I was right.

Righto, my question is which Australian state conisdered, and almost succeeded in, becoming a separate country?

[the tokai]

Tasmania? I really have no idea, but at least this one would make some sense if it were true.

[Xipe Totec]

Western Australia voted 2:1 in a referendum in 1933 to break away from the Australian Federation to form a separate state within the British Empire. The British Government did not permit the secession to occur.

Probably Western Australia were disgusted at having just lost the Ashes 4-1 in Australia, thanks to some rather controversial bowling masterminded by Mr Douglas Jardine! The English & Welsh were no doubt worried about whether it would rain enough in the summer to beat yet another Australian cricket side with swing bowling.

:laugh4:

Quote from Don Bradman ':daisy:... :daisy:... :daisy:... :angry:... :daisy:... :confused:... :scared:... :surrender: ... ~:mecry: ... :sorry:'

[miotas]

Ha ha, you got it. It was actually because back then 2500km of harsh dessert was such an effective barrier that they pretty much were a separate country, they just wanted to formalize things.

Take it away Xipe!

EDIT
I figured someone who didn't know would guess tassie :laugh4:

[Prussian to the Iron]

even though australia is technically a continent, its generally not a good idea to have more than 1 nation on an island, unless that island happens to be pangea.

[Xipe Totec]

even though australia is technically a continent, its generally not a good idea to have more than 1 nation on an island, unless that island happens to be pangea.

I best not comment on the above in relation to England / Scotland or especially Ireland for fear of losing this thread to a storm of controversy. :dizzy2:

The Next Question


Born in 15th century Dublin, my father was killed in battle and his head displayed on a spike after attempting to claim the crown of England. Still too young to fight, I saw my 19 year-old elder brother crowned King after avenging his death.

Following my marriage at 20, I soon turned against my brother and rebelled in support of my father's killers. I accused my mother of having an affair at the time when my brother, the King was conceived, in order to press my own claim to the throne. After realising I would never become King through this means, I returned to supporting my brother, and fought with him at his final victorious battle.

Accused of plotting against the King again 7 years later I was tried for treason, convicted and executed in the Tower of London, allegedly as a result of the intrigues of my ambitious younger brother. Who was I?

[Xipe Totec]

Zounds! Dost thou need another clue?


'First Murderer. Take him over the costard with the hilts of thy sword, and then throw him into the malmsey-butt in the next room.

Second Murderer. O, excellent device! make a sop of him.'

One of Shakespeare's best plays, no doubt.

[Prussian to the Iron]

it must be William Hastings.

[Xipe Totec]

No not Hastings, but he was dispatched by the same agency, he who's arm was 'like a blasted sapling. wither'd up' ... 'with devilish plots of damned witchcraft'.

Let me draw your attention to the fact that I said his elder brother was the King of England when he was condemned. Lord Hastings' execution followed swift upon his upraised and wine-soaked heels.

[Prussian to the Iron]

George Plantagenet? brother of Edward IV, reportedly drowned in wine.

[Xipe Totec]

George Plantagenet? brother of Edward IV, reportedly drowned in wine.


Yes, George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, reputedly a man somewhat over fond of a good tipple.

How now, Prussian Iron my liege, I prithee wilt thou honour the company anon with a most noble question?

[Prussian to the Iron]

haha! My good man:

In this book, based partially in real-life events, Anne of Austria is involved in a plot to replace her son with his abandoned twin.

What is the book and the author?

[Xipe Totec]

'Les Trois Mousquetaires' par Alexandre Dumas, peut-être ?

[Prussian to the Iron]

nope. great book as well though.

[aimlesswanderer]

The Man in the Iron Mask, by Somebody?

[Xipe Totec]

The Vicomte de Bragelonne (from which the plot of 'The Man in The Iron Mask' was taken) by Alexandre Dumas?

Or is it 'Dogtanian and the three muskehounds' perhaps? :laugh4:

[Prussian to the Iron]

it is in fact the Man in the Iron Mask, by Alexandre Dumas

sorry for the delay; on vacation!

[Xipe Totec]

I think the honour must belong to aimlesswanderer ... :balloon2:

[aimlesswanderer]

Ok then. here goes. This empire was for centuries quite small and vied only for local power with neighbouring kingdoms. However, their study and application of the military arts, along with administrative reforms enabled them to conquer their rivals and enabled them to reach the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. When the end came it was a swift fall, and a coalition of their southern and eastern neighbours brought them down. Their descendants are still scattered around the old homeland even today. They sent out colonists to news conquered areas, and resettled new subjects far away from their original homeland. They were known to be particularly brutal and merciless with enemies who refused to surrender. What is the name of this empire, and its people?

[Xipe Totec]

Assyrian ?

[Centurion1]

i am going to say the counter of the assyrians....

Babylonians ?

(i think either i or xipe are right but i think xipe because of the brutal comment)

[aimlesswanderer]

That's right Xipe. Over to you.

I am still a little amazed that there are still a few Assyrians around today.

[Xipe Totec]

Wow, I got one straight off the bat, without hitting the wiki.

Okay. I defeated the army of a Gallic tribe with a small force of cavalry and light infantry, after killing their king in single combat. I was granted a magnificent triumph by the senate in which his captured armour was displayed.
After overcoming the siegecraft of a great scientist to capture a great city, I successfully harried the army of Hannibal and fought several inconclusive engagements. At the last, I fell for one of Hannibal's crafty ambushes and was killed in a skirmish together with my co-consul. Who was I?

[Prussian to the Iron]

oh man, i saw the last part on history channel!!!

let me think.....

Gaius Flaminius

at the battle of lake trasimene, a surprise attack undergone in the morning haze.

[Xipe Totec]

:no: Nope. This consul was killed in a small skirmish whilst on a reconnaisance with 200 cavalry, rather than in a full-scale battle like Trasimene.

Trasimene though - what an amazing ambush. I don't know which was more incredible, that or Teutoburger Wald, where three legions were destroyed in the forests of Germania. The Romans just seemed to walk into these things with arrogant ease. Much of Hannibal's success was due to his understanding of the typical patrician Roman mentality, and how to exploit it to not just defeat Roman armies but annihiliate them.

When I play RTW I am always annoyed when a Roman army deployed near the red line suddenly turns tail and runs away unscathed before I can get to grips with them. 'Like a barbarian in trousers'.

[Ariovistus Maximus]

Gaius Flaminius defeated Phillip V at Cynoscephalae in 197, so it certainly wasn't him. :beam:

Anyways, I KNEW I read about this guy before so it was driving me bonkers. I did a little research:

Marcus Claudius Marcellus. Granted a triumph for killing Viridomarus at the battle of Clastidium. He later took the city of Syracuse and fought in Sicily until his death in 208.

I did have to do some research on it though. :embarassed:

[Xipe Totec]

Congratulations Ariovistus Maximus on the correct answer :balloon2: Marcus Claudius Marcellus!

Not so well known considering he conquered Syracuse defended by the amazing contraptions of Archimedes, and may have defeated Hannibal if he had not fallen into his devious trap. His achievements were of course overshadowed by Scipio Africanus, also undoubtedly a brilliant strategist and a heroic leader.

Over to you ...

[Ariovistus Maximus]

Awesome. :2thumbsup: Many thanks to Xipe.

OK, my question:

I sailed the ocean blue in 1492. Who am I?

:clown::laugh4::clown:

And if you really think that's my question, I have some fine property in the middle of the Atlantic to sell you.

OK sorry I just had to. :beam: OK for real now. Shouldn't be hard if you're familiar with early US history:

I was born in Magdeburg, seat of the Duchy of Magdeburg, in 1730. Upon becoming of age, I joined the army, eventually becoming a staff officer. The army was significantly reduced after the Seven Year's War. I found myself without work and served afterwards in several other armies.

I met Benjamin Franklin in Paris in 1777. I knew my training would be valuable to the colonials, so with a little exaggeration of my military service (I described myself as a Lieutenant General in King Frederick's service) and leaning somewhat on the title of Baron (from a distant ancestor) I began serving under George Washington.

Being well-schooled in Prussian drill and discipline, I was instrumental in training thousands of American farmboys into soldiers. Eventually, my simulated rank of Lieutenant-General was discovered (my real rank was Colonel), but Washington was not at all bothered by this.

I served at different times as Inspector General and Major General in the Continental Army, as well as Chief of Staff to George Washington.

Who am I?

[Prussian to the Iron]

oh damn, i keep getting questions that i used to know the answer to but cant remember. ah well, back to my US history book.....

[Prussian to the Iron]

Baron von Steuben i believe

or Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben if you want the whole name.

[Ariovistus Maximus]

Correct! Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben.

Well done, Prussian Iron! :balloon2: That was fast. :beam:

All yours now. Ask away. :2thumbsup:

[Centurion1]

should have known am would find this thread eventually, good to see you here bud :2thumbsup:

[Ariovistus Maximus]

should have known am would find this thread eventually, good to see you here bud :2thumbsup:

Hehe yes I'm lovin' it. :2thumbsup: Good to see you too. We shall take over the thread!!! :mellow:

So, Prussian Iron... question?

[Prussian to the Iron]

sorry, ive been busy lately. anyway, sholuld be easy. here:

this kind of shield is often associated with Norman spearmen and cavalry on the Bayeaux tapestry. Name the general type of shield, and the exact shape that is pictured.

[Xipe Totec]

The Kite Shield. Round at the top and tapering to a point at the bottom with a curved cross-section. It is usually described as 'teardrop' shaped.

[Prussian to the Iron]

yup. go ahead xipe

[Centurion1]

Why am i never on when easy questions are posted......
:wall::laugh4:

[Prussian to the Iron]

i feel your pain brother!

[Xipe Totec]

Okay here's an easy one then ...

In which battle did 292 men from a force of 440 Spartan Hoplites surrender ignominiously to the Athenians after 148 of their number were killed, and who was the Spartan commander who made the decision to surrender?

[Centurion1]

Thank You Something i know.

The battle of sphacteria.

[Xipe Totec]

Thank You Something i know.

The battle of sphacteria.


That is correct, but can you answer the second part of the question to win first prize?

[Centurion1]

styphon. Oh i am a winner i feel so good about myself now.


Question-

Who were Charlemagne father and grandfather and what were their trademark weapons? Grandfather should be really easy...

[Xipe Totec]

:balloon2:

[Prussian to the Iron]

damnit, you guys ask these questions from my Medieval History class after I finish it? grrrrrr........

Pippin the Short, and Charles 'The Hammer' Martel

[aimlesswanderer]

Pippin the Short, and Charles 'The Hammer' Martel

Err, so Chalemagne was descended from a Hobbit???? I guess The Shire isn't actually in New Zealand, but in France somewhere. :laugh4:

[Centurion1]

Yes Prussian iron take it away. just for the record though pippin used a two handed sword almost as large as himself.

Charlagmagne was a freak of nature at like 6'5. Back then men were much shorter, which is ironic when you think about how massive some of the two handed weapons were.

[Prussian to the Iron]

oh wait...was it Peppin I meant to say? sorry, I guess I've been playing TA:TW too much...

anyway:

This early civilazation is the earliest to have successfully smelted this metal, using it to make better and more effective tools, goods, and weapons.

What is this Civilazation?
What metal did they create, which began an age named for it?

[Ariovistus Maximus]

Uh... the Assyrians and iron?

Or were they bronze? I think they were iron...

Anyways their advanced metalworking was what brought them to military dominance in Mesopotamia.

[Centurion1]

I personally think it is the hittie and it was iron.


Hmm, i am not sure though

[Xipe Totec]

Was it the Ancient Egyptians who started the Golden Age? :laugh4:

[Prussian to the Iron]

it is indeed Hittites and Iron. Take it off Centurion! (wow, that came out wrong)

[Centurion1]

Alright
How about this question it should be really easy.
In the Spanish reconquista here was a single city that held out for a very long time. it was the last city conquered by the Spanish. What is this city and what year was it conquered.

[Andros Antonius]

Granada and 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue

[Prussian to the Iron]

I'd say either Cordoba or maybe... Granada?

Cordoba in 1236
and
Granada I'm not sure, and don't wanna wiki it so yeah.

EDIT: oh beat me to it! Right as I was about to open my 'Battles of the Crusades' book that has a section on the Reconquista.