History quiz

[Quintus.JC]

Can we get another hint? Maybe which continent (Europe or Asia) or which region of Europe?

All you had to do was ask.

Geography
My Kingdom was founded in the 14th century and last for well over 400 years. During my time saw the rise of one of the great military power in history bordering my land (that empire has lands in Europe, Asia and Africa), and faced constant danger of being invaded by them.

Trivia
One of my son was the inspiration for an antagonist in a Victorian Gothic novel.

[Conradus]

So, it's a country (presumably European) bordering the Ottoman Empire

[rajpoot]

Vlad the II I think, the father of Vlad Tepes/Dracula.

[Quintus.JC]

Vlad II Dracul, voivode of Wallachia. Son of Mircea I, father of Mircea II, Vlad Călugărul, Vlad Tepes, and Radu the Handsome. All of them would at one time or the other rule Wallachia, with Vlad Tepes becoming the notorious impaler. Despite being a competent ruler he was probably only remembered as the father of Dracula. Vlad II was assassinated along with his first son Mircea, who was alledgelly blinded with red-hot poker then buried alive.

Your turn, ajs_India.

[rajpoot]

Thanks, well, here's the question :
Another king who went on a Crusade, though insignificant. Back home he was a hero among his people, and his son fell short when measured on his scale, in any way conceivable. He was one of the few rulers who had any success in subjugating the country's hardy northern neighbours, and it was he who began a reform bringing to light a weapon that thereafter proved it's worth time and again, against great odds. Name the king.
(Further hints on demand.)

[Pannonian]

Sounds like Longshanks.

[rajpoot]

Wow, I'd thought it was a hard one! Absolutly right!
Edward I, whos tomb says "Here is Edward I, Hammer of the Scots. Keep Troth.", the founder of the English parliament, and he has a portrait, in the United States House of Representatives chamber.
Over to you.

[Pannonian]

Wow, I'd thought it was a hard one! Absolutly right!
Edward I, whos tomb says "Here is Edward I, Hammer of the Scots. Keep Troth.", the founder of the English parliament, and he has a portrait, in the United States House of Representatives chamber.
Over to you.

Thanks, well, here's the question :
Another king who went on a Crusade, though insignificant. Back home he was a hero among his people, and his son fell short when measured on his scale, in any way conceivable. He was one of the few rulers who had any success in subjugating the country's hardy northern neighbours, and it was he who began a reform bringing to light a weapon that thereafter proved it's worth time and again, against great odds. Name the king.
(Further hints on demand.)

He admired the architecture in the middle east, and introduced those ideas to the Welsh, embarking on extensive building programme. Compared to his dad, Ed II was a pain in the arse. Longshanks was the King who went to Pound Sterling, although his spelling was a bit off. He it was who found out from the Welsh just how useful a long piece of wood and a bit of string could be, and his successors later went on extensive tours of France with these toys.

I'll post a question when I can think of something interesting.

[Pannonian]

A fairly easy one. This man was well-known for not retreating. From oblivion, he eventually saw the total defeat of his enemy. He's buried where he made his name.

[rajpoot]

It is someone from the age of firearm right?

[Pannonian]

Yes. Perhaps I should say near-oblivion, although by any sane standards he was utterly done for.

[Quintus.JC]

Aleksey Kuropatkin? The Russian commander during the Russo-Japanese war. I'm not sure if this is the right answer since he was rather famous for his indecisiveness rather than the description.

[Conradus]

Frederick the Great of Prussia?

[Pannonian]

The average Orgah, aged 28 (according to the 12th Gahzette), was born before this man's death.

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Unrelated to the question so:

He admired the architecture in the middle east, and introduced those ideas to the Welsh, embarking on extensive building programme.

On a BBC documentary they said that he had modelled Caernarvon after the walls of Kōnstantinoúpolis.

.

[Quintus.JC]

The average Orgah, aged 28 (according to the 12th Gahzette), was born before this man's death.

We'll gonna need more clue than that.

[Pannonian]

He was bait in a planetary fishing expedition, which bagged quite a catch.

[Decker]

Jonah...actually I have no idea...but he did bag quite a catch!

[Geoffrey S]

Uh, Khomeini perhaps? Haven't a clue, but I'm intrigued!

[Pannonian]

Forget the fishing and concentrate on the bait, the planetary and the catch. I'm talking about some very well-known incidents which everyone should have heard of, and which most people should know some details about (the details I'm referring to).

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Moshe Dayan?
.

[Pannonian]

The incidents I'm talking about are far better known, at least as names and in terms of their significance, than anything Dayan was involved in.

Another clue: a big woman stands over him with a chopper in her hand, albeit not the blade that celebrates his men.

[Quintus.JC]

Is it Yemelyan Pugachev?

[Pannonian]

Is it Yemelyan Pugachev?

The average Orgah is 28, born in 1980. The average Orgah was born before this man's death, therefore this man died after 1980. This man was at the centre of events that just about everyone here should have heard of. Don't think about peripheral events. Think about really, really famous events that people who lived in the last century could have been involved in.

[Decker]

Austin Powers

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Boris Yeltsin?
.

[AggonyDuck]

Richard Nixon?

[Pannonian]

If you can't get it even with this clue, you should be ashamed of yourself.

The man was at the centre of the most epic battle of the most epic war ever fought.

[rajpoot]

This one was supposed to be fairly easy

[Pannonian]

It involved a reasonably well-known figure who was involved in some very, very well-known events. I thought that most people who reckon themselves interested in military history would know of him, and the events he was an the centre of would be known to anyone with a basic knowledge of 20th century history.

Heck, events took place in 20th century, war was the most epic war in history, battle he was at the centre of was the most epic battle of that war. That pretty much gives you the individual battle right there, and google will give you his name in connection with nearly every mention of that battle.

After this question, everyone should go and read up on that battle. You can't say you're interested in military history if you know so little about it.