History quiz

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Is Da Gama the sailor?

[Pannonian]

Is Da Gama the sailor?

No. The long-legged man is a clue to the period - how many long-legged men do you know of in history?

[Conradus]

Longlegged? Edward Longshanks comes to mind, although the description fits Marco Polo better

[Pannonian]

Longlegged? Edward Longshanks comes to mind, although the description fits Marco Polo better

Right area, wrong direction.

[rajpoot]

I'll take a wild shot, Eric the Red?

[Pannonian]

I'll take a wild shot, Eric the Red?

Conradus was warmer.

[Quintus.JC]

A wild guess would be Ibn Battuta, have no idea about the people you mentioned though.

[Pannonian]

A wild guess would be Ibn Battuta, have no idea about the people you mentioned though.

Right period, but still the wrong direction.

[TevashSzat]

Right area, wrong direction.

So, I guess it would be from east to west???

Still.....have no idea

[Quintus.JC]

East to West... Cheng Ho perhaps?

[Pannonian]

East to West... Cheng Ho perhaps?

The chap I'm looking for was a contemporary of Marco Polo, and travelled a similar distance to Ibn Battuta.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

James of Ireland is all I can think of from the time...

[seireikhaan]

Zhang He?

[seireikhaan]

I dunno if this is considered rude or something to try two answers in a row before ascertaining their accuracy, but here's my other guess:

Rabban Bar Sauma?

[Pannonian]

I dunno if this is considered rude or something to try two answers in a row before ascertaining their accuracy, but here's my other guess:

Rabban Bar Sauma?

He's the one. A Mongol envoy, chosen because he was a Christian priest. He set off from Dadu (Beijing) to make contact with and make agreements with European leaders. In this he was unsuccessful, but because of what he was, he was welcomed more than other envoys. He began his journey with a student, but unrest in the middle east barred his way, and he returned to Baghdad, where his student settled down and became head of the Nestorian church there. Later, when things had settled down and the route was open again, he resumed his journey, reaching as far as Bordeaux and the court of Edward I "Longshanks" of England. On his way back, he was welcomed by the Pope, among others, and while he was unsuccessful in organising a joint European-Mongol attack on the Mameluks, he was given many gifts to send to the Mongol leaders. He eventually returned to Baghdad, where he settled down and wrote an account of his journeys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabban_Bar_Sauma

[Quintus.JC]

last ditch guess: Bartolomeu Dias?

edit: obviously wrong, lol.

[seireikhaan]

I was one of seven children. One of my younger brothers became revered for a time by my people as a prophet. Together, we attempted to strengthen our political and military stability by attempting to create a swath of alliances to protect against a future superpower. When war broke out once more, we sided with their most hated nemesis of the time. Together with our allies, we achieved early victories with relatively few casualties on either side. However, as the war stretched onwards, I perished in combat and my brother fled the field of battle. Who am I and who is my brother?

[TevashSzat]

I have a feeling that it was sometime during the Napoleanic Wars? The most hated nemesis would be Britain of course.

[Conradus]

One of the brothers of the Mahdi?

[seireikhaan]

Unrelated to Mahdi.

Tevash was closer.

[Conradus]

Some North American tribe in the colonial struggles between France and the UK?

[seireikhaan]

Alright. You're much, much closer now. No more hints. Sorry.

[Conradus]

No problem, the only problem is I don't know any specifics about that timeframe, but I hope some other here can find the answer now the timeframe is about set :)

[Geezer57]

Your description sounds a lot like Tecumseh - he was one of seven children, his younger brother was considered something of a prophet for a while among the Shawnee, etc.

[seireikhaan]

Your description sounds a lot like Tecumseh - he was one of seven children, his younger brother was considered something of a prophet for a while among the Shawnee, etc.

Correct.

[Geezer57]

Correct.

Yikes! That means I have to try to come up with one...

O.K., I'll give it a try:

Considered a national hero since the 19th Century in the land of my birth, I was born to a poor family, orphaned as a child, and adopted by my Godfather. I was raised by my tutor, who was a surgeon. Though I lacked formal education, I was able to successfully practice several professions, including cattleman, dentist, and miner. After entering public service, but only attaining relatively low rank, I became aware of the exploitation of the people around me, so started a movement in opposition to the powers in control. Unfortunately, my group was betrayed and I was arrested. My trial lasted almost three years, and I was subsequently executed (by hanging). My body was quartered after death, with my head and body pieces displayed in different cities.

[Quintus.JC]

Wild guess: Yemelyan Pugachev?

[Geezer57]

Wild guess: Yemelyan Pugachev?

Right century, wrong continent. Think colonial territory somewhere.

[TevashSzat]

Okay, I am pretty sure that drawn and quartering was only widely used in England

Thus, that suggests that it was an England colony. However, that doesn't really narrow things down since England had colonies in North America, India, and a host of other places....

Edit: Okay, hanging was used to kill the person so what I just said was most likely wrong....

[Quintus.JC]

Another wilder guess: John Brown?