Medieval History Quiz: Part Four

Question: Who was the only Englishman to become pope?

Answer: Adrian IV(original name Nicholas Breakspear) was the only Englishman to occupy the papal throne (1154–59).

Question: Which Muslim leader captured Jerusalem in 1187 and stalemated the efforts of the Third Crusade?

Answer: Saladin was a Muslim sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine and the founder of the Ayyūbid dynasty. In wars against the Christian Crusaders, he achieved a great success with the capture of Jerusalem on October 2, 1187, ending its 88-year occupation by the Franks. The great Christian counterattack of the Third Crusade was thus stalemated by his military genius.

Question: During what years did the first European trials for witchcraft occur?

Answer: The period 1300–30 can be seen as the beginning of the time of witchcraft trials in Europe. In 1374 Pope Gregory XI declared that all magic was done with the aid of demons and thus was open to prosecution for heresy. Witch trials continued through the 14th and early 15th centuries, but with great inconsistency according to time and place.

Question: What is the earliest name for the island of Great Britain?

Answer: Albion is the earliest name known for the island of Great Britain. The name Albion has been translated as “White Land,” and the Romans explained that it referred to the chalk cliffs at Dover (Latin albus, “white”).

Question: What military technology was used effectively to defend Constantinople against assault in 673?

Answer: Greek fire was any of several flammable compositions that were used in warfare in ancient and medieval times. More specifically, the term refers to a petroleum-based mixture introduced by the Byzantine Greeks in the 7th century CE. Greek fire launched from tubes mounted on the prows of Greek ships wrought havoc on the Arab fleet attacking Constantinople in 673.

Question: When was the conclave, the procedure of electing a new pope, first introduced?

Answer: At the Second Council of Lyon in 1274, Pope Gregory X promulgated a constitution that called for the cardinals to meet in closed conclave with strict regulations to guide the election, and Boniface VIII, who became pope in 1294, ordered this decree incorporated into canon law.

Question: Which French king worked to suppress and then destroy the order of the Knights Templars?

Answer: King Philip IV of France decided in September 1307 to seize all Knights Templars in France and to exhort his fellow rulers to follow his lead. Eventually the order was quashed and its property assigned to the Hospitallers.

Question: Which medieval saint, known as the Angelic Doctor, has been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as its foremost Western philosopher and theologian?

Answer: St. Thomas Aquinas, who has been called the Doctor Angelicus (Latin: “Angelic Doctor”), was an Italian Dominican theologian and the foremost medieval Scholastic. He is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as its foremost Western philosopher and theologian.