100+ Best British History Trivia Questions & Answers

Question: What was the name of the first steam engine to run between Stockton and Darlington?

Answer: Locomotive

Question: What title did Thomas Becket have?

Answer: Archbishop of Canterbury

Question: In which year did David Lloyd George become Prime Minister?

Answer: 1916

Question: How many people are believed to have died in The Great Fire of London?

Answer: 6

Question: How long did the Hundred Years' War last?

Answer: 116 years

Question: What are the years 1629 to 1640 known as?

Answer: Eleven Years' Tyranny

Question: Religion was at the root of daily life for the Anglo-Saxons. What was the primary religion in England in 1000 A.D.?

Answer: Christianity

Question: At the start of the 15th century, a Welsh nobleman led a revolt against English rule which, due to its guerrilla tactics, almost succeeded. What was his name?

Answer: Owain Glyndwr

Question: What, on Christmas Day 1950, was stolen from Westminster Abbey?

Answer: A stone

Question: During the last quarter of the 17th century, English Protestants began to fear a return to Catholicism. They approached William of Orange to come and take over the throne. What name has been given to this period of British history?

Answer: The Glorious Revolution

Question: In which year (in the 1840s) did a series of revolutions break out in continental Europe, creating much apprehension in Britain?

Answer: 1848

Question: What was the name of the ship commanded by Sir Francis Drake that set sail in 1577 to circumnavigate the globe?

Answer: Golden Hind

Question: In 1637, why was there a riot in the Cathedral of Edinburgh?

Answer: Laud tried to force a new prayer book on the Scots

Question: One of the shortest battles on British soil took place at Prestonpans in Scotland. Approximately how long did it last?

Answer: 30 minutes

Question: During the reign of Queen 'Bloody' Mary, there was an attempt to return England to Catholicism. Three leading Protestants, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Bishop Nicholas Ridley, and Bishop Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake in which English city?

Answer: Oxford

Question: What was the slogan that Wilkes' followers used when he ran for Parliament?

Answer: Wilkes and Liberty!

Question: Who was the English monarch when the 1707 Act of the Union took place?

Answer: Queen Anne

Question: One of the staunchest of Matilda's supporters was her illegitimate half brother. Who was he?

Answer: Robert of Gloucester

Question: What was the name of George I's wife?

Answer: Sophia

Question: What was James I's surname?

Answer: Stuart

Question: Who was the mother of Elizabeth I?

Answer: Anne Boleyn

Question: In 1664 Charles II married Catherine of Braganza. What country did she come from?

Answer: Portugal

Question: How old was Queen Victoria when she became Queen?

Answer: 18

Question: I didn't expect to be King but I stepped into the breach when my elder brother abdicated. Who am I?

Answer: George VI

Question: Which famous person called off their plans for marriage in 1955?

Answer: Princess Margaret

Question: 1066 is remembered for the death of Harold II in the Battle of Hastings. However, Harold had success earlier in the same year by defeating the Vikings in which battle?

Answer: Stamford Bridge

Question: 1658 saw the death of which of these leaders?

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

Question: 1066 is remembered for the death of Harold II in the Battle of Hastings. However, Harold had success earlier in the same year by defeating the Vikings in which battle?

Answer: Stamford Bridge

Question: 1658 saw the death of which of these leaders?

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

Question: What years did Victoria reign?

Answer: 1837-1901

Question: Most people think the last invasion of mainland Britain took place in 1066. The French, however, landed a small force in 1797. Where did they land?

Answer: Fishguard

Question: 1215 saw King John sign the 'Magna Carta Libertatum', which both guaranteed to the barons their feudal privileges and promised to maintain the laws of the land. But what does 'Magna Carta Libertatum' translate to in English?

Answer: Great Charter of Freedoms

Question: What tree can you find at Hadrian's Wall?

Answer: The Sycamore Gap Tree

Question: In July of 1653, a group was brought in to help create the Barebones Parliament. How many were there and what were they called?

Answer: 140 Saints

Question: What is the main reason that Elizabeth I ordered Mary's execution?

Answer: She was the head of many plots to overthrow Elizabeth as Queen

Question: Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector during the Commonwealth years. His son, Richard, did not succeed in keeping the position. How is he recalled in history?

Answer: Tumble Down Dick

Question: What was the name of the ship commanded by Sir Francis Drake that set sail in 1577 to circumnavigate the globe?

Answer: Golden Hind

Question: What happened in August 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion?

Answer: Jacobite Risings

Question: In 1605 King James I of England was on the throne. He was also James VI, but of what country?

Answer: Scotland

Question: In 1801, Cardiff had a population of 1,870 and was only the 25th largest town in Wales. By 1841, the population had grown to 82,000 and it was bigger than any other town in Wales. Which industry was responsible for such a huge growth?

Answer: Coal

Question: What organization was founded in June 1905?

Answer: Automobile Association

Question: Which social movement of the 1840s made the English middle classes fear that they were heading towards a revolution on the French model?

Answer: Chartism

Question: In 1961, the inhabitants of which remote island were temporarily evacuated to the UK following a volcanic eruption?

Answer: Tristan da Cunha

Question: After many years of campaigning by anti-slave organizations, the British government finally introduced a bill to begin the abolition of this vile trade. In which year was this bill introduced?

Answer: 1807

Question: What ruling by the House of Lords in September 1901 caused considerable alarm amongst the Trade Unions?

Answer: A trade union could be sued and compelled to pay for damages inflicted by its officials

Question: In March 1461 Edward IV was proclaimed King of England but Henry VI was still alive and in the country. Edward's Yorkist forces beat Henry's Lancastrians in Yorkshire. Where was the battle?

Answer: Towton

Question: When was Oliver Cromwell's successor Richard Cromwell deposed (or allowed to fade away) from his role?

Answer: May 1659

Question: The Hundred Years' War (116 in fact) ended in 1453 with a decisive French victory over the English, but where in France hosted the last battle?

Answer: Castillon

Question: Who was the king, raised in Pembroke, who fought under the banner of the Welsh red dragon?

Answer: Henry VII

Question: 1969 saw the official investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales at which Welsh castle?

Answer: Caernarfon

Question: What is George II?

Answer: The most recent monarch born outside of the UK

Question: 1658 saw the death of which of these leaders?

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

Question: 1066 is remembered for the death of Harold II in the Battle of Hastings. However, Harold had success earlier in the same year by defeating the Vikings in which battle?

Answer: Stamford Bridge

Question: 1658 saw the death of which of these leaders?

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

Question: The Hundred Years' War (116 in fact) ended in 1453 with a decisive French victory over the English, but where in France hosted the last battle?

Answer: Castillon

Question: In 1476, William Caxton was the first man to do what?

Answer: Establish a printing press in England

Question: At the Battle of Falkirk in 1298, which English weapon helped to destroy both William Wallace's army and his reputation?

Answer: Longbow

Question: In 1314 the Scots defeated Edward II's English army at the Battle of Bannockburn. Who led the Scottish army?

Answer: Robert Bruce

Question: What was the name of Oliver Cromwell's army?

Answer: New Model Army

Question: Who led the Jacobite forces in the 1746 battle of Culloden, where they were heavily defeated by King George II's army?

Answer: Charles Edward Stuart

Question: Who was the King of the English in the year 1000 A.D.?

Answer: Sweyn Forkbeard

Question: Who was King during the revolt led by Wat Tyler?

Answer: Richard II

Question: In what year did Elizabeth I excommunicated by the Pope?

Answer: 1570

Question: Who was Edward VI's father?

Answer: Henry VIII

Question: Who was the first Tudor King?

Answer: Henry VII

Question: Who succeeded Elizabeth I as ruler of England?

Answer: James I

Question: Who was called the Old Pretender?

Answer: James III

Question: Who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer who in September 1949 announces a devaluation of the pound from US$4.03 to US$2.80?

Answer: Stafford Cripps

Question: My reign finally saw the joining of England and Scotland through The Act of Union. Who am I?

Answer: Charles II

Question: When the future Queen Victoria was a young girl she was subjected to a rigorous regime devised by her mother and Sir John Conroy. What was this system called?

Answer: The Kensington System

Question: Which relative did Elizabeth I have executed?

Answer: Mary, Queen of Scots

Question: Who became most closely associated in popular culture with the Gunpowder Plot against James I the Protestant members of Parliament?

Answer: Guy Fawkes

Question: In 1968, Enoch Powell made a speech which became known as the 'Rivers of Blood' speech. What was its subject?

Answer: Immigration

Question: I'm the inspiration for a Swedish pop song. One of the highlights of my reign was the Battle of Trafalgar. Who am I?

Answer: George III

Question: Who was the 1701 Act of Settlement designed to do?

Answer: Secure the Protestant succession to the throne

Question: Why was an outside broadcast from the London Guildhall, on September 22nd, 1955, such an important date in TV history?

Answer: First programme to be transmitted by ITV

Question: In which year did The War of the Roses start?

Answer: 1455

Question: Which Pope sent St Augustine to Kent to convert the Anglo-Saxons?

Answer: Pope Gregory the Great

Question: There were three major battles on British soil in 1066. Hastings was the final one, Stamford Bridge was the second. Where was the first?

Answer: Fulford

Question: What type of catastrophe occurred in October 1966?

Answer: Coal waste slid down a mountainside

Question: In 1284, after the English king had led his armies to defeat Llewelyn ap Gruffudd, the Statute of Rhuddlan declared Wales subject to English law. Who was this English king?

Answer: Edward II

Question: In 1327, the murder of King Edward II was big news, but what was alarming about the murder was that his wife was chiefly responsible. What was her name?

Answer: Isabella

Question: In what year did the civil war begin?

Answer: 1692

Question: Which war was the 1513 Battle of Flodden a part of?

Answer: War of the League of Cambrai

Question: The Anglo-Saxons loved to adorn themselves with trinkets. During this year, what metal was used to make the jewelry worn in England?

Answer: All of these

Question: In July of 1717, the King wanted a concert on the River Thames. George Frederic Handel composed the very famous 'Water Music' for this event. For which king was this music composed?

Answer: George I

Question: In October 1951, it's the Conservatives who win the general elections. Who forms the new government?

Answer: Sir Winston Churchill

Question: 1019 saw which king unite the kingdoms of Denmark and England, six years after King Sweyn defeated Aethelred at London?

Answer: Canute

Question: In October 1908, emergency measures were introduced by the Prime Minister, but for what reasons?

Answer: To reduce unemployment

Question: The last major battle to take place on British soil happened in 1746. It marked the end of the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland. Where did this final battle take place?

Answer: Culloden

Question: Wales holds the distinction of being the only country of the United Kingdom to have a home-grown patron saint. He died in AD 589 and the smallest city in the United Kingdom is named after him. What was his name?

Answer: St David

Question: When did King Stephen's reign begin?

Answer: 1135

Question: What did Nicholas Breakspear do that no other Englishman has done since?

Answer: Become Pope

Question: Who was known as the 'Old Pretender'?

Answer: James III

Question: Who is the Chancellor of the Exchequer who in September 1949 announces a devaluation of the pound from US$4.03 to US$2.80?

Answer: Stafford Cripps

Question: Which relative did Elizabeth I have executed?

Answer: Mary, Queen of Scots

Question: In 1936 a king of England abdicated the throne thus becoming the first English monarch to do so of his own free will. Who was this king?

Answer: Edward VIII

Question: 1141 saw which two people fight for the English throne despite being related?

Answer: Stephen vs. Matilda

Question: 1327 and the murder of King Edward II was big news, but what was alarming about the murder was that his wife was chiefly responsible. What was her name?

Answer: Isabella

Question: Who is the Chancellor of the Exchequer who in September 1949 announces a devaluation of the pound from US$4.03 to US$2.80?

Answer: Stafford Cripps

Question: When the future Queen Victoria was a young girl she was subjected to a rigorous regime devised by her mother and Sir John Conroy. What was this system called?

Answer: The Kensington System

Question: Which relative did Elizabeth I have executed?

Answer: Mary, Queen of Scots

Question: Who became most closely associated in popular culture with the Gunpowder Plot against James I the Protestant members of Parliament?

Answer: Guy Fawkes

Question: In 1968, Enoch Powell made a speech which became known as the 'Rivers of Blood' speech. What was its subject?

Answer: Immigration

Question: Who ruled England between 1653 and 1658?

Answer: Oliver Cromwell

Question: What was the most common clothing material in Anglo-Saxon England?

Answer: Wool

Question: Which ship, in 1967, was bombed by the RAF and Fleet Air Arm?

Answer: The Torrey Canyon

Question: In what novel, published in 1848, did Elizabeth Gaskell denounce the miserable living conditions of workers?

Answer: Mary Barton

Question: The Beeching Report of 1963 led to major restructuring of which transport system in the UK?

Answer: Railways

Question: In April 1955 Sir Winston Churchill is replaced by Anthony Eden as Prime Minister of Britain? What was the reason?

Answer: Churchill retired

Question: In what country did Mary, Queen of Scots grow up?

Answer: France

Question: In 1955, which of these people was honored by a full state funeral?

Answer: Winston Churchill

Question: In what year did America go to war against Britain for independence?

Answer: 1755

Question: What were Anglo-Saxon aristocrats called?

Answer: Thegn

Question: In June 1908 a demonstration of over 200,000 people was held at Hyde Park. What was the reason for this demonstration?

Answer: To support the suffragette movement

Question: 1960 saw Penguin Books being tried under obscenity laws for publishing which of these novels?

Answer: Lady Chatterley's Lover

Question: Which country left the Commonwealth in 1949?

Answer: Ireland

Question: What was founded in the reign of Henry VII for the protection of royalty?

Answer: Yeomen Warders

Question: The Anglo-Saxons loved to adorn themselves with trinkets. During this year, what metal was used to make the jewelry worn in England?

Answer: All of these

Question: Who is the Chancellor of the Exchequer who in September 1949 announces a devaluation of the pound from US$4.03 to US$2.80?

Answer: Stafford Cripps