Weekly History Quiz No.247

Built by William the Conqueror in 1078 as part of the most extensive Castle building program seen in English history.

Baghdad was the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, with a population of around 1.5 million people, making it one of the largest cities in the world. A Mongol army under Hulegu laid siege to Baghdad, and when they broke into the city launched into a sack that lasted for a week. At least 200,000 people were killed, and it may have been many more than that.

The painting is a representation of the ending of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's 1832 poem of the same name. English painter John William Waterhouse first worked in the Academic style and then adopted the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style.

Becoming emperor in 1081, Alexios I Komnenos fought to stabilise the Byzantine Empire as the Seljuk Turkish Empire now almost reached the gates of Constantinople. The city of Nicaea, only 100km southeast, was held by the Turks. Alexios decided to ask for help. He’d received military aid from Frankish knights in the past, and hoped a small contingent would be sent to support his army. The resulting crusade was far larger than he expected, or desired.

Kyiv– 482

Moscow – 1156

Volgograd – 1589

Saint Petersburg - 1703

A regular soldier who rose to the rank of Colonel prior to the First World War, his skill saw him promoted to Marshal of France. In the wake of Germany's invasion in 1940 Pétain was summoned from retirement to lead the country. Those who called upon him thought the old soldier would stiffen the resolve of the government to resist the invasion. In a shock move he immediately opened negotiations with the Germans, leading to the surrender.

A Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in Oakland, USA in October 1966. The party was active in the United States between 1966 and 1982, with chapters in many major American cities. The party’s core practice was its open carry patrols, known as cop-watching, designed to challenge the excessive force and misconduct of the Oakland Police Department.

The Renaissance began in Florence, Italy, in the 14th century, most likely due to the political structure and the civil and social nature of the city. The Renaissance encompassed the flowering of Latin languages, a change in artistic style, and gradual, widespread educational reform.

Centred in Cusco, the Inca Empire extended from modern-day Chile to modern-day Colombia. Inca society was sophisticated, and boasted around seventy different crops across the empire’s various climates.

She won the award for her eighth novel The Age of Innocence published in 1920.