Weekly History Quiz No.250

The name derives from the martyred King Edmund's remains. He was killed by the Danish Great Heathen Army and came to be venerated as a saint soon afterwards. After his remains were enshrined at Bury St Edmunds Abbey, it became one of the most famous and wealthy pilgrimage destinations in England.

The the Rashidun Caliphate besieged and captured Jerusalem around 637, only 17 years after Muhammad seized Mecca in 630. This was part of the military expansion of the Caliphate during this period, which saw it grow to be a dominant power in the region.

This involved the development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, increased irrigation, hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides. It began in developed countries, but gained significant traction as it expanded to the developing world. One of the best examples is Mexico, between 1940 and 1960 corn production tripled, and wheat production increased five-fold.

Henry II gained power in 1154 after the the military efforts of his mother, Empress Matilda, secured him the crown. The Plantagenet dynasty ruled until 1485 when Richard III, the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses.

Sweden – Never! The closest the British have come was the Anglo-Swedish war of 1810–1812. This was a war in name only, after the Napoleonic France demanded that Sweden declare war on Britain, or face war with France. Sweden complied, declaring war on Britain, however no acts of war occurred during the conflict.

Tibet – The British Invasion of Tibet in 1903-4 saw the British conquer Tibet and impose a treaty on the Tibetans that among other terms included 75 years of significant payments to the British.

Zanzibar - The 1896 Anglo-Zanzibar war was the shortest war in history, lasting only 40 minutes.

Madagascar – British and Commonwealth forces invaded Madagascar in 1942. This aimed to remove the Vichy French defenders and deny Madagascar’s ports to the Imperial Japanese Navy. This was the first large-scale operation by the Allies combining sea, land and air forces.

Summoned by King Louis XVI and beginning on the 5th of May 1789 the Estates General ended with the formation of  the National Assembly, beginning the French revolution.

The storming of the Bastille took place on July 14, 1789. The revolution developed over a considerable period of time, with the Royal family attempting to flee in June 1791, the overthrow of the King on August 10, 1792 and the execution of Marie-Antoinette on October 16, 1793.

The Reign of Terror began in late 1792 with a series of massacres and numerous public executions under the supervision of the Committee of Public Safety.

Monet visited his hometown of Le Havre, France in 1872, creating a series of works depicting the port city. The six painted canvases depict the port during dawn, day, dusk, and dark and from varying viewpoints.

Aquino led a non-violent mass demonstration movement after a fraudulent election returned Marcos to power. She became the first female president of the Philippines, introducing a new constitution that limited presidential power and is regarded as the Philippines 'Mother of Democracy'.

Founded in 1909, it was the first company to extract petroleum from Iran, then known as Persia. In 1954, it was renamed The British Petroleum Company, and it's Iranian assets were nationalised by the Iranian government.

An outbreak of Plague caused by Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium responsible for the Black Death, it spread through the Eastern Roman Empire, which came to be known as the Byzantine Empire. It may have killed as many as 40% of the inhabitants of Constantinople.