Weekly History Quiz No.254

Magna Carta was a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John at Runnymede, in 1215. John was a deeply unpopular King, who only issued the charter because he was forced to do so by his Barons. He failed to follow the provisions of the charter, leading to the First Barons' War. He also lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands.

Magna Carta, as well as having a long and prestigious history, has also been invoked in some very strange situations.

In 1946 Hồ Chí Minh negotiated with the French, accepting a French military presence in North Vietnam for a period of five years in return for French assurances that Vietnam would become a 'Free State within the French Union.' When Ho was attacked for this by the pro-Chinese elements within his leadership group he responded ‘The last time the Chinese came here they stayed a thousand years. The French are foreigners. They are weak. Colonialism is dying. The white man is finished in Asia. But if the Chinese stay now, they will never go.'

France failed to honour their agreement and were defeated by the Việt Minh under Ho.

Described in The Apothecary's Wife: The Hidden History of Medicine and How It Became a Commodity by Karen Bloom Gevirtz, the wine was made by placing Vipers in a barrel of wine until they had mostly dissolved. Snake wine was first recorded in China during the 700s BCE, and it continues to be used as a medicinal treatment in Asia to this day.

In 1520 Henry VIII met François I of France near Calais for 18 days of feasting, tournaments, masquerades and religious services. Magnificent palaces and pavilions made of fabric and timber were erected and around 12,000 people attended, consuming around 200,000 litres of wine.

For over 200 years, Sweden was one of the few neutral states in Europe. From the Napoleonic Wars and Sweden’s declaration of neutrality in 1812 to today, many conflicts have arisen right on its borders. Despite this, Sweden (until joining NATO in 2024) has successfully navigated neutrality, avoiding two world wars and many other conflicts throughout the 20th Century.

The USA entered the ground war against Germany with Operation Torch, a British-American invasion of Vichy French North Africa which assumed there would be little to no resistance. However, Vichy French forces put up a strong and bloody resistance to the Allies in Oran and Morocco. This led to an Allied invasion of Tunisia, where the Americans saw combat against the Germans.

Sparta was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the Eurotas River in Laconia in southeastern Peloponnese.
Given its military preeminence, Sparta was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars, and defeated Athens during the Peloponnesian War.
Sparta’s defeat by Thebes in the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE ended Sparta’s prominent role in Greece, but it maintained its political independence until the Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BCE.

Michelin started awarding its famous stars in 1926, initially granting a single star to select restaurants known for their high-quality cuisine. The current three-star rating system was introduced in 1931—the same year a map illustrating French regional gastronomic routes was published.

Attacked by Chinese communist forces during the civil war, she fought a series of engagements as she escaped along the Yangtze river.

Founded as Constantinople by the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity in 324, it remained a majority Christian city until the Ottoman conquest in 1453. Since then it has been a Muslim majority city.