Medieval History Quiz
Knights, plagues and crusades: 15 questions spanning the thousand years from 476 to 1453.
What event is traditionally used to mark the beginning of the Middle Ages?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD
In 476 the Germanic general Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman emperor, and historians use that date as the conventional start of the medieval era.
Odoacer sent the imperial regalia to Constantinople and ruled Italy as a king rather than an emperor until Theodoric the Ostrogoth killed him in 493.
Who was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, 800 AD?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Charlemagne
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, king of the Franks, as emperor in St Peter's Basilica in Rome on Christmas Day 800, reviving the imperial title in the West.
Charlemagne was reportedly over six feet tall, could read but never properly learned to write, and his empire was split among his grandsons in 843.
The feudal system was primarily based on the exchange of land for what?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Military service and loyalty
Under feudalism a lord granted land, called a fief, to a vassal in return for an oath of loyalty and a promise to fight for him, typically for 40 days a year.
The word 'feudalism' was coined by later historians; medieval people spoke of fiefs, homage and fealty rather than of a system.
In what year did William the Conqueror win the Battle of Hastings?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
1066
William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II near Hastings on 14 October 1066, and Harold died on the field, probably from an arrow to the eye or a sword blow.
Harold had marched south only three weeks after crushing a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge, near York.
Which Pope called for the First Crusade in 1095?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont in November 1095, urging Western knights to aid the Eastern Christians and win back the Holy Land.
The crowd reportedly answered 'Deus vult', meaning God wills it, which became the crusaders' battle cry.
The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, limited the power of which English king?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
King John
Rebel barons forced King John to put his seal to Magna Carta at Runnymede in June 1215 after years of heavy taxes and lost wars in France.
John's brother and predecessor Richard the Lionheart spent only around six months of his ten-year reign in England.
What devastating pandemic killed an estimated one-third of Europe's population in the 14th century?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
The Black Death reached Europe in 1347 and killed an estimated 30 to 50 percent of the population within five years, spread by fleas on rats and by coughing.
The plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, was only identified in 1894 in Hong Kong by the Swiss-French scientist Alexandre Yersin.
Which conflict between England and France lasted from 1337 to 1453?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War actually ran for 116 years, from Edward III's claim to the French throne in 1337 to the English defeat at Castillon in 1453.
The English longbow won famous victories at Crécy in 1346 and Agincourt in 1415, yet England ended the war holding only Calais.
Joan of Arc played a key role in which country's military campaigns?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
France
Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant, led French forces to lift the siege of Orléans in 1429 and saw Charles VII crowned at Reims before she was captured and burned in 1431.
She was 19 when she was burned, was cleared by a retrial in 1456 and was declared a saint in 1920.
What was a "serf" in the feudal system?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
A peasant bound to work on a lord's estate
Serfs were peasants tied to a lord's land who worked his fields for several days a week and needed permission to leave, marry or move.
Serfs were not slaves: they could not be sold apart from the land and had customary rights to their own plots and harvests.
Which medieval empire was centered in modern-day Turkey and lasted until 1453?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, ruled from Constantinople for over a thousand years until the Ottomans took the city in 1453.
Its own people never called it Byzantine; they called themselves Romans, and the label was coined by the German historian Hieronymus Wolf in 1557.
What was the primary purpose of medieval castles?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Defense and demonstration of power
Castles were fortified homes for lords, built to control the surrounding land and withstand sieges, and their sheer scale reminded everyone who held power.
Early Norman castles were motte-and-bailey designs of earth and timber, thrown up in weeks and rebuilt in stone later.
Which Crusade successfully captured Jerusalem in 1099?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The First Crusade
After a month-long siege the First Crusade stormed Jerusalem on 15 July 1099 and massacred much of the population, then set up the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Saladin retook the city in 1187, prompting the Third Crusade of Richard the Lionheart, which never recovered it.
What important document tradition did the Domesday Book of 1086 establish for England?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
A comprehensive land and property survey
William the Conqueror ordered the Domesday survey in 1085 to record who held every manor in England and what it was worth, so that he could tax it.
The name Domesday came from the Day of Judgement, because its verdicts were final and could not be appealed.
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks is often cited as the end of which era?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
The Middle Ages (Medieval period)
Sultan Mehmed II's capture of Constantinople on 29 May 1453 ended the last remnant of the Roman Empire and is a standard bookend for the Middle Ages.
Other proposed end dates include Columbus's 1492 voyage and Luther's 95 Theses in 1517, which is why textbooks disagree by a few decades.
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All History quizzes →About the Medieval History Quiz
The Middle Ages stretch across roughly a thousand years, from the collapse of Roman rule in the West to Ottoman cannons at the walls of Constantinople. In between came the Vikings, the Norman Conquest, the building of Chartres and Notre-Dame, and a plague that killed perhaps a third of Europe. It was the age of Charlemagne and Saladin, of Chaucer and Dante, of feudal oaths, castle sieges and the first universities at Bologna and Oxford.
The 15 questions walk through the era in order, from the fall of Rome to the fall of Constantinople, taking in feudalism, the Battle of Hastings, the Crusades, Magna Carta, the Black Death and the Hundred Years' War. Most are the landmark dates and names any history student meets, with a few that ask what those things actually meant. It suits students revising, history buffs and quiz teams who want a solid round on the medieval world.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Easy. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
What years count as the Middle Ages?
Most historians run the period from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 to around 1453 or 1500, splitting it into early, high and late medieval phases.
Were the Middle Ages really the Dark Ages?
No. 'Dark Ages' is an old label for the early medieval centuries. The period also produced Gothic cathedrals, universities, Magna Carta and major advances in farming and trade.
Is the quiz suitable for school students?
Yes. It covers the standard European medieval curriculum, and each explanation adds context that helps the dates and names stick.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- What event is traditionally used to mark the beginning of the Middle Ages?
The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD In 476 the Germanic general Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman emperor, and historians use that date as the conventional start of the medieval era. Odoacer sent the imperial regalia to Constantinople and ruled Italy as a king rather than an emperor until Theodoric the Ostrogoth killed him in 493. - Who was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, 800 AD?
Charlemagne Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, king of the Franks, as emperor in St Peter's Basilica in Rome on Christmas Day 800, reviving the imperial title in the West. Charlemagne was reportedly over six feet tall, could read but never properly learned to write, and his empire was split among his grandsons in 843. - The feudal system was primarily based on the exchange of land for what?
Military service and loyalty Under feudalism a lord granted land, called a fief, to a vassal in return for an oath of loyalty and a promise to fight for him, typically for 40 days a year. The word 'feudalism' was coined by later historians; medieval people spoke of fiefs, homage and fealty rather than of a system. - In what year did William the Conqueror win the Battle of Hastings?
1066 William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II near Hastings on 14 October 1066, and Harold died on the field, probably from an arrow to the eye or a sword blow. Harold had marched south only three weeks after crushing a Norwegian invasion at Stamford Bridge, near York. - Which Pope called for the First Crusade in 1095?
Pope Urban II Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont in November 1095, urging Western knights to aid the Eastern Christians and win back the Holy Land. The crowd reportedly answered 'Deus vult', meaning God wills it, which became the crusaders' battle cry. - The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, limited the power of which English king?
King John Rebel barons forced King John to put his seal to Magna Carta at Runnymede in June 1215 after years of heavy taxes and lost wars in France. John's brother and predecessor Richard the Lionheart spent only around six months of his ten-year reign in England. - What devastating pandemic killed an estimated one-third of Europe's population in the 14th century?
The Black Death (Bubonic Plague) The Black Death reached Europe in 1347 and killed an estimated 30 to 50 percent of the population within five years, spread by fleas on rats and by coughing. The plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, was only identified in 1894 in Hong Kong by the Swiss-French scientist Alexandre Yersin. - Which conflict between England and France lasted from 1337 to 1453?
The Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War actually ran for 116 years, from Edward III's claim to the French throne in 1337 to the English defeat at Castillon in 1453. The English longbow won famous victories at Crécy in 1346 and Agincourt in 1415, yet England ended the war holding only Calais. - Joan of Arc played a key role in which country's military campaigns?
France Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant, led French forces to lift the siege of Orléans in 1429 and saw Charles VII crowned at Reims before she was captured and burned in 1431. She was 19 when she was burned, was cleared by a retrial in 1456 and was declared a saint in 1920. - What was a "serf" in the feudal system?
A peasant bound to work on a lord's estate Serfs were peasants tied to a lord's land who worked his fields for several days a week and needed permission to leave, marry or move. Serfs were not slaves: they could not be sold apart from the land and had customary rights to their own plots and harvests. - Which medieval empire was centered in modern-day Turkey and lasted until 1453?
The Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire was the eastern half of the Roman Empire, ruled from Constantinople for over a thousand years until the Ottomans took the city in 1453. Its own people never called it Byzantine; they called themselves Romans, and the label was coined by the German historian Hieronymus Wolf in 1557. - What was the primary purpose of medieval castles?
Defense and demonstration of power Castles were fortified homes for lords, built to control the surrounding land and withstand sieges, and their sheer scale reminded everyone who held power. Early Norman castles were motte-and-bailey designs of earth and timber, thrown up in weeks and rebuilt in stone later. - Which Crusade successfully captured Jerusalem in 1099?
The First Crusade After a month-long siege the First Crusade stormed Jerusalem on 15 July 1099 and massacred much of the population, then set up the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Saladin retook the city in 1187, prompting the Third Crusade of Richard the Lionheart, which never recovered it. - What important document tradition did the Domesday Book of 1086 establish for England?
A comprehensive land and property survey William the Conqueror ordered the Domesday survey in 1085 to record who held every manor in England and what it was worth, so that he could tax it. The name Domesday came from the Day of Judgement, because its verdicts were final and could not be appealed. - The fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks is often cited as the end of which era?
The Middle Ages (Medieval period) Sultan Mehmed II's capture of Constantinople on 29 May 1453 ended the last remnant of the Roman Empire and is a standard bookend for the Middle Ages. Other proposed end dates include Columbus's 1492 voyage and Luther's 95 Theses in 1517, which is why textbooks disagree by a few decades.
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