Game of thrones

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

  1. On 30 April 2013, Willem-Alexander became king of the Netherlands after his mother’s abdication. Who was his mother?
    • Beatrix—see #2 below.
  2. Willem—Alexander’s mother (see question 1) had became queen on 30 April 1980, on the abdication of her mother. Who was the Dutch queen who abdicated in 1980?
    • Juliana—Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1980, managed the decolonisation of the Dutch East Indies and Suriname before abdicating in favour of her daughter Beatrix in 1980. Juliana passed away in 2004 at the age of 94. Beatrix, born in 1938, reigned from 1980 to 2013, during which time the Netherlands experienced significant changes in its Caribbean territories, including Aruba’s secession and the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles. She abdicated in favour of her son, Willem-Alexander, in 2013.
      King Carl XVI Gustaf.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, who was born on 30 April 1946, has been king of where since 1973?
    • Sweden—Carl XVI Gustaf, born in 1946, is the longest-reigning King of Sweden, having ascended to the throne in 1973. He married Silvia Sommerlath in 1976 and has three children: Victoria, Carl Philip and Madeleine
      King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Today in 1492, Christopher Columbus was given his commission of exploration. Which monarchs issued this commission?
    • King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile—After Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granada they initially believed Columbus’s proposal to sail westwards to the Indies implausible but Ferdinand convinced Isabella to support Columbus’s voyage, promising him titles, revenues and commercial interests in the new lands he might discover.
      Wives of Henry VIII.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Nothing to do with the date. England’s Henry VIII and how many of his wives were related by a single common ancestor?
    • Henry VIII plus six of his wives—were descended from Edward I of England. Henry VIII, born on 28 June 1491, reigned as King of England from 1509 to 1547. Known for his six marriages, he sought to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, leading to the English Reformation. Declaring himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, he dissolved convents and monasteries, resulting in excommunication. Legal attempts failed, with Cardinal Campeggio thwarting a trial in 1529, leading to Wolsey’s downfall. Thomas More, opposing the divorce, succeeded Wolsey but couldn’t resolve the issue. Thomas Cromwell emerged in 1532, orchestrating the church’s separation from Rome, allowing Henry to marry Anne Boleyn and have his first marriage annulled.
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Author: Scott F

As a retired trivia writer, editor and quiz compiler, I wholeheartedly agree with Bertrand Russell’s quote: “There’s much pleasure to be gained in useless knowledge.” Trivia of all sorts has always fascinated me, and for many years, I’ve written and compiled trivia for various media, including traditional TV and radio quiz shows, newspapers and magazines, apps, and other digital platforms.

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