French Revolution and Napoleon Quiz

1. French RevolutionEasy

   1. On which day of the year does France celebrate its national day, Bastille Day?

   1. A17 July
   2. B14 July
   3. C11 July
   4. D15 July
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   B. 14 July. The Bastille fell on 14 July 1789. Necker had been dismissed on 11 July, and the king came to Paris on 17 July, but 14 July became the national day.

   

2. French RevolutionEasy

   2. What did the deputies swear in the Tennis Court Oath?

   1. ATo overthrow the monarchy and found a French republic
   2. BTo march to Paris and seize the royal treasury there
   3. CTo make Necker the chief minister of France at once
   4. DNot to separate until a constitution had been written for France
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   D. Not to separate until a constitution had been written for France. In June 1789 the deputies were still monarchists: they still wanted a king. They swore to stay together until France had a constitution. The republic came three years later.

   

3. French RevolutionEasy

   3. The storming of the Bastille ended the French monarchy in July 1789.

   1. ATrue
   2. BFalse
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   B. False. Louis XVI kept his throne for three more years. But he had to pull his troops back and accept the revolutionary cockade, because he had lost control of Paris.

   

4. French RevolutionEasy

   4. The Tennis Court Oath was sworn because the king had closed the Third Estate's usual meeting hall.

   1. ATrue
   2. BFalse
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   A. True. The hall was shut on 20 June, officially for preparations. The deputies feared the king would dissolve their assembly, so they moved to a nearby indoor tennis court, the jeu de paume.

   

5. French RevolutionMedium

   5. Why did the discovery of the armoire de fer in November 1792 matter to Louis XVI's trial?

   1. AIt seemed to show that the king had secret dealings with opponents of the Revolution
   2. BIt contained a confession signed by the king
   3. CIt held plans for a coup by the Paris National Guard
   4. DIt proved that the queen had written to the Pope
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   A. It seemed to show that the king had secret dealings with opponents of the Revolution. The papers in the Tuileries iron chest seemed to show the king's secret contacts with the Revolution's opponents. This convinced many deputies that he should be tried for treason.

   

6. French RevolutionMedium

   6. Which phrase from the Declaration of the Rights of Man answered the idea that the king held all power?

   1. A“The king is the source of all justice”
   2. B“The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation”
   3. C“Law is the will of the Assembly alone”
   4. D“All power comes from God”
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   B. “The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation”. Article 3 is the Declaration's answer to absolute monarchy, where the king held all power. Authority comes from the nation. It does not come from a king chosen by God, or from inheritance.

   

7. French RevolutionMedium

   7. Who was the best-known member of the Committee of Public Safety during the Terror?

   1. AMaximilien Robespierre
   2. BBertrand Barère
   3. CJean-Baptiste Carrier
   4. DGeorges Danton
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   A. Maximilien Robespierre. Maximilien Robespierre, a lawyer and Jacobin leader, was the Committee's most famous member. Danton was guillotined after asking for the Terror to be eased.

   

8. French RevolutionMedium

   8. Why did the revolutionaries accuse Marie Antoinette of treason?

   1. AShe passed French military secrets to Austria's side
   2. BShe had spent the treasury's money on the Petit Trianon
   3. CShe had said that the hungry should eat cake
   4. DShe had helped the Diamond Necklace swindlers
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   A. She passed French military secrets to Austria's side. After France went to war with Austria in April 1792, the queen secretly sent French military secrets in letters to Fersen and an Austrian diplomat. Helping an enemy in war is treason.

   

9. French RevolutionMedium

   9. The National Convention voted unanimously to put Louis XVI to death.

   1. ATrue
   2. BFalse
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   B. False. Almost every deputy voted that he was guilty. But the death sentence passed by a narrow margin after many debates, and a number of deputies wanted a reprieve or prison instead.

   

10. French RevolutionMedium

    10. The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man gave women the same political rights as men.

    1. ATrue
    2. BFalse
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    B. False. The Declaration spoke of 'men' and 'citizens', but women were kept out of political life. Olympe de Gouges answered it in 1791 with her Declaration of the Rights of Woman.

    

11. French RevolutionMedium

    11. Deputies feared they would be the Terror's next victims. When did the Reign of Terror end?

    1. AJune 1794
    2. BJuly 1794
    3. CAugust 1795
    4. DSeptember 1793
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    B. July 1794. On 27 July 1794 the Convention had Robespierre arrested, and he was guillotined the next day. That ended the Terror.

    

12. Napoleonic EraMedium

    12. From which island did Napoleon return to France in 1815?

    1. AElba
    2. BCorsica
    3. CSt Helena
    4. DMalta
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    A. Elba. He was exiled to Elba after his abdication in April 1814 and escaped in February 1815. St Helena came after Waterloo.

    

13. Napoleonic EraMedium

    13. Why did Sieyès and his allies need Bonaparte in 1799?

    1. AHe alone could sign the new constitution into law
    2. BThe councils had already named him First Consul
    3. CHe had the army and prestige to impose a stronger government
    4. DHe controlled the Bank of France
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    C. He had the army and prestige to impose a stronger government. Sieyès believed the Directory could not be fixed without force. Bonaparte, home from Egypt, had the soldiers and the popularity to supply that force.

    

14. Napoleonic EraMedium

    14. Which word did Nelson originally want in his famous signal?

    1. AHopes
    2. BTrusts
    3. CRequires
    4. DConfides
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    D. Confides. He wanted “confides”, but it was not in the signal book. Lieutenant Pasco suggested “expects”, which could be sent faster.

    

15. Napoleonic EraMedium

    15. What happened in Moscow after the French entered it?

    1. AFires broke out and destroyed most of the city
    2. BThe Russian army attacked at once
    3. CThe Russian governor handed the keys of the city to Napoleon
    4. DThe Tsar surrendered the city
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    A. Fires broke out and destroyed most of the city. The fires began on the night of 14–15 September and burned for days. The cause is still debated.

    

16. Napoleonic EraMedium

    16. What happened to the Holy Roman Empire after Austerlitz?

    1. ANapoleon became its emperor
    2. BIt was dissolved in 1806
    3. CIt was moved to Vienna
    4. DIt declared itself a republic
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    B. It was dissolved in 1806. After the Confederation of the Rhine was formed, Francis, the last Holy Roman Emperor, ended the Holy Roman Empire in August 1806 and remained Emperor of Austria.

    

17. Napoleonic EraMedium

    17. Why did the arrival of the Prussian army matter so much at Waterloo?

    1. AIt gave Wellington cavalry for the first time
    2. BIt brought Wellington extra food and ammunition
    3. CIt forced Napoleon to divide his forces and weakened his attack
    4. DIt persuaded the French Guard to surrender
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    C. It forced Napoleon to divide his forces and weakened his attack. The Prussians threatened Napoleon's right flank and forced him to send troops to hold them back. So he could not use all his reserves against Wellington.

    

18. Napoleonic EraMedium

    18. Which title did Napoleon hold from December 1799?

    1. AFirst Consul
    2. BKing of Italy
    3. CDirector
    4. DEmperor of the French
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    A. First Consul. The new constitution of December 1799, the Constitution of Year VIII in the revolutionary calendar, made him First Consul. He became Emperor only in 1804.

    

19. Napoleonic EraMedium

    19. Why did Trafalgar matter even though Napoleon had already given up invading Britain?

    1. AIt gave Britain lasting command of the sea
    2. BIt destroyed the French army at Boulogne
    3. CIt forced Spain to leave the war
    4. DIt made Nelson prime minister
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    A. It gave Britain lasting command of the sea. The Royal Navy ruled the seas for the rest of the war, protecting British trade and cutting France off from its colonies.

    

20. Napoleonic EraMedium

    20. Most of the Grande Armée's losses in Russia came in large battles.

    1. ATrue
    2. BFalse
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    B. False. Disease, hunger, exhaustion and cold killed far more than combat did, even though Borodino was one of the bloodiest days of the wars.

    

21. Napoleonic EraMedium

    21. Why did Napoleon deliberately weaken his right wing and give up the Pratzen Heights?

    1. AHis generals disobeyed his orders
    2. BHe lacked the troops to hold any position
    3. CHe planned to retreat to Vienna
    4. DHe wanted to tempt the allies to attack and leave the Heights
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    D. He wanted to tempt the allies to attack and leave the Heights. Napoleon wanted the allies to leave the high ground to attack what looked like a weak flank, or side. Then he could strike their weakened centre.

    

22. Napoleonic EraMedium

    22. What was the Imperial Guard's role at the end of the battle?

    1. AIt defended Napoleon's headquarters
    2. BIt guarded Paris during the battle
    3. CIt surrendered before the fighting began
    4. DIt was sent in as a last assault, failed and retreated
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    D. It was sent in as a last assault, failed and retreated. Napoleon sent the Guard against Wellington's centre in the evening. When it was driven back, the French army lost its courage.

    

23. French RevolutionHard

    23. Why did deputies in the Convention turn against Robespierre in July 1794?

    1. AHe had refused to sign the Law of 22 Prairial
    2. BHe wanted to end the war with Austria at once
    3. CThey feared his unnamed list of traitors meant them
    4. DThey wanted to bring back the king's family
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    C. They feared his unnamed list of traitors meant them. After Danton and others were executed, no one felt safe. On 26 July Robespierre spoke of traitors among the deputies but named no one, so many decided to strike first.

    

24. French RevolutionHard

    24. Which disastrous campaign destroyed Napoleon's Grande Armée in 1812?

    1. AThe invasion of Russia
    2. BThe invasion of Spain
    3. CThe invasion of Britain
    4. DThe invasion of Austria
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    A. The invasion of Russia. In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia. Cold, hunger and Russian attacks destroyed the Grande Armée during the retreat from Moscow, and his downfall began.

    

25. French RevolutionHard

    25. On 27 July 1793 Robespierre joined which body, and became its most prominent member?

    1. AThe Committee of Public Safety
    2. BThe Revolutionary Tribunal
    3. CThe Estates-General
    4. DThe Paris town council
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    A. The Committee of Public Safety. Robespierre joined the Committee of Public Safety, which ran the war and the government during the Reign of Terror.

    

26. French RevolutionHard

    26. What set of laws did Napoleon issue in 1804?

    1. AThe Revolutionary Code
    2. BThe Justinian Code
    3. CThe Imperial Charter
    4. DThe Napoleonic Code
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    D. The Napoleonic Code. The Civil Code of 1804, later called the Napoleonic Code, gave all of France one set of laws. Versions of it still shape the law of many countries.

    

27. Napoleonic EraHard

    27. What did the Berlin Decree of 1806 declare?

    1. AThat the British Isles were under blockade
    2. BThat Prussia was part of France
    3. CThat the Holy Roman Empire was ended
    4. DThat Napoleon would invade Russia
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    A. That the British Isles were under blockade. The decree forbade trade with Britain in all lands under French control, beginning the Continental System.

    

28. Napoleonic EraHard

    28. What happened to France's borders in the Second Treaty of Paris?

    1. AThey were extended to the Rhine
    2. BThey were reduced to those of 1790
    3. CThey were unchanged from 1814
    4. DFrance was divided among the victors
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    B. They were reduced to those of 1790. After the Hundred Days the allies were harsher. France was reduced to its 1790 borders, fined and occupied for up to five years.

    

29. Napoleonic EraHard

    29. Why did Napoleon invade Portugal and Spain?

    1. AThe Pope asked for his help
    2. BSpanish troops had attacked France
    3. CPortugal refused to obey the blockade of Britain
    4. DPortugal had taken over French colonies
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    C. Portugal refused to obey the blockade of Britain. Portugal was Britain's old ally and kept trading with it, so Napoleon invaded in 1807. The next year he put his brother on the Spanish throne, which caused a revolt.

    

30. Napoleonic EraHard

    30. Historians have proved that Napoleon was poisoned on St Helena.

    1. ATrue
    2. BFalse
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    B. False. The autopsies pointed to stomach cancer. Arsenic theories are old but are rejected by most historians.