Historical Rulers #2

Can you name the nations or empires ruled by these leaders?
Includes one apocryphal and one fictional ruler
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 22, 2017
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First submittedDecember 22, 2017
Times taken27,297
Average score62.5%
Rating4.16
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Ruler
Nation
Cleopatra
Egypt
Peter the Great
Russia
Atilla
Hunnic Empire
Henry VIII
England
Leopold II
Belgium
Charlemagne
Frankish Empire
Frederick the Great
Prussia
Justinian
Byzantine Empire
Pol Pot
Cambodia
Pericles
Athens
Xerxes
Persian Empire
Casimir the Great
Poland
The Meiji Emperor
Japan
The Yongle Emperor
China
Urban II
The Papal States
Muawiyah I
Umayyad Caliphate
Mansa Musa
Mali Empire
Shaka
Zulu Kingdom
Ashoka
Maurya Empire (India)
Vlad the Impaler
Wallachia (Romania)
Dido
Carthage
Owain Glyndŵr
Wales
Hamlet
Denmark
Mobutu Sese Seko
Zaire
+14
Level 77
Dec 22, 2017
Maybe a remark that it includes fictious ones?
+1
Level 82
Dec 22, 2017
Which ones?
+19
Level 85
Dec 22, 2017
Hamlet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Danish_monarchs
+3
Level 75
Oct 27, 2020
Funny how all the angst is for the probably-fine answer Hamlet, not for the obviously fictitious Dido. I'm happy with both anyway.
+1
Level 78
Mar 5, 2021
Exactly what I thought. Although the historicity of Hamlet (and Amleth) is somewhat shaky too.
+7
Level 90
Dec 25, 2017
Better still get rid of that clue.
+4
Level 69
Feb 1, 2018
+1. If you want to have Denmark as an answer, how about Harald Bluetooth or his father Gorm? Of course everybody knows Hamlet & Denmark but...
+6
Level 78
Jun 21, 2018
I agree. Not only Hamlet is a fictional character, he didn't even rule Denmark! The Shakespearean play has his uncle Claudius usurp the crown by marrying Hamlet's mother, so Hamlet never gets to be crowned.
+7
Level 63
Jun 28, 2018
Firstly, there was certainly a King Hamlet of Denmark in the play - the hero's murdered father.

Secondly, Hamlet is based on the legendary Amleth, son of a Jutlandic chieftain who, if he existed, would predate the formal Danish monarchy long enough to not be on that list.

+7
Level 70
Jun 20, 2018
Agreed. Calling Hamlet historical is a little far fetched...
+5
Level 69
Dec 23, 2017
Ah. Tried Byzantium (silly me, that’s the city) and East Roman, neither of which worked. Should have tried a few more variations
+1
Level 60
Jun 20, 2018
I tried Greece and Turkey.....
+2
Level 73
Jun 20, 2018
I tried Eastern Roman Empire and it accepted it after two words I believe.
+8
Level 57
Jun 20, 2018
Byzantium should be accepted. Byzantion is the name of the pre-Roman Greek city.
+2
Level 75
Nov 19, 2021
I agree, Byzantium should be accepted, just like Rome is usually accepted for the Roman Empire etc.
+2
Level 38
Nov 22, 2021
Feel like the Roman Empire should be accepted, since that's basically what they were and what they called themselves.
+1
Level 72
Dec 24, 2017
The four least guessed are blinking tricky.
+7
Level 69
Dec 28, 2017
Byzantium should count, as it's often used to refer to the Empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantium_(disambiguation)
+2
Level 86
Jan 20, 2018
Eastern roman empire is the best answer anyway.
+1
Level 70
Jun 20, 2018
Yup. You could a strong case that the Roman Empire lasted until the 15th century.
+3
Level 86
Jan 2, 2018
Kept getting confused and using the current country. Couldn't figure out why Tunisia wouldn't work for Dido.
+2
Level 86
Jan 20, 2018
Well that works for some answers, like Wallachia or Zaire.
+15
Level 82
Mar 19, 2018
As far as Justinian and his contemporaries were concerned, the empire he ruled was the Roman Empire - I think this should be allowed. The 'Eastern' is applied for historical reasons, but wasn't employed at the time. Also Byzantium, as that term is oft used for the empire as a whole. Also Leopold II was a Holy Roman Emperor - which is where my mind went first, before getting Belgium. Wikipedia also now tells me Leopold II can refer to a Margrave of Austria, a Duke of Austria, a Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, a Prince of Lippe and a Grand Duke of Tuscany, so I s'pose it might get tedious to include all of those, but I think an Emperor is noteworthy enough to allow unless king is added to the clue or something like that.
+3
Level 77
Jun 20, 2018
+1
+3
Level 89
Aug 14, 2018
-2 Leopold II is most famous as the Belgian who took the Congo as his own personal possession. He was an embarrassment of colonial excess even among other colonial white supremacists. Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness is a famous story set there.
+1
Level 82
Feb 12, 2020
I'm aware of Leopold II of Belgium, but a Holy Roman Emperor seems more important to my mind than a Belgian king.
+1
Level 71
Nov 19, 2021
Leopold II is by far the most (in)famous Leopold out there though. I think most people who know history well enough to known about Holy Roman Emperor Leopold probably also know about Belgian king Leopold. Plus, there's already a Holy Roman Empire clue.
+1
Level 38
Nov 22, 2021
+3 That doesn't mean that it shouldn't count. I guessed Holy Roman Empire for Leopold II as well, even though I'm well aware of the Belgian. On that note, why on earth is HRE accepted for Charlemange but not 'Francia'?
+1
Level 38
Nov 22, 2021
(I only guessed HRE because I've been reading up on the Romanovs and Catherine the Great recently and Leopold pops up a lot there)
+2
Level 89
Jun 18, 2018
Sad how many people don't remember Mobutu Sese Seko as part of major history in recent memory.
+4
Level 66
Jun 20, 2018
I'd suggest changing Atilla to Attila, it seems to be the far more common spelling, in English at least. It might also be a good idea to replace Hamlet with a historical ruler of Denmark, there are enough famous ones to choose from. I like the quiz idea though.
+1
Level 73
Jun 20, 2018
I guessed Mali and Zulu back to back with 10 seconds left after approximately two minutes of guessing everything I could think of. What a lovely coincidence, I really didn't think I was going to get them all.
+6
Level 28
Jun 20, 2018
Mansa Musa's low rating surprises me. These people never played Civ.
+2
Level 80
Jun 20, 2018
I knew I had heard it before. And that's how.
+2
Level 65
Jun 20, 2018
Could you please add the following type-ins:

Athenian

Danish

Welsh

Due to the fact that these refer to the people over whom they ruled.

Also, I am not sold that Roman for Justinian is an incorrect answer, but that is your call.

Thank-you for a great quiz, and for adding some of our African Empires/nations into the mix.

+1
Level 38
Nov 22, 2021
Rome should 100% count.
+1
Level 55
Jun 20, 2018
Would be reasonable to accept 'Byzantium' for Justinian
+1
Level 66
Jun 20, 2018
Byzantium was the city (which was actually called Constantinople under the empire).
+1
Level 60
Mar 18, 2021
Actually for a good while they still called it Byzantium but still
+2
Level 67
Jun 20, 2018
Besides from Hamlet not being a historical person (since he is fictional), he was not really a ruler either? As far as I remember, the entire play (spoiler alert!) is about how Hamlet is trying to get the crown from his uncle (that usurped the crown), and he actually dies before he ever gets to rule. So I think he is a more than a little misplaced on this list
+2
Level 78
Jun 20, 2018
His father the late king is also called Hamlet.
+1
Level 54
Jun 20, 2018
More that he is looking for revenge against his uncle Claudius for killing his father, but otherwise you're correct.
+3
Level 60
Jun 20, 2018
Agree with the above that Hamlet is a) not a ruler and is b) fictional, and also that Justinian was the ruler of the Roman Empire with no qualifiers. Byzantine should be an accepted answer because that's what it's eventually come to be known as, but Roman is correct.
+2
Level 76
Nov 19, 2021
Hamlet's murdered father the king was also named Hamlet. Still fictional, but definitely a ruler.
+2
Level 64
Jun 20, 2018
TFW you try all the caliphates but the right one until the very end.
+5
Level 82
Jun 20, 2018
Just type in "Arab" and you get it
+1
Level 59
Jun 21, 2018
It's always in the last place you look.
+1
Level 81
Jul 8, 2018
Caliphate worked for me
+2
Level 71
Jun 20, 2018
I thought Cleopatra was Macedonian, Cleopatra is Greek for 'Glory of the Father'
+4
Level 46
Jun 20, 2018
But that isn't the region she was given to rule.
+2
Level 74
Nov 19, 2021
She was Greek, a descendant of Ptolemy, Alexander's general... who came to rule the Diadochi kingdom of Egypt after Alexander's death. She was the last monarch of an independent Egypt, before it was absorbed into the Roman empire.

How is it that you don't know this? There's a Shakespeare play and several films and TV series about it.

+5
Level 45
Nov 19, 2021
It is possible to have good general knowledge and yet still have gaps in it that other people have. No one knows everything. Seems an unnecessary condescending comment.
+2
Level 77
Nov 19, 2021
It's possible that not everyone is aware that most people have some gaps general knowledge. Seems like an unnecessarily condescending comment about his condescension.
+1
Level 50
Jun 20, 2018
Nice quiz! I got quite a few of the answers, but just a thought: perhaps Greece should work for Athens? I mean, I personally know the famous cities and locations in Greece, but for guessing...
+1
Level 59
Jun 21, 2018
Can't believe I got England but couldn't get Whales.
+3
Level 50
Jun 25, 2018
Um, do you mean "Wales"?
+1
Level 68
Nov 21, 2021
No, they meant that they conquered England, but they only found whales, not Whales. Understandable disappointment.

Perhaps Wales has whales and Whales, you should try finding Whales there.

+8
Level 60
Jun 22, 2018
Kampuchea should be accepted for Cambodia as that was the name of the country while under his regime. Only tried Cambodia after that and Khmer Rouge didn't register.
+1
Level 60
Mar 18, 2021
Same...
+1
Level 71
Oct 13, 2018
Attila is misspelled, and surely Cambodia was called Kampuchea during Pol Pot's reign?
+1
Level 88
Jun 16, 2020
no attila is german word but Atilla is turkic
+2
Level 74
Sep 3, 2019
It still reads Atilla, makes him sound Spanish.
+4
Level 85
Feb 7, 2020
Please accept "Roman/Roman Empire" for Justinian. The Byzantine empire was the Roman Empire, not a seperate one.
+1
Level 85
Jan 1, 2021
If it would be part 3 of the series, it would be nice if you would consider adding countries like Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Sweden,... They had some important kings and emperors. :)
+4
Level 60
Jan 20, 2021
There is also a Holy Roman Emperor named Leopold II.
+1
Level 79
Feb 21, 2021
Could you accept Kampuchea for Cambodia?
+1
Level 65
Mar 17, 2021
Please accept Gaul for Frankish Empire.
+1
Level 74
Nov 19, 2021
Why? Gaul was a distinct entity, a confederation of Gallic tribes then a Roman province. The Frankish empire was ruled by - surprise surprise - the Franks, a Germanic tribe. Other than the region involved, France and Gaul are different things.
+1
Level 68
Nov 21, 2021
Maybe accept Francia for France? It usually works in other quizzes for me.
+1
Level 60
Mar 18, 2021
Please change it to Kampuchea, you had the DRC be zaire.
+1
Level 82
Nov 19, 2021
stop
+1
Level 36
Nov 19, 2021
Thank you, Civilization VI!
+2
Level 78
Nov 19, 2021
Too easy to guess correctly by entering likely answers. Maybe this one should be yellow boxed.
+1
Level 69
Nov 19, 2021
Accepting Romania for Vlad the Impaler is a bit like accepting United Kingdom for Owain Glyndŵr, or at the very least like accepting United Kingdom for Henry VIII.
+1
Level 46
Nov 19, 2021
LOL at accepting France for Charlemagne but not UK or Great Britain for Henry VIII. Why not also accept Germany for Charlemagne? The Frankish Empire predates the Holy Roman Empire.
+1
Level 43
Nov 19, 2021
Catholic church as a type-in for urban ii?
+1
Level 65
Nov 19, 2021
When I saw Owain Glyndŵr, I kept thinkint why this elf isn't marked red as fictional. I legit tried LotR names... turns out he was a human.
+1
Level 56
Nov 20, 2021
I'm a little disappointed that "Byzantium" was not an accepted answer :(
+1
Level 67
Nov 20, 2021
Missed Papal and Wales
+1
Level 76
Jun 21, 2022
You might want to accept both the country and the demonym of that country for all answers, not just some of them. After seeing that many demonyms were accepted, I tried Polish and Welsh, but to no avail.
+1
Level 82
Jul 23, 2022
Why isn't Songhai Empire accepted for Mansa Musa?
+1
Level 65
Feb 8, 2023
Because it was not the Songhai Empire. Mansa Musa lived before the Songhai Empire existed and his kingdom eventually got conquered by them.
+1
Level 56
May 13, 2023
What, do I not get credit for Khmer Rouge?