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British History A-Z #2

A sometimes lighthearted quiz relating to British history. Can you guess these people, places, and things from A-Z?
Quiz by
mrnafe
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Last updated: February 14, 2026
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First submittedJanuary 25, 2019
Times taken11,779
Average score73.1%
Rating4.24
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Hint
Answer
A
Battle where the English defeated the French in 1415. A modern legend says this is
the origin of the two fingered salute.
Battle of Agincourt
B
Mop headed Liverpudlian rockers who were bigger than Jesus according to one of them
The Beatles
C
Great Dane who was King of England from 1016–1035
Cnut the Great
D
Where the British Expeditionary Force evacuated France in 1940
Dunkirk
E
Scientific principle described in "On the Origin of Species"
Evolution
F
"We shall _____ on the beaches", said Churchill
Fight
G
Grandiose Liberal Party politician who was Prime Minister on four occasions
between 1868–1894
William Gladstone
H
"My kingdom for a _____", said Richard III (at least according to Shakespeare)
Horse
I
Notable engineer, bridge builder and all-around polymath of the Industrial Revolution
Isambard
Kingdom Brunel
J
The largest naval battle of WWI, and the last one anywhere fought
primarily with battleships
Battle of Jutland
K
Lord who created a temperature scale which starts at absolute zero
Lord Kelvin
L
Suicidal cavalry bunch extolled by Tennyson:
"Theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die"
Light Brigade
M
Maverick field marshal of the North African campaign in WWII
Bernard Montgomery
N
He lost his arm at Tenerife and his life at Trafalgar
Horatio Nelson
O
Britain's oldest university
Oxford
P
Powerful advisory board of the monarch in Medieval times
Privy Council
Q
Religious sect who were persecuted in England and fled to Pennsylvania
Quakers
R
Slang for the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War
Roundheads
S
Culinary phenomenon born when an earl decided he didn't want to leave his
gaming table to eat, choosing meat between slices of bread instead
Sandwich
T
Modernising if controversial Prime Minister of the 1980s, not popular
amongst Argentinians...
Margaret Thatcher
U
Flag whose current design dates to 1801
Union Flag
V
The Empress of India, she married her German first cousin
Victoria
W
Fighter who led the Scots to victory against the English at the battle of Stirling Bridge
William Wallace
X
Televised contest launched by Simon Cowell in 2004
The X Factor
Y
Official name of the Beefeaters, the costumed guards of the Tower of London
Yeomen Warders
Z
South African tribe who lost a war against the British in 1879, despite some early success
Zulu
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28 Comments
kiwiquizzer
+3
Level 68
Jul 8, 2022
My mum is from Bristol and I knew Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but just not how to spell it!
Yanni47
+5
Level 80
Feb 15, 2026
Yeah, I'd have liked some more type-ins for that one. It wouldn't even take Isembard. :(
GreenFriday
+1
Level 88
May 31, 2026
Tried Isembard, Isenbard and Isengard, but no luck
AlmostAGenius
+8
Level 90
Feb 14, 2026
I know “Great Dane” is referring to a Danish person for C, but I can’t help but picture a large dog being the King of England.
Freestatebear
+1
Level 88
Feb 16, 2026
But Great Danes (the dogs) are known to be gentle giants - totally contrary to the behaviour historically associated with English kings.
DonTheLamplighter
+1
Level 87
Feb 17, 2026
Imagining King Scooby
Alexquiz17
+2
Level 95
Feb 15, 2026
You could delete “in medieval times” from the P question, it’s still very much a thing.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Feb 15, 2026
The privy council is not powerful in modern times.
Time123
+4
Level 58
Feb 17, 2026
I mean, it's still the highest court in the Commonwealth?
HemmoAU
+1
Level 59
Jun 2, 2026
Was going to agree with the previous commenter, but the UK itself has stopped appeals to the PC in favour of their Supreme Court and only the smallest (generally island-based) Commonwealth countries still allow appeals there, so while it's still important for some it's not exactly powerful like it was even just 50 years ago.
Cyclonus
+2
Level 89
Feb 15, 2026
24 / 26... not bad for someone born and raised in the US. I'll say this though... there's exactly zero chance of me ever remembering the name "Isambard Kingdom Brunel". Because even if I remember who he is, I'm inevitably going to remember his first name as "Isengard".
brandybuck96
+3
Level 82
Feb 20, 2026
they're taking the hobbits to Isambard!
Zefyrinus
+1
Level 74
May 29, 2026
I thought at first it said Kingdom Brunei. õ.Ô
OfficerDibble
+2
Level 87
Feb 15, 2026
It's 'yeoman warders'. 'Yeomen' is a correct plural noun, but not when it's adjectival.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Feb 15, 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeomen_Warders
mrnafe
+1
Level 84
Feb 15, 2026
Thanks for the tweaks and feature QM 🙏
hwes
+14
Level 89
Feb 15, 2026
Modernising is not the term I'd use to describe Thatcher. Regressive would be more accurate.
FurQ
+7
Level 69
May 29, 2026
Not sure I am allowed to describe her in an appropriate way and not get banned.
QuizBirder
+2
Level 68
May 29, 2026
Came to the comments to say something similar - the architect of so many of the economic troubles of today. Vile woman.
ECon211
+10
Level 91
Feb 16, 2026
That clue for Thatcher is an interesting choice...
mrnafe
+1
Level 84
Feb 16, 2026
Compare Britain in the 90s to Britain in the 70s, I'm no fan but the country was completely different for her tenure.
HeeHoo
+7
Level 71
May 29, 2026
different but not necessarily more modern, in fact her privatising lots of public sectors in the uk is what's preventing the UK from actually modernising lots of basic services like the trains and waterways and sewer systems
Temp190
+1
Level 74
Jun 1, 2026
This is not true and just an opinion. Many countries with nationalised industries have poorer train services and vice versa.

I have travelled most of Europe by train and the UK system is well above average.

The same is true for waterways and sewer systems. The belief is caused by the UK press which will compared a UK service to the best in say Europe and not the average.

The best measure is when talking to those visiting or have move to the UK, who will comment on broadly well above average services.

Koopa
+1
Level 88
Feb 16, 2026
Isn't "mop headed" a hyphenated term?
cornflakesfu
+2
Level 90
Feb 16, 2026
"Quaker" in both the US and British quizzes . . . just not that many historical Q words available, huh?
brandybuck96
+2
Level 82
Feb 20, 2026
to be fair the Quakers were a very important part of 17th and 18th-century British history, although they did far more than just flee to Pennsylvania
Bonzo65
+1
Level 74
May 29, 2026
They were exceptionally influential in the porridge industry.
spifftp
+3
Level 65
May 29, 2026
Not accepting Roundhead for Roundheads is unnecessarily petty
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