French Scholars Bowl: History Toss-Up Questions
Who was the first king of the Capetian dynasty?
(Hugh/Hugues) Capet
How old was Marie Antoinette when she married Louis XVI (16th)?
14
At what age did Jeanne d'Arc begin to hear voices?
17
When was the First Tour de France held?
1903
In what year was the 5th Republic established?
1958
In what year did the French middle class stage a sit-down strike that shut down the country for a month and almost forced Charles de Gaulle out of office?
1968
The patron saint of Paris, Sainte Genevieve successfully prevented the Huns from attacking her city in which century?
5th century
What woman was married to the King of France and later the King of England, producing two kings of England?
Aliénor d'Aquitaine
What was the original nationality of Marie Antoinette?
Austrian
Duke Henri de Guise was murdered in which château?
Blois
Conquered by Caesar in 56 BC, this region was named Armorica after the Celtic word for seaside.
Brittany
What is the name of the French settlers of Canada who migrated to Louisiana after being forced out during the Seven Years' War?
Cajuns / Acadiens
Which powerful French minister is credited with the founding of the Académie Francaise?
Cardinal Richelieu
Who was the rival of Diane de Poitiers?
Catherine de Médicis
Who invented the idea of schools in France?
Charlemagne
Who was the greatest king of the Carolingian dynasty?
Charlemagne
Who was France's leader between 1958 and 1969?
Charles de Gaulle
In 1996 the pope celebrated the 1,500th anniversary of the baptism of which king of France?
Clovis
Where was Napoléon born?
Corsica
What were the priests of the Gauls called?
Druids
What did the French Constitution establish for women in 1946?
Equal pay for equal work
Who was called le bon roi?
Henri IV (4th)
What is there from ancient times that is located at Carnac?
Huge stones, Menhirs, Dolmens, Tumulus
Francois the First liked what type of leisure activity the best?
Hunting
Which explorer left to discover Canada in 1534?
Jacques Cartier
Which French explorer discovered the Mississippi River?
Jacques Marquette
What French peasant was made a saint in 1920?
Joan of Arc
Who was the French woman from the Antilles whose former spouse gained fame throughout Europe but died in captivity?
Josephine
Cardinal Richelieu is responsible for founding which august French institution?
L'Académie Francaise
Where is Napoléon buried?
L'Hotel des Invalides
Which French general helped the American Colonists during the Revolutionary War and became an American hero?
Lafayette
Which French nobleman is known for helping the American colonists in their struggle for independence?
Lafayette
Who was the aide-de-camp of George Washington?
Lafayette
What was the aristocratic quarter of Paris during the 17th century called?
Le Marais
What did Henri Desgranges originate in 1903?
Le Tour de France
What was the name given to Napoléon's return to Paris in 1815?
Les Cent Jours
Which nomadic group, also known as les gens du voyage were thought to have come originally, but mistakenly, from Egypt?
Les gitans (gypsies)
The Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris commemorates the heroic resistance of the city of Belfort during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870-71 featuring a large statue of what animal?
Lion
In what province was Joan of Arc born?
Lorraine
During which king's reign was the Académie Francaise founded?
Louis XIII (13th)
Anne d'Autriche was the mother of what French King?
Louis XIV (14th)
Which king helped establish the tradition of bonne cuisine in France?
Louis XIV (14th)
Who was France's first minister of Culture?
Malraux
Which queen played being a shepherdess?
Marie Antoinette
Who was married to Louis XVI (16th)?
Marie Antoinette
What French explorer discovered the Mississippi?
Marquette
Where was Josephine de Beauharnais from?
Martinique
Clovis was a ruler during which French dynasty?
Mérovingien
What was the first ruling dynasty of France?
Mérovingien
Which popular ruler of France is associated with Josephine de Beauharnais, and Marie-Louise?
Napoléon
Who established the Code Civil which is still the basis of French law?
Napoléon
Who founded the modern Olympics in 1894?
Pierre de Coubertin
Who was the head of government during the Vichy regime?
Pétain
What was the first French town liberated by the Allied forces on D-day?
Sainte-Mère-Église
Which French President got married while in office?
Sarkozy
Name the battle which saved French Christianity from an invasion in the year 732.
The Battle of Tours
Who replaced the carriage wheel with the world's first inflatable automobile tire in 1895?
The Michelin brothers
In 1896 Baron Pierre de Coubertin was successful in restoring what well-known sporting event?
The Olympic Games
What treaty returned Alsace-Lorraine to France in 1919?
The Treaty of Versailles
Which American President was a representative to France?
Thomas Jefferson
While living in France for five years (1785-89), this famous Francophile became a great connoisseur of French wines while serving there as U.S. ambassador to France. Who was he?
Thomas Jefferson
What is the name of the THIRD president of the 5th Republic?
Valérie Giscard d'Estaing
In what city was Louis XVI captured after he and his family escaped from Paris in 1791?
Varennes
Which leader of the Gauls was the model for the Astérix comic books, was captured by the Romans, left to languish in prison in Rome?
Vercingétorix
Who became France's first National hero by leading the Gauls against Julius Caesar in 52 B.C.?
Vercingétorix
What is Napoléon's emblem?
golden bee / eagle
Where was Marie Antoinette imprisoned before going to the guillotine?
in the Concièrgerie
What is the current name of the large square where hundreds of French people were guillotined during the Revolution?
la Place de la Concorde
What was the Bastille?
prison / fortress
What event was responsible for eliminating approximately one-third of the French population in the mid-fourteenth century?
the Black Death
At the time of the Roman invasion of France, Caesar called the tribes in the area what name?
the Gauls
To whom has the title dauphin been applied to historically?
to the oldest son of the king of France
Who was Clotilde?
wife of Clovis, King of the Francs
Which French Canadian heroine waited for her fiancé in Louisiana after they were shipped out in the English takeover?
Évangeline
