Chapter 12 of 32 · Updated for 2026

Famous Battles: practice questions

Ten Life in the UK test questions on Famous Battles, each checked against the official handbook and set in the four formats the real test uses. Pick your answer, then tap Show the answer to see why.

1. One answer

   1. What happened at the Battle of Hastings in 1066?

   • AKing Alfred defeated the Viking army
   • BWilliam, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Saxon king Harold
   • CRobert the Bruce defeated the English army
   • DHenry Tudor defeated King Richard III
   Show the answer

   B: William, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Saxon king Harold

   William of Normandy's army defeated and killed the Saxon king Harold at Hastings, and William became king of England. The battle is shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.

2. One answer

   2. Who defeated the Emperor Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815?

   • AAdmiral Nelson
   • BThe Duke of Marlborough
   • CThe Duke of Wellington
   • DSir Robert Walpole
   Show the answer

   C: The Duke of Wellington

   The Duke of Wellington, known as the Iron Duke, defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. He later became Prime Minister.

3. True or false

   3. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   The British navy won the Battle of Trafalgar in 1815.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   B: False

   Trafalgar was in 1805. The year 1815 was the Battle of Waterloo.

4. One answer

   4. What were the Wars of the Roses?

   • AA long war between England and France
   • BA series of wars between England and Scotland
   • CThe war between Charles I and Parliament
   • DA civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York
   Show the answer

   D: A civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York

   The Wars of the Roses began in 1455 to decide who should be king of England and ended at Bosworth Field in 1485.

5. Choose TWO answers

   5. Which TWO statements about the Battle of Hastings are correct?

   • AIt took place in 1066
   • BHarold was killed in the battle
   • CIt took place in 1086
   • DWilliam was killed in the battle
   Show the answer

   A: It took place in 1066
   B: Harold was killed in the battle

   At Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Saxon king Harold, who was killed. William became known as William the Conqueror.

6. One answer

   6. Which poet wrote The Bruce, about the Battle of Bannockburn, in the Scots language?

   • AGeoffrey Chaucer
   • BJohn Barbour
   • CRobert Burns
   • DWilliam Caxton
   Show the answer

   B: John Barbour

   In Scotland many people spoke Gaelic and the Scots language developed. John Barbour wrote The Bruce in Scots about Bannockburn.

7. Which statement is correct

   7. Which of these statements is correct?

   • AAfter the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Scotland remained unconquered by the English.
   • BAfter the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Scotland was ruled by the English king.
   Show the answer

   A: After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Scotland remained unconquered by the English.

   The Scots won at Bannockburn, so the English kings did not conquer Scotland in the Middle Ages.

8. One answer

   8. What happened on D-Day, 6 June 1944?

   • AAllied forces landed in Normandy
   • BGermany surrendered
   • CTroops were rescued from Dunkirk
   • DAn atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima
   Show the answer

   A: Allied forces landed in Normandy

   On 6 June 1944 Allied forces landed in Normandy. They pressed on through France into Germany, which was defeated in May 1945.

9. True or false

   9. Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?

   The Spitfire and the Hurricane were designed and built in the United States.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   Show the answer

   B: False

   The Spitfire and Hurricane, the RAF's key planes in the Battle of Britain, were designed and built in Britain.

10. One answer

    10. Where did James II land with a French army in his attempt to regain the throne?

    • AScotland
    • BWales
    • CCornwall
    • DIreland
    Show the answer

    D: Ireland

    James II invaded Ireland with French help but was defeated by William at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

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