Q 01/05

Roughly what share of Europe's population did the Black Death kill between 1346 and 1353?

A) 5% to 10%

B) 15% to 20%

C) 30% to 60%

D) 80% to 90%

Answer · why

C) 30% to 60%

The continent's population did not climb back to its 14th-century level until the 16th century.

Q 02/05

Genoese traders reportedly carried plague into Europe in 1347 from which Crimean port?

A) Odessa

B) Kaffa

C) Trebizond

D) Tana

Answer · why

B) Kaffa

The disease itself is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, spread mainly by flea bites.

Q 03/05

Which sultan's forces captured Constantinople on 29 May 1453?

A) Bayezid I

B) Murad II

C) Suleiman I

D) Mehmed II

Answer · why

D) Mehmed II

He was only 21 at the time and was later nicknamed 'the Conqueror'.

Q 04/05

The 1453 siege of Constantinople, which began on 6 April, lasted how many days?

A) 53

B) 74

C) 100

D) 212

Answer · why

A) 53

Orban's giant bombard was 27 feet long and could hurl a 600-pound stone ball more than a mile.

Q 05/05

During the 1453 siege, Ottoman ships were dragged overland on greased logs into which waterway?

A) The Bosphorus

B) The Golden Horn

C) The Sea of Marmara

D) The Dardanelles

Answer · why

B) The Golden Horn

The road of greased logs ran across Galata, bypassing the chain that blocked the harbour mouth.