What event did Victoria attend in 1866 for the first time following Albert's death?


What Act by Victoria granted the ability to vote to working men, but not women?

Palmerston died in 1865, and after a brief ministry led by Russell, Derby returned to power. In 1866, Victoria attended the State Opening of Parliament for the first time since Albert's death. The following year she supported the passing of the Reform Act 1867 which doubled the electorate by extending the franchise to many urban working men, though she was not in favour of votes for women. Derby resigned in 1868, to be replaced by Benjamin Disraeli, who charmed Victoria. "Everyone likes flattery," he said, "and when you come to royalty you should lay it on with a trowel." With the phrase "we authors, Ma'am", he complimented her. Disraeli's ministry only lasted a matter of months, and at the end of the year his Liberal rival, William Ewart Gladstone, was appointed prime minister. Victoria found Gladstone's demeanour far less appealing; he spoke to her, she is thought to have complained, as though she were "a public meeting rather than a woman".


Who replaced Derby when he resigned in 1868?


What Liberal replaced Disraeli after only a few short months in office?


Who was ultimately returned to office after Palmerston's death?


How many kings and princes were invited to the Golden Jubilee?

In 1887, the British Empire celebrated Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Victoria marked the fiftieth anniversary of her accession on 20 June with a banquet to which 50 kings and princes were invited. The following day, she participated in a procession and attended a thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey. By this time, Victoria was once again extremely popular. Two days later on 23 June, she engaged two Indian Muslims as waiters, one of whom was Abdul Karim. He was soon promoted to "Munshi": teaching her Hindustani, and acting as a clerk. Her family and retainers were appalled, and accused Abdul Karim of spying for the Muslim Patriotic League, and biasing the Queen against the Hindus. Equerry Frederick Ponsonby (the son of Sir Henry) discovered that the Munshi had lied about his parentage, and reported to Lord Elgin, Viceroy of India, "the Munshi occupies very much the same position as John Brown used to do." Victoria dismissed their complaints as racial prejudice. Abdul Karim remained in her service until he returned to India with a pension on her death.


What year anniversary does the Golden Jubilee celebrate?


What year was Victoria's Golden Jubilee held?


Who did Ponsonby report the Munshis lies about his parentage to?


What was the name of the waited that was promoted to Munshi?


Whio was Equerry Frederick Ponsonby's father?


Who discovered that Victoria's new Munshi lied about his parentage?


When was Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee?


What was Abdul Karim teaching Queen Victoria after his promotion?


Who was Karim accused of spying for by Victoria's family?


Who discovered that Karim had lied about his parentage to Victoria?


What day did Queen Victoria celebrate her Golden Jubilee at a dinner with kings and queens from other nations?


What is the point of the Golden Jubilee?


Why did Victoria's family disapprove of Abdul Karim?


How long was Karim in the Queen's employment?


Who was the first reigning monarch from Britain to set foot in Spain?

Victoria visited mainland Europe regularly for holidays. In 1889, during a stay in Biarritz, she became the first reigning monarch from Britain to set foot in Spain when she crossed the border for a brief visit. By April 1900, the Boer War was so unpopular in mainland Europe that her annual trip to France seemed inadvisable. Instead, the Queen went to Ireland for the first time since 1861, in part to acknowledge the contribution of Irish regiments to the South African war. In July, her second son Alfred ("Affie") died; "Oh, God! My poor darling Affie gone too", she wrote in her journal. "It is a horrible year, nothing but sadness & horrors of one kind & another."


What year did Queen Victoria first set foot in Spain?


What year did Victoria stop her annual visits to Spain due to the Boer war?


Where did Victoria visit instead of Spain during the Boer war?


What year did Victoria's second son Alfred die?


Where did Victoria stay in Spain in 1889?


What war prevented Queen Victoria from taking her annual trip to France in 1900?


What country did Victoria visit instead of France during the Boer War?


Which of Queen Victoria's children died in July of that year?


Where did Victoria often go for holiday?


In 1889, what was Victoria the first reining monarch from Britian to do?


Why was Victoria advised not to visit France in April of 1900?


What tragedy did Victoria face in July of 1900?


Victoria was physically unprepossessing—she was stout, dowdy and no more than five feet tall—but she succeeded in projecting a grand image. She experienced unpopularity during the first years of her widowhood, but was well liked during the 1880s and 1890s, when she embodied the empire as a benevolent matriarchal figure. Only after the release of her diary and letters did the extent of her political influence become known to the wider public. Biographies of Victoria written before much of the primary material became available, such as Lytton Strachey's Queen Victoria of 1921, are now considered out of date. The biographies written by Elizabeth Longford and Cecil Woodham-Smith, in 1964 and 1972 respectively, are still widely admired. They, and others, conclude that as a person Victoria was emotional, obstinate, honest, and straight-talking.


The extent of Victorias political influence became well known after the publishing of what?


What year did Elizabeth Longford write a biography of Victoria?


What year did Cecil Woodham Smith writ Victorias biography?


Who wrote the biography about Queen Victoria that is now considered to be out of date?


What woman wrote a biography of Queen Victoria in 1964?


When did Celcil Woodham-Smith also write a well recieved biography about Victoria?


When did people really start to understand the political mind of Queen Victoria?


Who were two good biographers of Queen Victoria?


When were the best biographies of Queen Victoria written?


In 1830, what part of England did Victoria travel to with Dutchess of Kent and Conroy?

In 1830, the Duchess of Kent and Conroy took Victoria across the centre of England to visit the Malvern Hills, stopping at towns and great country houses along the way. Similar journeys to other parts of England and Wales were taken in 1832, 1833, 1834 and 1835. To the King's annoyance, Victoria was enthusiastically welcomed in each of the stops. William compared the journeys to royal progresses and was concerned that they portrayed Victoria as his rival rather than his heiress presumptive. Victoria disliked the trips; the constant round of public appearances made her tired and ill, and there was little time for her to rest. She objected on the grounds of the King's disapproval, but her mother dismissed his complaints as motivated by jealousy, and forced Victoria to continue the tours. At Ramsgate in October 1835, Victoria contracted a severe fever, which Conroy initially dismissed as a childish pretence. While Victoria was ill, Conroy and the Duchess unsuccessfully badgered her to make Conroy her private secretary. As a teenager, Victoria resisted persistent attempts by her mother and Conroy to appoint him to her staff. Once queen, she banned him from her presence, but he remained in her mother's household.


What town did Victoria visit in the center of England on her trip with the Dutchess of kent and Conroy?


What years were journeys similar to the Queen trip to Melvern Hills made?


Willam was concerned that Victoria would was being portrayed as what because of her trips to central England?


Who was annoyed that Victoria was welcomed at each of her visits to central England?


Who was annoyed at how well recieved Victoria was on her tours of the countryside of England and Wales?


Where did Victoria become seriously ill during one of her trips?


Who did Victoria dislike so much she banned him from her presence once she became Queen?


What position did Conroy try and fail to get Victoria to appoint him to during her illness and later?


Who took Victoria on a trip to Malvern Hills in 1830?


Who was Victoria convinced to make her secretery when she was very ill?


How did Victoria feel about all of the trips?


What annoyed the King about the way Victoria was received at her stops?


Why did the King dislike Victoria taking the trips?


When she was made Queen, what did Victoria do about Conroy?


Who was in charge of the Governemnt at the time of Victorias ascession?

At the time of her accession, the government was led by the Whig prime minister Lord Melbourne, who at once became a powerful influence on the politically inexperienced Queen, who relied on him for advice. Charles Greville supposed that the widowed and childless Melbourne was "passionately fond of her as he might be of his daughter if he had one", and Victoria probably saw him as a father figure. Her coronation took place on 28 June 1838 at Westminster Abbey. Over 400,000 visitors came to London for the celebrations. She became the first sovereign to take up residence at Buckingham Palace and inherited the revenues of the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall as well as being granted a civil list allowance of £385,000 per year. Financially prudent, she paid off her father's debts.


What was the name of the Whig Prime minister at the time of Victorias ascession?


When was Queen Victorias coronation held?


How many visitors came to London for Victorias coronation?


When did Victoria's coronation take place at Westminster Abbey?


Who thought that Melbourne saw Victoria as if she was his daughter?


How many people visited London for the Coronation of Queen Victoria?


What was Victoria's allowance upon becoming Queen?


What Whig was prime minister during Victoria's accession?


Who was leading the government at the time of Victoria's accension?


What kind of influence was Melbourne to Victoria?


What major accomplishment did Victoria achieve with her civil list allowance?


What year was the potato blight in Ireland?

In 1845, Ireland was hit by a potato blight. In the next four years over a million Irish people died and another million emigrated in what became known as the Great Famine. In Ireland, Victoria was labelled "The Famine Queen". She personally donated £2,000 to famine relief, more than any other individual donor, and also supported the Maynooth Grant to a Roman Catholic seminary in Ireland, despite Protestant opposition. The story that she donated only £5 in aid to the Irish, and on the same day gave the same amount to Battersea Dogs Home, was a myth generated towards the end of the 19th century.


How much money did Victoria donate to famine relief?


How many Irish people died during the Great Famine?


What was the label given to Queen Victoria during the Great Famine?


How many people died during the Great Famine in Ireland?


What was Queen Victoria called in Ireland during the Great Famine?


What story was later proven false about Victoria during the Great Famine?


How much did Queen Victoria actually donate to support relief in Ireland, making her the top individual donor?


What happened that decimated a large portion of Ireland?


How many people did Ireland lose to the potato blight?


What did the potato blight cause Victoria to be called?


How much did Victoria donate to Ireland to help with famine relief?


When Victoria isolated herself from the public, what movement began to grow?

Victoria's self-imposed isolation from the public diminished the popularity of the monarchy, and encouraged the growth of the republican movement. She did undertake her official government duties, yet chose to remain secluded in her royal residences—Windsor Castle, Osborne House, and the private estate in Scotland that she and Albert had acquired in 1847, Balmoral Castle. In March 1864, a protester stuck a notice on the railings of Buckingham Palace that announced "these commanding premises to be let or sold in consequence of the late occupant's declining business". Her uncle Leopold wrote to her advising her to appear in public. She agreed to visit the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at Kensington and take a drive through London in an open carriage.


What was the name of the private Estate in Scotland that Albert and Victoria purchased?


What year did the Queen and Albert purchase Balmoral Castle?


What year did a protester attach a note to the door at Buckingham Palace saying it was to be sold?


What private estate did Victoria aquire with Albert in 1847?


Where did a protector put a notice because of Queen Victoria's lack of public appearances in March of 1864?


Where did Victoria visit after Leopold advised her to make more public appearances?


What movement gained popularity due to the lack of Victoria appearing in public?


What was a major reason Victoria's monarchy was not as popular as some others?


What did Victoria's isolation give way to?


Who advised Vicotria to begin appaering in public?


Where did Victoria visit to become more in the public view?


What else did Victoria do to try to return her former public image?


After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British East India Company, which had ruled much of India, was dissolved, and Britain's possessions and protectorates on the Indian subcontinent were formally incorporated into the British Empire. The Queen had a relatively balanced view of the conflict, and condemned atrocities on both sides. She wrote of "her feelings of horror and regret at the result of this bloody civil war", and insisted, urged on by Albert, that an official proclamation announcing the transfer of power from the company to the state "should breathe feelings of generosity, benevolence and religious toleration". At her behest, a reference threatening the "undermining of native religions and customs" was replaced by a passage guaranteeing religious freedom.


What company was dissolved after the Indian Rebellion?


What company ruled much of India before the end of the Indian Rebellion?


Who did the Queen condemn in the Indian Rebellion?


What ruler was dissolved after the Indian Rebellion in 1857?


Who encouraged Victoria to issue an official statement on the conflict of the civil war in India?


What happened to the British possesions after the Rebellion of 1857?


What statement was replaced in her proclamation about the civil war?


Before 1857, who controlled most of India?


What caused the British East India Company to lose control of India?


What happened to the assets of the British East India Company after it was removed from power?


How did the Queen view the Indian Rebellion?


What did Victoria believe that an official proclamation transferring control from the company to the monarchy would do?


What year did Victoria fall down the stairs at Windsor?

On 17 March 1883, she fell down some stairs at Windsor, which left her lame until July; she never fully recovered and was plagued with rheumatism thereafter. Brown died 10 days after her accident, and to the consternation of her private secretary, Sir Henry Ponsonby, Victoria began work on a eulogistic biography of Brown. Ponsonby and Randall Davidson, Dean of Windsor, who had both seen early drafts, advised Victoria against publication, on the grounds that it would stoke the rumours of a love affair. The manuscript was destroyed. In early 1884, Victoria did publish More Leaves from a Journal of a Life in the Highlands, a sequel to her earlier book, which she dedicated to her "devoted personal attendant and faithful friend John Brown". On the day after the first anniversary of Brown's death, Victoria was informed by telegram that her youngest son, Leopold, had died in Cannes. He was "the dearest of my dear sons", she lamented. The following month, Victoria's youngest child, Beatrice, met and fell in love with Prince Henry of Battenberg at the wedding of Victoria's granddaughter Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine to Henry's brother Prince Louis of Battenberg. Beatrice and Henry planned to marry, but Victoria opposed the match at first, wishing to keep Beatrice at home to act as her companion. After a year, she was won around to the marriage by Henry and Beatrice's promise to remain living with and attending her.


After her fall down the stairs, what health issue was Victoria plaged with thereafter?


Who died 10 days after Victorias fall down the stairs?


How was Victoria notified of her youngest son leopolds death?


Who was Victorias private secretary during the years following her accident at Windsor?


When was Queen Victoria get injured after taking a fall down some stairs?


Who did Queen Victoria write a biography about that was never published?


Where did Victoria's youngest son, Leopold die?


Victoria initially opposed Beatrice's marriage to what man?


Where did Beatrice meet and fall in love with Prince Henry?


Who died 10 days after Victoria's accident?


What did Victoria begin working on after Brown's death?


Who was opposed to Victoria writing a biography of Brown?


What happened in Victoria's life on the day after the one year anniversary of Brown's death?


What blood clotting disease did Victorias youngest son have?

Victoria's youngest son, Leopold, was affected by the blood-clotting disease haemophilia B and two of her five daughters, Alice and Beatrice, were carriers. Royal haemophiliacs descended from Victoria included her great-grandsons, Tsarevich Alexei of Russia, Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, and Infante Gonzalo of Spain. The presence of the disease in Victoria's descendants, but not in her ancestors, led to modern speculation that her true father was not the Duke of Kent but a haemophiliac. There is no documentary evidence of a haemophiliac in connection with Victoria's mother, and as male carriers always suffer the disease, even if such a man had existed he would have been seriously ill. It is more likely that the mutation arose spontaneously because Victoria's father was over 50 at the time of her conception and haemophilia arises more frequently in the children of older fathers. Spontaneous mutations account for about a third of cases.


How many of Victorias daughters were carriers of the blood clotting disease that Leopold had?


It was believed that Victorias true father was a hemophiliac and not who?


What is the sex of carriers that always suffer the blood clotting disease haemophi;ia B?


How old was Victorias father at the time of her conception?


What disease did Victoria's youngest son have?


Which two of Victoria's daughters also were carriers for the blood clotting disorder?


Who was Queen Victoria's father rumored to be instead of the Duke of Kent?


What disease affected Leopold and was carried by two of Victoria's daughters?


Which Royal haemophiliacs are said to have descended from Victoria?


Which of Victoria's daughters were carriers of haemophilia?


What is a big factor on whether or not an offspring will spontaneously develop haemophilia?


In how many births do spontaneous cases of haemophilia arise?


Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Both the Duke of Kent and King George III died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne aged 18, after her father's three elder brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power. Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments; publicly, she became a national icon who was identified with strict standards of personal morality.


How old was Victoria when she inherited the throne?


What nationality was Queen Victorias mother?


At what age did Victoria inherit the throne, upon the death of her father's three eldest brothers?


When did Victoria inherit the throne of England?


What kind of government did England have at the time?


What was Victorias place in line of succession to the throne when she was born?

At birth, Victoria was fifth in the line of succession after her father and his three older brothers: the Prince Regent, the Duke of York, and the Duke of Clarence (later William IV). The Prince Regent and the Duke of York were estranged from their wives, who were both past child-bearing age, so the two eldest brothers were unlikely to have any further children. The Dukes of Kent and Clarence married on the same day 12 months before Victoria's birth, but both of Clarence's daughters (born in 1819 and 1820 respectively) died as infants. Victoria's grandfather and father died in 1820, within a week of each other, and the Duke of York died in 1827. On the death of her uncle George IV in 1830, Victoria became heiress presumptive to her next surviving uncle, William IV. The Regency Act 1830 made special provision for the Duchess of Kent to act as regent in case William died while Victoria was still a minor. King William distrusted the Duchess's capacity to be regent, and in 1836 declared in her presence that he wanted to live until Victoria's 18th birthday, so that a regency could be avoided.


What year did Victoria's father and grandfather die?


What year did Victorias Uncle George IV die?


What was th elength of time between the deaths of Victoria's father and grandfather?


What place was Victoria in the line of succession after her birth?


Whose infant daugheters both died, leaving him without an heir to the throne of England?


Who distrusted the Duchesses capability to reign in Victoria's place until she became of age?


Where did Victoria fall in the line of succession?


Who came in line for the throne before Victoria?


What happened when Victoria's Uncle George IV died?


Who was Victoria's last surviving uncle?


Who was to act as regent if George died while Victoria was still a minor?


Victoria turned 18 on 24 May 1837, and a regency was avoided. On 20 June 1837, William IV died at the age of 71, and Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom. In her diary she wrote, "I was awoke at 6 o'clock by Mamma, who told me the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham were here and wished to see me. I got out of bed and went into my sitting-room (only in my dressing gown) and alone, and saw them. Lord Conyngham then acquainted me that my poor Uncle, the King, was no more, and had expired at 12 minutes past 2 this morning, and consequently that I am Queen." Official documents prepared on the first day of her reign described her as Alexandrina Victoria, but the first name was withdrawn at her own wish and not used again.


What was the exact time that Victorias Uncle, the King, died?


What is the name given to Victoria on official documents?


When did Victoria become Queen upon William IV's death?


What name was Victoria referred to as on only the first day of her reign?


How old was Victoria's Uncle, King Willaim on his death?


Who informed Victoria of her Uncle's passing and that she was now to become Queen of England?


What caused Victoria to become the Queen of the United Kingdom?


Who came to tell Victoria that she was to be Queen of the United Kingdom?


What name did the first official documents of Victoria's monarchy have her listed as?


Where did she receive the news that she was to be queen?


What was the marital status of Victoria when she became the queen?

Though queen, as an unmarried young woman Victoria was required by social convention to live with her mother, despite their differences over the Kensington System and her mother's continued reliance on Conroy. Her mother was consigned to a remote apartment in Buckingham Palace, and Victoria often refused to see her. When Victoria complained to Melbourne that her mother's close proximity promised "torment for many years", Melbourne sympathised but said it could be avoided by marriage, which Victoria called a "schocking [sic] alternative". She showed interest in Albert's education for the future role he would have to play as her husband, but she resisted attempts to rush her into wedlock.


Whi did Victoria have to live with because she was unmarried?


Victoria and her mother had differences over what system?


Victoria and her mother had differences over her mothers reliances on who?


Where was Victorias mother assigned to live?


What did Victoria and her mother disagree on?


Whom did Victoria's mother continue to rely on, despite Victoria's displeasure?


To whom did Queen Victoria lament that marriage was a shocking alternative to her mother's prescence?


Where did both Queen Victoria and her mother reside after she became Queen?


Where did Victoria live at the beginning of her reign?


Why did Victoria live with her mother at the beginning of her reign?


What could have allowed Victoria freedom from living with her mother?


How did Victoria feel about having to be married in order to escape living with her mother?


How did Victoria feel about the prospect of having to live with her mother, no matter how far away in the palace they put her?


What was the name of the man that tried to shoot Queen Victoria?

On 29 May 1842, Victoria was riding in a carriage along The Mall, London, when John Francis aimed a pistol at her but the gun did not fire; he escaped. The following day, Victoria drove the same route, though faster and with a greater escort, in a deliberate attempt to provoke Francis to take a second aim and catch him in the act. As expected, Francis shot at her, but he was seized by plain-clothes policemen, and convicted of high treason. On 3 July, two days after Francis's death sentence was commuted to transportation for life, John William Bean also tried to fire a pistol at the Queen, but it was loaded only with paper and tobacco and had too little charge. Edward Oxford felt that the attempts were encouraged by his acquittal in 1840. Bean was sentenced to 18 months in jail. In a similar attack in 1849, unemployed Irishman William Hamilton fired a powder-filled pistol at Victoria's carriage as it passed along Constitution Hill, London. In 1850, the Queen did sustain injury when she was assaulted by a possibly insane ex-army officer, Robert Pate. As Victoria was riding in a carriage, Pate struck her with his cane, crushing her bonnet and bruising her forehead. Both Hamilton and Pate were sentenced to seven years' transportation.


Why did Francis fail to kill Queen Victoria?


On what date did John Francis try to shoot Queen Victoria?


Where was Queen Victoria when Francis tried to shoot her?


What happened to Francis after his attempt to shoot Victoria?


Who made two unsuccessful attempts on Queen Victoria's life in 1842?


What was John Francis's eventual sentence for the attempt on the Queens life?


Who shot at Queen Victoria on July 3, days after John Francis's sentence was commuted?


Who fired a shot at Queen Victoria's carriage in 1849?


What person recieved a seven year transportation sentence for striking Victoria on the head with his cane?


Who escaped Victoria's guards after attempting to fire a shot at her?


What happened to John Francis after his second attempt to fire on the Queen?


What did John William Bean try to fire at Queen Victoria?


What were the consequences of John William Bean's attempt to fire at the Queen?


When did William Hamilton fire a powder charge at Victoria's carriage?


What political party was Russells ministry?

Russell's ministry, though Whig, was not favoured by the Queen. She found particularly offensive the Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, who often acted without consulting the Cabinet, the Prime Minister, or the Queen. Victoria complained to Russell that Palmerston sent official dispatches to foreign leaders without her knowledge, but Palmerston was retained in office and continued to act on his own initiative, despite her repeated remonstrances. It was only in 1851 that Palmerston was removed after he announced the British government's approval of President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's coup in France without consulting the Prime Minister. The following year, President Bonaparte was declared Emperor Napoleon III, by which time Russell's administration had been replaced by a short-lived minority government led by Lord Derby.


What was president Bonapartes name changed to?


What was the name of the foreign secretary that Victoria found offensive?


To whom did Victoria complain about Palmerston?


What year was Palmerston removed from office?


What scandal prompted Palmerstons removal in 1851?


President Bonaparte was declared what in France?


Who briefly replaced Russell as Prime Minister?


What did Victoria express her displeasure at to Russell about Palmerton?


Who was the Foreign Secretary of Russell's ministry?


To what party did Russell and Palmerston belong?


What happened to President Bonaparte in 1852?


Whom did Palmerston fail to gain approval from befoe announcing the support of the British government of Napoleon's coup?


Who did Victorias eldest daughter marry?

Eleven days after Orsini's assassination attempt in France, Victoria's eldest daughter married Prince Frederick William of Prussia in London. They had been betrothed since September 1855, when Princess Victoria was 14 years old; the marriage was delayed by the Queen and Prince Albert until the bride was 17. The Queen and Albert hoped that their daughter and son-in-law would be a liberalising influence in the enlarging Prussian state. Victoria felt "sick at heart" to see her daughter leave England for Germany; "It really makes me shudder", she wrote to Princess Victoria in one of her frequent letters, "when I look round to all your sweet, happy, unconscious sisters, and think I must give them up too – one by one." Almost exactly a year later, Princess Victoria gave birth to the Queen's first grandchild, Wilhelm, who would become the last German Kaiser.


Where did Victoria's oldest daughter get married?


How old was Princess Victoria when she agreed to marry the Prince?


How old was Princess Victoria when she was married?


Where did princess Victoria move to after she was married?


Who did Princess Victoria marry at the age of 17?


How old was Princess Victoria when she became engaged to Prince Frederick?


Where did Princess Victoria and her husband leave for after their marriage?


What was the name of Queen Victoria's first grandchild?


What position did Wilhelm later hold in Germany?


When was Victoria's oldest daughter married?


How old was Victoria's oldest daughter when she was amrried?


What did Queen Victoria hope for the marriage between her daughter and Prince Frederick William?


What future awaited the first grandson of Queen Victoria?


Victoria's father was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of the reigning King of the United Kingdom, George III. Until 1817, Edward's niece, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was the only legitimate grandchild of George III. Her death in 1817 precipitated a succession crisis that brought pressure on the Duke of Kent and his unmarried brothers to marry and have children. In 1818 he married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, a widowed German princess with two children—Carl (1804–1856) and Feodora (1807–1872)—by her first marriage to the Prince of Leiningen. Her brother Leopold was Princess Charlotte's widower. The Duke and Duchess of Kent's only child, Victoria, was born at 4.15 a.m. on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London.


Who was the only grandchild of George iii until 1817?


Who was the reigning King of the United Kingdom until 1817?


What year did Princess Charlotte of Wales die?


Who was the only legitimate grandchild of George III?


Who did Prince Edward marry in 1818 in the hopes of producing a child?


What time was Queen Victoria born on May 24, 1819?


Who was Princess Charlotte married to until her death?


Who are Queen Victoria's mother and father?


What was Queen Victoria's father's official title?


What was Queen Victoria's mother's official title?


Who were Princess Victoria's children from her previous marriage?


The Dutchesses brother Leopold was the King of what country?

By 1836, the Duchess's brother, Leopold, who had been King of the Belgians since 1831, hoped to marry his niece to his nephew, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Leopold, Victoria's mother, and Albert's father (Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) were siblings. Leopold arranged for Victoria's mother to invite her Coburg relatives to visit her in May 1836, with the purpose of introducing Victoria to Albert. William IV, however, disapproved of any match with the Coburgs, and instead favoured the suit of Prince Alexander of the Netherlands, second son of the Prince of Orange. Victoria was aware of the various matrimonial plans and critically appraised a parade of eligible princes. According to her diary, she enjoyed Albert's company from the beginning. After the visit she wrote, "[Albert] is extremely handsome; his hair is about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth; but the charm of his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful." Alexander, on the other hand, was "very plain".


What year did Leopold become King of the Belgians?


How did Victoria describe the physical appearance of Alexander?


Who disapproved of the proposed marriage between Victoria and Albert?


Who was the man William IV wanted Victoria to wed instead?


Prince Alexander was the second son of whom?


What did Victoria think of her suiter, the Prince Alexander of Orange?


Who wanted to see Victoria and Albert marry?


Who opposed Victoria marrying Albert, or any Coburg?


Who did William IV feel was a suitable husband for Victoria?


What health issue did Flora hastings develope that began to ruin Victorias reputation?

At the start of her reign Victoria was popular, but her reputation suffered in an 1839 court intrigue when one of her mother's ladies-in-waiting, Lady Flora Hastings, developed an abdominal growth that was widely rumoured to be an out-of-wedlock pregnancy by Sir John Conroy. Victoria believed the rumours. She hated Conroy, and despised "that odious Lady Flora", because she had conspired with Conroy and the Duchess of Kent in the Kensington System. At first, Lady Flora refused to submit to a naked medical examination, until in mid-February she eventually agreed, and was found to be a virgin. Conroy, the Hastings family and the opposition Tories organised a press campaign implicating the Queen in the spreading of false rumours about Lady Flora. When Lady Flora died in July, the post-mortem revealed a large tumour on her liver that had distended her abdomen. At public appearances, Victoria was hissed and jeered as "Mrs. Melbourne".


What was the job of lady Flora Hastings in Victorias household?


What was Flora hastings abdominal growth rumored to be?


Who was rumored to be the father of Flora Hastings "pregnancy"?


What year did Victorias reputation begin to suffer?


What lady in waiting was at the heart of a 1839 court scandal?


What was the cause of Lady Flora's death in July?


With whom did Lady Flora consipire against Queen Victoria?


What was Queen Victoria called after Lady Flora's death due?


Who, in Victoria's court, was accused of having a pregnancy outside of mariage?


Who was believed to be the father of Lady Flor's "baby"?


Why did Victoria hate Sir Conroy and Lady Flora?


What was actually the cause of Lady Flora's "pregnancy"?


What year was the Third French Republic established?

In 1870, republican sentiment in Britain, fed by the Queen's seclusion, was boosted after the establishment of the Third French Republic. A republican rally in Trafalgar Square demanded Victoria's removal, and Radical MPs spoke against her. In August and September 1871, she was seriously ill with an abscess in her arm, which Joseph Lister successfully lanced and treated with his new antiseptic carbolic acid spray. In late November 1871, at the height of the republican movement, the Prince of Wales contracted typhoid fever, the disease that was believed to have killed his father, and Victoria was fearful her son would die. As the tenth anniversary of her husband's death approached, her son's condition grew no better, and Victoria's distress continued. To general rejoicing, he pulled through. Mother and son attended a public parade through London and a grand service of thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral on 27 February 1872, and republican feeling subsided.


Where was the republica rally held that called for Vuictorias removal?


Who spoke against Victoria at the rally in Trafalgar Square?


In 1871, Victoria became seriously ill with an abscess on what part of her body?


Who lanced and treated the abscess on Queen Victorias arm?


How was the republican sentiment in Britain changed?


Where was a rally calling for Queen Victoria's removal held?


What cutting edge treatment did Joseph Lister use to treat Queen Victoria's illness?


What disease nearly took the Prince of Wales life?


WHat was a new antiseptic being used to treat abcesses in the 1870's?


What helped to boost the rebublicians in 1870?


When did the Third French Republic come onto the scene?


What disease was contracted by the Prince of Wales that nearly ended his life?


Who spoke against Victoria at Trafalgar Square?


After what event did the Prince of Wales' health begin to improve?


What year was Queen Victorias first pregnancy?

During Victoria's first pregnancy in 1840, in the first few months of the marriage, 18-year-old Edward Oxford attempted to assassinate her while she was riding in a carriage with Prince Albert on her way to visit her mother. Oxford fired twice, but either both bullets missed or, as he later claimed, the guns had no shot. He was tried for high treason and found guilty, but was acquitted on the grounds of insanity. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Victoria's popularity soared, mitigating residual discontent over the Hastings affair and the bedchamber crisis. Her daughter, also named Victoria, was born on 21 November 1840. The Queen hated being pregnant, viewed breast-feeding with disgust, and thought newborn babies were ugly. Nevertheless, over the following seventeen years, she and Albert had a further eight children: Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (b. 1841), Alice (b. 1843), Alfred (b. 1844), Helena (b. 1846), Louise (b. 1848), Arthur (b. 1850), Leopold (b. 1853) and Beatrice (b. 1857).


Who attempted to assasinate Victoria while she was riding in a carriage?


Who was riding in the carriage with Victoria when Oxford attempted to assasinate her?


How many times did Oxford fire the gun at Victoria and miss?


Who tried to assassinate Queen Victoria while she was pregnant with her first child?


Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had how many more children after Victoria's birth?


When was Queen Victoria's first daughter born?


What year was Albert Edward, Queen Victoria's first born son born?


What major life event was Victoria facing when she also had to contend with her first assassination attempt?


When was Victoria's first assassination attempt?


What did the first assassination attempt do for Victoria's reign?


What was Edward Oxford charged with after his assassination attempt?


What happened to Edward Oxford to after he was found guilty of high treason?


Who did Victoria try to convince Disraeli to act against during the Russo-Turkish war?

Between April 1877 and February 1878, she threatened five times to abdicate while pressuring Disraeli to act against Russia during the Russo-Turkish War, but her threats had no impact on the events or their conclusion with the Congress of Berlin. Disraeli's expansionist foreign policy, which Victoria endorsed, led to conflicts such as the Anglo-Zulu War and the Second Anglo-Afghan War. "If we are to maintain our position as a first-rate Power", she wrote, "we must ... be Prepared for attacks and wars, somewhere or other, CONTINUALLY." Victoria saw the expansion of the British Empire as civilising and benign, protecting native peoples from more aggressive powers or cruel rulers: "It is not in our custom to annexe countries", she said, "unless we are obliged & forced to do so." To Victoria's dismay, Disraeli lost the 1880 general election, and Gladstone returned as prime minister. When Disraeli died the following year, she was blinded by "fast falling tears", and erected a memorial tablet "placed by his grateful Sovereign and Friend, Victoria R.I."


What impact did Victorias threats have on the impact of the Russo=Turkish war?


What Disraeli policy did Victoria endorse?


Who lost the Disraeli general election in 1880?


Who returned as prime minister when Disraeli lost the general election in 1880?


What caused Queen Victoria to threaten to abdicate five times?


Why did Queen Victoria want to take over other countries?


Who was elected Prime Minister after Disareli lost the election in 1880?


To whom did Queen Victoria dedicate a memorial after his death for grateful service?


What position did Victoria take on how to be a successful and top notch power?


What conflicts can be attributed to Disraeli's stance on foreign policy?


What did Victoria place to memorialize Disraeli?


who was britains closest ally since the Crimean war?

Napoleon III, since the Crimean War Britain's closest ally, visited London in April 1855, and from 17 to 28 August the same year Victoria and Albert returned the visit. Napoleon III met the couple at Dunkirk and accompanied them to Paris. They visited the Exposition Universelle (a successor to Albert's 1851 brainchild the Great Exhibition) and Napoleon I's tomb at Les Invalides (to which his remains had only been returned in 1840), and were guests of honour at a 1,200-guest ball at the Palace of Versailles.


Where did Napoleon Meet Victoria and Albert?


Napoleon accompanied Victoria and Alber to what city diring the visit?


Victoria and Albert were the guests of honor at a large ball that took place where?


Who was Britains's closest ally following the Crimean War?


What did Napoleon III and the royal couple visit?


When were Napoleon I remains returned to their resting place at Les Invalides?


How many guests attented a ball at the Palace of Versaille with Napoleon III and the royal couple in attendence?


Where did Napoleon III meet Victoria and Albert, before accompanying them to Paris?


When were Napoleon I's remains interred in his mausoleum?


Who was Britian's closest ally after the Crimean War?


Where were Victoria and Albert honored guests at ball thrown by Napoleon III?


What was the name of the manservent that Victoria had in the 1860's?

Through the 1860s, Victoria relied increasingly on a manservant from Scotland, John Brown. Slanderous rumours of a romantic connection and even a secret marriage appeared in print, and the Queen was referred to as "Mrs. Brown". The story of their relationship was the subject of the 1997 movie Mrs. Brown. A painting by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer depicting the Queen with Brown was exhibited at the Royal Academy, and Victoria published a book, Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands, which featured Brown prominently and in which the Queen praised him highly.


Where was John brown, Victorias manservant, from?


What kind of a connection was rumored to exist between Victoria and John Brown?


What was the nickname given to Queen Victoria when rumors of a relationship with John Brown arose?


What was the name of the 1997 movie depicting the relationship between Victoria and John brown?


What country was Queen Victoria's manservant with whom she was rumored to have a romantic interest?


What was the name of the movie that told the story of Queen Victoria's romance with John Brown?


What artist painted the Queen and Brown which hung in the Royal Academy?


In what memior written by Queen Victoria was John Brown praised?


Which manservent was Victoria's most trusted ally?


Which movie was made about the scandalous affair that Victoria was believed to have had with John Brown?


Which book did Victoria publish that did nothing to take away from the rumors about her and John Brown?


Who did the Queen feature in her book that drew so much criticism?


Where did Victoria spend the Christmas of 1900?

Following a custom she maintained throughout her widowhood, Victoria spent the Christmas of 1900 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Rheumatism in her legs had rendered her lame, and her eyesight was clouded by cataracts. Through early January, she felt "weak and unwell", and by mid-January she was "drowsy ... dazed, [and] confused". She died on Tuesday, 22 January 1901, at half past six in the evening, at the age of 81. Her son and successor King Edward VII, and her eldest grandson, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, were at her deathbed. Her favourite pet Pomeranian, Turri, was laid upon her deathbed as a last request.


Where was osborne House that Victoria spent christmas at located?


What was the date of Queen Victorias death?


How old was Queen Victoria upon her death?


Who was Queen Victoria's successor after her death?


Who did she wish to see on her deathbed, making it her last request?


Where did Victoria usually spend Christmases?


What caused Victoria limited mobility later in life?


What Act did Disraeli push through Parliment in 1876?

In the 1874 general election, Disraeli was returned to power. He passed the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874, which removed Catholic rituals from the Anglican liturgy and which Victoria strongly supported. She preferred short, simple services, and personally considered herself more aligned with the presbyterian Church of Scotland than the episcopal Church of England. He also pushed the Royal Titles Act 1876 through Parliament, so that Victoria took the title "Empress of India" from 1 May 1876. The new title was proclaimed at the Delhi Durbar of 1 January 1877.


What year was the Public Worship Regulation Act passed?


What Church did Victoria consider herself aligned with?


In a general election of what year was Disraeli returned to power?


What removed Catholic Rituals from Anglican services?


Which church did Queen Victoria consider her favorite?


Who published the Royal Titles Act of 1876?


When was Queen Victoria named the Empress of India?


Where was the new title of Empress of India proclaimed?


What change, supported by Victoria, did Disraeli make to the Anglician liturgy?


Where did Victoria really align herself when it came to religion?


What allowed Victoria to become the Empress of India?


Whic act, passed by Disraeli, allowed him to alter the Anglician liturgy?


What kind of monarchy was formed under Queen Victoria?

Through Victoria's reign, the gradual establishment of a modern constitutional monarchy in Britain continued. Reforms of the voting system increased the power of the House of Commons at the expense of the House of Lords and the monarch. In 1867, Walter Bagehot wrote that the monarch only retained "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn". As Victoria's monarchy became more symbolic than political, it placed a strong emphasis on morality and family values, in contrast to the sexual, financial and personal scandals that had been associated with previous members of the House of Hanover and which had discredited the monarchy. The concept of the "family monarchy", with which the burgeoning middle classes could identify, was solidified.


Reforms to what system increased the power of the house fo commons?


As Victorias rule became less polital, what values were emphasized?


What type of monarchy was established as time went on in Victorias rule?


How did the reforms of Britains voting system affect the House of Commons?


What was most important as the monarchy under Queen Victoria shifted from political to symbolic?


What idea was solidified to which the increasing middle classes in Britain could identify with?


What was Queen Victoria's reign considered?


What kind of government was Victoria's reign leaning towards?


What increased the power in the House of Commons?


Who paid the price for the reforms of the voting system?


Rather than political, what was Victoria's monarchy seen as?


What was a monarchy that the more middle clas could get behind and support?


Victoria was pleased when Gladstone resigned in 1885 after his budget was defeated. She thought his government was "the worst I have ever had", and blamed him for the death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Gladstone was replaced by Lord Salisbury. Salisbury's government only lasted a few months, however, and Victoria was forced to recall Gladstone, whom she referred to as a "half crazy & really in many ways ridiculous old man". Gladstone attempted to pass a bill granting Ireland home rule, but to Victoria's glee it was defeated. In the ensuing election, Gladstone's party lost to Salisbury's and the government switched hands again.


Gladstone resigned after what was defeted?


Victoria blamed Gladstone for the death of who?


Who replaced Gladstone after he resigned?


How long did Lord Salisburys government last?


What man was Gladstone blamed for after his death at Khartoum?


Who replaced Gladstone for only a few short months?


What did the bill Gladstone failed to pass state, much to Queen Victoria's pleasure?


Who defeated Gladstone yet again in the general elction?


How did Victoria feel about the resignation of Gladstone?


Who's death did Victoria blame on Gladstone?


How many words a day did Victoria write?

According to one of her biographers, Giles St Aubyn, Victoria wrote an average of 2,500 words a day during her adult life. From July 1832 until just before her death, she kept a detailed journal, which eventually encompassed 122 volumes. After Victoria's death, her youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, was appointed her literary executor. Beatrice transcribed and edited the diaries covering Victoria's accession onwards, and burned the originals in the process. Despite this destruction, much of the diaries still exist. In addition to Beatrice's edited copy, Lord Esher transcribed the volumes from 1832 to 1861 before Beatrice destroyed them. Part of Victoria's extensive correspondence has been published in volumes edited by A. C. Benson, Hector Bolitho, George Earle Buckle, Lord Esher, Roger Fulford, and Richard Hough among others.


What year did Victoria begin keeping a journal?


How many volumes was Queen Victorias journal?


What did Beatrice do to her mothers diaries after her death?


How many journals did Queen Victoria write in her lifetime?


What did Beatrice do with the journals after she transcribed and edited them?


Who was appointed as Queen Victoria's literary executor upon her death?


Who transcribed Queen Victoria's journals from 1832 to 1861?


What biographer said Queen Victoria wrote an average of 2500 words a day in her journals?


What did Beatrice do with her mother's journals?


What did Beatrice do with the origional volumes of her mother's diaries?


What concept determines relationships between Grand Lodges?

Relations between Grand Lodges are determined by the concept of Recognition. Each Grand Lodge maintains a list of other Grand Lodges that it recognises. When two Grand Lodges recognise and are in Masonic communication with each other, they are said to be in amity, and the brethren of each may visit each other's Lodges and interact Masonically. When two Grand Lodges are not in amity, inter-visitation is not allowed. There are many reasons why one Grand Lodge will withhold or withdraw recognition from another, but the two most common are Exclusive Jurisdiction and Regularity.


What must two lodges be in, in order to inter-visit?


What, besides Recognition, must happen between two Grand Lodges in order for them to be considered in amity?


What can be causes of one Grand Lodge withdrawing Recognition from another?


What are the members of a Grand Lodge called?


Gran Lodges are in what when they are in Masonic Communication with each other?


What concept is used to determine relations between Grand Lodges?


What is not allowed when Grand Lodges are not in amity?


What are the two most common reasons one Grand Lodge will withhold recognition from another?


When did ceremonial regalia first appear in the Masonic culture?

Since the middle of the 19th century, Masonic historians have sought the origins of the movement in a series of similar documents known as the Old Charges, dating from the Regius Poem in about 1425 to the beginning of the 18th century. Alluding to the membership of a lodge of operative masons, they relate a mythologised history of the craft, the duties of its grades, and the manner in which oaths of fidelity are to be taken on joining. The fifteenth century also sees the first evidence of ceremonial regalia.


How long have historians been seeking information about the Masonic movement?


What kind of an oath do Masons take when they join?


What is the oldest written document about Freemasonary?


When did Masonic historians star seeking the origins of the Masonic Movement?


What are the old Masonic document referred as?


The Old Charges are dated from when to when?


The fifteenth century also shows evidence of what in Masonic history?


The duties of its grades is an example of what historic documents?


Why did the Grand Orient de France conclude that Freemasonry shouldn't require religious belief?

A dispute during the Lausanne Congress of Supreme Councils of 1875 prompted the Grand Orient de France to commission a report by a Protestant pastor which concluded that, as Freemasonry was not a religion, it should not require a religious belief. The new constitutions read, "Its principles are absolute liberty of conscience and human solidarity", the existence of God and the immortality of the soul being struck out. It is possible that the immediate objections of the United Grand Lodge of England were at least partly motivated by the political tension between France and Britain at the time. The result was the withdrawal of recognition of the Grand Orient of France by the United Grand Lodge of England, a situation that continues today.


What was removed from the Freemasonry constitution?


Who withdrew recognition from the Grand Orient de France?


What was a possible condition that made the United Grand Lodge of England withdraw it's recognition of the Grand Orient de France?


How was the belief of the existance of God and the immortal soul replaced in the constitution?


What year was it ruled that Freemasonry was not a religion?


What Grand Lodge had a withdrawal of recognition by the United Grand Lodge of England?


What was a motivation of the Grand Lodge of England's objection?


Who disputed the Lausanne Congress of Supreme Councils?


When were the first constitutions for Freemasonry printed?

At the dawn of the Grand Lodge era, during the 1720s, James Anderson composed the first printed constitutions for Freemasons, the basis for most subsequent constitutions, which specifically excluded women from Freemasonry. As Freemasonry spread, continental masons began to include their ladies in Lodges of Adoption, which worked three degrees with the same names as the men's but different content. The French officially abandoned the experiment in the early 19th century. Later organisations with a similar aim emerged in the United States, but distinguished the names of the degrees from those of male masonry.


Who composed the first printed constitutions for Freemasonry?


Which group was specifically excluded from Freemasonry in the printed constitutions?


What was created for women as Freemasonry began to spread?


When was the idea of the Lodges for Adoption abandoned?


When was the dawn of the Grand Lodge era?


Who composed the first printed constitutions for Freemasons?


What were lodges called that included women?


Who abandoned the including of women in Freemasonry experiment in the early 19'th century?


What are some Protestant objections to Freemasonry?

In contrast to Catholic allegations of rationalism and naturalism, Protestant objections are more likely to be based on allegations of mysticism, occultism, and even Satanism. Masonic scholar Albert Pike is often quoted (in some cases misquoted) by Protestant anti-Masons as an authority for the position of Masonry on these issues. However, Pike, although undoubtedly learned, was not a spokesman for Freemasonry and was also controversial among Freemasons in general. His writings represented his personal opinion only, and furthermore an opinion grounded in the attitudes and understandings of late 19th century Southern Freemasonry of the USA. Notably, his book carries in the preface a form of disclaimer from his own Grand Lodge. No one voice has ever spoken for the whole of Freemasonry.


What are Catholic objections to Freemasonry?


Who is generally accepted as the voice of Freemasonry?


Who do the Protestant anti-Masons believe is the absolute authority on the use of mysticism, Satanism and occultism in Freemasonry?


What was Albert Pike actually more of an expert in?


What religion alleged Freemasons as Satanic?


What religion alleged Freemasons as unnatural and irrational?


Albert Pike's opinions were grounded in what?


In 1799, English Freemasonry almost came to a halt due to Parliamentary proclamation. In the wake of the French Revolution, the Unlawful Societies Act 1799 banned any meetings of groups that required their members to take an oath or obligation. The Grand Masters of both the Moderns and the Antients Grand Lodges called on Prime Minister William Pitt (who was not a Freemason) and explained to him that Freemasonry was a supporter of the law and lawfully constituted authority and was much involved in charitable work. As a result, Freemasonry was specifically exempted from the terms of the Act, provided that each private lodge's Secretary placed with the local "Clerk of the Peace" a list of the members of his lodge once a year. This continued until 1967 when the obligation of the provision was rescinded by Parliament.


When was the Unlawful Socities Act implemented?


What was each private lodge required to provide to the Clerk of Peace every year?


Who did the Grand Masters call upon to explain that Freemasonry was not an unlawful society?


English Freemasonry almost came to a halt in what year?


Why did English Freemasonry almost come to a halt in 1799?


What act was made in 1799 banning any meeting of groups that had to take an oath or obligation?


Who gave the Freemasons an exemption of the Act of 1799?


What year did parliament rescind the exemption of 1799 given to the Freemasons?


What are two things that anit-masonry usually associated with?

In some countries anti-Masonry is often related to antisemitism and anti-Zionism. For example, In 1980, the Iraqi legal and penal code was changed by Saddam Hussein's ruling Ba'ath Party, making it a felony to "promote or acclaim Zionist principles, including Freemasonry, or who associate [themselves] with Zionist organisations". Professor Andrew Prescott of the University of Sheffield writes: "Since at least the time of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, antisemitism has gone hand in hand with anti-masonry, so it is not surprising that allegations that 11 September was a Zionist plot have been accompanied by suggestions that the attacks were inspired by a masonic world order".


What year did the Ba'ath Party make Freemasonry a felony?


Who wrote that it was not suprising that the blame for 9/11 was trying to be blamed on a masonic world order?


According to Professor Andrew Prescott, how long has antisemitism gone together with anti-masonry?


In some countries, anti-Masonry is related to what?


Who change the Iraqi legal and penal code in 1980?


Who suggested the September 11 attacks on the United States were inspired by a masonic world order?


What do most masonic rituals consist of?

The bulk of Masonic ritual consists of degree ceremonies. Candidates for Freemasonry are progressively initiated into Freemasonry, first in the degree of Entered Apprentice. Some time later, in a separate ceremony, they will be passed to the degree of Fellowcraft, and finally they will be raised to the degree of Master Mason. In all of these ceremonies, the candidate is entrusted with passwords, signs and grips peculiar to his new rank. Another ceremony is the annual installation of the Master and officers of the Lodge. In some jurisdictions Installed Master is valued as a separate rank, with its own secrets to distinguish its members. In other jurisdictions, the grade is not recognised, and no inner ceremony conveys new secrets during the installation of a new Master of the Lodge.


What things come with each new degree in Freemasonry?


The bulk of Masonic rituals consist of what?


What comes after the degree of Entered Apprentice?


What is the final degree in the Freemasons?


What annual ceremony do Freemasons have?


When did English Freemasonry arrive in France?

English Freemasonry spread to France in the 1720s, first as lodges of expatriates and exiled Jacobites, and then as distinctively French lodges which still follow the ritual of the Moderns. From France and England, Freemasonry spread to most of Continental Europe during the course of the 18th century. The Grande Loge de France formed under the Grand Mastership of the Duke of Clermont, who exercised only nominal authority. His successor, the Duke of Orléans, reconstituted the central body as the Grand Orient de France in 1773. Briefly eclipsed during the French Revolution, French Freemasonry continued to grow in the next century.


Who were the first English Freemasons in France?


When did Freemasonry begin to spread to continental Europe?


Who was the successor to the Duke of Clermont?


When did English Freemasonry spread to France?


When did Freemasonry spread to most of the Continental Europe?


The Grand Loge de France formed under who?


Who was the successor to the Grand Mastership of The Duke of Clermont?


When was the central body of the Grand Orient de France reconstituted?


Why was the Centre de Liasion et d'information des Puissances maconniques signataires de l'Appel de Strasbourg set up?

The majority of Freemasonry considers the Liberal (Continental) strand to be Irregular, and thus withhold recognition. For the Continental lodges, however, having a different approach to Freemasonry was not a reason for severing masonic ties. In 1961, an umbrella organisation, Centre de Liaison et d'Information des Puissances maçonniques Signataires de l'Appel de Strasbourg (CLIPSAS) was set up, which today provides a forum for most of these Grand Lodges and Grand Orients worldwide. Included in the list of over 70 Grand Lodges and Grand Orients are representatives of all three of the above categories, including mixed and women's organisations. The United Grand Lodge of England does not communicate with any of these jurisdictions, and expects its allies to follow suit. This creates the distinction between Anglo-American and Continental Freemasonry.


What are two major sections of Freemasonry?


What is the Continental Strand consideres to be by most of Freemasonry?


What strand is considered to be irregular by the majority of Freemasons?


The CLIPSAS Organization was formed in what year?


How many Grand Lodges and Grand Orients are listed in the CLIPSAS list?


Does the United Grand Lodge of England communicate with any of the 70 lodges on the CLIPSAS list?


The denomination with the longest history of objection to Freemasonry is the Roman Catholic Church. The objections raised by the Roman Catholic Church are based on the allegation that Masonry teaches a naturalistic deistic religion which is in conflict with Church doctrine. A number of Papal pronouncements have been issued against Freemasonry. The first was Pope Clement XII's In eminenti apostolatus, 28 April 1738; the most recent was Pope Leo XIII's Ab apostolici, 15 October 1890. The 1917 Code of Canon Law explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication, and banned books favouring Freemasonry.


Why does the Catholic Church oppose the Freemasons so strongly?


Who issued the first Papal prounouncement against Freemasonry?


When was the first Papal prounouncement against Freemasonry made?


What was the most recent Papal prounouncement agasnst Freemasonry?


Who has the longest history of objection to Freemasonry?


What law banned books favoring Freemasonry?


The Roman Catholic Church objection to Freemasons are based on what?


What pope first issued Papal pronouncements against Freemasons?


What pope most recently issued Papal pronouncements against Freemasons?


What action is forbid by the Orthodox Greek Church to Freemasons?

In 1933, the Orthodox Church of Greece officially declared that being a Freemason constitutes an act of apostasy and thus, until he repents, the person involved with Freemasonry cannot partake of the Eucharist. This has been generally affirmed throughout the whole Eastern Orthodox Church. The Orthodox critique of Freemasonry agrees with both the Roman Catholic and Protestant versions: "Freemasonry cannot be at all compatible with Christianity as far as it is a secret organisation, acting and teaching in mystery and secret and deifying rationalism."


What is the official stance on Freemasonry by the Greek Orthodox Church?


What would happen if someone in the Greek Orthodox Church became a Freemason?


When did the Orthodox Church of Greece proclaim being a Freemason was an act of apostacy?


Which other major religions hold the same beliefs, on Freemasonry, as the Orthodox Church of Greece?


In what year did the Orthodox Church of Greece declare that being a Freemason constituted an act of apostasy?


Freemasonry cannot be compatible with what according to the Orthodox Church?


Freemason cannot partake in what until they repent according to the Orthodox Church of Greece?


What belief is required of a candidate by the Grand Lodge?

In addition, most Grand Lodges require the candidate to declare a belief in a Supreme Being. In a few cases, the candidate may be required to be of a specific religion. The form of Freemasonry most common in Scandinavia (known as the Swedish Rite), for example, accepts only Christians. At the other end of the spectrum, "Liberal" or Continental Freemasonry, exemplified by the Grand Orient de France, does not require a declaration of belief in any deity, and accepts atheists (a cause of discord with the rest of Freemasonry).


Are candadites required to express belief in a specific religion?


Which branch of Freemasonry does not require a belief in a supreme being?


Which branch of Freemasonry accepts atheists?


Which branch of Freemasonry only accepts Christians?


Most Grand Lodges require a candidate to declare a belief in what?


Freemasons most common in Scandinavia only accept who as members?


The Grand Orient de France is considered what type of Freemasonry?


Exclusive Jurisdiction is a concept whereby only one Grand Lodge will be recognised in any geographical area. If two Grand Lodges claim jurisdiction over the same area, the other Grand Lodges will have to choose between them, and they may not all decide to recognise the same one. (In 1849, for example, the Grand Lodge of New York split into two rival factions, each claiming to be the legitimate Grand Lodge. Other Grand Lodges had to choose between them until the schism was healed.) Exclusive Jurisdiction can be waived when the two over-lapping Grand Lodges are themselves in Amity and agree to share jurisdiction (for example, since the Grand Lodge of Connecticut is in Amity with the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut, the principle of Exclusive Jurisdiction does not apply, and other Grand Lodges may recognise both).


What happens if two Grand Lodges try to establish themselves in the same area?


What can happen if two over-lapping Grand Lodges are in Amity and decide to share jurisdiction?


If two over-lapping Grand Lodges are in Amity and decide to waive Exclusive Jurisdiction, who must the other Grand Lodges recognize?


What must other Grand Lodges do if two over-lapping Grand Lodges cannot agree to share the territory?


What concept only recognizes one Grand Lodge in a given geographical area?


In what year did the Grand Lodge of New York Split into two separate rival factions?


When can Exclusive Jurisdiction be waived?


From what centuries are the earliest passwords and rituals of Freemasonry known?

There is no clear mechanism by which these local trade organisations became today's Masonic Lodges, but the earliest rituals and passwords known, from operative lodges around the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, show continuity with the rituals developed in the later 18th century by accepted or speculative Masons, as those members who did not practice the physical craft came to be known. The minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1 in Scotland show a continuity from an operative lodge in 1598 to a modern speculative Lodge. It is reputed to be the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world.


What is the oldest Masonic lodge in the world?


What were members who did not practice the physical craft known as?


When compared, how similar are the rituals and passwords from the turn of the 17 - 18 centuries to the ones from the later 18th century?


What is the oldest Masonic Lodge in the world?


When was the Lodge of Edinburgh started?


When did rituals become similar between different Masonic Lodges?


Prince Hall Freemasonry exists because of the refusal of early American lodges to admit African-Americans. In 1775, an African-American named Prince Hall, along with fourteen other African-Americans, was initiated into a British military lodge with a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Ireland, having failed to obtain admission from the other lodges in Boston. When the military Lodge left North America, those fifteen men were given the authority to meet as a Lodge, but not to initiate Masons. In 1784, these individuals obtained a Warrant from the Premier Grand Lodge of England (GLE) and formed African Lodge, Number 459. When the UGLE was formed in 1813, all U.S.-based Lodges were stricken from their rolls – due largely to the War of 1812. Thus, separated from both UGLE and any concordantly recognised U.S. Grand Lodge, African Lodge re-titled itself as the African Lodge, Number 1 – and became a de facto "Grand Lodge" (this Lodge is not to be confused with the various Grand Lodges on the Continent of Africa). As with the rest of U.S. Freemasonry, Prince Hall Freemasonry soon grew and organised on a Grand Lodge system for each state.


When was Prince Hall Freemasonry formed?


What happened when the UGLE was formed in 1813?


What did Africian Lodge, Number 459 become after they were removed from the UGLE?


What was Africian Lodge, Number 1 considered after they changed from Africian Lodge, Number 459?


What exists today because of the refusal of early American lodges to admit African Americans?


In what year was Prince Hall admitted into the British military lodge?


When was the African Lodge, number 459, formed?


The African Lodge re-titled itself what?


When was Maria Deraismes initiated into Freemasonry?

Maria Deraismes was initiated into Freemasonry in 1882, then resigned to allow her lodge to rejoin their Grand Lodge. Having failed to achieve acceptance from any masonic governing body, she and Georges Martin started a mixed masonic lodge that actually worked masonic ritual. Annie Besant spread the phenomenon to the English speaking world. Disagreements over ritual led to the formation of exclusively female bodies of Freemasons in England, which spread to other countries. Meanwhile, the French had re-invented Adoption as an all-female lodge in 1901, only to cast it aside again in 1935. The lodges, however, continued to meet, which gave rise, in 1959, to a body of women practising continental Freemasonry.


Why did Deraismes resign from Freemasonry?


What led to exclusively female bodies of Freemasons in England?


Who, along with Maria Dersaismes, started a mixed gender masonic lodge?


Who brought the message of mixed gender, practicing masonic lodges to the English speaking?


Who resigned from the Freemasons for their lodge to rejoin their Grand Lodge?


Maria Deraismes and who else started a mixed masonic lodge?


What year was Maria Deraismes initiated into the Freemasons?


What year was an all-female masonic lodge created?


What year was the all-female masonic lodge cast aside?


What do Islamic anti-masonics link Freemasonry to?

Many Islamic anti-Masonic arguments are closely tied to both antisemitism and Anti-Zionism, though other criticisms are made such as linking Freemasonry to al-Masih ad-Dajjal (the false Messiah). Some Muslim anti-Masons argue that Freemasonry promotes the interests of the Jews around the world and that one of its aims is to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to rebuild the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. In article 28 of its Covenant, Hamas states that Freemasonry, Rotary, and other similar groups "work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions ..."


Why do muslim anti-masonics believe that the Freemasons want to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque?


What is another group that anti-masonic muslims link to zionism?


What are most of the arguements by anti-masonic muslims centered on?


Who's interests are the muslin anti-masonics afraid that the Freemasons are protecting?


What do many Islamic and anti-Masonic argue about Freemasonry?


Some Muslims argue that Freemasonry promotes what?


What article states that Freemasonry work in the interest of Zionism?


How many Freemasons are believed to have been killed under Hitler's Nazi Regime?

The preserved records of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (the Reich Security Main Office) show the persecution of Freemasons during the Holocaust. RSHA Amt VII (Written Records) was overseen by Professor Franz Six and was responsible for "ideological" tasks, by which was meant the creation of antisemitic and anti-Masonic propaganda. While the number is not accurately known, it is estimated that between 80,000 and 200,000 Freemasons were killed under the Nazi regime. Masonic concentration camp inmates were graded as political prisoners and wore an inverted red triangle.


What kind of prisioner was a Freemason considered to be?


What identifier did the Nazis make the Freemason prisioners wear?


Who was responsible for creating antisemetic and anti-masonic propaganda?


Where is most of the informaton about Freemasons persecuted in the Holocaust located?


What is the Relch Security Main Office also called?


Who was responsible for ideological tasks of the written records?


How many Freemasons were killed under the Nazi regime?


What did Masonic concentration camp inmates have to wear?


Freemasonry consists of fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons, which from the end of the fourteenth century regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. The degrees of freemasonry retain the three grades of medieval craft guilds, those of Apprentice, Journeyman or fellow (now called Fellowcraft), and Master Mason. These are the degrees offered by Craft (or Blue Lodge) Freemasonry. Members of these organisations are known as Freemasons or Masons. There are additional degrees, which vary with locality and jurisdiction, and are usually administered by different bodies than the craft degrees.


What were the fraternaties of stonemasons origionally responsible for?


Where did the degrees of Freemasonry derived from?


How many grades are there in medieval craft guilds?


Craft Freemasonry is also known as what?


Members of Craft Masonry are called what?


How are Freemasons invited to join a lodge?

Candidates for Freemasonry will have met most active members of the Lodge they are joining before they are initiated. The process varies between jurisdictions, but the candidate will typically have been introduced by a friend at a Lodge social function, or at some form of open evening in the Lodge. In modern times, interested people often track down a local Lodge through the Internet. The onus is on candidates to ask to join; while candidates may be encouraged to ask, they are never invited. Once the initial inquiry is made, an interview usually follows to determine the candidate's suitability. If the candidate decides to proceed from here, the Lodge ballots on the application before he (or she, depending on the Masonic Jurisdiction) can be accepted.


Can women ask to be a member of the Masonic Lodge?


How can you find a lodge to ask to be a member of?


Candidates for Freemasonry must do what before being initiated?


Candidates are normally introduced to the lodge by whom?


Now days, many interested people find a Masonic Lodge using what?


Candidates are never what to a Masonic lodge?


What usually follows an initial inquiry of a candidate?


How large is the membership of Freemasonry?

Freemasonry, as it exists in various forms all over the world, has a membership estimated by the United Grand Lodge of England at around six million worldwide. The fraternity is administratively organised into independent Grand Lodges (or sometimes Grand Orients), each of which governs its own Masonic jurisdiction, which consists of subordinate (or constituent) Lodges. The largest single jurisdiction, in terms of membership, is the United Grand Lodge of England (with a membership estimated at around a quarter million). The Grand Lodge of Scotland and Grand Lodge of Ireland (taken together) have approximately 150,000 members. In the United States total membership is just under two million.


What is the largest single jurisdiction of Freemasonry?


What are the membership numbers of the United States?


How many members does the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Grand Lodge of Ireland have, together?


What lodge has the single largest single jurisdiction of Freemasonry?


How many members are in the Grand Lodge of England?


The Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland have how many member?


The United States has how many Freemason members?


Are masons allowed to divulge the secrets of each degree?

The idea of Masonic brotherhood probably descends from a 16th-century legal definition of a brother as one who has taken an oath of mutual support to another. Accordingly, Masons swear at each degree to keep the contents of that degree secret, and to support and protect their brethren unless they have broken the law. In most Lodges the oath or obligation is taken on a Volume of Sacred Law, whichever book of divine revelation is appropriate to the religious beliefs of the individual brother (usually the Bible in the Anglo-American tradition). In Progressive continental Freemasonry, books other than scripture are permissible, a cause of rupture between Grand Lodges.


In what branch can books, other than scripture, be used for the purpose of oath taking?


What can be considered a Volume of Sacred Law?


Masons swear to protect their brethren unless they what?


Most lodges have the oath taken on what?


Where were the earliest known American Logdes located?

The earliest known American lodges were in Pennsylvania. The Collector for the port of Pennsylvania, John Moore, wrote of attending lodges there in 1715, two years before the formation of the first Grand Lodge in London. The Premier Grand Lodge of England appointed a Provincial Grand Master for North America in 1731, based in Pennsylvania. Other lodges in the colony obtained authorisations from the later Antient Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland, which was particularly well represented in the travelling lodges of the British Army. Many lodges came into existence with no warrant from any Grand Lodge, applying and paying for their authorisation only after they were confident of their own survival.


What is the earliest that lodges appeared in America?


When was a Provincial Grand Master for North America appointed?


Where did other American Lodges obtain their authoriisations from?


When did the lodges without prior authorisations apply to be recognized?


Where were the earliest lodges in America?


Who was the Collector for the port of Pennsylvania in 1715?


A Provincial Grand Master for North America was first appointed when?


The Provincial Grand Master for North America was base where?


How long have Masonic Lodges been in Iraq?

Masonic lodges existed in Iraq as early as 1917, when the first lodge under the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) was opened. Nine lodges under UGLE existed by the 1950s, and a Scottish lodge was formed in 1923. However, the position changed following the revolution, and all lodges were forced to close in 1965. This position was later reinforced under Saddam Hussein; the death penalty was "prescribed" for those who "promote or acclaim Zionist principles, including freemasonry, or who associate [themselves] with Zionist organisations."


How many lodges existed in Iraq in the 1950s?


What is the greatest penalty that a Freemason in Iraq could face now?


When were all the lodges in Iraq forced to close?


When was a Scottish Lodge formed in Iraq?


When was the first Scottish Masonic lodge opened in Iraq?


All Masonic lodges were forced to close in Iraq in what year?


Who introduced the death penalty to Freemasons living in Iraq?


When was the United Grand Lodge of England Formed?

The ritual form on which the Grand Orient of France was based was abolished in England in the events leading to the formation of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813. However the two jurisdictions continued in amity (mutual recognition) until events of the 1860s and 1870s drove a seemingly permanent wedge between them. In 1868 the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of the State of Louisiana appeared in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, recognised by the Grand Orient de France, but regarded by the older body as an invasion of their jurisdiction. The new Scottish rite body admitted blacks, and the resolution of the Grand Orient the following year that neither colour, race, nor religion could disqualify a man from Masonry prompted the Grand Lodge to withdraw recognition, and it persuaded other American Grand Lodges to do the same.


The Grand Orient de France and the United Grand Lodge of England continued in amity until when?


What year did the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Louisiana appear in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana?


In what year was a new code to the Canon Law issued by the church?

In 1983, the Church issued a new code of canon law. Unlike its predecessor, the 1983 Code of Canon Law did not explicitly name Masonic orders among the secret societies it condemns. It states: "A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdict." This named omission of Masonic orders caused both Catholics and Freemasons to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons may have been lifted, especially after the perceived liberalisation of Vatican II. However, the matter was clarified when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a Declaration on Masonic Associations, which states: "... the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion." For its part, Freemasonry has never objected to Catholics joining their fraternity. Those Grand Lodges in amity with UGLE deny the Church's claims. The UGLE now states that "Freemasonry does not seek to replace a Mason's religion or provide a substitute for it."


Who clarified the new code of Canon law of 1983?


Do Freemasons allow Catholics into their fraternity?


Judges and police officers had to disclose their Freemason membership in what years in England?

Even in modern democracies, Freemasonry is sometimes viewed with distrust. In the UK, Masons working in the justice system, such as judges and police officers, were from 1999 to 2009 required to disclose their membership. While a parliamentary inquiry found that there has been no evidence of wrongdoing, it was felt that any potential loyalties Masons might have, based on their vows to support fellow Masons, should be transparent to the public. The policy of requiring a declaration of masonic membership of applicants for judicial office (judges and magistrates) was ended in 2009 by Justice Secretary Jack Straw (who had initiated the requirement in the 1990s). Straw stated that the rule was considered disproportionate, since no impropriety or malpractice had been shown as a result of judges being Freemasons.


Who ended the English Masonic disclosure policy in 2009?


Justice Secretary Jack Straw ended the Masonic disclosure law on what grounds?


What is the basic organizational unit of Freemasonry?

The Masonic Lodge is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. The Lodge meets regularly to conduct the usual formal business of any small organisation (pay bills, organise social and charitable events, elect new members, etc.). In addition to business, the meeting may perform a ceremony to confer a Masonic degree or receive a lecture, which is usually on some aspect of Masonic history or ritual. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Lodge might adjourn for a formal dinner, or festive board, sometimes involving toasting and song.


Name examples of usual formal business that Freemasons have at their lodge.


What usually happens at the conclusion of a lodge meeting?


When does a candidate swear to fullfil his obligations as a Mason?

During the ceremony of initiation, the candidate is expected to swear (usually on a volume of sacred text appropriate to his personal religious faith) to fulfil certain obligations as a Mason. In the course of three degrees, new masons will promise to keep the secrets of their degree from lower degrees and outsiders, and to support a fellow Mason in distress (as far as practicality and the law permit). There is instruction as to the duties of a Freemason, but on the whole, Freemasons are left to explore the craft in the manner they find most satisfying. Some will further explore the ritual and symbolism of the craft, others will focus their involvement on the social side of the Lodge, while still others will concentrate on the charitable functions of the lodge.


How many degrees must a Mason swear to keep the secrets from outsiders?


Are Freemasons free to explore the craft?


What concept is based on adherence to Masonic Landmarks, basic membership requirements, and tenets and rituals of the craft?

Regularity is a concept based on adherence to Masonic Landmarks, the basic membership requirements, tenets and rituals of the craft. Each Grand Lodge sets its own definition of what these landmarks are, and thus what is Regular and what is Irregular (and the definitions do not necessarily agree between Grand Lodges). Essentially, every Grand Lodge will hold that its landmarks (its requirements, tenets and rituals) are Regular, and judge other Grand Lodges based on those. If the differences are significant, one Grand Lodge may declare the other "Irregular" and withdraw or withhold recognition.


Is each definition of regularity the same throughout all Masonic Lodges?


When can a Grand Lodge declare another lodge as irregular?


All Freemasons are progressively initiated, passed, and raised in three degrees of what?

All Freemasons begin their journey in the "craft" by being progressively initiated, passed and raised into the three degrees of Craft, or Blue Lodge Masonry. During these three rituals, the candidate is progressively taught the meanings of the Lodge symbols, and entrusted with grips, signs and words to signify to other Masons that he has been so initiated. The initiations are part allegory and part lecture, and revolve around the construction of the Temple of Solomon, and the artistry and death of his chief architect, Hiram Abiff. The degrees are those of Entered apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason. While many different versions of these rituals exist, with at least two different lodge layouts and versions of the Hiram myth, each version is recognisable to any Freemason from any jurisdiction.


The initiations are part allegory and part what?


What is the final of the three steps of Freemasonry?


Who was the chief architect of the Temple of Solomon?


How many versions of the Hiram myth are there?


The Grand Lodge of England is also know as what?

The first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London and Westminster (later called the Grand Lodge of England (GLE)), was founded on 24 June 1717, when four existing London Lodges met for a joint dinner. Many English Lodges joined the new regulatory body, which itself entered a period of self-publicity and expansion. However, many Lodges could not endorse changes which some Lodges of the GLE made to the ritual (they came to be known as the Moderns), and a few of these formed a rival Grand Lodge on 17 July 1751, which they called the "Antient Grand Lodge of England." These two Grand Lodges vied for supremacy until the Moderns promised to return to the ancient ritual. They united on 27 December 1813 to form the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).


When was the Grand Lodge of England founded?


The Ancient Grand Lodge of England was formed on what date?


The United Grand Lodge of England was formed on what date?


Lodges that could not endorse the GLE were later called what?


When did North American Masonic lodges recognize members of the Prince Hall Lodge?

Widespread segregation in 19th- and early 20th-century North America made it difficult for African-Americans to join Lodges outside of Prince Hall jurisdictions – and impossible for inter-jurisdiction recognition between the parallel U.S. Masonic authorities. By the 1980s, such discrimination was a thing of the past, and today most U.S. Grand Lodges recognise their Prince Hall counterparts, and the authorities of both traditions are working towards full recognition. The United Grand Lodge of England has no problem with recognising Prince Hall Grand Lodges. While celebrating their heritage as lodges of black Americans, Prince Hall is open to all men regardless of race or religion.


Does the United Grand Lodge of England recognize Prince Hall Lodges?


When did the French try to create co-masonic lodges?

In general, Continental Freemasonry is sympathetic to Freemasonry amongst women, dating from the 1890s when French lodges assisted the emergent co-masonic movement by promoting enough of their members to the 33rd degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite to allow them, in 1899, to form their own grand council, recognised by the other Continental Grand Councils of that Rite. The United Grand Lodge of England issued a statement in 1999 recognising the two women's grand lodges there to be regular in all but the participants. While they were not, therefore, recognised as regular, they were part of Freemasonry "in general". The attitude of most regular Anglo-American grand lodges remains that women Freemasons are not legitimate Masons.


When did the United Grand Lodge of England recognize the two female Masonic lodges?


What did the french lodges promote to try to get women accepted into the Freemasons?


Do Anglo-American grand lodges accept women as members today?


What English Archbishop was a member of the Freemasons?

Since the founding of Freemasonry, many Bishops of the Church of England have been Freemasons, such as Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher. In the past, few members of the Church of England would have seen any incongruity in concurrently adhering to Anglican Christianity and practicing Freemasonry. In recent decades, however, reservations about Freemasonry have increased within Anglicanism, perhaps due to the increasing prominence of the evangelical wing of the church. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, appeared to harbour some reservations about Masonic ritual, whilst being anxious to avoid causing offence to Freemasons inside and outside the Church of England. In 2003 he felt it necessary to apologise to British Freemasons after he said that their beliefs were incompatible with Christianity and that he had barred the appointment of Freemasons to senior posts in his diocese when he was Bishop of Monmouth.


What former Archbishop of Canterbury has reservations about the Freemasons?


What year did Dr. Rowan Williams apologize to the Freemasons?


Dr. Rowan Williams was also Bishop of what?


Freemasonry was linked to scandal in Italy due to what?

In Italy, Freemasonry has become linked to a scandal concerning the Propaganda Due lodge (a.k.a. P2). This lodge was chartered by the Grande Oriente d'Italia in 1877, as a lodge for visiting Masons unable to attend their own lodges. Under Licio Gelli's leadership, in the late 1970s, P2 became involved in the financial scandals that nearly bankrupted the Vatican Bank. However, by this time the lodge was operating independently and irregularly, as the Grand Orient had revoked its charter and expelled Gelli in 1976.


The Propaganda Due Lodge was chartered by who?


When did the Grande Oriente d'italia charter the Propaganda Due Lodge?


The Propaganda Due Lodge was also know as what?


When did the Grand Orient d'italia expel Licio Gelli and revoked the charter of P2?


When did the UN recommend the Partition Plan?

On 29 November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly recommended the adoption and implementation of the Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine. This UN plan specified borders for new Arab and Jewish states and also specified an area of Jerusalem and its environs which was to be administered by the UN under an international regime. The end of the British Mandate for Palestine was set for midnight on 14 May 1948. That day, David Ben-Gurion, the executive head of the Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared "the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel," which would start to function from the termination of the mandate. The borders of the new state were not specified in the declaration. Neighboring Arab armies invaded the former Palestinian mandate on the next day and fought the Israeli forces. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula (1956–57, 1967–82), part of Southern Lebanon (1982–2000), Gaza Strip (1967–2005; still considered occupied after 2005 disengagement) and the Golan Heights. It extended its laws to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, but not the West Bank. Efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have not resulted in peace. However, peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan have successfully been signed. Israel's occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is the world's longest military occupation in modern times.[note 2]


When was the end of the British Mandate set?


Who was the executive head of the Zionist Organization?


Israel (/ˈɪzreɪəl/ or /ˈɪzriːəl/; Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל Yisrā'el; Arabic: إِسْرَائِيل Isrāʼīl), officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל Medīnat Yisrā'el [mediˈnat jisʁaˈʔel] ( listen); Arabic: دولة إِسْرَائِيل Dawlat Isrāʼīl [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a sovereign state in Western Asia. The country is situated in the Middle East at the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea. It shares land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories (which are claimed by the State of Palestine and are partially controlled by Israel) comprising the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. It contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel's financial and technology center is Tel Aviv while Jerusalem is both the self-designated capital and most populous individual city under the country's governmental administration. Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem is internationally unrecognized.[note 1]


What's Israel's financial and technology center?


What was the population of Israel in 2016?

The population of Israel, as defined by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, was estimated in 2016 to be 8,476,600 people. It is the world's only Jewish-majority state, with 6,345,400 citizens, or 74.9%, being designated as Jewish. The country's second largest group of citizens are denoted as Arabs, numbering 1,760,400 people (including the Druze and most East Jerusalem Arabs). The great majority of Israeli Arabs are Sunni Muslims, with smaller but significant numbers of semi-settled Negev Bedouins; the rest are Christians and Druze. Other far smaller minorities include Maronites, Samaritans, Dom people and Roma, Black Hebrew Israelites, other Sub-Saharan Africans, Armenians, Circassians, Vietnamese boat people, and others. Israel also hosts a significant population of non-citizen foreign workers and asylum seekers from Africa and Asia.


In its Basic Laws, Israel defines itself as a Jewish and democratic state. Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system, proportional representation and universal suffrage. The prime minister serves as head of government and the Knesset serves as the legislature. Israel is a developed country and an OECD member, with the 35th-largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product as of 2015[update]. The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with the one of the highest percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree. The country has the highest standard of living in the Middle East and the fourth highest in Asia, and has one of the highest life expectancies in the world.


Where is Israel's standard of living ranked in Asia?