| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| During this conflict, a man nicknamed "Scissors" was defeated at Faventia, despite a victory in single combat of Artabazes over Valaris. Uraias declined kingship in favor of Ildibad during this conflict, and Uraias was murdered in this conflict by his Gepid bodyguard, Velas. The assassination of Amalasuintha by Theodahad was the cause of this conflict, although Theodohada was in turn murdered by Vitigis. Belisarius feigned acceptance of the purple during this conflict in order to capture Ravenna. For the point, name this war in which the Eastern Roman Empire briefly reconquered Italy. | Gothic War |
| This company's founder was a village ironmaster who was once paid 296 ducats to produce 185 arquebuses. This company's Model 38 was first issued to Italian police units stationed in Africa. This company equipped the Venetian fleet with barrels at the Battle of Lepanto, and during World War Two, this company produced the Type I [["EYE"]] Rifle for the Japanese Empire. For the point, name this Italian company, the oldest active manufacturer of firearms in the world. | Beretta; (or Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A.; accept Beretta Model 38) |
| During this battle, the Nazis planned to halt the Allies by releasing malaria-ridden mosquitos. John P. Lucas commanded the U.S. Army at this battle, while Lucian Truscott Jr. commanded the U.S. Sixth Corps. This battle began with 50,000 Allied troops staging a surprise attack called Operation Shingle. For the point, name this World War Two battle, a near-disastrous but ultimately successful Allied amphibious landing near Rome. | Battle of Anzio |
| After World War One, Admiral Enrico Millo declared himself the governor of this region. According to Article Five of the Treaty of London, Italy was to gain control of this region, as well as its cities of Zadar and Šibenik [[shee-BEH-neek]]. Following the Treaties of Rome in 1941, Italy annexed this territory, which was split into the provinces of Cattaro, Spalato, and Zara. For the point, name this territory, which was annexed by the Independent State of Croatia in 1943. | Governorate of Dalmatia |
| Art-deco caricaturist Paolo Garretto inspired the uniform of this group whose insignia included a star atop lictor bundles surrounded by two flames. Existing until September 1943, this group was officially named the Voluntary Militia for National Security and dissolved after the signing of the Armistice of Cassibile [[cah- si-BEE-leh]]. For the point, name this armed squad of Italian fascists, who pledged loyalty to Benito Mussolini and were distinguished by the color of their uniforms. | Blackshirts (accept Voluntary Militia for National Security or MVSN before mentioned; prompt on "Fascist") |
| At the end of this conflict, the attempted assassination of the Marquis of Neghalli led to the Yekatit 12 massacre. The Hoare-Laval Pact was a failed attempt to end this conflict, which marked the end of the Stresa Front. Mustard gas was used during this conflict, including at the Battles of Enderta and Maychew. Ras Imru was forced to establish a provisional government at Gore [[goh-REH]] during this conflict after the March of the Iron Will captured Addis Ababa. For the point, name this 20th century conflict, during which Italy invaded a country on the Horn of Africa. | Second Italo-Ethiopian War (accept Abyssinian in place of Ethiopian; accept Second War between Italy and Ethiopia; prompt on "Italian invasion" or "Ethiopian War"; prompt on partial answers) |
| This event was led by Italo Balbo and Michele Bianchi [[mee-KEH-leh bee-AHN-kee]]. Luigi Facta resigned a day after King Victor Emmanuel the Third refused to sign a martial law put forward to stop this event which inspired the Beer Hall Putsch the following year. For the point, name this insurrection on October 28, 1922, committed by thousands of fascists in the Italian capital. | March on Rome (prompt on partial answers) |
| This figure captured and executed Marcus Perperna, who killed Quintus Sertorius. This figure's head was presented to one of his political rivals after King Ptolemy of Egypt ordered Lucius Septimius to assassinate him. An alliance comprised of this figure, Julius Caesar, and Marcus Licinius Crassus was known as the First Triumvirate, which ruled Rome for seven years. For the point, name this Roman statesman who restored Rome's control over Spain. | Pompey the Great (or Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) |
| The general who won this battle commemorated his victory by founding the city of Nicopolis. Prior to this battle, a general named Quintus Dellius changed sides due to fears that he would be murdered. In the aftermath of this battle, two of the losing commanders fled to Egypt with sixty ships. For the point, name this 31 BC naval battle, at which Octavian's maritime fleet triumphed over forces led by Marc Antony and Cleopatra. | Battle of Actium |
| This polity was popularly named after a small town on the shores of Lake Garda. After the Armistice of Cassibile, this polity's territory was siezed during Operation Achse [[AHK-seh]]. This polity's head of state was rescued by Fallschirmjäger [[FAHL-sheerm-YAY-guh]] paratroopers after he was overthrown by the Grand Council of Fascism. For the point, name this puppet state of Nazi Germany, which came into existence after the Allies invaded the southern part of Italy. | Republic of Salò (or Italian Social Republic; or National Republican State of Italy; or RSI; or SNRI; prompt on "Italy") |
| During an operation which was a part of this battle, the 185th Paratroopers Division "Folgore" captured and killed 300 attackers of the 131st Infantry Brigade. That event was called Operation Braganza, which was preliminary to the first phase of this battle, known as Operation Lightfoot. This World War Two battle was labeled as "Rommel's worst defeat." The British Empire defeated Germany and Italy in, for the point, what 1942 battle, which took place near a railway halt in Egypt? | Second Battle of El Alamein (prompt on partial answers) |
| Hostages taken by these people were legendarily freed by Cloelia, who was honored with an equestrian statue on the Via Sacra. The influence of these people over Southern Italy decreased after the Battle of Cumae, at which they were defeated by Hiero of Syracuse. After Tarquinius Superbus was overthrown, he enlisted the help of Lars Porsenna of Clusium, a city of these people. For the point, name these people who gained citizenship during the Social War and established an ancient civilization in Umbria and Tuscany. | Etruscans (or Etruscan Civilization; accept Etruscan League) |
| Jacopo Inghirami countered the actions of these people by sacking Bona with the Order of Saint Stephen. These people captured the Isle of Lundy and formed the Republic of Salé [[sah-LEH]], which was ended by Moulay al-Rashid. Andrea Doria defeated these people at Pianosa before losing at Preveza to Hayreddin Barbarossa, another of these people. For the point, name these corsairs based out of and named for the North African coast. | Barbary Pirates (accept Barbary corsairs before mentioned; accept Ottoman in place of Barbary before "North Africa" is mentioned; prompt on "Barbary Coast"; prompt on partial answers) |
| Accoring to Strabo, these people populated the lands of the Opici after losing a war with the Umbrians. Dionysius of Halicarnassus suggested that these people may have been the descendants of Spartans fleeing Lycurgus. One incident involving these people occurred under King Titus Tatius, whose people were attacked by a rival city led by Romulus. For the point, name these ancient people who lived primarily in the Appenines of Central Italy and whose women were legendarily abducted to populate Rome. | Sabines (or Sabini; accept Abduction of the Sabine Women; accept "Kidnapping" or "Rape" in place of "Abduction") |
| Roman structures built in this city include the red brick Porta Palatina, and one statue in this city’s Piazza San Carlo depicts the victor of the Battle of St. Quentin, the Duke of Savoy, unsheathing his sword on horseback. This city was unsuccessfully besieged for 117 days by the French in 1706, leading to a victory for the Grand Alliance in the War of the Spanish Succession. For the point, name this large industrial city on the Po River, the capital of Piedmont. | Turin (or Torino; accept Siege of Turin) |
| In the 2000 film Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix portrays this figure who murders his father, after hearing he was unfit to succeed him, and declares himself emperor. The Year of the Five Emperors began when Pertinax succeeded this man, whose death marked the end of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. For the point, name this man whose reign as Roman emperor was preceded by his father, Marcus Aurelius. | Commodus (or Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus) |
| The armament of a portion of this entity, called the Ouvrage Rimplas, was taken by Italian forces following an armistice. This demarcation was eliminated as a result of that armistice, called the Armistice of Villa Incisa. This demarcation was divided into three fortified sectors, two named after Savoy and Dauphiné, and a third covering the Tinée and Vésubie valleys. For the point, name this component of the Maginot Line, which defended the southeastern portion of France. | Alpine Line (or Little Maginot Line; prompt on "Maginot Line") |
| This man was ordered to abandon Trentino by La Marmora, despite his victory at Bezzecca, to which this man responded with a one-word telegram reading "Obbedisco!" Despite being a Republican influenced by Mazzini, this man proclaimed Victor Emmanuel the Second as king at Teano. Known for leading the Expedition of a Thousand, this is, for the point, which Nizzan who conquered Naples and Sicily during the Unification of Italy? | Giuseppe Garibaldi (or Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi) |
| During this battle, survivors of the 1st Alpini Regiment burned their regimental flag to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. In this battle, the Italian Ravenna and Cosseri infantry divisions were attacked by the 63rd Army and their T-34 tanks. Italian participation in this battle, which included over 100,000 casualties, was conducted under the ARMIR or 8th Army, led by Enrico Pezzi. For the point, name this battle, during which Italians were caught in Operation Uranus in November 1942 by advancing Soviet forces. | Battle of Stalingrad |
| At the Battle of Gela, this man led his troops against the Hermann Göring Division. This man was the first Allied commander to reach Messina while commanding the US Seventh Army. At a hospital in Sicily, this man drew controversy after slapping Private Charles Kuhl, who was suffering from "battle fatigue." For the point, name this US general, nicknamed "Old Blood and Guts." | George S (mith) Patton, Jr. |
| The dilectus was the act of recruiting men to these groups, who were then subjected to a series of tests called the probatio. The remaining men of the Germanica iteration of these groups were integrated into another of these groups led by Galba after the Revolt of Batavi. Each of these groups carried an aquila, or an eagle standard. For the point, name this largest military unit of the Roman army. | Legion (or Legio; accept Legio One Germanica; accept Legio Seven Gemina; accept First Legion or Seventh Legion; prompt on "Roman Army" or similar answers) |
| During this conflict, Italy’s mass use of submarine warfare against merchant ships prompted the Nyon Conference. The Tank and Armoured Cars Group under Mario Roatta led an unsuccessful attack on a capital city in the Battle of Guadalajara during this conflict. Volunteers were sent from Italy to support one side of this conflict as the Corpo Truppe Volontarie. For the point, name this war, during which the Italian air force aided the bombing of Guernica. | Spanish Civil War (prompt on partial answers) |
| During the Middle Ages, the captains of these people were known as the condottiero. During the Roman Empire, these soldiers were referred to as the foederati and typically included barbarians who were allowed to settle within the empire. Another example of these people was the auxilia, who were promised citizenship and a plot of land after 25 years of service. For the point, name these professional hired soldiers. | Mercenary |
| During this conflict, Victor Emmanuel the Second ordered Camillo di Cavour to send 15,000 soldiers to aid the British and the French. At the end of this war, an infantry corps serving Sardinia was awarded a red fez with a blue tassel by the French zouaves troops. That infantry corp, the Italian Bersaglieri, fought in the Battle of the Chernaya and the Siege of Sevastopol during this war. For the point, name this war, fought between an alliance of Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia against Russia. | Crimean War (or War in the Crimea) |
| At the Battle of Asculum, these weapons were countered using spiked wagons with pots of fire, following an earlier Roman defeat at the Battle of Heraclea by Pyrrhus of Epirus. A Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson depicts soldiers in kangaroo pouches with the caption “Hannibal’s first attempt” instead of on top of these animals. For the point, what were these large animals used by the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War? | Elephants (accept War Elephants and similar answers; accept African Elephants) |
| The corpses of Claretta Petacci and a leader of a part of this coalition were hung upside-down in Piazzale Loreto for public display a day after their execution. The foundations of this group were established by the Pact of Steel and the Tripartite Pact. In 1940, Italy joined, for the point, what military coalition during World War Two, which also included Japan and Germany? | Axis Powers (accept Rome–Berlin Axis) |