| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| One cause of this conflict was the assassination of Amalasuintha by Theodahad, although Theodahad 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 6th century war in which the Eastern Roman Empire briefly reconquered Italy, named for a certain Germanic people. | Gothic War (prompt on “Goths”) |
| 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. 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, named for a town near Rome on the Lazio coast. | Battle of Anzio |
| 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, annexed by the Independent State of Croatia in 1943, whose largest city is Split. | Governorate of Dalmatia |
| Art-deco caricaturist Paolo Garretto inspired the uniform of this group. 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 nicknamed for the color of their blouses. | Blackshirts (accept Voluntary Militia for National Security or MVSN before mentioned; prompt on "Fascist") |
| The Hoare-Laval Pact was a failed attempt to end a conflict between Italy and this country, which marked the end of the Stresa Front. Mustard gas was used during that conflict in this country, including at the Battles of Enderta and Maychew. Ras Imru was forced to establish a provisional government at Gore [[goh-REH]] in this country after the March of the Iron Will captured Addis Ababa. For the point, name this country, the site of a 20th century conflict, during which Italy invaded the Horn of Africa. | Ethiopian Empire (accept Second Italo-Ethiopian War (accept Abyssinian in place of Ethiopian; accept Second War between Italy and Ethiopia) |
| 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; accept answers involving people Marching on Rome) |
| This figure captured and executed Marcus Perperna, who killed Quintus Sertorius. 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) |
| 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 |
| An Italian Republic, whose name includes this word, was seized during Operation Achse [[AHK-she]] after the Armistice of Cassibile. The head of state of that polity, the name of which includes this word, was rescued by Fallschirmjäger [[FAHL-sheerm-YAY-guh]] paratroopers after he was overthrown by the Grand Council of Fascism. For the point, what is this word naming a puppet state of Nazi Germany, which came into existence after the Allies invaded the southern part of Italy, a word describing the standardization of norms in society? | Social (or Sociale; accept Italian Social Republic; accept Repubblica Sociale Italiana; prompt on " Republic of Salò,” “RSI,” “SNRI,” or “National Republican State of Italy”) |
| Operation Braganza 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, the second of its name? | Second Battle of El Alamein (prompt on partial answers; do not accept or prompt on “First Battle of El Alamein”) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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") |
| 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, perhaps best known for a certain shroud. | Turin (or Torino; accept Siege of Turin; accept Shroud 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) |
| This geographical word describes a demarcation that was eliminated because of the Armistice of Villa Incisa. That demarcation, described by this word, was divided into three fortified sectors, two named after Savoy and Dauphiné, and a third covering the Tinée and Vésubie valleys. For the point, what is this word naming a component of the Maginot Line, which defended the southeastern portion of France in a certain mountain range? | Alpine Line (prompt on "Maginot Line" or “Little 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) |
| 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 near a city now known as Volgograd. | 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) |
| It isn’t Mexico, but during a conflict in this country, the Tank and Armoured Cars Group under Mario Roatta led an unsuccessful attack in the Battle of Guadalajara. Volunteers were sent from Italy to support one side of a conflict in this country as the Corpo Truppe Volontarie. For the point, name this country, during which the Italian air force aided the bombing of Guernica in a civil war. | Kingdom of Spain (accept Spanish Civil War) |
| During the Middle Ages, the captains of these people were known as the condottiero, and 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 |
| 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 on a namesake peninsula. | Crimean War (or War in the Crimea; accept Crimean Peninsula) |
| 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) |