[sir gawain]

Does anyone have a favourite historical person? Mine is Owain Glyn Dwr because of what he has achieved for Wales. He started his revolt against Henry IV when he was past his peak as a warrior, sacrificing a comfortable lifestyle for himself and his family in the process. He carried the common people with him and managed to sustain a campaign against the might of Henry IV for a decade, keeping the Crown's forces at bay for much of that period. He was never defeated and never betrayed. But more than being a warrior he also had a vision for his people in terms of the Church and education through the establishing of universities. He gave voice to a people who had done nothing more than mumble for a hundred years and without him Wales and the Welsh language would have been confined to history. If you agree, that would be wonderful, but if you would care to disagree then that would be even more interesting.

[ravenna]

The Venerable Bede....apparently his library of books was outstanding for its time. I get the impression of a retiring obsessive, very happy equally to teach or to keep his own company, not seeking promotion and utterly immersed in learning.

[sir gawain]

Hello Ravenna, I like your image of Bede and hope every word rings true. When I first came across Bede, maybe 30 years ago, I had the impression that he was considered the oracle with few doubting his writings. However, more recently I have seen that some historians have questioned Bede and the picture he created of the past. I suppose this overlaps with my question of "how have we created our history?" when someone who was a pillar of British history is viewed by some historians as creating a distorted picture of the past. Personally, be it Bede or Nennius or anyone else you care to mention, I think you have to read between the lines of some of what they have to say to get to a sense of the truth.

[WestminsterGuy]

My favorite historical person is Edward III, King of England from 1327 to 1377. His reign was highly important for the history not just for England, but also for the rest of the world. He is the man who started England on its way to global domination. He created a system of local justice: the JPs. He also allowed Parliamentarian rule to become a norm. Above all, he said that England was not some offshore island from the rest of Europe. He proved they could stand alone and most of all that they could be the greatest power in Europe if they tried. By leading a nation in war, creating new forms of justice, building stunning cultural achievements, and giving the English a sense of national identity, he was the first leader in European history to understand the value of a nation state. That proved important forever more. He was England's finest king.

[Kaastorp]

One of my favourite historical characters is, without any doubt, Queen Elizabeth I. Being a woman at those hard times, she was able to survive her childhood and adolescence misfortunes. Shrewd, resilient, regal, what a unique woman she might have been. She was hes father's daughter. Tudor... only the calling of that name evokes the English quintessence. Besides, her age was the dawn of "Britannia rules the waves" and the starting point of the "transatlantic relationship". When I was eleven and while attending my English classes at the British Council, there was a poster in the corredor: an image of the queen with the typycal starched collar and underneath there was a motto: Britain, land of history. That was the beginning of my love for Albion.

[Frau Beethoven]

As the name suggests, I'm a sucker for Beethoven, but he is not my absolute favourite historical person. Two years ago in history of art class, I was very courteously introduced to a M. Jean-Paul Marat, a French revolutionary, by the painter David, and since then, I have not halted my Marat research. The majority of my sources are severely biased against my Swiss Révolutionnaire, (I do a great deal of research, being a novelist) but I have made it my life's ambition to defend the name of l'Ami du Peuple.

[Snuky_255]

I think I would choose Douglas Bader, I understand he may not have made as much of a diffrence to the course of history as other people but its the small diffrences he made for individual people. He made a huge diffrent for people all over the world who has lost limbs. Ever since I read about him he has been one of my heros. Ok there will be more material about the person than for others but I just love his character and passion.