[cite]Posted By: Oggy Red[/cite]Wat Tyler, who marched through Dartford and Blackheath to London to face the King:
"In 1381 the effort to strictly enforce the collection of taxes created discontent throughout England. Wat Tyler's rebellion was ignited when a tax collector tried to make a determination that Wat Tyler's daughter was of taxable age (15) by stripping her naked and assaulting her. Tyler, who was working close by, heard the screams of his wife and daughter, came running and smashed in the tax collector's skull with a hammer. He was cheered by his neighbors and the commoners of the western division of Kent were brought together by his courage. Wat Tyler was elected their leader.
Wat Tyler's group joined another group led by two itinerant priests named John Ball and Jack Straw, and rose 100,000 strong to invade London. The enraged mob broke open every prison and beheaded every judge and lawyer they could capture. They were not allowed to enrich themselves in their rioting. Valuables found in their midst were destroyed. One man who hid a silver cup on his person was thrown into the river as punishment for his misdeed and as an example to others to refrain from such behavior.
They surrounded Richard II, who asked them what they wanted. Their answer was, "We will be free forever, our heirs and our lands." Richard II agreed.
In a face-to-face meeting with unarmed Wat Tyler a short time later, Richard II ordered the Lord Mayor of London to "set hands on him." Tyler was stabbed through the throat with a short sword and, as he lay writhing in agony on the ground after falling off his horse, stabbed through the belly. "
Lennie Lawrence for displaying an indomitable spirit in the face of great hardship and many perils. Although betrayed by his Masters who confiscated his lands Lennie and his followers showed true English grit(t) in their resolve to overcome all obstructions and succeed where so many others had failed! And lo, on the field of battle, Lennie's troops with their blood curdling battle cry of 'Yippee-ey-oh, Yippee-ey-ay rose up to defeat the heathen Northerners at the Battle of St. Andrews when the Pagans threatened their very existence. And again Lennie answered his supporters cries and put to the sword the rebellious upstarts of the Kings Road at the Battle of Stamford Bridge (not the other Stamford Bridge) when once again all looked lost. His words and deeds will live for ever in the annals of history and fathers will tell their children of the coming of the second golden age, just as they had been told of the first by their fathers before them. The third golden age has also now passed and the land is blasted and the people left without hope though belief as ever lives on. Another leader is sought ,one to equal the triumphs of his predecessors or all that has gone before will whither and die!
Darwin - Changed the way humanity looks at it's self.
Shakespeare - for his influence on the language
Cromwell - For all his faults was a major step in establishing democracy
Athlestan - Organised England into one nation
Bede - First Chronicler of the English nation
SE9Addick, Interesting rationals.
Henry VIII and English? Not much spoken before then? What's your source for that.
Created Football? Codified the public school rules but football existed before that. Willaim McGregor who created the Football League could be said to have done more although he was Scottish.
For presiding over and indeed organising from the top (Eisenhower was along for the ride) what Historians call the single most important day in History.
[quote][cite]Posted By: bibble[/cite]For presiding over and indeed organising from the top (Eisenhower was along for the ride) what Historians call the single most important day in History.
I give you, Winston Spencer Churchill.
Er.. end of!![/quote]
Lady MP to Churchill: Mr Prime Minister, if I were married to you I would put poison in your cocoa.
Churchill to Lady MP: Madam, if I were maried to you I would drink it.
There are many great Englishmen (as listed above), but topping Darwin would be impossible. After all, he unlocked the secret of life on earth and the theory of evolution by natural selection makes sense of everything on this planet. And it was an Englishman that did it.
Comments
He had his own pub too
King Charles I didn't - and lost his head.
Ian Botham.....
William Shakespeare
William Harvey
Issac Newton
Winston Churchill
W.G.Grace
James Mason
Stephen Fry
James Bond or as he is not a real person.
Laurence Olivier
"At Eton they taught us to wash our hands after using the toilet."
Winston Churchill.
"At Harrow they taught us not to piss on our hands".
(in jury room considering verdict for patently guilty petty criminal....)
Daley..."you can tell he's innocent just by looking at his boat"
Asian Lady Fellow Juror....."please...what is boat?"
Daley....."boat race madam"
Shakespeare - for his influence on the language
Cromwell - For all his faults was a major step in establishing democracy
Athlestan - Organised England into one nation
Bede - First Chronicler of the English nation
SE9Addick, Interesting rationals.
Henry VIII and English? Not much spoken before then? What's your source for that.
Created Football? Codified the public school rules but football existed before that. Willaim McGregor who created the Football League could be said to have done more although he was Scottish.
I give you, Winston Spencer Churchill.
Er.. end of!!
I give you, Winston Spencer Churchill.
Er.. end of!![/quote]
Lady MP to Churchill: Mr Prime Minister, if I were married to you I would put poison in your cocoa.
Churchill to Lady MP: Madam, if I were maried to you I would drink it.
There are many great Englishmen (as listed above), but topping Darwin would be impossible. After all, he unlocked the secret of life on earth and the theory of evolution by natural selection makes sense of everything on this planet. And it was an Englishman that did it.
Not a bad accomplishment.
Douglas Bader - overcame disability and prejudice and showed supreme personal bravery to carry on as an RAF pilot on active duty.
Brian Clough - football genius, working class hero, no nonsense man of England.
Was waiting for my mistake to get spotted, though he was in the Greatest Living Englishman book published by Loaded a few years back.
Was going to put him alongside Kevin Pieterson and Lamby but would have been too obvious.
Lawrence Oates was one of our own, a Londoner! Definitely not a Taff!
Captain Lawrence Oates