Favorite historical figure and why? (ancient, war, Rome, Egypt)

[Bluefox]

Sorry if there was already a thread on this but I did perform an advanced search and nothing came up.

I’m wondering what historical figure you most admire, and why?

My favorite is King Alfred the Great of Wessex. He had his flaws, but talk about overcoming adversity. He was the ruler of the last Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Wessex, that hadn’t succombed to Danish invasions. His decisive victory against Guthrum at the Battle of Ethandun in 878 preserved the Anglo-Saxon culture and laid the groundwork for what would later become England. While I do think he was dogmatic to a fault, he showed himself to also be very pragmatic. The legacy he left led to the unification of the three kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria, and built the foundation upon which the United Kingdom became established.

I see him as sort of a real life King Arthur. Were it not for his victory at Ethandun, who can say what the UK would look like today? It could very well have been an extension of Scandinavia. And as much as I love Scandinavia, it would be a lesser world without the UK as it is.

[Bronxguyanese]

My favorite historical figure is Alexander The Great. Why? He achieved so much at a young age. He also believed in inclusiveness of all people instead of an only Eurocentric view which the West has followed due to the ethos of Greek Philosopher Aristotle. Alexander treated his peoples as equals instead of Greek or Macedonian first. Alexander The Great was never defeated on the battlefield. Alexander The Great also had a major impact on Christianity. I'm not a Christian-file however we can not ignore that Christianity would have never developed if it was not for Alexander the Great conquest of Judea and Jerusalem. The mixing of Greek and Jewish culture, the borrowing of Greek philosophy into Jewish faith, the Greek language all helped sparked Christianity. The city of Alexandria had the Hebrew texted Old Testament converted into Greek. Many of Jesus followers like Peter and Paul where all Greek speaking Jews. Alexander The Great himself also saw himself as the Son of God who's mother Olympia told him such story in which Alexander believed. If Alexander the Great was defeated by the Persians, and the Near East remained in Persian hands, Christianity and the story of Christ would have never happened.

[Mightyqueen801]

Eleanor of Aquitaine. Strong woman, dissolved a marriage with one king to marry another by her own choice, landowner in her own right at a time when women were themselves property, ruled England as Regent in her husband's absence, survived years locked in a castle after planning a revolt against her husband with their sons, and then outlived him.

[2x3x29x41]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

Sorry if there was already a thread on this but I did perform an advanced search and nothing came up.

I’m wondering what historical figure you most admire, and why?

There's a diffence between admiration and interest. I admire Abraham Lincoln greatly, but I find Richard Nixon more interesting. Consequently, I've read more about Nixon. While I'm less versed in British/English royalty, I find King John particularly interesting, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't rank very high on any 'most admired' lists!

Often times, the less admirable are the more compelling.

Originally Posted by Bluefox

My favorite is King Alfred the Great of Wessex. He had his flaws, but talk about overcoming adversity. He was the ruler of the last Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Wessex, that hadn’t succombed to Danish invasions. His decisive victory against Guthrum at the Battle of Ethandun in 878 preserved the Anglo-Saxon culture and laid the groundwork for what would later become England. While I do think he was dogmatic to a fault, he showed himself to also be very pragmatic. The legacy he left led to the unification of the three kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria, and built the foundation upon which the United Kingdom became established.

Alfred interests me, though I find the lack of detail of his life frustrating.

Originally Posted by Bluefox

I see him as sort of a real life King Arthur. Were it not for his victory at Ethandun, who can say what the UK would look like today? It could very well have been an extension of Scandinavia. And as much as I love Scandinavia, it would be a lesser world without the UK as it is.

It is true for many figures that but for their existence, history would have wandered in a different direction. The Conquerer, Stephen, Henry II, Eleanor, William Marshal, John, Edward Longshanks - and that's just an abbreviated sampling from a two hundred year window.

[Babe_Ruth]

George Washington.. most significant figure in the American Revolution. He was a good model for restrained power..
Also admire St Francis of Assisi a lot.

[Dd714]

General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. Admittedly I have not read a biography about him but he seems to be an amazing character in history: Started in the Swedish Military in the 7 Years War as a sort of soldier of fortune and was captured by the Prussians, then joined their military. But his call to fame was in the Napoleonic War, he was one of the first generals to actually defeat Napoleon in Liepzig. Man he hated Napoleon, he would have killed him. In the Waterloo campaign Blucher, his forces were overrun and he barely survived as his horse fell and he was trampled by waves of cavalry. No problem, he got up and bathed in Schnapps overnight and was able to join Wellington at Waterloo the next day, traveling by horseback through muddy trails and driving his troops like some madman so that he could get a shot at killing Napoleon. The dude was 71 years old! That's one tough SOB.

[PuppiesandKittens]

My favorite is Winston Churchill: he basically saved freedom when faced with overwhelming odds, and with Nazi Germany burning British cities down. Would any political leader these days deal with a 9/11 for 57 or so nights in a row, which is what the London Blitz was?

[Axl1156]

Anne Frank.

She was very intelligent and articulate for her age. I've read the book countless of times and I often wonder what her life would have been like if she survived.

[cebuan]

George McJunkin. Born a slave, learned a lot of things while working as a cowboy. Noticed a pile of bison bones were larger than usual, and contained unique arrowheads. Theorized that thousands of years separated the respective evolutions of the bison and the arrowheads. His observation turned the whole assumption of the dating of American Indians on its head.

[rishi85]

I am going to offend quite a few people here by saying that I find it annoying when someone chooses a person just because they are of his/her country. Also: long post.

I am from India and my list is thus:


5.) Ramesses 2: Don't understand why Cleopatra or Tutakhamen are more known/revered when Ozymandiaz was of so much more prestige and importance. My dream is to see the ruins of Egypt someday.

4.) Arthur Shoepenhaur: The great pessimist and such a fascinating philosopher.

3.) Fredreich Nietzche: His will to power is the greatest template of what Western civilization means to me. If only the west had followed his principles instead of Christianity(no offenses) we would be on Mars by now and probabaly found the meaning/purpose of life(the answers to which shall come from outer space is my belief).

2.) Winston Churchill/Theodore Roosevelt: I don't think these need explainations. Some of the finest examples of the will to power. As a fan of American history I shudder when looking at the past Presidents such as FDR,Teddy,Lincoln and compare them to Bush Jr/Obama/Trump(who tweets that people should not question his IQ)...What happened? I am not getting into politics but how can any American look at great men like Lincoln and then see Trump on the same chair. He is just bizzare and it seems like a bad dream when you compare him to a picture of Roosevelt or Lincoln- they look majestic.

People just seemed so much more responsible and with grit and a thorough conviction even to as recent as 1980s. The internet ruined a lot of culture in my opinion. Everything in the west from the 60s-70s talk shows such as Mike Wallace or Dick Cavett seemed so mature and engrossing. I love the film look and the rough background sound- I see them all the time on youtube. Now everything is so....glossy and polished and foolish like a videogame. Anyway...

1.) Napoleon Bonaparte: To me the greatest human being who ever lived. He had his many faults but he is the greatest- not the finest, but the greatest example of the will to power of Neitzche. I am a budding filmmaker and it is my dream to make a film on this man- no film ever made has done justice. The Rod Steiger film is alright(with some great battle scenes) but melodramatic and made in english. The silent film was good but this subject deserves a Gone with the Wind kind of treatment. Alexander and Ceaser were born into destiny, Napoleon created his.

Hon. Mentions: Mahatma Gandhi and Mandela- for their resolute.

Clint Eastwood for being Clint Eastwood(I know he isn't exactly a historical figure but I had to include him- he is my hero and upon whose career I am trying to get my own career trajectory based) Now at 89 sadly too old, I have to meet him and tell him he's a badass and he should still consider running for President as a last hurrah. If Trump can win, so can he.

Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Alfred Hitchcock, Satyajit Ray, Ridley Scott and many more directors of the pre 2000s(too many to list)

Goethe

Lord Byron

So many of the polymaths of the Renaissance(for me the greatest era of western culture- greek and rome are so ancient I don't know how much is myth and what's the real deal)Especially those who dabbled in space science such as Galileo, Ptolemy etc. I want to read their lives while I am stil young and try to get some insights.

John F Kennedy: My first American president subject who I still like- but now realize he wasn't all that great and his myth is what makes him special.

Neil Armstrong


Some afterthought:

I am still learning because there is so much history and so less time. Worse my attention span is detoriating- I have started taking medications and hope to see improvements but I can barely read lately. My books on Hannibal and Frederick the great lie unopened.

Not much into music but there's no denying Mozart, beethoven, Bach and Chopin and their contribution. Likewise the great African American jazz and blues legends.

Thomas Sowell.

The master scientists such as Newton, Tesla and Einstein are fasicnating but I suck at science so I haven't gone there yet.

Females? I thoroughly admire Queen Elizabeths stoic demeanor and Jackie O was fascinating in her own right but for some reason I don't find them interesting compared to the men(I had to be honest). Honourable mention to Nancy Friday.

I can write pages on Hollywood history and English Cinema(sadly underrated directors who are never given their dues by the English- recently departed Nic Roeg, James Whale etc will be forgotten very soon, I studied in Canada as a screenwriter and we had to shut off Lawrence of Arabia fifteen minutes in because the class was "bored to death"). We analysed- and I kid you not Mean Girls(!!) instead.

Similar for writers- there are just too many to mention. Even something as frequent as Jules Verne or H.G Wells is such a good read and it makes me ponder why Hollywood says there are no scripts or stories. Just read Country of the Blind by Wells an hour ago and it would make such an awesome film. Atleast a 100 stories from these and throw in a Joseph Conrad novel here and there- and if filmed nicely(with 60s-70s aesthetics and vision) will be box office gold I am sure. The audience will come.

I am learning chinese now and have decided to delve into East Asian history only after I am done learning the language so I cannot say anyone from there, perhaps Bruce Lee.

India has a very ancient history but I only find ancient India interesting. Zero interest in British India or Mughal India though I admire the architecture and everything.

Ashoka the great- I have seen two of his stuppas but like Alexander/Ceaser he is too ancient and I cannot tell where reality and myth come together. Likewise Gautam Buddha- the Bodh tree where he attained nirvana is less than 5 miles from my ancestral house and it is fascinating and all, but too much mythology.

Russian- not delved though I know superficially.

I lived in Canada for several years and I love the people and that nation but for some bizzare reason I just don't find Canadian history interesting. I read the Vimy wars and Terry Fox was an inspiration but the great people are yet to come(or- perhaps I am not aware, most likely).

Australia: Donald Bradman and I think Mel Gibson is a master filmmaker(Apocalypto is a masterpiece).

Jesus/Mohammed/Jews: Just not really interested all that much. There are so many people from European history which I have been reading since my childhood so I am obviously not mentioning folks like Ceaser or Alexander.

I am ashamed to say I do not know anything of Japanese history(not including the foreign wars) and have yet to read on Middle Eastern and Arab men- Their contributions in Astronomy is overlooked.

Jeez, I ranted. English isn't my first language but I am trying.