Your favourite historical personality

[Fragony]

Meh, evolutionary step from dutch pike/musket tactics, the real father of modern warfare is Frederique the Great of Prussia.

[KarlXII]

Meh, evolutionary step from dutch pike/musket tactics, the real father of modern warfare is Frederique the Great of Prussia.

I'll just take it you didn't bother to read the post at all.

[Fragony]

I'll just take it you didn't bother to read the post at all.

Yes I did, combined arms isn't new either, I am not saying that he was a bad tactician, he just doesn't deserve all the credit he he recieves. He made the most out of what was at hand but he didn't revolutionize anything, just a minor step forward from the tactics of Maurice of Nassau, who's reforms were a major leap forward. It's called dutch tactics for a reason. The real father of modern warfare would be Maurice of Nassau then. But, Maurice of Naussau isn't the father of modern warfare either, the father of modern/progressive warfare happens to be Frederique the Great of Prussia, now that was a mobility-tiger.

[rabcarl]

I'm not sure if I have a favorite, but there are some that I really like. (and of course there's no way I could come close to the entire list)

European (no particular order)

Alexander the Great
Frederick Barbarosa
Julius Cesar
William the Conqueror
Thomas Aquinas
Queen Elizabeth I
William Shakespeare
Ancient Greeks! (too many to list lol)
Other:
Patton
Ronald Regan
Henry Ford
Nikola Tesla
Thomas Edison
Albert Einstein

And for the controversial one:
Adolf Hitler. While I know that there were parts of him that were terrible, I still have fascination for a man who can subdue an entire people to his will. He was an amazing orator and if he had not had his deep shortcomings could have been more respectable such as Napoleon. A good example that no matter how evil someone is, they still have admirable qualities.

[Custodis Hellenius]

Oliver Cromwell. Excellent General, ripped England and Ireland apart and was one of the biggest b******s the world has ever seen.

[Xipe Totec]

Isaac Newton

So many brilliant ideas. Worked out vast details of so many new areas of science and maths completely on his own. Stuck a large needle into his eye to test a theory about how the eye works!

[Custodis Hellenius]

We can do scientists? Ok, Micheal Faraday. Uncovered the secrets of electricity and invented both the electrical generator and engine. Responsible for most of the modern electrical innovations.

Also, Galleleio (sp), a genius and shamelessly persecuted for his beliefs. Started the innovation in scientific defiance of the Church.

[Samurai Waki]

Oddly enough, my favourite historical personality is Einstein, genius, and had wonderful perspective.

[Centurion1]

Genghis Khan. Not the brutal dictator as assumed by western culture. don't agree, read the book Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world, and come talk to me.

Plus an amazing from rags to riches story, simply awe inspiring

[ICantSpellDawg]

1) James K Polk

2) Horatio Nelson

3) Stonewall Jackson

4) Winston Churchill

5) Reinhard Heydrich (I know, I know - I just read a book about him once and his ability to manipulate and uncover truth truly terrified me)

[Centurion1]

i must say that your selections did live upstanding lives. I wouldnt call them "sterile mass murderers" though.

1. James Polk- he went to war with mexico. This does not mean he annihilated a indigenous population unable to defend themselves. (i do admire the man however, even though he is rarely credited with anything.)

2. Horatio nelson- Now the napoleonic era is not my expertise, but i dont remember the admiral really burning towns down. i dont consider destroying Frances fleet as genocide.

3. Stonewall Jackson- Not a murderer, he was simply a general whom the south could not live without. Maybe you are thinking of Tecumseh Sherman?

4. winston churchill- debatable, i guess you could call the razings of munich and frankfurt as mass murder, it is debatable tho

5. reynhard heindrich- yeah there was a clean cut psychopath, and your reason is perfectly valid to me.

sorry if this comes off as condescending, im just dying for a little intellectual stimulation, lol. dont mean to bash your figures or your ideas, there are all good choices.

[ICantSpellDawg]

edit

[Centurion1]

I want to apologize, its simply supposed to be a listing of peoples favorite personalities, not an analysis, its your choice not mine.

[Imperator Invictus]

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa

[Reverend Joe]

The greatest misanthrope of all time, W. C. Fields. A shamelessly angry, arrogant, misogynistic drunk who shamelessly mocked the upper class with his boorish impersonation of them, complete with top hat and cane. He also said some of the greatest quotes of the 20th century, such as "Sure, I like children... girl children, around eighteen, twenty" and "I never drink water because fish **** in it." My hero. I only wish he had starred in a movie with Groucho Marx.

Of course, once I get to know more about him and read some of his literature, I suspect that Samuel "Mark Twain" Clemens will replace Fields as my favorite historical character.