Bede was the first person to call us "The English", but it was Alfred the Great, his son Edward the Elder and his grandson Aethelstan the Magnificent that forged us into a political nation. Overall, the Norman influence is a tint, not a core component, to our identity.
Regardless, Furunculus, were he here, would tell you that it's not historical fact by historical myth that defines a national character. The Scots and English can just about stand each other - but there exists little to no fraternity between the English and French, and only slightly more between the English and Germans.
Husar's opinions, and those of others, demonstrate this.
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