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Great English kings?

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Poll Question: Who is the greatest English king?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
2 [8.00%]
2 [8.00%]
3 [12.00%]
3 [12.00%]
1 [4.00%]
0 [0.00%]
2 [8.00%]
5 [20.00%]
6 [24.00%]
1 [4.00%]
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  Quote medenaywe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Great English kings?
    Posted: 11-Nov-2011 at 00:27
stereotypes and propaganda have done all.
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  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Nov-2011 at 19:53
Why are kings like Henry V, Alfred, Canutus, Edmund Ironside, Edward VI, and James VI omitted? It's strange William the Bastard is included on this poll as he was a cruel tyrant who deposed the legitimate king and enslaved the English peasants
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  Quote Ollios Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Nov-2011 at 06:57
The question is asking the greatest English king, but top 2 answers are queens Big smile

Edited by Ollios - 10-Nov-2011 at 06:57
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  Quote jafflen Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Nov-2011 at 04:30
Alfred the Great is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was a learned man who encouraged education and improved his kingdom's legal system and military structure. He is regarded as a saint by some Catholics, but has never been officially canonized
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  Quote El Cid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-Oct-2005 at 14:13
The best kings of Englands weren't actually kings, they were queens and of course, I'm talking about Elizabeth I and queen Victoria. Although I don't love Elizabeth and I don't like her, I recognize the intelligence that she had and the job she did. And queen Victoria guided Great Britain through the dificult path of the Industrial Revolution and made Great Britain the most powerful country, and I hate myself for saying this, over Spain and France.
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  Quote gcle2003 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-Oct-2005 at 09:36
Originally posted by Paul

Charles II was a playboy who left the running of the country entirely in the hands of his ministers while he dedicated his life single-handedly repopulating the country after the ECW.

Is that bad or good?

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  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-Oct-2005 at 17:02

Charles II was a playboy who left the running of the country entirely in the hands of his ministers while he dedicated his life single-handedly repopulating the country after the ECW.

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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-Oct-2005 at 16:51
Nobody mention poor lady Jane Grey Dudley who ruled only 9 days, but menage to create new and convertibile pound?
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-Oct-2005 at 16:45
And how about Charles the Second? Come on... Richard the Lionheart spent totally three years in his country!!!Why he deserved to be in the list, and not Charles the Second? And why finished with Victoria? George VI, Elizabeth's father conducted himself almoust heroic during the WW2.

Edited by magdala
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  Quote gcle2003 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Sep-2005 at 16:08

Originally posted by Paul

As they teach in school, the English themselves in their entire history have only ever seen fit to call one of their monarchs 'the great'. Alfred was indeed much more than just a warrior and ruled over a period of prosperous peace. People forget Anglo-Saxon-Danish England was a much more civilised place than medieval England. I always think they get the dark ages bit wrong, it began in 1066.

Aah...when the capital was at Winchester and Wessex ruled....!

 

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  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Sep-2005 at 12:44
As they teach in school, the English themselves in their entire history have only ever seen fit to call one of their monarchs 'the great'. Alfred was indeed much more than just a warrior and ruled over a period of prosperous peace. People forget Anglo-Saxon-Danish England was a much more civilised place than medieval England. I always think they get the dark ages bit wrong, it began in 1066.
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28-Sep-2005 at 18:49

As Hueyi noticed (second message) there are a lot of kings missing( wich is a little bit logical since there were so many of them I guess). From the list above I would say Elisabeth or Victoria, mostly because I guess they're rule was very good and the country was in a good state. But In fact I believe that the greatest English ruler isn't in the list. I would say Alfred (the Great, very suiteble name in this case). I guess my opinion is the way it is because Alfred realy was a very intelligent man who actualy restored a lot of English culture (and litterature). He also made translations from latin. Besides this, and probably even more important, his role in the re-union of the country after the invasion of the Danes was crucial.His rule was very good as well (codex in law, etc.) the country even knew a period of peace, if I'm not mistaken here. 

 

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  Quote Gavriel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Aug-2005 at 02:18
Edward III has allways been my favourite,just because he fought the French and he was Edward woodstock,s (the Black prince) dad.
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  Quote gcle2003 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29-Jul-2005 at 03:55

The reason Victoria and Elizabeth can't be considered English kings is because they were women, unless there's some new historical theory going around I'm unaware of.

Moreover, George VI would still have been an English king, even if his title had been King of Great Britain. He was Emperor of India, but he was still an English king.

On the other hand, William III, while King of England thanks to the Act Settling the Succession of 1688, was not an English king, but a Dutch one.

The title of the poll was not 'Great monarchs of England'.

 

 

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  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27-Jul-2005 at 15:47
Technically you're right but I wouldn't plan any holidays in Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Refering to British things as English can get them a little hot    under the collar.
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  Quote Dawn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27-Jul-2005 at 13:02
I guess Paul is right - from the time of George I the Kings (or queens) Titles were - King of great britainand Ireland but isn't England part of Great Britain? sounds a bit like splitting hairs to me.
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  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Jul-2005 at 22:31
Originally posted by Temujin

if Victoria cannot considdered English monarch then Alfred even less so, he was ruler of Wessex, and at a time there wasn't even a country called England yet...

 

Victoria cannot be considered an English monarch because she was queen after the act of union, which makes her a British monarch. Alfred ruled more than wessex in fact at the end of his reign controlled most of modern over 70% of modern England.

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  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Jul-2005 at 17:25

if Victoria cannot considdered English monarch then Alfred even less so, he was ruler of Wessex, and at a time there wasn't even a country called England yet...

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  Quote gcle2003 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Jul-2005 at 12:49

I don't see how Elizabeth or Victoria could logically be the greatest English king, nor Cromwell for that matter.

But I voted for Elizabeth anyway since that seemed to be the spirit of the thing.

I think the simplest way to express it might be that Elizabeth 'solidified' England. If you like, created the myth of England.

Queen Anne might be worth a mention. Under her the concept of a monarch that reigned but did not rule finally became reality, and despite George III that has never really changed since.

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  Quote Constantine XI Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22-Jul-2005 at 20:05

I really think Alfred should be up there, the only ruler who carried the title "the Great". His last ditch stand against the Danes ensured England retained some connection to old Europe and elements of the culture he protected remain with us today.

But in any case I'll go with Edward Longshanks, just out of pure fascination with his ability to marshall England's forces and engage in it's first real attempt at launching itself as a major power post-Phillip II Augustus.

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