Name an admired historical figure.Explain why.

[abracax]

should we do a seprate thread for myths, or is here ok?????????

All myth is based in fact, just what part of the myth is fact is unknown. Sometimes it's only the names and places, sometimes it's just about everything. Take Robin Hood for instance, real person. The difference was, he was a commoner, not nobility.

Roger Godberd is a possible historical basis for the legend of Robin Hood.

Godberd served under Simon de Montfort, the 6th Earl of Leicester, as well as two other barons.

In 1265 Godberd was outlawed for fighting against King Henry III in the Battle of Evesham. Nearly two centuries later, in about 1446, Walter Bower claimed that Robin Hood also became an outlaw as a result of this battle.

In October 1267, Godberd settled in Sherwood Forest. He lived there for four years defying the authorities. He could call upon 100 men, but was eventually decisively caught in 1272.

Reginald de Grey was the sheriff of Nottingham at this time. Godberd was first captured in the grounds of Rufford Abbey, and from there taken to Nottingham Castle, but managed to escape. A local prominent knight named Richard Foliot helped Godberd and his fellow fugitives, and protected them from the Sheriff.

In 1270 Foliot's Castle Fenwick was besieged by royal troops under the command of Reginald de Grey, in order to capture Godberd and his companions sheltered within, but the outlaws managed to flee before the arrival of the Sheriff. In 1272 Foliot was accused for his protection of Godberd, and had to surrender Fenwick. This knight resembles the figure of Richard at the Lee in the ballads of the Robin Hood story.

Godberd was eventually captured and sent to jail. He was kept in three different prisons over three years while awaiting trial. That took place at the Tower of London, whereupon he was pardoned upon the return of Edward I from the Eighth Crusade He returned to his farm, and lived there until his death, never heading down the outlaw road again.

[abracax]

Double post, I know.


One of the people I admire in recent history:

Malcolm X, now many people would disagree with me and say he promoted violence and was a racist. Yes, he was, until his Hajj. While he was at Mecca his eyes were opened, he saw Muslims of all color, creed, and race. He was a changed man after that, when he returned to the states he started preaching unity, tolerance and understanding. It is everyones belief that because of his change of heart, the Nation of Islam and it's leader Elijah Muhammad, had Malcolm X killed.

Malcolm X no longer wanted to teach hatred, this was a difference between his new teachings and the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad feared the kind of power Malcolm X was amassing and pulling followers from the Nation of Islam to him.

Here is a little from Wikipedia about him.

Malcolm X (pronounced /'mæl-kəm ɛks/) (born Malcolm Little; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz[1] (Arabic: الحاجّ مالك الشباز‎), was an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist.[2][3][4][5] To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans.[6] His detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, and violence.[7][8][9][10] He has been described as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history.[11][12][13]

Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska. By the time he was 13, his father had died and his mother had been committed to a mental hospital. His childhood, including his father's lessons concerning black pride and self-reliance and his own experiences concerning race, played a significant role in Malcolm X's adult life. After living in a series of foster homes, Malcolm X became involved in hustling and other criminal activities in Boston and New York. In 1945, Malcolm X was sentenced to eight to ten years in prison.

While in prison, Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam. After his parole in 1952, he became one of the Nation's leaders and chief spokesmen. For nearly a dozen years, he was the public face of the Nation of Islam. Tension between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, head of the Nation of Islam, led to Malcolm X's departure from the organization in March 1964.

After leaving the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became a Sunni Muslim and made a pilgrimage to Mecca, after which he disavowed racism in all its forms. He traveled extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East. He founded Muslim Mosque, Inc., a religious organization, and the secular, black nationalist Organization of Afro-American Unity. Less than a year after he left the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech in New York.

[Wildor]

Two EXTREMELY interesting entries ABRACAX!! Thank you for those.

[abracax]

THEODORE ROOSEVELT 1901-1909

With the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, became the youngest President in the Nation's history. He brought new excitement and power to the Presidency, as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy.

He took the view that the President as a "steward of the people" should take whatever action necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the Constitution." I did not usurp power," he wrote, "but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power."

Roosevelt's youth differed sharply from that of the log cabin Presidents. He was born in New York City in 1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled--against ill health--and in his triumph became an advocate of the strenuous life.

In 1884 his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on the same day. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch in the Badlands of Dakota Territory. There he mastered his sorrow as he lived in the saddle, driving cattle, hunting big game--he even captured an outlaw. On a visit to London, he married Edith Carow in December 1886.

During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt was lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, which he led on a charge at the battle of San Juan. He was one of the most conspicuous heroes of the war.

Boss Tom Platt, needing a hero to draw attention away from scandals in New York State, accepted Roosevelt as the Republican candidate for Governor in 1898. Roosevelt won and served with distinction.

As President, Roosevelt held the ideal that the Government should be the great arbiter of the conflicting economic forces in the Nation, especially between capital and labor, guaranteeing justice to each and dispensing favors to none.

Roosevelt emerged spectacularly as a "trust buster" by forcing the dissolution of a great railroad combination in the Northwest. Other antitrust suits under the Sherman Act followed.

Roosevelt steered the United States more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick. . . . "

Aware of the strategic need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific, Roosevelt ensured the construction of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the Monroe Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and arrogated the sole right of intervention in Latin America to the United States.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War, reached a Gentleman's Agreement on immigration with Japan, and sent the Great White Fleet on a goodwill tour of the world.

Some of Theodore Roosevelt's most effective achievements were in conservation. He added enormously to the national forests in the West, reserved lands for public use, and fostered great irrigation projects.

He crusaded endlessly on matters big and small, exciting audiences with his high-pitched voice, jutting jaw, and pounding fist. "The life of strenuous endeavor" was a must for those around him, as he romped with his five younger children and led ambassadors on hikes through Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.

Leaving the Presidency in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari, then jumped back into politics. In 1912 he ran for President on a Progressive ticket. To reporters he once remarked that he felt as fit as a bull moose, the name of his new party.

While campaigning in Milwaukee, he was shot in the chest by a fanatic. Roosevelt soon recovered, but his words at that time would have been applicable at the time of his death in 1919: "No man has had a happier life than I have led; a happier life in every way."

[woody513]

Woah Abra you're so smart. Didn't know any that although I had heard the name.

[abracax]

Woah Abra you're so smart. Didn't know any that although I had heard the name.

You can easily go here to find out about any of the US presidents and their lives and career. Also, the information is 100% accurate.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/


Saladin (1137 -1193) ('Salah Ad-din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub) founded the ethnically Kurdish Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt and Syria. He was also a renowned leader in the Crusades for his military prowess against the Crusaders and his honorable mercy to them.

Rise to power
He was born into a Kurdish family at Tikrit on the river Tigris. After an initial military education under the command of the Seljuk statesman and soldier Shirkuh, Saladin defended Egypt against the Crusaders and abolished the Fatimid caliphate in 1171. He took power in Egypt with the title of sultan, though many Seljuks refused to serve under a Kurd. His position was tenuous at first, as no one expected him to last long in Egypt where there had been many changes of government in previous years due to a long line of underage caliphs. As the leader of a foreign army from Syria, he also had no control over the Egyptian army, which was led by the now otherwise powerless caliph.

With his brothers, Saladin turned Egypt essentially into a vassal state of his own family, against the wishes of Nur ad-Din who had sent Shirkuh and Saladin to Egypt in the first place. He also restored Sunnism in Egypt.

Fighting the Crusaders
On two occasions, in 1171 and 1173, Saladin retreated from an invasion of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. These had been launched by Nur ad-Din, and Saladin hoped that the kingdom would remain intact as a buffer state between Egypt and Syria, until Saladin could gain control of Syria as well. Both Nur ad-Din and Saladin were planning a war against each other when Nur ad-Din died in 1174. Saladin then marched on Damascus, and was welcomed into the city. Aleppo and Mosul, on the other hand, the two other largest cities that Nur ad-Din had ruled, were never taken, but Saladin managed to impose his influence and authority on them in 1176 and 1186 respectively. While besieging Aleppo on May 22, 1176 the "Assassins" attempted to murder him.

While Saladin consolidated his power in Syria, he generally left the Crusader kingdom alone, although he was usually victorious when he met the Crusaders in battle. One exception was the Battle of Montgisard in 1177, although he soon recovered and defeated the Crusaders at the Ford of Jacob's Daughters in 1179. However, the Crusaders repeatedly provoked him. Raynald of Chatillon, in particular, harassed Muslim trading and pilgrimage routes, and threatened to attack Mecca with a fleet on the Red Sea. In July of 1187, Saladin invaded the Kingdom of Jerusalem and annihilated the Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin. Saladin captured and executed Raynald; he also captured King Guy. He then recaptured Jerusalem on October 2, 1187, after 88 years of Crusader rule. Soon he had taken back every Crusader city except Tyre.

Hattin and the fall of Jerusalem prompted the Third Crusade. This Crusade took back Acre, and Saladin was defeated by King Richard I of England at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191. Saladin's relationship with Richard was one of mutual respect as well as military rivalry. When Richard was wounded, Saladin even offered the services of his personal physician; at Arsuf, when Richard lost his horse, Saladin sent him two replacements. There were even plans to marry Richard's sister to Saladin's brother. The two came to an agreement over Jerusalem in 1192, whereby it would remain in Muslim hands but would be open to Christian pilgrimages.

Not long after Richard's departure, Saladin died in 1193 at Damascus, where his tomb is now a major tourist attraction.

Recognition
Despite his fierce opposition to the Christian powers, Saladin achieved a great reputation in Europe as a chivalrous knight, so much so that there existed by the 14th century an epic poem about his exploits, and Dante included him among the virtuous pagan souls in Limbo.

The name Salah ad Din means "Light of the Faith", "Righteousness of the Faith" or "Weapon of the Faith", and through the ages Saladin has been an inspiration for Muslims in many respects. A province centered around Tikrit in modern Iraq, Salah ad Din, is named after Saladin.


Edit: You know, I just realized, I haven't been explaining why I admire these people that I have been putting up. Let me at least explain Saladin. He did not have to show mercy or kindness to his enemy, who at the time were killing innocent people to expand their territory. He instead believed in justice, if you were a knight of the crusades and you were responsible for killing a farmer and his family, you would be put to death. If however you showed mercy to the innocent, Saladin showed mercy to you and let you live. Many times he was known for providing his enemies with food, shelter and medical care, then sending them back to their own side. He was a true Muslim and a shining example of the true meaning of Islam.

[abracax]

Bump>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[DieForelle]

Zhang ZiDong.

In addition to helping save the great Qing from the west, he is also my ancestor.

[Zen Master]

i think abracax is copy and paisting -_-

[abracax]

i think abracax is copy and paisting -_-

The biography yes, but not why I admire them.