Snow came back to my village on Tuesday, which was a huge freaking surprise because last week I went to work in tshirt and shorts. Apparently some pressure system was having a party over Germany which resulted in a load of cold air coming down from Sweden to join in the fun.
The snow caused havoc with the electricity connection and I spent most of the day drinking beer and reading 'British history for dummies'. One of the sections towards the end is all about relatively unknown Brits who did a lot or changed a lot. The purpose of this post is to talk about some Polish peeps, not many people realise were Polish and who probably had quite a significant impact on the way the world is shaped.
First up...
Bonnie Prince Charlie.
How he was Polish? Mother was Maria Sobieska, a relative of the kick ass Jan Sobieski.
What was he good at? Being more continental than he was Scottish.
Why he influenced the world? He led the failed Jacobite uprising to put the Stuarts back on the throne. If it sounds to complicated let me summarise it like this: BPC was the figurehead of a French invading force trying to gain control over Britain. They lost finally at the battle of Culloden. BPC changed the world because after the Jacobite rebellion the British Parliament instigated many legal changes to ensure political stability and which gave Britain the basis to get a bit more unified and a bit more stronger.
Here's a song about BPC himself.
Next up: Canute the Great
How was he Polish? Grandson of Mieszko I, the first ruler of Poland, his surname was probably 'Świętosława'
What was he good at? Leading a seriously bloody war against the English.
Why he influenced the world? After all the killing things were pretty rosy across all of the kingdoms Canute ruled which were (according to his own words) 'all England, Denmark, Norway and some of the Swedes'. He demonstrated that a multifaith society could work and he put efforts into the chroniclling of history.
Here's a video of Canute (quite boring)
Any more suggestions?
The snow caused havoc with the electricity connection and I spent most of the day drinking beer and reading 'British history for dummies'. One of the sections towards the end is all about relatively unknown Brits who did a lot or changed a lot. The purpose of this post is to talk about some Polish peeps, not many people realise were Polish and who probably had quite a significant impact on the way the world is shaped.
First up...
Bonnie Prince Charlie.
How he was Polish? Mother was Maria Sobieska, a relative of the kick ass Jan Sobieski.
What was he good at? Being more continental than he was Scottish.
Why he influenced the world? He led the failed Jacobite uprising to put the Stuarts back on the throne. If it sounds to complicated let me summarise it like this: BPC was the figurehead of a French invading force trying to gain control over Britain. They lost finally at the battle of Culloden. BPC changed the world because after the Jacobite rebellion the British Parliament instigated many legal changes to ensure political stability and which gave Britain the basis to get a bit more unified and a bit more stronger.
Here's a song about BPC himself.
Next up: Canute the Great
How was he Polish? Grandson of Mieszko I, the first ruler of Poland, his surname was probably 'Świętosława'
What was he good at? Leading a seriously bloody war against the English.
Why he influenced the world? After all the killing things were pretty rosy across all of the kingdoms Canute ruled which were (according to his own words) 'all England, Denmark, Norway and some of the Swedes'. He demonstrated that a multifaith society could work and he put efforts into the chroniclling of history.
Here's a video of Canute (quite boring)
Any more suggestions?
I had no idea Marie Curie was Polish until very recently!
ReplyDeleteAlso - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Rejewski
ReplyDeleteAll good suggestions: Thanks Anon and Ruth. Any more?
ReplyDeleteNot sure if he has changed the world yet but the current leader of the Labour Party and potentially next British Prime Minister, Ed Miliband, is the son of Polish imagrants.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Miliband
Good point Jeremy about Ed, maybe he's not changed the world yet but there's time!
ReplyDeleteNice to see someone is posting something original and not recycling the old crap we se everywhere.
ReplyDeleteGeunuinely interesting and informative, keep it up!
Well, there's also:
ReplyDelete1) Ted Kaczynski also known as the Unabomber, famous for his, well, bombs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Kaczynski
2) Joseph Conrad, XIX/XX century novelist, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_conrad
3) Bronislaw Malinowski, one of the most important XX century anthropologists, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronislaw_Malinowski
4) Pola Negri, the actress, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pola_Negri
5) Stanislaw Ulam, co-creator of the first a-bomb and co-creator of the Monte Carlo method in mathematics/physics/everywhere, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislaw_Ulam
Well, there's also:
ReplyDelete1) Ted Kaczynski also known as the Unabomber, famous for his, well, bombs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Kaczynski
2) Joseph Conrad, XIX/XX century novelist, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_conrad
3) Bronislaw Malinowski, one of the most important XX century anthropologists, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronislaw_Malinowski
4) Pola Negri, the actress, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pola_Negri
5) Stanislaw Ulam, co-creator of the first a-bomb and co-creator of the Monte Carlo method in mathematics/physics/everywhere, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislaw_Ulam
Nicolaus Copernicus
ReplyDelete