Seven Greatest French People of All Time

[ConanKND]

I'm going to do a project for my school, in English Class. This time, I think I'm gonna do a project on 'The Greatest French People of All Time'. I'm a Thai, but I respect and admire many great French people, and I'm sure that I'll study French in my High School years.

So, for the Greatest people, I chose an amount of seven, because seven is an optimum, balanced number (Sounds familiar?).

I think that, in my poll, Napoleon and de Gaulle are a given. Louis XIV, I'm not so sure.

Thanks for helping, now cast your votes!!

EDIT : UH OH. The Poll's NOT Multiple CHoice. Can a Mod fix this?

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Steph, naturally.

Pasteur?

 

[Godwynn]

Do people count Charlemagne and Charles Martel as French?

 

[Mirc]

I want to vote for Steph, where's that option?

Edit: Ah Godwynn broke the two post chain.

 

[luiz]

I think that, in my poll, Napoleon and de Gaulle are a given. Louis XIV, I'm not so sure.

Of those 3 I'd only consider Napoleon.

But you shouldn't stick only to great leaders. France produced some of the world's greatest mathematicians, chemists and biologists. Many of them are worthy of the list.

 

[LightSpectra]

Does Godfrey of Bouillon count as French? Him. If not, Philip II.

 

[Verbose]

Descartes should go on the list definately.

On the top of my head Laplace the mathematician/astronomer (all the math Newton never bothered with), Lavoisier (chemical revolution of the 18th c.), the natural historians Buffon (zoogeography, among other things) and Cuvier (founder of paleontology). Claude Bernard in medicine and physiology.

 

[Julian Delphiki]

How about Henri Poincaré?

 

[Arwon]

Pasquale Paoli, leader of the first democratic liberal republic of modern times.

Though he'd probably hate being referred to as French.

 

[Red Door]

If I had to choose 7, I'd choose Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis XIV, de Gaulle, Voltaire, Pasteur, d'Arc, and Monet.

 

[Sofista]

In addition to the dubious nationality of some choices, already pointed out: wait for the Poles to discover that you think Marie Curie is French, wait for the Swiss to realise that you took Rousseau away from them!

My vote: Steph, also. Escoffier second.

 

[Verbose]

In addition to the dubious nationality of some choices, already point out: wait for the Poles to discover that you think Marie Curie is French, wait for the Swiss to realise that you took Rousseau away from them!

Well, at least Marie Curie considered herself French enough, and it was the "Pierre and Marie Curie family double-act" after all.

 

[Sofista]

Lemme see... studied both in Poland and France, married in the latter and been a loyal French, although she named the element she discovered "polonium". Yep, she's a shared great.

 

[Tee Kay]

Louis Pasteur. Honourable mentions: teh Curies, Andre Marie Ampere, Richelieu, Napoleon Bonaparte, that guy who built the Suez Canal (can't remember his name, sorry), Charles de Gaulle, Francois Mitterand, Joan d'Arc.

First time I've heard of Auguste Pavie. Really need to study my Thai history =P

 

[Irish Caesar]

Blaise Pascal.

 

[Pieman]

Napoleon was Corsican, not French. So I'm not sure if he really counts on this poll...

 

[Atticus]

Of the poll options Louis Pasteur, because he did something that concretly has helped so many people. Victor Hugo is a good number two. I don't get what's so great about Napoleon, the guy just started terrible wars. If his greatness is based on his military genius, would people consider clever serial killers as great people? Jack the Ripper would have to be in the greatest Britt poll.

Outside the list I agree with Verbose's suggestion of Descartes. And if Laplace and Poincaré are mentioned, it would be wrong not to remind you of Cauchy, Fourier and Lebesgue.

 

[Julian Delphiki]

Napoleon was Corsican, not French. So I'm not sure if he really counts on this poll...

France had obtained Corsica year before Napoleons birth .

 

[Pieman]

France had obtained Corsica year before Napoleons birth .

Ah yes. Can't believe I forgot that.

 

[Evie]

Richelieu is possibly one of the greatest statesmen in history, certainly on a level with Bismarck. He took a nation torn by the wars of religion, wedged between the two prongs of the Habsburg dynasty, and turned it into the France of Louis XIV.

He deserved in the top-7 anyday.