English - British

[samildanach]

Yes, the free will to realise that their economy was in tatters after the New Caledonia distaster. The Hammer had a try at conquest, and would have succeeded if he had had the huge amounts of money to do what he did in Wales: build lots of castles.

During the hundred years war the English tried to do this. Scottish strategy, however, was not to engage the English in the open field. At one point, the English took 60 thousand men up with them to hunt down and try to engage the Scots. At the same time they engaged in massive castle building projects. One of which cost something ridiculous like a third or a half of the English GDP.

The way a medieval army worked was that at the end of the campaign season the soldiers got paid. Ideally as a military commander you want to score a victory but without many of your own soldiers surviving so you don't have to pay most of them. However, because the Scots refused to offer battle all those English soldiers needed to be paid. On top of that they had so little money left they could only afford to lightly garrison the castles they had built or captured. Once, the English army withdrew the Scots promptly killed the garrisons and razed the castles to the ground.

Do you think the Scots might have been watching and learning from the Welsh experience or not? Also we had an advantage that the Welsh did not in that our Army was being bank-rolled by the French. So we could keep them running about the hills quite happily.

The english could have had ten times the money and they would not have suceeded so long as the French continued to support us. The English eventually wised up to this - it took fifty years or so ( which is quick for you lot ) when they then realised that they needed to knock France out first if they ever wanted to get control of the home island. The English tried and fought a heroic campaign but it eventually failed.

 

[ThePunisher]

this is true but I would like to see winston churchill leading the British and elizebeth I could be a great leader or something.

man thats cool

But Elizabeth is arguable the greatest leader that England has EVER had? She took a bankrupt small nation from the fringes of Europe to the greatest nation in it? She allowed the country to 'punch above it's weight' and made it immensely influential in the world. Much more so that Winston Churchill who merely precided over the wholesale loss of the empire that Elizabeth started/made possible. (Although, he did stand alone against the Nazi's while the US merely profited from Europe's misery.)

Plus, the Tudors (esp Henry VIII) ended links with the catholic church and set the country on route to it's modern, logical, religion-less state?

I'd rather the civ was called English than British. Britiain is merley a (neo-racist?) construct designed to hide the inherant imperialist nature of the 'union'.

 

[ThePunisher]

the fact that you talk about he English language being everywhere, well that couldnt have happened without the empire...

Wow, shot through the head with a diamond bullet! How incitefull was that comment! That alone has convinced me that it should be called English.

After all, the English language will probably be the only lasting legacy of the empire and that's what it should be named after. (INMHO)

 

[CurtSibling]

Australia and the USA are also a lasting legacy of the British Empire!

That said, the empire was a political entity.
The English should be the civ/culture - not Britain.

 

[ThePunisher]

Spatula what do you mean 'some of them have interbred' some?? where on earth do you live? Yeah okay some bits of Britain are still a little inbred,but generally the mixing has been nearly total, inbreeding is still alive and well

Having said that, a genetic survey a few years back of mitochondrial DNA showed that a high proportion of Northerners came from scandanavian stock and a high percentage of southers came from indigineous celt/anglo/saxon stock.

A TV program repeated the same survey with samples from footy fans when Chelsea played Leeds a few years ago and got roughly the same results with a tiny sample.

 

[CurtSibling]

Every country has a mix of other peoples - Names are merely traditional/political.

The general civ names are a coverall term for recognisable national cultures.

There is only so far the developers can delve into racial and national traits before the PC-police get into a flap.


..

 

[teccuk]

There is only so far the developers can delve into racial and national traits before the PC-police get into a flap.

Oh what a great idea! But it you have to admit it would be based upon assumptions and stereotypes that probebrly are'nt true don't you reckon?

Windy over the w/e huh? See, we even share weather systems!