207.366 - 2016 project and the English kings

every day in 2016, write a sentence or a paragraph or a poem that appreciates

the English kings

hm.  how to say this.  I have liked individual Englishmen and Englishwomen, but I do not like the English.  when someone says "the English", I think of the redcoats enforcing English laws on colonials in our thirteen colonies, I think of the English Army enforcing English laws in Ireland for nearly a thousand years, I think of the English Army in India, or China.  I do not like the English.  but I know that's silly.  American history doesn't really start with the first European footprint in Virginia, it starts with all the arrogance and righteousness stuffed into that boot.  whoever that invader was, he brought with him all of English history and lore and customs and expectations.  they're what started American history.  that's why we can teach kids, "first there was the Middle East, where we invented civilization, then there was Greece, where we invented democracy, then there was Rome, where we invented law'n'order, then there was England where we almost got the mix right, then there was the United States, where we invented the perfect country and perfect human beings to go with it."  At least that's how I remember history in American public schools.  Anyway, since I grew up a little bit of a skeptic and a little bit of a romantic despite what I was supposed to learn, I managed to not like the English, but admire their kings!  so I read biographies of the English kings in order starting with Alfred the Great until I got to Richard II and could find no biography of him.  (in the public library, I mean.  I didn't think of buying my own.)  it was a fun project, and I learned to appreciate them even more than I had.  they often were romantic characters, ruling as well or as poorly as they did, leading their own armies, first as princes, then as kings.  some of them probably were a little crazy, others a little daft, but many actually did have a vision for England and later for the United Kingdom, and those who did worked to bring their visions into existence.  many made the transition from general to king well.  given that there was no school for that, hurray!  maybe someday I'll go back and finish that project.  if I do, I wonder what I'll think of the modern kings, including the queens.  maybe we shall see.  meanwhile, hail, kings!   what an interesting bunch you were!