Historic Badass of the Week

Charles Baudelaire

2008-08-15T17:38:08Z

Charles Baudelaire was a French poet and founder/leader of the Symbolist Movement. Born in 1821 in Paris, the young Baudelaire was a boarding student at the College Royal in Lyons. From 1836 to 1839, he attended the Lycee Louis-le-Grand in Paris and immersed himself art and literature. After he had completed his studies, he traveled abroad to Africa and the Indian Ocean, voyaging as far as Mauritius. In 1842, Baudelaire returned to Paris and began writing articles critiquing the artistic sensibilities of the Parisian middle class. It was during this period that he began to compose verse. An ardent admirer of Edgar Allan Poe, Baudelaire completed the first of his several French translations of Poe's work in 1856, titled Les Histoires Extraordinaires. The following year, a collection of poems were published with the title Le Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil). One of the most original and influential poetry volumes of the 19th century, Le Fleurs du Mal delved into dark fantasy, perversion, and satanism while exploring the boundary of imagination and the unknown. The impact of this work is impossible to overstate; the literary world was shaken to its core. A few months after publication, Baudelaire was forced to stand trial for obscenity, which resulted in the banning of six poems from the book. Nevertheless, the work was a phenomenal success for Baudelaire. He continued to write articles on art, including a moving piece about the Symbolist painter Delacroix in 1861. He traveled to Belgium in 1864 for a lecture tour but returned to Paris two years later because of health problems. There he died in 1867. Baudelaire was the pre-eminent French poet of the 19th century. As a leading member of the Symbolist Movement, his intense imagery and taboo-infused themes helped to create what would be called "modern" poetry. While not the most prolific poet in terms of quantity, his stunning contributions to the written arts are truly immeasurable. Charles Baudelaire is an historic badass in every sense of the expression.

Hugh O'Neill, 2nd earl of Tyrone

2008-08-08T22:16:25Z

Hugh O'Neill (Gaelic for "chieftan) was a nobleman and revolutionary who challenged English-Tudor authority in his native Ireland. Born in 1565, O'Neill's childhood was marked by an intensely-violent rivalry amongst his brothers and cousins for control of the powerful O'Neill clan in Ulster. Hugh O'Neill eventually emerged the victor in the familial power struggle, and as a teenager gained valuable military service while serving with the English to subdue Irish (enemies of the O'Neill clan) and Scottish rebellions. As head of the O'Neill clan, he duplicitously bribed both English and Irish officials to secure his position and form alliances. Like most Irish clan leaders, O'Neill strongly resented both the taxes levied against the Irish by England and the ecclesiastical policies of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. After careful planning, he decided for revolt. His diplomatic skill and cunning allowed him to unite dissenting Irish clan leaders, mobilize the people (instead of hiring mercenaries, which was common at the time), and appeal to Spain and Scotland for aid. In 1595, the Nine Years War commenced as the English were routed by O'Neill's well-organized and equipped force in the Battle of Clontibret. By 1598, O'Neill had defeated other English forces and the Irish were clearly winning the war. Elizabeth had spent over 2 million pounds to quell the rebellion; in her frustration, she sent the earl of Essex with 16,000 men to crush O'Neill. O'Neill defeated Essex in a series of small engagements, forcing Essex to conclude an un-authorized truce with the Irish. Meanwhile the Spanish, who had been supplying the Irish with gunpowder and weaponry, attempted to land reinforcements but were trapped by the English and forced to surrender at the Battle of Kinsale. O'Neill's fortunes began to fade without Spanish aid, and the English destroyed Irish crops, livestock, and villages in a savage campaign of reprisal and submission. O'Neill was forced to surrender by 1603, the same year that Queen Elizabeth died. He was forced into exile by disgruntled clan leaders feuding over territorial claims, and he sought a pardon from King James I. He fled first to Spain, and later Rome for papal support, and there he died in 1616. Hugh O'Neill helped to orchestrate the most serious threat to Tudor power in Ireland, combining diplomatic and military expertise to embarass and nearly overthrow the once-invincible English. His rebellion ultimately ended in failure, but after the Nine Years War the complexion of the English occupation of Ireland was forever altered and policy reform instituted. Hugh O'Neill embodied the spirit of just revolution and is an historic badass.

Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

2008-08-01T21:46:35Z

A medieval Islamic philosopher and scientist whose vast intellectual contributions make him the most renowned Muslim scholar in world history. Ibn Sina, or Avicenna, was born in 980 AD in what is now southern Uzbekistan (then part of Persia) during the apex of Islamic power, culture, and learning. A gifted and prodigious child, he had memorized the Koran by age 10 and soon outgrew his teachers. By his teenage years he was already self-educated in the fields of law, metaphysics, mathematics, and medicine. Throughout his adult life, Ibn Sina delved into many other realms of knowledge, becoming an accomplished physicist, geologist, chemist, statesman, theologian, and mystic poet. Ibn Sina was a champion of Islamic universalism and cultural superiority. He served as court physician to the emir (ruler) of a small Persian kingdom, and was frequently accused by jealous rivals of scandal and intrigue, the most serious being that he had burned the royal library of the Samanids in order to conceal the sources of his great knowledge. Political and military instability in Persia forced Ibn Sina to adopt a nomadic lifestyle, offering his services and scholarship to any emir who would have him. During this tumultuous period, in which he was briefly imprisoned, he wrote two of history's most influential works. The Book of Healing, a compendium of science and philosophy, was completed around 1020 and published in 1027. The other, known as The Canon of Medicine, is an encyclopedic text based on the teachings of the ancient Greek physicians that was completed in 1025. The latter was widely used and studied in the West, where Ibn Sina was popularly known as the "Prince of Physicians". His final years were spent as a physician-adviser to a conquering emir, and on a gruelling march through enemy territory he was stricken with colic and became gravely ill. A few weeks before the end, when his friends advised him to rest instead of study, he reportedly told them that he preffered "a short life with width than a narrow one with length." Eventually he succumbed, and died in 1037 at the age of 57. His intellectual achievements in medicine, philosophy, and mathematics are uneclipsed in the annals of Islamic and medieval history. Probably no other figure in world history was as prolific and knowledgable in so many diverse areas of learning as Ibn Sina. He was one of the most prodigious, brilliant, and vigorous thinkers of all time, and his scholarship and genius helped to bridge the intellectual tradition of the Ancients with the scientific and cultural advancements of Rennaissance and Enlightenment Europe. Ibn Sina is the ultimate badass.

Benjamin Disraeli

2008-07-26T07:35:02Z

Benjamin Disraeli was a prominent British statesman and author of the 19th century. A Jew by birth, Disraeli was born in 1804 and was baptised into the Anglican church at age 13. After attending two small schools where he studied law, Disraeli travelled abroad to modern-day Belgium, France, and Germany. He returned to Britain in 1824 and amassed a small fortune, which he then lost, through stock specualtion in several South American mining companies. Disraeli began writing for financial reasons, first business and political pamphlets, then novels and non-fiction works. He published many novels of political satire, the most well-known being Vivian Gray in 1826 and Sibyl (part of a trilogy) in 1845. He wrote until the his death, completing a total of 24 books. Most were well received by the public, but a few made political and literary enemies for Disraeli because of the criticisms of Tory sensibilities and upper-class British mores of the plots. During the 1830's, he became directly involved in national politics. Although considered by some to be a Radical, Disraeli won a seat in the House of Commons after running as a Tory in 1837. Over the next few decades, his career in Parliament was marked by intense rivalry with opposition party leaders, most notably William Gladstone and Viscount Palmerston, and by tenuous party alliances with which he helped pass major reform legislation. His frequent political maneurverings led to important shifts of power within both Houses of Parliament. He was an ardent supporter of British imperialism and a close friend of Queen Victoria. In 1868, partly because of this royal patronage, he became Prime Minister as a member of the Conservative Party. Re-elected in 1874 to this highest post, Disraeli's moderate policies promoted religious rights for Catholics and worker's rights issues. He was elevated to the House of Lords in 1876 and titled by Queen Victoria as the Earl of Beaconsfield and Viscount Hughenden. Soon after Disraeli and the Conservatives lost the 1880 to Gladstone's Liberals, he became ill and died in April 1881. His political record stands as one of the most remarkable in the history of Parliament and 19th century politics. His moderate, flexible, and savvy statesmanship, combined with his prolific literary talent, are the reasons why Benjamin Disraeli is a historic badass.

Francois Dominique Toussaint Louverture

2008-07-18T06:20:28Z

A revolutionary who led Haiti to independence from France in the 1790's and early 1800's. Born a slave in 1743 in the French colony of Saint-Dominique (Haiti), Toussaint was one of a lucky few black slaves to be educated, and was widely read in French literature. He was freed by his master in 1776. Inspired by the principles of justice and freedom idealized during the French Revolution, in 1791 he organized a black guerilla force and assisted the invading Spanish in their war against the French. His name, "Louverture" which means "the opening", was adopted because of his swift military successes, which also prompted other black leaders to join his forces. France abolished slavery in the colony in 1794, and Toussaint switched sides and aided the French in expelling the Spanish and British from the island of Hispaniola's coastal areas. By 1797 Toussaint, who had been trying to ease the social and political tensions between former black slaves and whites, had become virtual leader of Hispaniola. After defeating rival Andre Rigaud's (1761-1811) "mulatto" forces in a brilliant campaign, Toussaint took control of the entire island and assumed the title of governor-general in 1800. He was an able administrator and organizer and was instrumental in the formation of Haiti's constitution. Developments in France brought new challenges, however, and Napoleon Bonaparte sent his brother-in-law Charles Leclerc (1772-1802) with 25,000 troops to the island to re-assert French dominance and reinstitute slavery there. A brutal campaign between Toussaint and Leclerc ensued, and French forces, though decimated by black insurgent ambushes and yellow fever, eventually defeated a force in 1802 under Jean-Jacque Dessalines (1758-1806). Dessalines, many of his followers, and other black leaders defected to the French. Soon after, Toussaint was offered amnesty but was treacherously seized and sent to France as a prisoner. There he died in April 1803. Black and "mulatto" guerilla units continued their resistance in Haiti, however, and Dessalines and other leaders rejoined them after learning of Napoleon's intention to reestablish slavery. The French were eventually forced to evacuate Hispaniola at the end of 1803. Toussaint was the most influential figure of the Haitian revolt and independence movement. His sound military strategies and moderate policies made him the unifying leader in the most successful slave revolt in the New World. Toussaint's achievements in Haiti altered the balance of power in the Carribbean and had a lasting impact on Western Hemisphere politics. He is one of the most inspirational revolutionaries of all time and a total badass.

Zheng He

2008-07-11T02:55:11Z

Zheng He was a Muslim admiral who commanded China's massive fleet in the early 15th century AD. Born in 1371 in the recently-Islamized western regions of China, Zheng He was a court eunuch turned diplomat who eventually led 7 naval expeditions for Ming Emperor Yongle between 1405 and 1433. These voyages, typically numbering between 60-70 vessels and 25,000-30,000 men, brought Chinese power to the shores of Sumatra, India, Persia, Arabia, and the east coast of Africa. His assignment was to extend military influence overseas to lands already linked to China by trade, make these foreign rulers acknowledge the authority of the Chinese emperor, and exact tribute from them. Zheng He's ships returned to port with exotic treasures and souvenirs, once including a giraffe for the emperor's zoo, along with spices, plants, fabrics, jewels, and works of art. These Chinese naval enterprises were the most magnificent the world had yet seen. However, by 1436 the Ming dynasty was facing internal problems and assumed a defensive posture for world affairs, thus ending these grand exhibitions. Admiral Zheng He helped to demonstrate how a large, well-organized fleet could be utilized to explore distant lands, to project a country's power across these distances, and to facilitate the spread of goods and ideas between cultures and peoples. European navies imitated his naval policy in the following centuries, and a nation's sea power came to be seen as the most important determinant of economic and military success. Zheng He's fabled expeditions helped to change the course of world history, and that makes him a complete badass to me.

Patrick Cleburne

2008-07-05T23:17:37Z

This badass was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Born in 1828 in Ireland, Cleburne emigrated to the United States in 1849 after a two-year stint in the British army. He eventually settled in Helena, Arkansas where he managed a drug store and practiced law. When Arkansas seceded in 1861, Cleburne joined a militia unit and became its captain. Soon after, Cleburne's unit was combined with others to form a brigade (about 3,000 men), and he was promoted to Brigadier General and put in command of it, becoming one of only two foreign-born Confederate generals of the War. His first test of combat leadership came at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee in April 1862, where his untested troops fought well but suffered heavy casualties in the Confederate defeat. In subsequent battles, notably at Richmond and Perryville in Kentucky and Stone's River in Tennessee, he commanded a division (about 6,000 men) and his troops outfought the Northeners on every battlefield, but poor overall Southern generalship turned these engagements into strategic Confederate defeats. During these campaigns Cleburne was promoted to the rank of Major General. At the Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee in November 1863 his outnumbered veterans repulsed several Federal assaults which routed the rest of the Confederate army. As Southern military fortunes began to fade by 1864, Cleburne officially proposed that the Confederate Government abolish slavery and enlist black men as soldiers in the Confederate Army; such a move would allieve the manpower shortages plaguing the South and possibly bring recognition and aid from Britain and France. Confederate authorities quickly suppressed his proposal as too radical and dangerous a measure, and despite Cleburne's outstanding generalship he was never again promoted. The fighting resumed in the spring of 1864, and Cleburne continued to command skillfully in the Atlanta campaign. His troops played key roles in the few Confederate victories, but once again the Federals triumphed. In the last major Confederate effort in the Western Theater (region west of the Appalachians), the Confederates sought to "liberate" Tennessee from the occupying Federals. At the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee in November 1864, the desperate Southern army nearly destroyed itself in a brave but foolish charge across open ground against well-entrenched Northeners. There, leading his already legendary division on horseback, Cleburne was instantly killed 50 yards from the Federal line by a bullet to the heart. The Confederates were eventually defeated and surrendered in the spring of 1865. Patrick Cleburne was one the best combat generals on either side of the Civil War. His understanding of the value of artillery tactics and the importance of sharpshooters greatly contributed to the few Confederate victories in West. He is perhaps the greatest division commander in American history. Although his grand strategic insights were rejected by Confederate authorities, his notable achievements on the battlefield and his devotion to his adopted nation make Patrick Cleburne worthy of badassdom.

Brian Jones

2008-06-27T21:04:25Z

This rock n' roll badass was an instrumental figure of the 1960's music revolution and the founder of the Rolling Stones. Born in Britain in 1942, Brian Jones cultivated a love affair with music, especially jazz, at an early age and eventually became one of the most gifted musicians of the Rock era. By his teenage years, he was proficient in guitar, saxophone, clarinet, harmonica, and piano. After getting kicked out of Grammer School, impregnating a few girlfriends, and a two-month long sojourn in Scandinavia as a street musician, he settled in London and immersed himself in American R & B music. He played all over London with an assortment of bands until 1962 when he met Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at a local jazz club; the three quickly became close friends and formed the Rolling Stones. The musical leadership and ability of Jones propelled the Stones into international superstardom by 1965. The groundbreaking rhythms and riffs, the raunchy lyrics, the primal energy of their performances, and the society-threatening bad boy image of the Stones was cultivated by the sheer talent and charisma of Jones. As the band's fame and influence grew in the mid-60's, Jones seemed unable to cope with the stresses of rock celebrity. He became more self-indulged, unpredictable, and his friendship with Jagger and Richards suffered as they slowly wrested creative control of the band from him. A legendary hedonist, Jones suffered from his excesses both physically and mentally and became alienated from the band and the outside world. By 1967, his musical contributions were marginalized at recording sessions by Jagger and Richards, and his leadership role had been fully usurped by them. Jones deteriorated even further by 1968, although his piano-playing on the song "Sympathy for the Devil" was superb. In 1969 in a controversial arrangement, he was "fired" from the Stones but given an "allowance" of a few hundred thousand a year by the band and was permitted to occasionally play with them on future studio tracks. Soon after, Jones was found dead in a swimming pool during a party at his London home on July 3, 1969. The mysterious circumstances of his death are debated to this day. Although the Stones went on to monumental successes without Jones, their sound was forever altered by his absence. Brian Jones had an incalcuable impact on the transformation of popular music. He was a master of instrumentation, innovation, and musical fusion. The depth of his passion and creative influence can be heard in the revolutionary sounds of the 1960's Rolling Stonese, and he remains one of the most influential personages of pop music. He is the epitome of the tragic counter-culture artistic visionary and a verified historic badass.

Franz Boas

2008-06-19T21:46:43Z

This badass was born in Germany in 1858. Franz Boas was a prodigious thinker whose ethnological and cultural studies helped to establish the idea of "cultural relativism", i.e. the idea that all cultures are equally unique, in the American scientific community. He was also a crucial figure in the development of anthropology. After receiving PhDs in physics and geography in Germany, he traveled to Baffin Island to study Eskimo culture. His next expedition was to Vancouver Island where he studied other Native American cultures. Boas eventually made his way to New York and became a professor of the new field of anthropology at Columbia University, where he immersed himself in the examination of the linguistics, demography, folklore, and physical anthropology of remote and unfamiliar cultures. His extensive field experience and comprehensive approach to understanding the differences between human societies came to fruition with his most important work, titled The Mind of Primitive Man. Published in 1911, Boas argued that "A close connection between race and personality has never been established." He attacked the widely-accepted racial hierarchies and stereotypes of his time and demonstrated how all cultures have evolved equally but differently because of non-biological factors; in essence, he helped to shift the perspective of social scientists from evolutionary biology to anthropology. The breadth and scope of Boas' research changed the complexion of Western scientific thinking and weakened the pseudo-biological bases for accepted theories of racial and cultural inferiority among "uncivilized" peoples. Although it took generations for his conclusions to be fully accepted within the scientific and academic worlds, Franz Boas displayed a remarkable versatility and determination that allowed him to challenge the firmly-established views that seemed to him to impede the progress of scientific knowledge. He died in 1942, aware that the Nazis burned his books and had rescinded his PhDs. Boas was a true intellectual badass.

Chiricahua Apache

2008-06-12T21:14:24Z

These badasses were a band of Native Americans who resisted Anglo-American encroachment on their tribal lands in New Mexico and Arizona in the 1870's and 1880's. The daring leadership of Cochise and later Geronimo, who fiercely opposed all resettlement programs and led his elusive warriors on swift forays against white settlers, prompted U.S. General George Crook to initiate a campaign of elimination against resistant Apache bands. Crook's troopers harassed the Apache and were temporarily successful in forcing the Chiricahua to settle on reservations by 1873. Over the next 13 years however the Apache, under Geronimo's authority, made war time and again against the U.S., mainly because of the restrictive conditions and food shortages that plagued reservation life. Chiricahua warriors would ambush supply depots, isolated outposts and farms, and miner's camps, killing whites and stealing food, guns, ammunition, and horses. These raids, planned and executed with an uncanny knowledge of the dry, mountainous terrain of the region, frustrated Crook and other American commanders, especially since the Apache would often flee into Mexico where U.S. troops could not follow. Not until 1883, when a paid Apache turncoat led a group of U.S. soldiers to an Apache hideout in a surprise attack, did the remaining Chiricahua agree to be moved to a reservation. An outbreak of hostilities and plundering began in 1885, led by the fearless Geronimo who, with about 30 starving warriors managed to embarass U.S. troopers on several occasions, but was finally suppressed in 1886. The Chiricahua represent the final chapter of native resistance to Anglo-American authority in the United States; their defiant, independent spirit and legendary fighting ability helped to stave off U.S. territorial encroachment and cultural inclusion until the very end. Most Apache were relocated to reservations in Oklahoma, where Geronimo, proud and defiant, died at age 80 in 1909. The Chiricahua Apache were badasses whose exploits have helped to mythologize the American West.