Battles & Wars

Yom Kippur War

Ramadan War, or October War also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was a war fought by the coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel from October 6 to 25, 1973.

Revolutionary War

War fought for United States' independence from Britan

War of the Spanish Sucession

(1701-1714) This war was fought between two alliances of European powers, including a divided Spain, over who had the right to succeed Charles II as king of Spain. Ended with the Treaty of Utrecht. Fought as Queen Anne's War in America.

Battle of Trafalgar

1805 was the year when it seemed to the English that at long last Napoleon was to invade England. Napoleon was still convinced that his united fleet could annihilate any squadron that the English could put to sea to meet it. His bluff was called however, at this the most significant naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. Victory came because of the unique talent of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who employed a battle tactic that was in complete contradiction with all the accepted rules of naval warfare, and defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Cadiz. Despite this victory, the British losses were heavy; 1,241 were wounded and 449 killed, including Nelson himself, who had by which time ensured his place as Britain's greatest naval hero. Of the 27 ships of the British fleet at his command, not one had been sunk or captured. The British victory spectacularly confirmed the naval supremacy that Britain had established during the 18th century. However, The Brits had been wrong about Napoleon; by the time Trafalgar was fought, Bonaparte had abandoned his plans to invade southern England and instead was defeating Britain's allies in Germany.

Battle of Gravelines

Again, not many people are aware of this naval battle when described as the Battle of Gravelines, which was then part of Flanders in the Spanish Netherlands. However, it is more commonly known as the instance in 1588 when the English navy defeated the Spanish Armada. Queen Elizabeth decided to take on the invading Spanish fleet following the fervently Catholic Philip of Spain's decision to lead Protestant England back to the Catholic faith by force. When the two fleets met in battle on July 29, the English emerged victorious, even though the Spanish losses were not great, with only three ships reported sunk, one captured and four more ran aground. So why was Philip's Armada so roundly trounced? The answer lies in the unpredictable English weather, which largely ensured victory; a succession of storms scattered the Spanish ships on their return voyage and by the time the tattered Armada regained Spain, it had lost half its ships and three-quarters of its men. It was never able to regroup for another assault.

Battle of Antietam

Also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South, fought on Wednesday, September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Union soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with 22,717 dead, wounded and missing on both sides combined.

Battle of Huai-Hai

Battle of Hsupeng, was a military action during 1948 and 1949 that was the determining battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was one of the few conventional battles of the war. 550,000 troops of the Republic of China (under the Kuomintang) were surrounded in Xuzhou (Hsuchow) and destroyed by the communist People's Liberation Army (PLA). This campaign is one of the three campaigns that marked the end of Nationalist dominance in northern China, the other two campaigns being Liaoshen and Pingjin.

Battle of Thermopylae

Despite being the story of the recent fantasy film 300 we do know that this Hellenic battle actually took place, as it was recorded in the writings of Greek historian Heroditus. It concerns a vastly outnumbered Greek army who held back the Persian invaders for three days in one of history's most famous last stands. Led by King Leonidas of Sparta, the small Greek army blocked the only road through which the massive forces of Xerxes I of Persia could pass. After three days of battle, a local resident named Ephialtes is believed to have betrayed Leonidas by revealing a mountain path that enabled the Persians to go behind Greek lines and out-flank them. Leonides did dismiss the rest of his army, leaving only 300 Spartans to fight, but contrary to the events of the film they gave their last alongside other Greek soldiers: 700 Thespian volunteers, 400 Thebans and 900 Helots. Although victorious, the Persians sustained heavy losses, extremely disproportionate to those of the Greeks and the Battle of Thermopylae is often cited as an example of the advantages of training, equipment and good use of terrain to fight overwhelming odds.

Battle of Waterloo

Fought on 18th June about seven miles southeast of Brussels, Waterloo is arguably one of the most famous single battles the British have ever fought. It was Napoleon Bonaparte's last battle, putting a final end to his rule as Emperor of the French. Waterloo also marked the end of the period known as the Hundred Days, which began after Napoleon regained power in France having been exiled due to his previous defeats in Europe the following year. When Napoleon did assume power, the Seventh Coalition was formed and began to mobilise armies to defeat him should he try any of his old tricks. The first two armies to assemble were a Prussian army and an Anglo-allied army, the latter was under the command of a true titan of British history, the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon chose to attack this combined enemy in the hope of destroying them before they could join in a coordinated invasion of France but Wellington's army withstood repeated French assaults until in the evening they counter-attacked and drove the French back. At the same time the Prussian army broke through Napoleon's right flank, leaving the French in disorder on the battlefield and unable to prevent Coalition forces entering France and restoring King Louis XVIII to the French throne. Napoleon was exiled to St Helena, where he died in 1821.

Battle of Hastings

If you went to school, you learnt about this famous battle, and with good reason; the legacy of the Battle of Hastings on the British monarchy can still be felt to this day. The actual battle took place on October 14th at Senlac Hill, which is approximately six miles north of Hastings on the south coast of England, on which an abbey was subsequently erected. The battle was fought between the invading army of Duke William of Normandy from France and the English army led by King Harold II, who was killed during the battle, popularly thought to have been shot through the eye with an arrow as depicted in the equally famous Bayeux Tapestry. On the day of the battle, Harold's Saxon army was inferior in size to William's and he lacked the cavalry of the Norman invaders. Plus, unlike William's fresh army, Harold's men were exhausted having just marched on foot down from Yorkshire following a victory at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. It's amazing they lasted as long as they did! In fact, the Saxons put up a hardy resistance and it is believed that casualties went into the thousands on both sides. When Harold was killed during the battle, William declared himself conqueror and even though there was further English resistance for some time to come, this battle is seen as the point at which the Norman king gained control of England.

Six Days War

The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt (known at the time as the United Arab Republic), Jordan, and Syria. The war began on June 5 with Israel launching surprise bombing raids against Egyptian air-fields after a period of high tension that included an Israeli raid into the Jordanian-controlled West Bank[ in response to sabotage acts aimed at Israeli targets, Israeli initiated aerial clashes over Syrian territory, Syrian artillery attacks against Israeli settlements in the vicinity of the border followed by Israeli response against Syrian positions in the Golan Heights and encroachments of increasing intensity and frequency (initiated by Israel) into the demilitarized zones along the Syrian border and culminating in Egypt blocking the Straits of Tiran. and ordering of the evacuation from the Sinai Peninsula of the U.N. buffer force. Within six days, Israel had won a decisive land war. Israeli forces had taken control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.

Barbary Wars

These wars were also known as the Tripolitan wars. It was fought by the US against the Northwest African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States. These were Tripoli and Algiers, which were quasi-independent entities nominally belonging to the Ottoman Empire, and the independent Sultanate of Morocco. Sweden also participated partially.

English Revolution

This (1642-1651) was a series of armed conflicts and political problems between Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and Royalists (Cavaliers). The first (1642-46) and second (1648-49) civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war (1649-51) saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II and supporters of the Rump Parliament. The Civil War ended with the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651.

Battle of Stalingrad

This battle (August 23, 1942-February 2, 1943) was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the southwestern Soviet Union. Marked by constant close-quarters combat and lack of regard for military and civilian casualties, it is among the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. The heavy losses inflicted on the German army make it arguably the most strategically decisive battle of the whole war. Afterwards, the German forces never regained the initiative in war in the East.

Battle of Pharsalus

This battle is perhaps not that well known by name, but it is hugely significance as the outcome transformed the Roman Republic into an Empire. The opposing forces were led by two military titans who had originally been comrades, one being Pompey Magnus, the other Gaius Julius Caesar. Pompey's cause was for the people and the Republic, whereas Caesar's followers believed in restricting the power of the people and giving supreme control to a handful of aristocrats, with Caesar at the centre. There had been many skirmishes prior to Pharsalus, but it was here in Greece that Caesar defeated Pompey and secured his place as leader of Rome. Both commanders were supremely experienced in battle and secured a battle site where it was difficult for one to outflank the other. Pompey put his trust in his superior cavalry, but Caesar's infantry were well rested and tactically placed to decimate Pompey's army, who himself fled to Egypt, where he was later assassinated. Caesar become Rome's first Emperor, thanks to his decisive victory at Pharsalus, and European history changed forever.

Battle of Zama

This battle marked the downfall of Hannibal, one of history's most famous and daring generals. For more than 60 years, the Carthaginians and the Romans fought for world power. For 16 of those years Hannibal, the Carthaginian leader, was able to hold off the Romans—until the battle of Zama. Though the Carthaginians had 15,000 fewer warriors, Hannibal thought he had solved the problem. He had 80 elephants, which he would use to send the Roman army fleeing in terror and confusion. But when Hannibal set the elephants free in the Roman ranks, the animals took the easier route and ran the other way! Hannibal and his army lost 11 elephants, the battle, and the war.

Battle of Issus

This battle occurred in southern Anatolia, in November 333 BC. The invading Macedonian troops, led by Alexander the Great, defeated an army led by Darius III of Achaemenid Persia in the second great battle of Alexander's conquest of Asia. After the Macedonians soundly defeated the Persian satraps of Asia Minor (led by the Greek mercenary, Memnon of Rhodes) at the Battle of the Granicus, Darius took personal command of his army. He gathered reinforcements and led his men in a surprise march behind the Macedonian advance to cut their line of supply. This forced Alexander to countermarch, setting the stage for the battle near the mouth of the Pinarus River and the town of Issus.

Battle of Marathon

This battle took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force. The battle was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate Greece. The Greek army decisively defeated the more numerous Persians, marking a turning point in the Greco-Persian Wars.

Battle of Worcester

This battle took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II. The 16,000 Royalist forces were overwhelmed by the 28,000 strong "New Model Army" of Cromwell.

Battle of the Bulge

This battle was a major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II in Europe. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard and became the costliest battle in terms of casualties for the United States, whose forces bore the brunt of the attack. It also severely depleted Germany's war-making resources and was the country's final offensive operation of the war. The battle was known by different names. The Allies called it the Ardennes Counteroffensive. The phrase was coined by contemporary press to describe the way the Allied front line bulged inward on wartime news maps.

Battle of the Little Bighorn

This battle was a total route of American forces by Native Indians under Sitting Bull. Custer and his brothers were killed.

Battle of Salamis

This battle was fought between an Alliance of Greek city-states and the Persian Empire in September 480 B.C., in the straits between the mainland and Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens. It marked the high-point of the second Persian invasion of Greece which had begun in 480 B.C. To block the Persian advance, a small force of Greeks blocked the pass of Thermopylae, while an Athenian-dominated Allied navy engaged the Persian fleet in the nearby straits of Artemisium. In the resulting Battle of Thermopylae, the rearguard of the Greek force was annihilated, whilst in the Battle of Artemisium the Greeks had heavy losses and retreated after the loss at Thermopylae. This allowed the Persians to conquer Boeotia and Attica. The Allies prepared to defend the Isthmus of Corinth whilst the fleet was withdrawn to nearby Salamis Island.

Battle of Yorktown

This battle was the climax of the American Revolution and directly led to the independence of the United States of America. While others may have been larger and more dramatic, no battle in history has been more influential. From the days following their victory at Yorktown, Americans have steadily gained power and influence up to their present role as the world's most prosperous nation and the only military superpower.

Battle of Actium

This battle was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was a naval engagement fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman province of Epirus vetus in Greece. Octavian's fleet was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, while Antony's fleet was supported by the ships of Queen Cleopatra of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Battle of Bosworth Field

This battle was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians. Their leader Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, by his victory became the first English monarch of the Tudor dynasty. His opponent, Richard III, the last king of the House of York, was killed in the battle. Historians consider Bosworth Field to mark the end of the Plantagenet dynasty, making it a defining moment of English and Welsh history.

Battle of Midway

This battle was the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, only six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States Navy decisively defeated an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) attack against Midway Atoll, inflicting irreparable damage on the Japanese fleet. Military historian John Keegan called it "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare."

Battle of Tours

This battle, also called the Battle of Poitiers, was fought in an area between the cities of Poitiers and Tours, in north-central France. The location of the battle was close to the border between the Frankish realm and then-independent Aquitaine. The battle pitted Frankish and Burgundian forces under Austrasian Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel, against an army of the Umayyad Caliphate led by 'Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, Governor-General of al-Andalus. Later Christian chroniclers and pre-20th century historians praised Charles Martel as the champion of Christianity, characterizing the battle as the decisive turning point in the struggle against Islam, a struggle which preserved Christianity as the religion of Europe; according to modern military historian Victor Davis Hanson, "most of the 18th and 19th century historians, like Gibbon, saw Poitiers (Tours), as a landmark battle that marked the high tide of the Muslim advance into Europe."[36] Leopold von Ranke felt that "Poitiers was the turning point of one of the most important epochs in the history of the world." Other modern historians, by contrast, are divided over the battle's importance, and considerable disagreement exists as to whether the victory was responsible — as Gibbon and his generation of historians claimed, and many modern historians have echoed — for saving Christianity and halting the conquest of Europe by Islam; however, there is little dispute that the battle helped lay the foundations of the Carolingian Empire and Frankish domination of Europe for the next century. Most historians agree that "the establishment of Frankish power in western Europe shaped that continent's destiny and the Battle of Tours confirmed that power.

Battle of Agincourt

This is the most famous battle to have taken place as part of the Hundred Years War and was fought in northern France on 25th October 1415, a day that was traditionally celebrated as Saint Crispin's Day. Because the English win came despite being severely outnumbered, Agincourt is often celebrated as one of the greatest victories in English military history. The armies involved were those of the English King Henry V and Charles VI of France. The contrast between the two rulers couldn't have been greater, given that Henry was very much in the thick of proceedings, while Charles did not command his army himself as he was incapacitated. The battle is notable for the use of the English longbow, which the English deployed in very large numbers, longbowmen forming the vast majority of their army. It is also widely agreed that the deciding factor for the outcome was the terrain, as the narrow field of battle meant that even though the French outnumbered the English men-at-arms at least four to one, they had no way to outflank the English line. According to a popular myth, it is from this legendary battle that the "two-fingers salute" or 'V sign' that we brits cherish to this day derives from the gestures of longbowmen fighting in the English army at the battle of Agincourt!

Tet Offensive

This offensive was the turning point in the Vietnam War. The North surprised the South Vietnamese and American forces in simultaneous attacks in many parts of Vietnam during the Vietnamese New Year, or Tet. Many of the attackers disguised themselves as Tet holiday celebrators. Although American troops weren't withdrawn from Vietnam until 1973, the Tet Offensive was the beginning of the end of the U.S. presence there. It was the first time the United States was unable to gain victory in war (since the War of 1812). Communist forces gained control of South Vietnam in 1975.

Shay's Rebellion

This rebellion was an armed uprising that took place in central and western Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787. The rebellion was named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and one of the rebel leaders.

The Glorious Revolution

This revolution was the overthrow of King James II of England (James VII of Scotland and James II of Ireland) by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau (William of Orange). William's successful invasion of England with a Dutch fleet and army led to his ascending of the English throne as William III of England jointly with his wife Mary II of England.

Sack of Rome 410

This sack occurred on August 24, 410. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. At that time, Rome was no longer the capital of the Western Roman Empire, replaced in this position initially by Mediolanum and then later Ravenna. Nevertheless, the city of Rome retained a paramount position as "the eternal city" and a spiritual center of the Empire. The sack was to prove a major shock to contemporaries, friends and foes of the Empire alike.

Thirty Years War

This war (1618-1648) was a series of wars principally fought in Central Europe, involving most of the countries of Europe.[10] It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, and one of the longest continuous wars in modern history. The origins of the conflict and goals of the participants were complex and no single cause can accurately be described as the main reason for the fighting. Initially, it was fought largely as a religious war between Protestants and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire, although disputes over internal politics and the balance of power within the Empire played a significant part. Gradually, it developed into a more general conflict involving most of the great powers of the time.In this general phase the war became less specifically religious and more a continuation of the Bourbon-Habsburg rivalry for European political pre-eminence, leading in turn to further warfare between France and the Habsburg powers. It was ended with the treaties of Osnabrück and Münster, part of the wider Peace of Westphalia

War of the Austrian Sucession

This war includes King George's War in North America, the War of Jenkins' Ear involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg. The war began under the pretext that Maria Theresa was ineligible to succeed to the Habsburg thrones of her father, thus the war was fought over her retaining the lands of her father.

Hundreds Year war

This war was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France for control of the French throne. Many allies of both sides were also drawn into the conflict. The war had its roots in a dynastic disagreement dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, who became King of England in 1066 while retaining possession of the Duchy of Normandy in France. As the rulers of Normandy and other lands on the continent, the English kings owed feudal homage to the king of France. In 1337, Edward III of England refused to pay homage to Philip VI of France, leading the French king to claim confiscation of Edward's lands in Aquitaine.

French Indian War

This war was fought and ended by the Treaty of Paris 1763 and involved the colonists of America, French, Indians, and English.

Seven Years War

This war was fought in the European front during the time of the revolutionary war.

King Phillip's War

This war, also known as First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675-78. The war is named after the main leader of the Native American side, Metacomet, known to the English as "King Philip".

Whiskey Rebellion

This was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791, during the presidency of George Washington. Farmers who used their leftover grain and corn in the form of whiskey as a medium of exchange were forced to pay a new tax. The tax was a part of treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton's program to increase central government power, in particular to fund his policy of assuming the war debt of those states which had failed to pay. The farmers who resisted, many war veterans, contended that they were fighting for the principles of the American Revolution, in particular against taxation without local representation, while the Federal government maintained the taxes were the legal expression of the taxation powers of Congress.

Bacon's Rebellion

This was an armed rebellion in 1676 by Virginia settlers led by young Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. The colony's lightly organized frontier political culture combined with accumulating grievances, especially regarding Indian attacks, to motivate a popular uprising against Berkeley. He had failed to address the demands of the colonists regarding their safety. The rebellion was first suppressed by a few armed merchant ships from London whose captains sided with Berkeley and the loyalists. Government forces from England arrived soon after and spent several years defeating pockets of resistance and reforming the colonial government to one more directly under royal control.

Fall of Constantinople 1453

This was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of 21-year-old Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos. The siege lasted from Friday, 6 April 1453 until Tuesday, 29 May 1453 (according to the Julian calendar), when the city was conquered by the Ottomans. Please include the year