History
Famous Battles
Twenty of the most consequential military engagements in world history, from ancient Marathon to the beaches of Normandy.
historybattleswarfaremilitaryconflicts
20 of 20 rows
Battle↕ | Year↕ | Location↕ | Combatants↕ | Outcome↕ | Significance↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Thermopylae | 480 BCE | Thermopylae, Greece | Greek city-states (led by Sparta) vs. Achaemenid Persia | Persian victory, but Greeks delayed the Persian advance | Heroic stand of 300 Spartans became a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds; bought time for Greek naval victory at Salamis |
| Battle of Hastings | 1066 | Hastings, England | Norman-French (William the Conqueror) vs. Anglo-Saxon England (King Harold II) | Norman victory; Harold killed | Ended Anglo-Saxon rule in England; began Norman conquest and fundamentally reshaped English language, law, and culture |
| Battle of Waterloo | 1815 | Waterloo, Belgium | Seventh Coalition (Britain, Prussia, Netherlands) vs. French Empire (Napoleon) | Coalition victory; Napoleon defeated and exiled to Saint Helena | Ended the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon's rule; ushered in a century of relative European peace (Concert of Europe) |
| Battle of Stalingrad | 1942–1943 | Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Soviet Union | Soviet Union vs. Nazi Germany | Soviet victory; German 6th Army destroyed | Turning point of World War II on the Eastern Front; deadliest battle in history with ~2 million casualties |
| D-Day (Battle of Normandy) | 1944 | Normandy, France | Western Allies (USA, UK, Canada, Free France) vs. Nazi Germany | Allied victory; successful beach landings | Largest amphibious invasion in history; opened the Western Front and began the liberation of Western Europe |
| Battle of Gettysburg | 1863 | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA | Union (Meade) vs. Confederacy (Lee) | Union victory | Turning point of the American Civil War; Lee's last major invasion of the North was repelled |
| Battle of Badr | 624 CE | Badr, Hejaz (modern Saudi Arabia) | Muslims of Medina (Prophet Muhammad) vs. Quraysh of Mecca | Decisive Muslim victory | First major military victory in Islamic history; established the Muslim community as a political and military force |
| First Battle of Panipat | 1526 | Panipat, India | Mughal forces (Babur) vs. Delhi Sultanate (Ibrahim Lodi) | Mughal victory | Founded the Mughal Empire in South Asia; Babur's innovative use of field artillery proved decisive |
| Siege of Constantinople | 1453 | Constantinople (modern Istanbul), Turkey | Ottoman Empire (Mehmed II) vs. Byzantine Empire (Constantine XI) | Ottoman victory; city fell after 53-day siege | Ended the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) after 1,100 years; marked the symbolic end of the Middle Ages |
| Battle of Agincourt | 1415 | Agincourt, northern France | England (Henry V) vs. France | English victory despite being heavily outnumbered | English longbowmen devastated French cavalry; became a legendary English military triumph immortalized by Shakespeare |
| Battle of Midway | 1942 | Midway Atoll, Pacific Ocean | United States vs. Imperial Japan | American victory; Japan lost four aircraft carriers | Turning point of the Pacific Theater in WWII; shifted naval superiority to the United States |
| Battle of the Bulge | 1944–1945 | Ardennes Forest, Belgium/Luxembourg | Western Allies (primarily USA) vs. Nazi Germany | Allied victory after initial German breakthrough | Germany's last major offensive on the Western Front; depleted remaining German reserves and hastened the end of WWII |
| Battle of Trafalgar | 1805 | Cape Trafalgar, off the coast of Spain | Royal Navy (Admiral Nelson) vs. French-Spanish fleet | Decisive British victory; Nelson killed in action | Established British naval supremacy for over a century; ensured Napoleon could not invade Britain |
| Battle of Kursk | 1943 | Kursk, Soviet Union | Soviet Union vs. Nazi Germany | Soviet victory | Largest tank battle in history (~6,000 tanks); ended Germany's ability to launch major offensives on the Eastern Front |
| Battle of Gallipoli | 1915–1916 | Gallipoli Peninsula, Ottoman Empire (modern Turkey) | Allied Powers (Britain, France, ANZAC) vs. Ottoman Empire | Ottoman victory; Allies withdrew | Ottoman defensive triumph led by Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk); forged Australian and New Zealand national identities (ANZAC Day) |
| Battle of Marathon | 490 BCE | Marathon, Greece | Athens vs. Achaemenid Persia | Athenian victory | First Greek victory over Persia; preserved Athenian democracy and inspired the legend of the marathon run |
| Battle of Austerlitz | 1805 | Austerlitz (modern Slavkov, Czech Republic) | French Empire (Napoleon) vs. Russian-Austrian alliance | Decisive French victory | Napoleon's tactical masterpiece; destroyed the Third Coalition and cemented French dominance over continental Europe |
| Battle of Lepanto | 1571 | Gulf of Patras, Greece | Holy League (Spain, Venice, Papacy) vs. Ottoman Empire | Holy League victory | Ended Ottoman naval dominance in the Mediterranean; last major battle fought primarily between galleys |
| Battle of Tours | 732 CE | Tours/Poitiers, France | Frankish Kingdom (Charles Martel) vs. Umayyad Caliphate | Frankish victory | Halted the Umayyad advance into Western Europe; often cited as preserving Christian Europe, though historians debate its long-term impact |
| Battle of Manzikert | 1071 | Manzikert (modern Malazgirt), eastern Turkey | Seljuk Turks (Alp Arslan) vs. Byzantine Empire (Romanos IV) | Seljuk victory; Byzantine emperor captured | Opened Anatolia to Turkish settlement; weakened Byzantium irreversibly and was a catalyst for the First Crusade |
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