Naval battle - Greeks under Eurybiades vs Persians under Xerxes
Although outnumbered, the Greeks won through superior strategy & tactics. This virtually ended the Persian Wars, giving Greece the confidence to begin its Golden Age.
Zama (2nd Punic War)
202 BC
Carthaginians under Hannibal vs Romans under Scipio Africanus
Roman victory through superior numbers of cavalry, paving the way for Rome's surge of Empire-building, and the decline of Carthage as a "superpower"
Actium
31 BC
Naval battle - Eastern Roman provinces under Mark Anthony & Cleopatra vs Western Roman provinces under Octavianus Caesar (during this time, Rome was ruled by a triumvirate)
Victory for Octavianus - Cleopatra's ship left the battle for no good reason - Anthony and a large part of their fleet followed, leaving the rest to be destroyed. A & C committed suicide a year later, Oct became the 1st Roman Emperor (as Augustus Caesar)
Teutoberg Forest
9 AD
Romans under Varus vs Germanic tribes under Arminus and Segestes
Varus' forces tricked into splitting up. Led into forest and ambushed by Arminius. 3 legions totally destroyed, one of the worst defeats in Roman history.
Adrianople
378
Romans under Valens vs Goths
Heavy defeat for Rome - the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire, when the barbarian tribes realised that Rome could be defeated on Roman territory.
Châlons
451
Romans and Visigoths under Aetius vs Huns under Attila.
Victory for Romans. Pivotal in that it stopped Attila's anti-Christian series of conquests for good.
Tours
732
Muslim forces under Abd-er Rahman, governor of Spain vs Frankish (French) army under Charles Martel.
Major victory for the Franks, preventing the northward spread of Islam through Europe.
Hastings
1066
William of Normandy v Harold, King of England
Norman victory by a narrow margin, resulting in the Norman conquest of England. Death of Harold in battle.
Crécy
1346
English under Edward III vs French under Philip IV
A heavy defeat for the French- the end of the so-called chivalric method of warfare between mounted knights, and confirming the rise of the longbow as a decisive weapon. Some guns may have been used, for the first time.
Poitiers
1356
English under The Black Prince vs French under King John of France.
The eldest son of Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, destroyed the French army near Poitiers. His capture of John II, King of France, during the battle gained him a huge chivalrous reputation and brought the French government to its knees.
Agincourt
1415
English under Henry V vs French under Philip
The English force, outnumbered 4-1, by choosing their ground wisely and deploying the archers to great effect slaughtered an estimated 10,000 French, for the loss of less than 500 of their own men. Much of the French nobility was lost.
Siege of Orleans
1428-1429
English army under William de la Pole vs French forces under Joan of Arc
French victory - the English had been besieging Orleans for many months - a relief force under Joan drove them from their positions and the siege was abandoned. The turning point in the 100 Years War.
Siege of Constantinople
1453
Mehmet 'The Conqueror' led an Ottoman Turkish army of 80,000 men with a massive siege train against the city. Defending were a mere 10,000 men under the Emperor Constantine XI
The Turkish artillery battered the city walls, levelling a large section. A gallant defence held off the Turkish assault for several hours. Refusing appeals to flee, Constantine returned to the breaches and fought until killed. End of Byzantine Empire.
Bosworth Field
1485
Richard III vs. Henry Tudor
Bosworth Field was the penultimate act of the 30-year Wars of the Roses. A minor skirmish two years later at Stoke was a feeble last gesture of defiance from the defeated Yorkists. Henry Tudor became Henry VII, first of the Tudor dynasty.
Flodden
1513
Scots under James IV vs English under Earl of Surrey
Massive English victory - James IV died in battle, along with much of Scotland's nobility.
Lepanto
1571
Naval battle between the Christians and Ottomans. The fleet of the Holy League commanded by John of Austria (d. 1578) opposed the Ottoman fleet under Uluç Ali Pasha
Costly victory for the Christians. Nevertheless, the battle was decisive in the sense that an Ottoman victory probably would have made the Ottoman Empire supreme in the Mediterranean.
Spanish Armada
1588
Naval battle - The English fleet under Admiral Lord Charles Howard of Effingham (10th Earl of Nottingham) vs the Spanish Armada under Medina Sidonia.
Narrow victory for the English Fleet prevented the almost-certain successful invasion of England. The escape attempt by the Spanish northwards round Scotland and Ireland resulted in the loss of most of their galleons.
2nd i/c the English Fleet was Sir Francis Drake, to whom Howard frequently referred. Drake received a large share of the credit for the victory.
Bannockburn
1314
Scots under King Robert (The Bruce) vs English under Kings Edward II
Great Scottish victory, securing independence for Scotland.
Stirling Bridge
1297
Scots under William Wallace, v English under Earl of Surrey
Surrey elected to attack Wallace across Stirling Bridge, which was so narrow as to permit only two men to advance at one time. When a good number of the English knights had crossed, Wallace let loose his men, who cut them down.
Naseby
1645
Royal army under Prince Rupert vs. Parliamentary troops under Sir Thomas Fairfax
The Battle of Naseby effectively marked the end of Royal chances to win the Civil War. Although the king dragged matters out until Oxford surrendered in 1646, the royal military machine was broken irrevocably.
Boyne
1690
French and Irish Catholic forces under James II, vs protestant English & Dutch forces under William of Orange
After his removal from the British throne, James II raised a French army and attempted to gain support in Ireland. He was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne and died in exile in France.
James II's son, James Edward Stuart ("The Old Pretender") attempted a coup in the First Jacobite Rebellion (1715), and his grandson, Charles Edward Stuart, in the 2nd Jacobite Rebellion (1745-46)
Blenheim
1704
British, German and Dutch Allies under the Duke of Marlborough vs French under Marshall Tallard.
Heavy defeat for the French, resulting in the end of Louis XIV's empire-building "Had it not been for Blenheim, all Europe might ... suffer under the effect of French conquests resembling those of Alexander in extent and of the Romans in durability."
Poltava
1709
Swedish ARmy under King Charles XII vs Russian Army under Tsar Peter the Great
Defeat of Swedish Army, end of Sweden as a European "superpower".
Culloden
1746
Protestan Government forces under William Duke of Cumberland, vs Catholic Jacibite rebels under Prince Charles Edward Stuart
Defeat of Jacobites, flight of BPC to France/Italy. Destruction of clan system, start of Highland Clearances, end of Stuart claims to the Throne.
Plassey
1757
East India Company forces under Robert Clive vs French and Bengali forces under Suraj Dowlah, Nabob of Bengal
Reprisal for the Black Hole of Calcutta. Clive's vastly outnumbered force defeated the French after the Bengalis fled the field. Beginning of Brit rule in India and the end of French hopes.
Quebec
1759
British under General Wolfe, vs French
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Saratoga
1777
The turning point of the War of Independence. British forces under Gen John Burgoyne vs American forces under Gen Benedict Arnold (1st Battle), General Gates (2nd Battle)
2 parts - 1st Battle at Saratoga, (Freeman's Farm), both sides fought to a draw. The second Battle, otherwise known as Bemis Heights, British losses were 4-1. Burgoyne surrendered. The French were emboldened to come in on the American side.
Yorktown
1781
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Trafalgar
1805
Royal Navy fleet under Horatio Nelson, French & Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve.
Massive British victory, death of Nelson to a French marine sniper
Trafalgar was the decisive battle of the Napoleonic Wars
Austerlitz
1805
French army of approximately 68,000 troops under Napoleon's command decisively defeated a joint Russo-Austrian army of over 89,000 troops, commanded by Russian General Kutuzov and Austrian General von Weyrother
The French had 9,000 casualties, the Russo-Austrian army, 25,000 men, killed, wounded or captured. The Russians withdrew from Austria, and the Austrians signed the Treaty of Pressburg (26 December 1805), conceding substantial territory to France.
Jena and Auerstädt
1806
French Army under Napoleon Bonaparte. Opposing him, the Prussian king, Frederick WIlliam III, had three forces: 55,000 men under the Duke of Brunswick, 38,000 under Prince Hohenlohe, and 15,000 under General von Ruchel.
French vistory, collapse of Prussia as a foe,
Napoleon sets sights on Russia.
Leipzig
1813
The army of France vs those of Sweden, Russia, Austria and Prussia - in all some 200,000 Frenchmen and allies, against almost 400,000 enemy troops.
Despite a remarkable defence by the French, weight of numbers and artillery defeated them. Beginning of the end for Napoleon.
Waterloo
1815
Napoleon Bonaparte's last battle. After his exile to Elba, he had been restored to the throne of France for a Hundred Days. During this time, Allied forces converged on him, commanded by Britain's Duke of Wellington, and Prussia's Gen Von Blucher.
A hard, gallantly-fought battle on both sides. Narrow victory for Allies. The end of Napoleon Bonaparte, exiled to St Helena.
Gettysburg
1863
In July of 1863, General Robert E. Lee's Army Of Northern Virginia of 75,000 men and the 97,000 man Union Army Of The Potomac under General George G. Meade met by chance at Gettysburg.
A Union victory and the turning point of the War, with heavy losses on both sides. The war was to rage for two more terrible and tormenting years but the Confederacy never recovered from the losses of Gettysburg.
Vicksburg
1863
Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton [CS]
Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations.
Sedan (Franco-Prussian War)
1870
120,000 French troops under Marshal Mac-Mahon vs more than 200,000 German troops under General Helmuth von Moltke.
The French lost over 17,000 men killed and wounded with 21,000 captured. The Prussians reported their losses at 2,320 killed, 5,980 wounded and 700 captured or missing. Napoleon III surrendered, and the ensuing revolution ended the Second Empire.
Marne
6-12 Sep 1914
Allied French & British troops vs German. Part of the initial German push to capture Paris.
Ended the war of movement that had dominated the First World War since the beginning of August. Instead, with the German advance brought to a halt, stalemate and trench warfare ensued.
Loos
1915
Allied French & British troops under Field Marshal Joffre (France) and General John French (Brit.)
Considerable Allied success on the first day in breaking into the deep enemy positions near Loos and Hulluch. But the reserves had been held too far from the battle front to be able to exploit the successes and succeeding days bogged down into attrition.
The first use of poison gas by British. Wind changed causing 200 Brit casualties, although only 7 died.
Verdun
1916
German Army under General Erich von Falkenhayn vs French army under General Petain
French victory after many months of heavy fighting and waste of men on both sides.
Considered the longest and bloodiest battle ever, with an estimated 800,000 casualties.
Jutland
1916
The German High Seas Fleet under Reinhard Scheer vs the British Grand Fleet under Admiral Jellicoe.
This was the last great battleship battle. Both sides claimed victory, but the long-term advantage fell to the British - although they had lost more ships (15 vs 11), the Grand Fleet was never again challenged by the High Seas Fleet
Somme
1916
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Britain
1940
German Luftwaffe under Herman Goering vs RAF Fighter Command under Sir Hugh Dowding
10th Jul -31 Oct 1940, nominally, peaked 15th Sep
Coral Sea
1942
Japanese Carrier fleet under Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue vs US carrier force under Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher
Narrow Japanese tactical victory, but taught the US lessons which would prove significant at Midway. Damage to 2 major Japanese carriers rendered them unfit for Midway, and may have been crucial.
The Battle of the Coral Sea, in early May 1942, was arguably the turning point in the Pacific theatre of World War II. It was the first battle in which aircraft carriers attacked each other and the first ever naval battle in which neither side's ships sig
Midway
1942
Japanese carrier fleet under Admiral Yamamoto vs US carrier fleet under Admiral Nimitz
Decisive US victory in which 4 Japanese carriers were lost to 1 US carrier. Turning point in Pacific War.
Pearl Harbor
1941
Japanese attack force under the command of Admiral Nagumo, consisting of six carriers with 423 planes, vs American Pacific Fleet in quarters at Pearl Harbor, senior commanders Navy Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, and Army Lt. General Walter C. Short.
The Americans are taken completely by surprise. Eight battleships are damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels are lost along with 188 aircraft. America enters the War.
Alamein
1942
The Battle of El Alamein was primarily fought between Montgomery, commanding British, Australian and New Zealand forces and and General Erwin Rommel, commanding German Afrika Corps.
A turning point in WW2, the Allied victory at El Alamein lead to the retreat of the Afrika Korps and the German surrender in North Africa in May 1943, denying the Germans Suez and the Middle Eastern oilfields.
Stalingrad
1942-43
German Armies under Gen Paulus, Russian armies under Gorgy Zhukov and Vasily Chuikov.
the decisive World War II Soviet victory that stopped the German southern advance on the oilfields of the Caucasus, and turned the tide of the war. At Stalingrad Soviet armies began the series of offensives that were to take them to Berlin.
Aorund 1/4 of the Axis forces were lost in Op Barbarossa (the invasion of Russia), a major turning point in the War.
Normandy
1944
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Bulge
1944-45
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Inchon
1950
U.S. Marines under the command of General Douglas MacArthur were able to secure Inchon and break control of the Pusan region from North Korean forces.
The Battle of Inchon (code name: "Operation Chromite") was a decisive battle during the Korean War. It broke the UN forces string of defeats to the invading North Korean army and led to the recapture of Seoul.
Dien Bien Phu
1954
Viet Minh forces under Vo Nguyen Giap vs French airborne and Foreign Legion forces
Victory by the Viet Minh led to 1954 Geneva accords. Vietnam split into communist North Vietnam and French South Vietnam. This split was supposed to be temporary: the South opposed this, and the US replaced the French.
Balaklava
1854
British under Lord Raglan vs Russians
3 phases, Turkish retreat, followed by 93rd Highlanders' "Thin Red Line", followed by the Charge of The Heavy Brigade, followed by The Charge of The Light Brigade. Claimed as a British victory, it actually did little to improve the British position.
Sevastopol
Oct 1854 - Mar 1855
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Marathon
490 BC
Greeks under Miltiades, Persians under Darius
Superior strategy and tactics gave a Greek victory. Phidipides' run to warn Athens of a possible Persian attack after the battle was the forerunner of the Marathon race (26miles)
Nile (Aboukir Bay)
1798
Royal Navy under Lord Nelson vs French Fleet under Vice-Admiral Francois-Paul Brueys. Captain of L'Orient was Casabianca.
British victory
Blowing up of "L'Orient".
Copenhagen
1801
Royal Navy under Nelson vs French fleet
British Victory
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Alamo
1836
Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna vs Tennessee congressman Davy Crockett, Col Jim Bowie (o/c volunteer force), Lt Col WIlliam Travis (o/c regular forces)
Some 12 days into the siege, Santa Ana ordered an all-out assault (unnecessary, since starvation would have soon forced a surrender). All the defenders, including 7 taken prisoner, were killed, although some non-combatants were spared.
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Rorke's Drift
1879
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Isandlwana
1879
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Cannae
216BC
Catheginian forces under Hannibal Barca vs Romans
Win for Carthage
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Gallipoli
1915
British, ANZAC, French and Indian forces vs Turkish forces. Commander of the Allied Forces was Gen Ian Hamilton, Divisional Commander of the Turkish forces was Mustapha Kemal, later to become the founder of modern Turkey.
After a long and costly engagement, the Allied troops were forced to withdraw, leaving the Turks victorious.
IVC Lesson 11
