The 15 Most Notable Battles in World History

The 15 most notable wars in world history are often those that people have forgotten. What was that saying about history?

The Battle of Muye

The Shang Dynasty was massive in its time, but in 1046 BC this dynasty was defeated by the Zhou. Thanks to defectors from the dynasty the underdogs were able to triumph.

The Battle of Marathon

This is one of the many battles that have been glorified and glamorized over and over. But the conflict between the Persians and the Greeks is legendary.

The Battle of Thermopylae

Yes, this is the same fight that took place in 300, kind of. The most realistic part of this battle was that a smaller force of Spartans (more than 300) held off an overwhelming force until their allies could arrive.

The Battle of Arbela

Alexander the Great didn’t get his name by accident. Even with war elephants on their side, the Persian army had to take an L eventually due to superior tactics.

The Battle of Zama

Hannibal is a name that a lot of people know from popular media instead of world history. But The fact is that Hannibal was one of the greatest military leaders in the world at one time, at least until the Romans figured out how to divide his forces.

The Battle of Tours

Also known to world history as the Battle of Poitiers, this conflict saw Moorish General Abd-er Rahman attempt to invade France with a Muslim army. If not for Charles Martel that might have happened.

The Battle of Hastings

English historians might agree that this was one of the most important battles in the country’s history. The Norman takeover led to the country being what it is today, in a large sense.

The Siege of Orleans

The French catch a lot of hell for being weak at times. But back in 1429 the presence of Joan of Arc did wonders for the morale of the troops and helped to remind the English that French courage was still very much alive.

The Battle of Vienna

At one time the Turks were quite dominant in Eastern Europe. During this battle, it was made evident the Ottoman Empire was best left to history, rather than allow them to shape the future.

The Siege of Yorktown

Many factors helped to shape the United States, but this was a key battle that helped to cap the Revolutionary War. It’s true, America needed help, but the war ended, and life was allowed to continue.

The Battle of Waterloo

Napoleon Bonaparte appeared unstoppable at one point. What’s unfortunate is that building up a single person, or empire, or any power, means the inevitable decline is sure to be spectacular. In the annals of world history, the defeat at Waterloo is still a faint echo that many people recall.

The Battle of Gettysburg

Strangely, there wasn’t a lot of civility in the Civil War, as hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives for one ideal or another. At Gettysburg alone, over 100k died for freedoms a lot of people take for granted.

The Siege of Stalingrad

It’s known as Volgograd now, but Stalingrad was bombarded by Hitler’s forces for roughly six months, and it was one of the largest battles in WWII. It was also one of the last times Germany would attack the eastern front.

Storming the Beach at Normandy

While Stalingrad was a decisive battle, invading Normandy was called D-Day for a reason. In a big sense, it led to the Axis finally hanging it up before the end of the war.

The Battle of Okinawa

One might have thought that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or Pearl Harbor would have shown up on this list, right? But securing the island of Okinawa eventually led to the bombing, and it was an important fight that was the last battle of WWII.