The world as we know it today has been shaped by significant battles that altered the course of history and defined global power dynamics for centuries.
Humanity has been engaged in wars against one another since we were hunter-gatherers. As civilizations expanded and our tribes grew into cities and then empires, the squabbles between different peoples began to mean more on the global scale. Battles began to define borders and the independence of a country’s people. The most influential battles echo through time, being remembered as turning points in geopolitics.
The significant battles that made their mark in history
Many battles had significant impacts on the world at large and the wars they formed a part of, but only a special few will be remembered for eternity.
Battle of Marathon
In 490 BC, one of the ancient world’s most infamous battles took place in Marathon, a small rural district, within the region of Attica, which was under the governance of Athens. The Persian King Darius I wanted to expand his powerful empire further into Greece, exerting his influence over its various city-states as a way of punishing Athens and Eretria for supporting the Ionian Revolt against the Persians from 499 to 493 BC. The Persians attacked Marathon, which was 26 miles away from Athens, with 25,000 soldiers, while there were only 10,000 in Marathon.
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings in 1066 was perhaps one of the most influential in European history, setting the stage for Norman rule in England, which had profound political, cultural and social changes that echoed through the continent. The battle came about as a succession dispute between the powerful noble Harold Godwinson, The Duke of Normandy William the Conqueror, and the King of Norway Harald Hardrada.
The battle between William and Harold’s forces took place at Hastings in the South of England as a response to William’s arrival for conquest. William won when Harold was reportedly shot in the eye, leading to his conquest of the nation. Norman rule in England changed everything, ending Anglo-Saxon rule, introducing the feudal system to England, and bringing French influence to the English language, setting the building blocks for today’s version of the language.
It also changed things geopolitically as both Anglo and Norman kings had rights to rule, leading to tensions that would eventually spark the Hundred Years’ War. Norman rule also led to the creation of English common law, which led to the parliamentary democracy England and other nations use today.
Battle of Saratoga
In Saratoga, New York, in 1777, the most decisive battle of the American Revolution took place. The British sought to crush the revolution by isolating New England, the heart of revolutionary activity, from the southern colonies. British General John Burgoyne planned a three-pronged invasion which failed due to lack of communication and fierce resistance from the continental army.
The American Victory at Saratoga completely turned the tide of the war, shattering Britain’s hopes of using a divide-and-conquer strategy to neutralize the colonies thus forcing them to rethink their whole approach in a mad scramble. The win also secured the French as allies, which was exactly the fuel the Americans needed to realistically push back against the British and win the war.
Battle of Waterloo
The battle, which took place in 1815, was a decisive confrontation that marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign as Emperor of France. It marked Napoloeon’s return from exile and his return to power in France. The infamous ruler moved quickly, aiming to attack his enemies before they could unite against him. The seventh coalition included Britain, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, who did not want Napoleon in power.
The British and the Prussians were the main players in this battle, confronting Napoleon’s 70,000-plus men at Waterloo. The Coalition forces outnumbered Napoleon’s, and they took advantage of that by attacking the French flanks while still presenting a strong force on the front lines. The Prussians were delayed in their arrival due to heavy rains, but still made it in time to help the British.
The loss marked the end of Napoleonic influence and the establishment of the Concert of Europe, which made peace on the continent until World War I. The defeat of Napoleon created a more unified Europe, which is an idea that persists to this day. However, Napoleon’s and the revolution’s ideals of independence persisted too, turning into a flame of freedom that persisted among the people.
The Battle of Stalingrad
Taking place from 1942 to 1943, this fight between the Germans and the Soviets was one of the most tense battles of World War II.
In 1941, the Nazis had begun Operation Barbarossa, which was their plan to invade Russia. They were successful initially but met fierce resistance as they ventured further in thanks to the Russian scorched Earth mentality, which ruined the German plan to feed off the land as they went. This strategy involved the Russians destroying their own crops, livestock, infrastructure, and other resources as they retreated, leaving nothing useful for the advancing German forces. As a result, the German army faced severe supply shortages, which significantly hampered their ability to continue the invasion effectively.
Adding to their struggles was the infamous Russian winter, one of the harshest in Europe. The German forces, unprepared for the freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall, found their equipment malfunctioning, vehicles immobilized, and soldiers succumbing to frostbite and hypothermia.
They were forced to overextend supply lines as they moved into Stalingrad. The city was extremely important to the Nazi’s hopes of conquering Russia as it was a key hub between Russia and Europe. Stalin ordered his troops to defend the city at all costs, and that’s exactly what they did, not relenting to the invading force. The Nazi loss at Stalingrad was their first major loss on the Eastern front, leading to a turn of the tide and a counteroffensive from the Soviets.
Germany’s failed invasion of Russia severely wounded the nation as a whole. They lost many men, and couldn’t obtain vital resources that would have strengthened them exponentially. It was the beginning of the end for Germany, as the Nazis would feel the effects of the loss bit by bit as they were forced to retreat on the Eastern front and the symbolism of the win inspired the Allied troops, changing the trajectory of World War II and the fate of Europe.