Damn you Richard, you're leaving out the Welsh impact in Crecy.

How am I leaving out Welsh impact? The longbowmen in both battles, as well as Poitiers, were mainly comprised of Welsh and English and I stated as much.

As for the three battles, Poitiers may be the most important since the French king was captured and forced to pay a monstrous ransom (only a few years earlier, England captured King David of Scotland [son of Robert the Bruce], effectively owning their two biggest rivals)

Edited 3/27/2015 03:25:31

emphasis on welsh

Battle of Moscow.

Effectively the turning point of world War 2, but stalingrad is often credited with that merit (not necessarily incorrectly).

Battle of Alesia

Julius' decisive victory over Vercingetorix.

Battle of Teutoberg Forest

More like slaughter. Rome lost 3 legions to a traitor Germanic.

Battle of Cannae

Caused Marian reforms, the end of Hannibal's bitch slapping of Rome.

Battle of Vladivostok

What some point to as the ignition of the flames that would monsoon Russia come 1917. Costly Russian defeat.

Battle of Al Alameon

End of rommel's bitch slapping of Britain. Turning point in North African campaign.

Igor's Campaign

Would influence Russian literature for years, without much possibility of being real.

Battle of Bunker Hill

America dished out pain to Britain.

Explainations for my picks:

Constantinople Battle (1453) (Can be considered the ultimate Byzantine defeat and Turkish rise, though Trebizond lasted until 1461, and there were other rump states as well)

Mohács Battle (1526) (The Ottoman Empire domination start over their Europe, with influence stretching from the whole Balkans (excluding Venetia) to all Africa (excluding Moroccan Sultanates) to the Caucasus and Southern Ukraine), with the Buda capture shortly after. All countries bordering the Ottoman Empire were reluctant to go to war for fear that they would be attacked by the Ottomans.)

Mohaç Battle (1687) (Marking the Ottoman Empire domination end beginning over Europe. After the battle, there was loads of unrest in the Ottoman Empire, nearly leading to a civil war, and the Ottoman influence in Western Europe was lowered.

Berezina Battle (1812) (Near Borisov, the Berezina battle was against the French forces in Russia. The French were crossing the river Berezina and the Russians tried to stop them, and technically failed. Low estimates say that the already weak French-Polish army was lowered by a quarter by the battle, while high estimates say halved. Now "Bérézina" is a French synonym for disaster.)

Paris Battle (1814) (The ending big battle for the Sixth Napoleonic War (the last one before the very sissy 100 day rule, ending in Napoleon's exile to Saint Helena), which took place over two days. This led to Napoleon's first exile to Elba. Later in 1842, Parizh, Chelyabinsk was established to honour the battle (and there is a 1:6 Eiffel Tower replica nowadays))

Tashkent Battle (1865) (Russia's expansion part into Central Asia. A very big morale victory; odds were 1:15 and fighting on the offensive against a somewhat big borough. Also, this borough's capture Aleksandr II explicitly said not to do, as he reasonably feared a loss. The main attack general, Mikhail Chernyayev, was given several medals, and then fired for "being a loose cannon". Amongst those killed on the defensive was Alimqul, the last Kokand emir. Tashkent was then made into the Russian Turkestan capital.)

Tampere Battle (1918) (A Finnish and Russian civil war part, this battle took a month, and ended with the White Finns taking the chief Red Borough, Tampere; a major stepping stone for complete actual Finnish independence.)

Warsaw Battle (1920) (Red forces, through the two years' course, pushed Poland back to Warsaw. Poor army management on Trotsky's part made this a strategic loss for the Reds, and marked the Polish counteroffensive beginning, capturing roughly the same territories that Germany had occupied in 1918. Marks complete Polish independence beginning.)

Leningrad Siege (1941-1944) (The bloodiest battle in history. A turning point in World War 2. The Germans and Italians attacked from the south, while the Finnish attacked from the north. For 872 days, the Leningrad-dwellers lived in famine and poor conditions, and through the battle's course, estimated a million Soviets died. Regardless, the fronts in Leningrad and the surroundings remained stationary and provisions were sent through the Ladoga Lake.)

Moscow Siege (1941-1942) (Over three months' course, this foreshadowed how the next three war years would be: The slow Axis defeat. Capturing Moscow was Operation Barbossa's main goal; capturing Moscow would capture the Soviet and Russian capital, and would impede things very significantly in several ways. Biggest morale victory before the Stalingrad victory.)

Smolensk Battle (1941) (Succeeded in successfully slowing the German Blitzkrieg by two months (compared to the 18 days it took to get there), and bought significant time for the Soviet Union to prepare for war against Nazi Germany.)

Stalingrad Siege (1942-1943) (The second bloodiest battle in history. Ended Nazi advances in the Caucausus and all plans to getting to the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan (and the associated oil). Starting in August, the battle's turning point was in November, when the Romanian and Hungarian antiflank armies were crushed and the German army was encircled. Often said to be the World War 2 turning point (though I think it is the Moscow battle that is).

Singapore Battle (1942) (Fought over one week with 1:25 odds on the offensive, this battle marked the British rule end in Malaysia, and more abstractly, marked the Japanese complete unchecked authority over Oceania and Indochina (until reaching Australia and India proper).

Kursk Battle (1943) (The Moscow Battle foreshadowed, the Stalingrad battle started, and the Kursk battle assured. This was the first time in all World War 2 that a Nazi offensive had been halted before it breaked through frontlines. After this battle, Soviet forces were virtually unstoppable. In the same year, Kiev, Kharkov and Donetsk were all captured.

Berlin Battle (1945) (Pretty self-explainatory; the one where Hitler died, and the one where they had to move their capital to a town near the Danish border and Karl Dönnitz took over the ever shrinking Nazi Germany.)

Prague Battle (1945) (The last major battle in World War 2, lasting to May 11. Notable: On May 8, when Nazi Germany surrendered, Karl Dönnitz's Germany defected to the Allies and helped win Prague.)

Spitsbergen Battle (1945) (A final battle to World War 2. In early May, German troops stationed on Svalbard from Operation Sizillien (1943) lost radio contact with Berlin (and the Europe rest). They regained connection in August, and asked for nonexistent reinfocements. On September 4 (two days after Japan's surrender), a Norwegian hunting boat arrived and the Nazi troops surrendered. A final battle to the bloodiest war, making it 2195 days. (Though the common end date is Japan's surrender, which would make it 2193 days))

Also, to whoever said Iwo Jima was an important battle: it wasn't; there was nothing to capture. The Americans had no important battles except the Philippines retaking.

Edited 3/27/2015 04:26:55

Genghis, Bunker Hill was a fairly minor battle in the American Revolution and was a British victory, albeit a weak one. Battle of Lexington and Concord was far more significant, as were Yorktown, Trenton and Saratoga.

Also, as for Cannae, wouldn't Zama be more applicable as the end of Hannibal's reign of terror over Rome?

I do agree with Zhoo on the Okinawa part..Island hopping in the Pacific wasnt very monumental or a point in the war were the tide would shift the favor(Id give the carrier battles that title) The best strategic advantage islands like Iwo Jima or Okinawa provided were air bases close to Japan.

What makes battles like Okinawa or Iwo Jima memorable was the amount of sacrifice from both sides. Needless to say, the Japanese fought to the death and the Americans had to dig them out.

[qoute]Battle of Alesia

Julius' decisive victory over Vercingetorix.[/qoute]


Caesar built 39 kilometers worth of wall in three weeks. Also many ditches and booby traps. Remarkable. Beating a force twice or more his size. Ended the goal is rebellions and gave rome full control of gual.

[qoute]Battle of Teutoberg Forest

More like slaughter. Rome lost 3 legions to a traitor Germanic.[/qoute]

3 Legions and an unknown am out of auxiliary Legions. A germania victory due to Arminius' betrayel. Later he himself was betrayed by the Germans.

I consider it the first major defeat for the newly founded roman empire.


[qoute]Battle of Cannae

Caused Marian reforms, the end of Hannibal's bitch slapping of Rome.[/qoute]

Wrong, the battle of cannae did not influence the Marian reforms. It was the wars in africa from the kingdom of jugartha an old protectorate of rome. Marius was elected junior consul in the year 107 BC and was put in charge of silencing the rebellion. Problem was is that he Han no one to recruit due to the manipulare recruiting regulations. The rebellion in africa and the need for troops is what made the reforms happen.

[qoute]Also, as for Cannae, wouldn't Zama be more applicable as the end of Hannibal's reign of terror over Rome?[/qoute]

^hes right

I meant Hannibal in Rome in a literal sense. Zama was Hannibal's turf, so he was no longer dealing defeats to Rome in their own backyard.

Bunker Hill
Will agree the battle isn't anything to cry to mom about, but it was a point of how Britain could take losses quite heavily. I'd declare Yorktown most important of revolutionary war. Morale boost, turning point of the war and because of a homosexual Prussian. I just think bunker hill is a little less mainstream.

Sorry about Marian reforms error. Must have read a bad article in one of this britannica-type websites (not wiki).

Hah I forgot to add that cannae happened a 109 years before marius' reforms. But it ok we all make mistakes :P

Battle of the Bulge.

Battle of the Solar System, future, hundreds of millions killed.

battle of britain cos it told the nazis that there was somewhere that they ouldn't just roll some tanks over and call it theirs, although it was more a british staving-off as opposed to a proper victory

Spitsbergen Battle (1945) (A final battle to World War 2. In early May, German troops stationed on Svalbard from Operation Sizillien (1943) lost radio contact with Berlin (and the Europe rest). They regained connection in August, and asked for nonexistent reinfocements. On September 4 (two days after Japan's surrender), a Norwegian hunting boat arrived and the Nazi troops surrendered. A final battle to the bloodiest war, making it 2195 days. (Though the common end date is Japan's surrender, which would make it 2193 days))
what about the guy who didn't surrender until 1973 from Japan?

Battle of Tours, (732 AD)

this is the fella:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroo_Onoda

1371 Battle of Marica-Serbian forces were annihilated and the commanders were killed

The most important battle which could have changed our life today is for me the Battle of Moscow in 1941. If Stalin surrendered in that critical moment, Nazi Germany would have had time enough to prepare against an US entry in war (and time enough to prepare nuclear weapons). So, as an amazing irony, one of the most terrible tyranes of the history is the saver of Europe.

How am I leaving out Welsh impact? The longbowmen in both battles, as well as Poitiers, were mainly comprised of Welsh and English and I stated as much.

emphasis on welsh

Piss the Welsh is right. The Longbow was a Welsh and Gaelic invention, the English just copied it when they realized how many defeats they endured against them (like the battle of Bannockburn) so nothing glorious about that.

The Longbow despite being quite rudimentary, helped a lot against the French knights and the heavy cavalry, however finally those victories were a matter of time, because when the French developped the combination artillery/calvalry and improved their armors and fortifications, the Longbows were out-of-date.
After the Siege of Orléans in 1429, the English lost progressively all their continental possessions.

Crecy and Agincourt were overwhelming English victories (...) thanks to French stubborn pride

"stubborn pride" ahahah as usual, you are just giving your own judgement here (French bashing).

at its peak england controlled france
(well france controlled england but still)

Yeah it was not England which controlled France, because England itself was controlled by a French dynasty, the Plantagenêt from Anjou, and the French-norman noble houses replaced all the ancient Anglo-saxon ones when William the Conqueror conquered Britain.

What I wonder is if England had won the Hundred' Years War. Would it still have continental territory today? At its peak, England controlled most of the western half of France.

That would have been interesteing to see indeed, because I think France and England would have finally merged into a single entity, and that would have changed everything in the next centuries (if that possible union lasted for a long time).
The Plantagenêt dynasty ruling England was not far on getting the French crown, when Charles VI the Mad of France signed the Treaty of Troyes which recognized and gave the crown of France to Henry V the English king and his successors.