Category

Military

483 sourced events. Showing 73-96.

Events

Military Timeline

Military 14th Century Europe

Battle of Poitiers Captures French King John II

The Hundred Years' War between England and France had already seen major clashes like Crécy two decades earlier, with English longbow tactics proving decisive against French cavalry. In 1356, Edward the Black Prince led a smaller Anglo-Gascon force into western France seeking supplies and plunder while French King John II assembled a much larger army to intercept him. On September 19 near Poitiers, the English positioned defensively behind a hedge on a slope; French attacks in successive divisions faltered under archery fire, leading to hand-to-hand combat where dismounted French knights suffered heavy losses. King John II was captured along with many nobles after his division was overwhelmed. The immediate result was a catastrophic French defeat that forced negotiations and an...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 14th Century East Asia

Battle of Lake Poyang Ends in Major Chinese Victory

In the closing stages of the Red Turban Rebellion against the Yuan dynasty, rival rebel leaders Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang clashed on Lake Poyang in Jiangxi province, China. The conflict, one of history's largest naval engagements involving hundreds of thousands of participants, had raged since late August with fleets of tower ships and fire attacks. By early October, Zhu's forces gained the upper hand through strategic use of fire ships and artillery. On October 4, Chen Youliang was killed by an arrow during the final confrontation, leading to the collapse of his fleet. Zhu Yuanzhang secured control of the Yangtze River valley, paving the way for his eventual founding of the Ming dynasty.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Polish-Lithuanian Army Defeats Teutonic Knights at Grunwald

The Teutonic Order had long waged crusades against non-Christian neighbors and questioned the sincerity of Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas’s conversion after his 1386 marriage alliance with Poland. In 1409 the Order’s Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen declared war on the Polish-Lithuanian union. An allied army of roughly 29,000 troops under King Władysław II Jagiełło and Vytautas advanced toward the Order’s capital at Marienburg. On July 15 the forces met between the villages of Grunwald and Tannenberg in northeastern Poland. After hours of combat the Teutonic heavy cavalry initially gained ground, yet Lithuanian forces returned to strike the Knights’ rear; von Jungingen was killed and most of the Order’s leadership fell or was captured.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

English Triumph at Battle of Agincourt

During the Hundred Years' War, King Henry V of England led an invasion of France in 1415 to press his claim to the French throne amid ongoing dynastic disputes. His army, exhausted and outnumbered after a long march, faced a much larger French force near the village of Agincourt on October 25. Despite muddy terrain and numerical disadvantage, English longbowmen decimated the French cavalry and infantry charges. The English secured a decisive victory, capturing or killing many French nobles. This outcome bolstered Henry V's position and allowed him to advance further into French territory in subsequent campaigns.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Joan of Arc Enters Besieged Orléans

By early 1429, English forces had maintained a tight siege around the strategic French city of Orléans for months as part of the Hundred Years’ War, cutting off supplies and threatening to starve the defenders into submission. The teenage peasant visionary Joan of Arc, claiming divine guidance to support the Dauphin Charles, joined a supply convoy assembling at Blois and insisted on a direct approach despite commanders’ preferences for safer routes. On April 29, after a circuitous southern approach along the Loire, Joan and a small escort crossed into the city under cover of a diversionary French sortie on the western side, entering triumphantly through the eastern gate around 8 p.m. amid celebrations from the relieved garrison and citizens. She...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Joan of Arc Captured by Burgundians at Compiègne

During the Hundred Years' War, French forces under Charles VII sought to reclaim territories from English and Burgundian allies. Joan of Arc, the young visionary who had helped lift the Siege of Orléans and led to the king's coronation at Reims, arrived at the besieged town of Compiègne in mid-May 1430 with a small volunteer force. On May 23, she led a sortie against the Burgundian camp but was outflanked during the retreat; unhorsed near the city gates, she surrendered to Burgundian captain Lionel de Wandomme rather than risk capture by English troops. Her Burgundian captors quickly transferred her to Jean de Luxembourg for safekeeping in their castles. The loss of France's most effective military leader stunned her supporters and...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Ottoman Victory at Battle of Varna

In the mid-15th century, the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II aggressively expanded into the Balkans, threatening Christian kingdoms in southeastern Europe. The Crusade of Varna, backed by Pope Eugene IV, assembled a multinational force led by King Władysław III of Poland and Hungary along with John Hunyadi to halt this advance and relieve pressure on Constantinople. On November 10, 1444, near the Black Sea port of Varna in present-day Bulgaria, the crusader army engaged the Ottomans in open battle despite being outnumbered. King Władysław led a bold cavalry charge that ended with his death, causing the Christian lines to collapse amid heavy fighting. The Ottomans secured a decisive victory, inflicting massive casualties and ending the crusade. This outcome solidified...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Ottomans Capture Constantinople Ending Byzantine Empire

By the mid-15th century, the once-vast Byzantine Empire had shrunk to little more than the city of Constantinople itself, surrounded by Ottoman territories after decades of expansion under sultans like Murad II. Sultan Mehmed II, determined to claim the strategic city at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, assembled a massive army and navy and launched a siege in April 1453 that lasted nearly two months. Ottoman forces employed innovative siege cannons, including massive bombards designed by Hungarian engineer Orban, to batter the ancient Theodosian Walls. On May 29, after a final assault that breached the defenses, Ottoman troops overwhelmed the city despite fierce resistance led by Emperor Constantine XI. The emperor perished in the fighting, and the Ottomans looted...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

First Battle of St Albans Ignites Wars of the Roses

In the mid-15th century, England faced deepening divisions between the rival houses of Lancaster and York amid weak royal authority under King Henry VI. Richard, Duke of York, and his Neville allies marched on the royal forces near London to challenge the influence of the Duke of Somerset. On May 22, 1455, Yorkist troops engaged Lancastrian defenders in the streets of St Albans, Hertfordshire, in a brief but decisive clash that lasted about an hour. The battle resulted in a Yorkist victory, with Somerset killed and Henry VI captured, though casualties remained relatively low. This encounter traditionally marks the start of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars that reshaped English politics for decades.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Hunyadi's Forces Repel Ottomans at Belgrade

In the mid-15th century, the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Mehmed II sought to expand into Europe following the 1453 fall of Constantinople. Hungarian regent John Hunyadi organized a defense of the strategic fortress city of Belgrade, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary, bolstered by crusader volunteers and local forces. Ottoman troops besieged the city starting in early July, deploying heavy artillery and naval forces on the Danube. On July 21, Mehmed launched a major assault that nearly breached the walls, but defenders held firm. The next day, July 22, the Ottomans faced a determined counterattack and supply issues, prompting Mehmed, who was wounded, to lift the siege and retreat. This outcome preserved Hungarian control over the Danube frontier for...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Battle of Wakefield in Wars of the Roses

In the midst of the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, advanced his claim through the Act of Accord, positioning himself as heir to the mentally unstable King Henry VI. Seeking to consolidate power in the north, York took up position at Sandal Castle near Wakefield with a force of several thousand. On December 30, 1460, a larger Lancastrian army under Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, and other nobles launched a surprise attack, overwhelming the Yorkists in fierce fighting. York himself was captured and killed on the battlefield, along with his son Edmund, Earl of Rutland, and ally Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury....

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Battle of Towton Secures Yorkist Throne in England

In the midst of the Wars of the Roses, rival factions of the English nobility fought bitterly for control of the crown after the deposition of Henry VI. The Lancastrian forces, supporting the restored but weak Henry VI and his queen Margaret of Anjou, confronted the Yorkist army led by Edward, Earl of March, near the village of Towton in Yorkshire. On Palm Sunday, in driving snow and bitter cold, the two sides clashed in what became the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil, involving perhaps 50,000 men. Edward's forces, aided by superior tactics and the weather, routed the Lancastrians after hours of fighting. The victory allowed Edward to claim the throne as Edward IV and temporarily...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Edward IV Secures Victory at Battle of Barnet

The Wars of the Roses pitted the rival houses of York and Lancaster against each other in a protracted struggle for the English crown during the fifteenth century. Edward IV, having been briefly deposed, returned from exile in the Low Countries to challenge the forces loyal to the restored Henry VI. On Easter Sunday, April 14, 1471, Edward's army confronted the larger Lancastrian host commanded by Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, in heavy fog north of London near Barnet. Mistaken identity and confusion in the fog led to friendly fire incidents among the Lancastrians, allowing Edward's Yorkists to press their advantage. Warwick was killed during the fighting, and his army routed, delivering a decisive blow to the Lancastrian cause.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Yorkists Triumph at Battle of Tewkesbury

In the closing phase of England's Wars of the Roses, rival factions of the houses of Lancaster and York vied for the throne amid years of civil strife following the weak rule of Henry VI. Lancastrian forces under Queen Margaret of Anjou and her son Edward, Prince of Wales, sought to rally support in the west after earlier setbacks. On May 4, 1471, near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, King Edward IV's Yorkist army intercepted and decisively defeated the Lancastrians in a fierce engagement on marshy ground. The battle saw heavy casualties, including the death of the Prince of Wales and several leading Lancastrian nobles who were later executed. Edward IV secured his hold on the crown, effectively ending major Lancastrian resistance...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Battle of Nancy Ends Burgundian Wars

In the closing stages of the Burgundian Wars, Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy laid siege to the city of Nancy in Lorraine during the harsh winter of 1476-1477. René II, Duke of Lorraine, allied with the Swiss Confederacy, marched his relief force through snowy terrain to confront the besiegers. On January 5, 1477, the combined Swiss and Lorrainer troops launched a surprise attack on Charles's positions outside Nancy's walls. The Burgundian army, weakened by cold and prior defeats, suffered a crushing rout in which over 7,000 soldiers perished. Charles the Bold himself was killed in the fighting, his body later identified among the fallen. The decisive Swiss-Lorrainer victory dismantled Burgundian military power in the region.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Battle of Bosworth Field Ends Wars of the Roses

By the mid-1480s, England had endured decades of dynastic conflict known as the Wars of the Roses between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. King Richard III of the House of York faced a challenge from Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, a Lancastrian claimant who had gathered support from disaffected nobles and French backing. On August 22, 1485, the two armies met near Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. Henry's forces, reinforced by the timely intervention of Lord Stanley's troops, overwhelmed Richard's army. Richard III was killed in the fighting, becoming the last English monarch to die in battle. Henry was crowned King Henry VII on the battlefield, uniting the warring factions through his marriage to Elizabeth of York and establishing...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Battle of Stoke Field Ends Wars of the Roses

In the late 15th century, England remained divided by the dynastic struggles known as the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York. Henry VII had seized the throne two years earlier at Bosworth Field, but Yorkist claimants continued to challenge his rule. On June 16, 1487, at East Stoke in Nottinghamshire, Henry VII's royal army confronted a rebel force nominally led by the pretender Lambert Simnel and commanded by John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln. The battle lasted several hours on a hillside position favored by the Yorkists. Henry's forces ultimately prevailed in a decisive victory that crushed the last major organized Yorkist resistance. The engagement secured the Tudor dynasty's hold on the English throne.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 15th Century Europe

Granada Surrenders, Ending Reconquista

For nearly eight centuries, Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula had waged the Reconquista to reclaim territory from Muslim rule that began with the Umayyad conquest in the early 700s. By the late 15th century, the Emirate of Granada remained the final Muslim stronghold, weakened by internal divisions and tribute payments to Castile. In April 1491, the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile began a decisive siege of Granada with a large army supported by advanced artillery. After months of negotiations following a provisional treaty in late 1491, Emir Muhammad XI (Boabdil) formally surrendered the city and the Alhambra palace on January 2, 1492, allowing Christian forces to enter without further bloodshed. The capitulation included...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 16th Century South Asia

Portuguese Forces Attack Calicut in India

In the early 16th century, Portuguese explorers sought to dominate the lucrative spice trade routes in the Indian Ocean, establishing footholds along India's Malabar Coast through alliances and force. Afonso de Albuquerque, the Portuguese governor of India, led an expedition from Cochin with around 20 ships and 2,000 men targeting Calicut, ruled by the Zamorin and a key rival hub for Arab merchants. The fleet arrived offshore on January 3, 1510, and the next day Portuguese troops quickly seized beachfront barricades. Dom Fernando Coutinho, a high-ranking commander, insisted on advancing inland through the heat toward the royal palace despite fatigue and warnings from Albuquerque. The overextended force faced fierce resistance, suffered heavy losses including the death of Dom Fernando, and...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 16th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Spanish Forces Flee Tenochtitlan in La Noche Triste

Hernán Cortés and his Spanish conquistadors, along with Indigenous allies, had occupied the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan since late 1519 after capturing Emperor Moctezuma II. Tensions escalated into open revolt when the Spanish massacred Aztec nobles during a festival. On the night of June 30, 1520, Cortés ordered a desperate retreat under cover of darkness and rain, laden with stolen gold and treasure. Aztec warriors detected the escape, launching a fierce attack on the causeways that resulted in heavy Spanish losses, including many allies and much of the loot. Cortés survived but wept at the defeat, later regrouping to conquer the empire two years later.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 16th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Spanish and Tlaxcalan Forces Win Battle of Otumba

Following the Spanish arrival in Mexico in 1519, Hernán Cortés and his men faced fierce resistance from the Aztec Empire centered in Tenochtitlan. After suffering heavy losses during their nighttime retreat from the capital in what became known as La Noche Triste, the surviving Spaniards and their Tlaxcalan allies pushed eastward across difficult terrain. On July 7, 1520, they encountered a large Aztec army on the plains near Otumba, where the Aztecs sought to finish off the invaders. Despite being vastly outnumbered and low on supplies, Cortés led a bold cavalry charge that targeted and killed the Aztec commander, causing the enemy forces to scatter. The victory allowed the Spanish to regroup, secure reinforcements, and eventually complete the conquest of...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 16th Century Latin America & Caribbean

Spanish Forces Capture Aztec Capital Tenochtitlán

In the early 16th century, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés led an expedition to Mexico amid rivalries among indigenous groups resentful of Aztec domination. Allied with Tlaxcalans and others, and aided by interpreter La Malinche, Cortés besieged Tenochtitlán after earlier clashes and the death of Moctezuma II. A smallpox epidemic weakened Aztec leadership and defenses during the prolonged siege. On August 13, 1521, after months of fighting involving brigantines on the lake and intense urban combat, Spanish and allied forces captured Emperor Cuauhtémoc and seized the city. The immediate result was the collapse of the Aztec Empire and the establishment of Spanish control over central Mexico.

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 16th Century Europe

Battle of Pavia Captures French King Francis I

In the Italian Wars of the early 16th century, King Francis I of France sought to expand influence in northern Italy by marching into Lombardy and besieging the imperial-held city of Pavia. Habsburg forces under Emperor Charles V responded by sending an army led by the Marchese di Pescara to relieve the siege. On February 24, 1525, after weeks of skirmishing, imperial troops executed a night march and surprise attack, exploiting fog and confusion among French lines. Francis personally led a cavalry charge that proved disastrous against gunpowder weapons, while his Swiss pikemen and other units failed to coordinate effectively. Spanish arquebusiers and Landsknecht mercenaries inflicted heavy casualties, surrounding and destroying much of the French army. Francis himself was captured...

Event Detail US Military Atlas

Military 16th Century South Asia

Babur Wins First Battle of Panipat, Founds Mughal Empire

Central Asian ruler Babur, descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan, invaded northern India with a smaller but technologically advanced force equipped with gunpowder artillery and matchlock firearms. Facing the much larger army of Delhi Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, Babur positioned his troops near Panipat on April 21, 1526, using innovative tactics including defensive wagon laagers and flanking cavalry charges. The battle lasted several hours and ended in a decisive victory for Babur when Lodi was killed and his forces routed. This clash introduced widespread use of gunpowder weapons on the Indian subcontinent and dismantled the Lodi dynasty. Babur quickly consolidated control over Delhi and Agra, establishing the Mughal Empire that would dominate much of South Asia for centuries.

Event Detail US Military Atlas