Most brutal war event in history?

Kyriakos

Kyriakos

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Or at any rate a list of very brutal events?

Obviously wars include brutality, but some had a higher degree of that than others.

I have two cases in mind, from the Byzantine Empire. One is the (well-known) Basil II' campaign against Samuel and the empire of Bulgaria.
The other is a less known Byzantine civil war in the 1040s, around the height of the empire, between the commander of the army in Italy (who recently had conquered parts of Sicily from the Arabs, fighting along with Harald of the sagas) and the emperor, following the rather nasty killing of the emperor's envoy to that commander so as to assume the leadeship in Italy and in effect tarnishing Maniaces (the commander of Italy).

While i would not really feel like posting how Maniaces killed the envoy to replace him, suffice to say it was very brutal. The troops hailed him as Emperor and civil war started, ending only near Thessalonike, with Maniace's being killed and his force capitulating.
 
I'd venture a guess and suppose the pillaging of Carthage ranks pretty high up there. Especially if we believe the accounts that Scipio actually wept - if the Romans feel sorry for their enemies you can cout on it it was ugly.
 
The Holocaust or the Mongol Invasion. 6 million died in the Holocaust, and over 40 million died from the Mongol Invasion.
 
There's a reason it's called the Rape of Nanking.
 
I've heard nasty things about the Belgian Congo. I haven't directly read about it, so I don't have knowledge of specifics.

But I don't know if I even want specific knowledge.
 
Joecoolyo said:
I've heard nasty things about the Belgian Congo. I haven't directly read about it, so I don't have knowledge of specifics.

But I don't know if I even want specific knowledge.
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I was going to say either the Belgian Free State, the Great Lakes Wars, or that siege where Timur introduced the world to the skull pyramid.
 
"Great Lakes Wars"? As in, Iroquious vs. Huron(-and-damn-near-everybody-else-in-the-region), or is there another meaning I'm not familiar with?
 
Traitorfish said:
"Great Lakes Wars"? As in, Iroquious vs. Huron(-and-damn-near-everybody-else-in-the-region), or is there another meaning I'm not familiar with?
Click to expand...
South-central Africa in the 1990s and the 2000s.
 
Phrossack said:
There's a reason it's called the Rape of Nanking.
Click to expand...

This would be my answer, from the "terrible war events" I am familiar with. The scope, organization, and sheer cruelty displayed is matched in disgust perhaps only by the shame the United States deserves for allowing the commanders responsible for the event to escape without punishment for some damned negotiated agreement.
 
I'd forgotten the Congo, the Rwandan genocide, Sierra Leone, et al. The RUF was almost unimaginably savage. Delivering bags full of severed hands of civilians to the doorstep of the government headquarters in Freetown. General Butt-Naked (yes, he's real). Child soldiers. Constant rapes. Massive drug use. And what they did to pregnant women...
 
Most brutal wars ever?

Taiping Rebellion, China
An Lushan Rebellion, China
The Rape of Nanking, China :(
Mongol Conquests and this damn Siege of Bagdad :(
Rwanda Genocide
Holocaust
Eastern Front of WWII
Thirty Years War
Paraguay War (check this one)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguayan_War

"A different estimate places Paraguayan deaths at approximately 300,000 people out of its 500,000 to 525,000 pre-war inhabitants. According to Steven Pinker, the war resulted in the deaths of more than 60% of the population of Paraguay, making it proportionally the most destructive war in modern times." O_____O
 
Krajzen said:
"A different estimate places Paraguayan deaths at approximately 300,000 people out of its 500,000 to 525,000 pre-war inhabitants. According to Steven Pinker, the war resulted in the deaths of more than 60% of the population of Paraguay, making it proportionally the most destructive war in modern times." O_____O
Click to expand...
Then imagine in Civilization... a city loses half its population when it's conquered. Wars of this caliber are everyday events for us. ._.
 
Off all the horrific stuff I've read, the description of Nanking....I remember physically squirming and I've read some pretty demented stuff in my time. Made me wonder about Japanese culture, though I'm sure a part of this is universal in all humans in some deep, deep, deeply buried level.
 
The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and epidemies that followed took a heavy toll in many regions:

Percentage of population losses as the result of that war by area (up to 33%, between 33% and 66%, more than 66%):

As you can see among regions where that war took the heaviest toll, were Pomerania and Silesia - particularly the area of Wrocław / Breslau. Later population losses in those eastern regions were compensated with new immigrants, vast majority of whom came from the West - from Germany:

The highest losses were in Pomerania, Mecklenburg, Palatinate, Hesse and Württemberg. In these regions losses are estimated at even up to 90%:



I've also read that vast majority of Czech nobility died during that war.
 
Reading about some of the torture techniques used during the 30 years war made me uncomfortable as well.

Why do I keep clicking on this thread?
 
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