The five most important battles of all times.

[carmen510]

Most important battles from 1000-2000 according to The World Almanac and Book of facts 2000:

1. Battle of Hastings
2. Battle of Ain Jalut (Mamluks stop Mongols from going further in the Middle East)
3. Battle of Hakata Bay (Mongol invasion of Japan fails due to Divine Wind, or storm)
4. Battle of Constantinople
5. Battle of Yorktown

Now to chronicle the most important battles in countries (Not overseas however)

America

1. Yorktown OR Saratoga
2. Yorktown OR Saratoga
3. Gettysburg
4. Indian Wars in general
5. Battle of Midway/Pearl Harbor (Convinced America to use carriers)

England

1. Battle of Hastings
2. Battle of Britain
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?

France

1. Battle of Waterloo?
2. Verdun
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?

Germany

1. Reformation?
2. D-Day? (Influenced Germany, caused fall of Third Reich)
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?

Spain

1. Fall of Spanish Armada
2. Latin America colonization
3. Losing Latin America
4. ?
5. The Spanish Inquisition?

[North King]

Originally Posted by LightSpectra

Wouldn't Yarmouk be more significant than Tarain?

No, but it might be more significant than the Siege of Constantinople, Poitiers, or the River Talas. Tarain was the defining battle in Indian history, which, while overlooked by many historians, is still very important (in my opinion). Yarmouk would probably be a good one to include with Poitiers, River Talas, and Constantinople in the Arabic campaigns, but putting four battles from the Muslim expansion in a list of the seven most decisive would be a little skewed, I think. As it is, my list is very biased towards certain periods of history.

[North King]

Originally Posted by carmen510

Most important battles from 1000-2000 according to The World Almanac and Book of facts 2000:

3. Battle of Hakata Bay (Mongol invasion of Japan fails due to Divine Wind, or storm)

The Mongols weren't that bad, and a conquest of Japan would have been short lived, and not changed much. This shouldn't even be in the top twenty.

5. Battle of Yorktown

Much less important than Saratoga. Saratoga was a turning point; Yorktown was a rather more inevitable affair.

2. Verdun

This was a battle where both sides bled themselves dry, hardly a decisive one. Unless you mean that both the French and the Germans lost so many troops that it ensured a longer stalemate.

1. Reformation?

Battle?

[Mongoloid Cow]

Wow, The World Almanac and Book of facts 2000 was written by some real dumbarses Three very unimportant battles.

[luiz]

Originally Posted by Mongoloid Cow

Wow, The World Almanac and Book of facts 2000 was written by some real dumbarses Three very unimportant battles.

Indeed, and considering the Reformation and Inquisition as "battles" is just way too much. Plus it wasn't D-Day that caused the fall of the Third Reich but rather the Battle of Berlin. Plus Latin American colonization did not consist mostly of major battles (except in Mexico).

[sydhe]

Here's my choice for French battles

(1) Bouvines. Confirmed the conquests of English possessions in northern France and made the King of France dominant in his own country. Also crucial in the weakening of the Holy Roman Empire, which was France's chief rival in continental Europe.

(2) Orleans. Everyone knows what happened there.

*Tours. Not numbered because it's a battle of the Frankish Empire. The defeat of Arab sieges of Constantinople were more important in stopping the advance of the Caliphate.

(3) Leipzig.

(4) First battle of the Marne.

(5) Rocroi. Pretty much ended Spain's period as a great power.

Honorable mention: Crecy, which established the temporary dominance of the longbow.
Castillon, for its role in the development of artillery.
Sedan.
Blenheim. Did show Louis XIV's armies were vincible, but France recovered a lot before the end of the war.
Verdun.

[zjl56]

Originally Posted by North King

Much less important than Saratoga. Saratoga was a turning point; Yorktown was a rather more inevitable affair.

While Saratoga was a major victory, it didn't guarantee victory. The British had several major victories towards the end of the war, and the war could of easily gone their way if not for York Town.

[North King]

Originally Posted by zjl56

While Saratoga was a major victory, it didn't guarantee victory. The British had several major victories towards the end of the war, and the war could of easily gone their way if not for York Town.

Could have. However, it was unlikely that if the British won, or if the battle hadn't been fought, that they would have peacefully taken over the colonies. It would have been a bloody, long drawn-out affair. Saratoga, on the other hand, was probably the most decisive battle in that war. If we had lost that, then the French most likely never would have helped, and America would never have become independent.

[aronnax]

How about the Battle of Sedan?

[LightSpectra]

What about the Stand of Ugra River or the Battle of Kulikovo? If it weren't for them, the Mongols might have conquered the entire known world.

[aronnax]

Originally Posted by LightSpectra

What about the Stand of Ugra River or the Battle of Kulikovo? If it weren't for them, the Mongols might have conquered the entire known world.

They conquered such a big piece of the world and I dont see myself speaking Mongolian. The mongol empire would collaspe anyway under its huge size

[LightSpectra]

From what I know, Mongolia was pretty stable despite its enormous size. It was the division of their loyalties into the separate hordes, and thus the military defeats that ended them.

[aronnax]

Originally Posted by LightSpectra

From what I know, Mongolia was pretty stable despite its enormous size. It was the division of their loyalties into the separate hordes, and thus the military defeats that ended them.

Well it was that BIG! Even the mighty roman empire could not support guarding of the borders after a while, the strain of the pays given put the empire in finacial problems and when someone invaded, every solider is too busy defending the border than actually kicking the enemy out. Surely sooner it will meet the same doom of the Roman empire from its sheer size

[carmen510]

Yeah, well, there was also resistance to Mongol rule. Imagine if the Mongols lived in western Russia rather than east Asia, perhaps they could've conquered Europe.

[aronnax]

Originally Posted by carmen510

Yeah, well, there was also resistance to Mongol rule. Imagine if the Mongols lived in western Russia rather than east Asia, perhaps they could've conquered Europe.

no, they needed to steal, I mean borrow technology of gunpowder and city sieging from china

[Julian Delphiki]

Originally Posted by carmen510

Yeah, well, there was also resistance to Mongol rule. Imagine if the Mongols lived in western Russia rather than east Asia, perhaps they could've conquered Europe.

Also, western europe might have been invaded if Ögedei Khan had not died during Mongol conquest of europe (which led Mongols return to his burial); http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96gedei_Khan

[aronnax]

Originally Posted by Julian Delphiki

Also, western europe might have been invaded if Ögedei Khan had not died during Mongol conquest of europe (which led Mongols return to his burial); http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96gedei_Khan

West Europe has been spared twice, once when Genghis died, other when Ogedei died. Lucky bastards. The mongols should have crush the atempts to be enlighten!!!

[Adler17]

It is difficult to name only 5 battles which were so important. Anyway I try it. But all are already mentioned though.

1. Salamis: Greek independence and culture would have been in severe troubles if the battle was lost.
2. Battle of Zama: A Roman defeat could have brought an end to the Roman expansion.
3. Teutoburg Forest: Although only the starting of a whole campaign leading eventually to the stop of Roman expansion in Germany. Indeed there were several other battles later and only because of other heavy defeats the Romans retreated finally. A Roman victory would have lead to a further expansion of the empire in Germany with the Elbe river as next step. And even further?
4. Poitiers: The Arab expansion into Europe was stopped.
5. Conquest of Jerusalem in the First Crusade: The contact with oriental things influenced European civilization dramatically.
6. Manzikert: The loss of vast areas in Anatolia lead to the end of the East Roman Empire in 1453 and the eventual rise of Islam in Europe and the Near East.
7. Liegnitz: Well the defeat of a German Polish army actually happened and only the death of Ögedei lead to the end of Mongol expansion in Europe.
8. Second Siege of Vienna: Stop of Ottoman expansion in Europe.
9. Mollwitz 1741: Actually only the first battle in a series of 3 wars over the rulership of Silesia. But it gave Frederic the Great the possibility of holding the province in three wars making Prussia a power and leading to an eventual counter power of Austria in Germany. (Although here were more battles to name like Leuthen or Roßbach or Hohenfriedberg, but none of them really deciding).
10. Valley Forge: The turning point of the American War of Independence.
11. Jena and Auerstedt: Leading to the end of the Ancien régime in Prussia and to reforms of Prussia to defeat eventually Napoleon later.
12. Leipzig 1813: The Vielvölkerschlacht, the end of Napoleon power. His campaign in 1815 was doomed even if he won Waterloo, as neither the Swedes, Austrians and Russians engaged him.
13. Antietam: Leading to the end of slavery in North America and a morale propaganda bonus to the USA, although the battle was more ending indecisive.
14. Königgrätz: The elimination of Austria as dominant power in Germany leading to a united Germany under Prussian dominance.
15. Vionville: The French Marshall Bazaine was unable to break through thin German lines and could not join the French main army group. That lead to the end of his Rhine Army and was a massive setback for the French defeat, which eventually came at Sedan.
16. Tsushima: Well, that Russian squadron was doomed, the war already decided. It is only mentioned as symbol of the decline of the Czarist empire and the rise of the Rising Sun.
17. Tannenberg 1914: The loss of that battle lead to the end of all Russian offenses on German soil for over 30 years. It was also the first step to the end of the Russian czarist empire in 1917.
18. Marne, 1914: The loss of that battle would have meant the fall of Paris and the French defeat ending ww1 in a few weeks.
19. Kursk 1943: The end of German offensive abilities in the East and the true turning point of the war.
20. D-Day: Preventing half of Europe becoming communistic.

There are other battles to name and perhaps some you can discuss. But you see to name all most important battles you need much more than 5.

Adler

[North King]

Originally Posted by LightSpectra

From what I know, Mongolia was pretty stable despite its enormous size. It was the division of their loyalties into the separate hordes, and thus the military defeats that ended them.

Mongolia was only really stable because most of the land it occupied was steppe: which is exactly the home terrain that they were used to. In every other place (China, Iran, etc.), they lost ground as they were rapidly assimilated.

[The Gonzo]

Generally the further you go back in time the more impact events have on the present day.

Zama wasn't all that important a battle, as Carthage had already been virtually defeated at the time. Metaurus, however, stopped Hannibal from being reinforced in Italy and effectively ended any threat on Rome itself (the only way Carthage could win the war).

My personal top five:

Salamis
Gaugamela
Metaurus
Actium
Adrianople