What is the silliest, weirdest, oddest reason that a country went to War?

[SilentiumSocius]

Hey all. I was wondering what have been the most inane, silliest, most unfounded, weirdest, funny reasons for a country to go to war(or to battle). (country or faction or group, etc)

One of my favs is The Soccer War. I'd love to hear any others. The more obscure the better.

Cheers.

 

[Mongoloid Cow]

I thought of the Soccer War too when I saw the thread title. Ah well.

In very ancient times, Elam and the city of Ur went to war all the time over a statue. Isin and Larsa (probably wrong on both cities) went to war over a rock sticking out of the ground which marked the border - boths sides kept moving it.

 

[TheLastOne36]

boths sides kept moving it.

Soccer War is at the top, but another one. A japanese-Chinese Battle where they went to war over a Japanese painting. It pictured a Beijing. The Chinese thought that the picture wasn't pretty enough...

 

[SeleucusNicator]

In 1526, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Hungary using the official excuse that the Hungarian King had not sent the Ottoman Sultan a birthday gift.

 

[SilentiumSocius]

A birthday gift slighting. Brilliant. Never snub a Sultan apparently.

 

[jeps]

The war of the triple alliance started because they thought the Paraguayan President was arrogant

and dont forget the Pastry War, between france and mexico

 

[SilentiumSocius]

Which battle between China and Japan did they fight over the painting? Time period?

 

[TheLastOne36]

ancient era. Don't remember the exact date or name of the battle. Just remember what it was about.

 

[DBear]

War of Jenkins' Ear

 

[TheLastOne36]

lol the soccer war wasn't even caused by soccer. Read the article.

 

[GinandTonic]

Both the American wars over pigs were very stupid. Although luckily the protgonists in the Anglo-American pig-war both felt that having a war over a pig demeaned their nations, so after calling each other names all got pissed togeather instead.

 

[The Gonzo]

War of Jenkins' Ear

What I was going to say.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

War of Jenkins' Ear

Beaten to it. :shame:

 

[sydhe]

The Egyptian war of liberation against the Hyksos allegedly started when the Hyksos king Apopi at Avaris sent a letter to the Egyptian King at Thebes complaining the hippopotamuses in the sacred pool at Thebes was keeping Apopi awake at night and the pool would have to be done away with.

 

[Kraznaya]

The Egyptian war of liberation against the Hyksos allegedly started when the Hyksos king Apopi at Avaris sent a letter to the Egyptian King at Thebes complaining the hippopotamuses in the sacred pool at Thebes was keeping Apopi awake at night and the pool would have to be done away with.

Doesn't this hide the underlying reason that the Egyptians simply wanted the conquerers done away with?

In 1526, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Hungary using the official excuse that the Hungarian King had not sent the Ottoman Sultan a birthday gift.

This too; the Ottos simply wanted any excuse to invade, just like the Nazis hitting Poland for more territory, which legitimate or not, is a common reason for war.

 

[ParkCungHee]

In 1526, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Hungary using the official excuse that the Hungarian King had not sent the Ottoman Sultan a birthday gift.

Gotta be careful with those turks. There nearly was a revolution over those nifty fez's there also.

 

[SeleucusNicator]

Doesn't this hide the underlying reason that the Egyptians simply wanted the conquerers done away with?

This too; the Ottos simply wanted any excuse to invade, just like the Nazis hitting Poland for more territory, which legitimate or not, is a common reason for war.

Yes of course; however, official excuses for this kind of action are a type of art form, and I view this thread as a way to appreciate that art.

 

[aronnax]

The pastry war seems the stupidest

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

The Pig War of 1859

The Pig War (also called the Pig Episode, the San Juan Boundary Dispute or the Northwestern Boundary Dispute) was a confrontation in 1859 between American and British authorities, resulting from a dispute over the boundary between the United States and British North America, specifically in regards to San Juan Island, one of many islands which separate Washington state and British Columbia. It is so called because the war was triggered by a pig. The pig was the only casualty of the war making it essentially bloodless.

 

[Verbose]

Doesn't this hide the underlying reason that the Egyptians simply wanted the conquerers done away with?

Re. the hippos, they were animals sacred to Seth, and the Hyksos kings were enthusiastic Seth-worshipers. It's nothing to do with being evil or bad, it was just that they had their capital in the eastern Nile Delta, which was always the place for Seth-worship. The later great Rameside pharaos, like Ramses II etc., were all enthusiastic Sethists as well, and the family hailed from the easten delta.

In the context of the Hyksos-Thebes conflict, it was a way of the Theban rulers to claim that the conflict was also religious, a re-run of the mythological coflict between Horus, son of Osiris, murdered by Seth. Horus was the chosen diety of the rulers of Thebes, Seth of the Hyksos.

As for the Egyptians wanting the Hyksos out, the Theban rulers certainly did. Otoh, there were all kinds of deals made, allowing the Thebans to graze their sheep on Hyksos territory in the Delta, which tells us that things weren't overly hostile until the king of Thebes, Ahmose, decided he wanted it all.

And when the Thebans did roll north, they were faced with the situation of Egyptian towns resisting them, wanting to go on being ruled by the Hyksos. Well, they couldn't have that, so they burned these places and impaled the locals on stakes as "traitors". Again it tells us that maybe the Hyksos weren't that bad or impopular rulers of Egyptians.