Throughout history, there have been many turning points, last second decisions, choices that would affect millions, and battles that would change the course of history. In this article, I will go over the top 10 most important battles in the history of the world in my opinion. While these are subjective, my rankings are based on actual information.
Honorable Mention, The Battle of Gettysburg
The Honorable Mention that I decided to put in this list is the Battle of Gettysburg. I decided to place it here due to its role as a turning point in the American Civil War, which was, otherwise, very unclear as to who would come out on top.
This battle happened as confederate general and master strategist, Robert E. Lee attacked into the union, attempting to cut Washington D.C. off from its supply hubs out of state. The union army, led by George G Meade met the confederates at the small town of Gettysburg. Over the course of this battle, over 165 thousand soldiers would face off, with estimated casualties over 50 thousand. This battle became the single bloodiest battle in US history at the time.
Despite its importance, I did not place it on the actual top 10 as it didn’t have much of an impact on the rest of the world. Along with this, due to their superior industrialization, it is likely that the union would have won the Civil War no matter what happened at Gettysburg. Link: Battle of Gettysburg Summary
Number 10: The Battle of Gaugamela
As our only battle from the BC time period, the Battle of Gaugamela was an incredibly important battle. It was where, in 331 BC, Alexander the Great won a decisive victory against the much larger Persian Empire and their Emperor, Darius.
Using his signature Macedonian Phalanx formation, Alexander managed to beat the Persian Army, which was anywhere from 2 to 5 (historical accounts vary) times larger than his force. Alexander’s victory at Gaugamela set into motion his invasion of the Persian Empire, ultimately conquering it in its entirety. This battle also crushed Persian morale, as they became weary to fight a force that they knew to be so strong. Later, Alexander’s fractured empire would create various countries of varying importance. The two most important were Egypt, under control of General Ptolemy and the Seleucid Empire, under control of General Seleucus.
While this battle and the events it sent into motion were incredibly impressive, I did not rank it higher for a few reasons. The main reason is because both of the most important countries to come of Alexander’s empire were both defeated by the same enemy, the Romans. Due to this similarity and the fact that most of the kingdoms fell quickly, led me to place the Battle of Gaugamela at number 10. Link: Battle of Gaugamela Summary
Number 9: The Battle of Hastings
While the 1088 Battle of Hastings wasn’t all that important or shocking from a military standpoint, it has had a major impact on history.
This battle saw the Normans and English face off at the town of Hastings. Both Harold Godwinson of England and William the First of Normandy believed that they were entitled to the English Throne. Eventually, the Normans won, taking control of England. This is important due to the fact that the Normans spoke French. Thus, the English language was changed in ways we still see today. Where a Norman may purchase pants, an Englishman would buy trousers.
Despite the major cultural shift seen in England after this battle, the relative lack of major strategy lands this battle towards the bottom of this list. Link: Battle of Hastings Summary
Number 8: The Battle of Toba-Fushimi
This battle was, perhaps, the final nail in the coffin for Feudal Japan. Taking place during the Boshin War, tensions were high and a climactic battle was bound to happen.
By the end of this battle, the honorable people of Japan realized that honor alone could no longer stand up to any and all enemies. This was shown here, where the traditional samurai army of the Shogun was dealt a fatal blow by the modernizing, pro-emperor forces. This war as a whole was about one thing; who should lead Japan. By the end of this battle, it had been decided, the Emperor would rule.
This Emperor ruled Japan would last a very long time, modernizing its army and becoming the closest thing to a Western Power in Asia. While this battle is incredibly important, in terms of every other most important battle in history, it cannot compete for a top spot. Link: Battle of Toba-Fushimi Summary
Number 7: The Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad is the first of 3 World War 2 battles on this list, and for good reason. It marked a major turning point on the Eastern Front and denied Germany the Caucasian oil it desperately needed.
This battle was part of Germany’s renewed push on the Eastern front once winter had passed. The goal was to take Stalingrad, thus cutting off the oil-rich Caucasian region. The German units successfully entered Stalingrad, facing much resistance. The Soviets defended the city with everything they had, likely due to the fact that its namesake was the current leader of the Soviet Union. This combined with Germany’s early invasion of the Caucasus (lowering the number of troops attacking Stalingrad) led to a huge victory for the Soviets.
While this battle is very important, it is likely that, even if the results were different, Germany still would have lost World War 2. The Soviet factories had already been moved to the East and Germany’s oil deficit was much larger than what the Caucasian oil could supply. Link: Battle of Stalingrad Summary
Number 6: The Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was the single most climactic battle that Europe had ever seen at that time. They had seen Napoleon Bonaparte tear up the continent for 23 years. They had defeated him, but he simply returned.
This would be Napoleon’s last stand. Everyone knew it. If he lost, he would likely be sent even further away for exile, or maybe just killed. So, every side gave the battle their all. Despite this, Napoleon would eventually lose the battle. While Napoleon did have more numbers than his enemies, his army was largely made up of untrained conscripts. Along with this, he was fighting people who had analyzed his tactics and spent 2 decades figuring out how to take him down.
As the last battle before the top 5, the Battle of Waterloo was incredibly important. It marked the beginning of a new, non-Napoleonic age in Europe. One where the Swedes were replaced by the Russians, the Spanish replaced by the British, and the Austrians replaced by the Prussians. Essentially, this battle shaped the new Europe. The only reason this battle isn’t ranked as more important, is simply due to how important the battles above it are. Link: Battle of Waterloo Summary
Number 5: The Battle of Posan Perimeter
Unlike the other battles on this list, you have probably never heard of the Battle of Posan Perimeter. Despite this, it is a very major and important battle to world, and especially modern, history.
This battle was fought between North Korean soldiers and American soldiers during the Korean War. This was the first battle where these 2 forces fought, as American soldiers were just arriving in Korea. At this time, North Korea seemed as though it would crush the South. It had more soldiers, more equipment, and had already pushed the South out of the peninsula. The Battle of Posan Perimeter saw American forces stop the North Koreans dead in their tracks for the first time this war. Eventually, and with much thanks to the haunting of North Korea, a renewed South Korean and American force was able to retake the large majority of the peninsula.
If this battle had gone the other way, then it is very likely that communism would have spread deeper into Asia then it already had, potentially seeing communist uprisings in places like the Philippines, Japan, and other countries. Link: Battle of Posan Perimeter Summary
Number 4, The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is our second battle from World War 2 on this list. Overall, it was a few months long air campaign where Germany attempted to weaken the United Kingdom to the point where they were able to be invaded.
The Battle of Britain saw near constant bombardment of British shipyards, airbases, and other vital military assets. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain at the time, then ordered a small bombing raid on Berlin. While it didn’t do much damage, German leadership was furious and shifted focus to population centers such as London. Despite the incredible pressure being exerted onto them, the British stood strong. Eventually, the British RAF (Royal Air Force) was able to repel the Germans from the greater London area, thus ending the Battle of Britain.
This battle was incredibly important. If the UK had surrendered to the German onslaught then it is likely that World War 2 would have ended very differently. However, this didn’t happen and the British people and military were able to survive. This battle is placed so highly because, in my opinion, it is 1 of only 2 times that Germany had a chance at winning World War 2. The other chance that they had at winning. World War 2 is also on this list. The sole reason that the Battle of Britain isn’t higher is the same as the Battle of Waterloo, there are simply some incredibly important battles on this list. Link: Battle of Britain Summary
Number 3, The Battle of Pearl Harbor
The first battle to enter the top 3 on this list is The Battle/Attack of Pearl Harbor. Taking place in 1941, this battle saw Naval and Air forces of the Japanese Empire bombard the US pacific fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor, despite its deadliness, didn’t actually achieve the intended goals of the operation. The attack missed fuel storage, repair centers, submarine bases, and other vital military installations. Instead, Japan had an awake and angry US with a functioning pacific fleet breathing down its neck. The day after the attack, the US declared war on Japan, with Germany declaring war on the US a few days later.
Over the course of World War 2, the US would supply the Allied war effort more than any. They provided the Soviets with the equipment they desperately needed to fight the Germans, they provided resources to aid civilians in the UK, and they were the driving force against Japan. Without the attack on Pearl Harbor, it is likely that the US would not have entered the war, would not have supplied the Soviets, and would not have been able to bail out the UK. Instead, the Soviets got their equipment, the UK got its resources, Japan got nuked twice, and Germany was invaded both in Sicily and Normandy. Link: Battle of Pearl Harbor Summary
Number 2, The Battle of Tours
The Battle of Tours, 732, is the most important battle on this list so far. It saw the forces of Charles Martel of the Franks face off against the Muslim Invaders. If this battle had happened any differently, we would certainly be living in a much different world.
The Muslims at this point had spread very rapidly. They had conquered Persia, Egypt, the Holy Land, all of North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula. Everywhere they conquered, they spread their religion. Europe at the time was very Christian and many decisions and actions of the time were based on that. If the Muslims were able to spread through France and into Europe, the world as we know it would have been different. Yet, despite the Muslim’s strong military advantages over the Franks, Charles Martel proved himself a capable military leader, defeating the Muslims.
The Muslims would never again get the chance to conquer Europe, eventually falling due to internal fighting between the powerful families. This battle was major and could have a serious argument to be the most important battle in history. Despite this, their fall after this battle causes me to place them in second place. Link: Battle of Tours Summary
Number 1, The Battle of Vienna
The Battle/Siege of Vienna in 1683 is the most important battle in all of history. It saw the Austrian Empire besieged in their own capital city by the forces of the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire was the dominant force at the time. They had a massive army and controlled vast amounts of territory throughout the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Arabia, and Eastern Europe. The Ottoman Sultans had always had dreams of taking Vienna, thus opening the road to the richest part of Europe, the West. At the siege, the starving defenders of Vienna were outnumbered 15 to 1. They needed to constantly defuse Ottoman tunnels, attempting to blow up the walls from underneath, with these defusing parties often getting into deadly fighting in the underground tunnels.
As the Ottomans were about to break through into Vienna, the relief force came. It was led by the Polish-Lithuanian king and 3000 of his famed Winged Hussars, the best cavalry in the world. Along with this, he had 14,000 other light cavalry and a smaller relief force made up of regular infantrymen. Sobieski’s Charge at this battle would become famous as the largest cavalry charge in the history of the world, and it worked. Vienna was liberated, and the Ottoman dreams of conquering Western Europe were crushed.
The reason that I have the 1683 Siege of Vienna above the 732 Battle of Tours has entirely to do with the attackers. In 732, Tours was attacked by a force which, while it had the ability to change history, we now know was going to fall. On the other hand, we have the Ottoman Empire, which we know would still last for over 200 years after this battle. While the Muslims at Tours may not have even had time to alter history that much, we know that the Ottomans did, which ultimately led to me placing Vienna higher than Tours. Link: The Battle of Vienna Summary
Other Notes
It is important to note that this list is very subjective and there is no true list of the most important battles in history. Every battle has an impact, though some may be more important than others. This list is also not meant to offend anyone in anyway, I simply created it as an interesting article.
