War is an evil which has ruled the course of History from the ancient times. For several different reasons peoples, tribes and nations have been fighting with each other from time immemorial. We are all aware of such big battles as Mahabharata. Here however we will throw here light on some comparatively notable battles which were waged in the recorded past in the various parts of the World.

List of Important Battles of the World

1. Battle of Marathon, 490 BC – A decisive battle; The Greeks defeated Persians at Athens.
2. Battle of Hastings, 1066 AD – Harold, the King of England, was defeated by William, the Duke of Normandy at Hastings, England came under Norman control.
3. The first Crusade, 1095-99 AD – Christians recovered Jerusalem from the Turks. There were eight Crusades in all.
4. First Battle of Tarain or Thanesar, 1191 AD – Prithviraj defeated Shahabbudin Ghori.
5. Second Battle of Thanesar, 1192 AD – Prithviraj was defeated by Shahabbudin Ghori.
6. Hundred Years’ War, 1338-1453 – Between France and England. It arose on account of the succession question to the throne of France, which was claimed by Edward III of England. It was resumed by Henry V. War came to end by the heroism of Joan of Arc, a country girl who overthrew the power of England; she was burnt at the stakes in 1431.
7. First Battle of Panipat, 1526 – Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodi. This victory laid the foundation of Mughal rule in India.
8. Battle of England (Defeat of Spanish Armada), 1588 – Spanish Armada was defeated by the British Commander Lord Howard of Effingham, British had good seamen like Hawkins, Frobisher and Drake. It established British supremacy over the seas.
9. Battle of Preston, 1648 – Charles I defeated by Cromwell, who was successful in establishing the Protectorate.
10. Austrian War of Succession, 1740-48 – Austrians were defeated by Frederick II of Prussia. It was a war regarding the question of succession. Peace was made at the Treaty of Aixe-la-Chapelle in 1748.
11. Battle of Plassey, 1757 – Siraj-ud-Daulah was defeated by Clive; practically it brought the Muslim rule in Bengal to an end. It was the beginning of British rule in India.
12. American War of Independence, 1776-83 – George Washington defeated the British, and America became independent.
13. Battle of Aboukir Bay, 1798 – Nelson defeated the French. Nelson called it a “conquest”.
14. Battle of Trafalgar, 1805 – The English defeated the French but Nelson lost his life. Nelson said, “England expects every man to do his duty.”
15. Battle of Austerlitz, 1805 – Napoleon defeated Alexander I of Russia and Francis II of Austria.
16. Battle of Jena, 1806 – Napoleon defeated the Prussians.
17. Battle of Leipzig, 1813 – The English and the Allies (Russia and Prussia) defeated Napoleon. It is called the Battle of the Nations.
18. Battle of Waterloo, 1815 – The French were defeated by the British under Duke of Wellington (Sir Arthur Wellesley). This finally brought down Napoleon. He was exited to the Island of St. Helena, where he died.
19. Crimean War, 1854-56 – Russia was defeated by the combined forces of the British, the French and Turks.
20. American Civil War, 1861-65 – The Northern States of America under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln defeated the Southern States, and established a Federal State.
21. Sino-Japanese War, 1894-95 – Japan defeated China, Taiwan (Formosa) and Korea occupied by Japan.
22. Battle of Port Arthur, 1904-5 and  Battle of  Yalu – Japanese fleet defeated the Russian fleet. It is a great event in the history of Asian resurgence.
23. Balkan War, 1912-13 – Bulgaria and Greece defeated Turkey and Italy. It was the result of nationalism in Balkan States. It was a war of imperialism against nationalism.
24. World War I, 1914-18 – Germany and the Associate Powers (Turkey, Bulgaria, Austria etc.) were defeated by Britain and her allies (France, U.S.A. and Belgium). Click here to know more about the First World War.
25. Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935 – Ethiopia was annexed by Italy.
26. World War II (1st Sept 1939 – 14th Aug, 1945) – England, France, Russia and U.S.A., the Allies, defeated the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan).

Thus we learnt about some of the important battles/wars in the recorded history of the world which cover the period from 490 BC to 1945 CE. Hope good sense shall prevail upon humanity in recent future so that the list of new battles are not required to be presented in the fashion above. Click here to read all our articles about the World History.