Top Ten Battles of All Time

[Hobbit]

The fact that they take place in the west makes them more significant because Western Civilization dominates this world.

A battle that occured in Thailand a thousand years ago that may have been a pivotal event in Thai history may be important to Thais, but since Thailand itself is a relatively insignificant world player, the event would not rank very high with respect to historical importance.


If Hu Lao Gate was a pivotal moment in the unification of China, then yes, that is certainly historically important considering the importance of China, as a global power, in the world today.

Most of what I know of Asian military history is limited to Japan, so I can't directly comment on Hu Lao Gate, but it only doesn't seem that significant the way you described it.

What do you think would have happened had Duong won?

Wasn't China unified under the Han dynasty?

How did the fracturing of China lead to a sense of unity?

If Dong Zuo had not been overthrown then, he would have been overthrown later. His rule led to ultimate poverty in the lower class. As far as unification and historical significance, it's huge. Before, China was divided into kingdoms. All the kingdoms served the Han Dynasty, but didn't really feel like they were part of the whole empire. If you had asked what nation they were from, they'd have said Wu or Shu or whatever of the smaller kingdoms they were from. When all the land was eventually conquored by the Wei kingdom, all the Chinese were under one kingdom that developed a strong sense of nationalism that exists even today. It's the same way as it was with the American Civil War. The country got split in two, and by it being reconquored and soldiers having seen more of the country, people began to think of America as a whole rather than unified parts. Pre 1860, people said "The United States are..." After the war, they said "The United States is..."

 

[Unkotare]

It was the war of 1812 that created a sense of national identity in America. This is what was built upon later. Credit the battle of New Orleans if you're looking for one.

 

[regent]

Battle # 7 Atomic Bombing of Japan?!?!?!?!?!? WTF?

That wasn't even a battle, it was an unopposed bombing.

At least they listed a Chinese battle, but they passed over the three kingdoms era, probably the most famous war era of Chinese history. They could have mentioned the battle of Qingzhou, where a surprise attack led by the warlords and generals Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Jian broke the seige around Qingzhou and ended the Yellow Scarves Rebellion and led to the end of the Han Dynasty as the warlords began to wield more power. If they wanted a more definitive one, they could have gone with the battle of Hu Lao Gate, where Dong Zuo, Han emporer, was killed, along with his finest warrior, Lu Bu, whose legendary status has nearly reached that of Achilles. This led to 100 years of Chinese civil war.

If they wanted to replace #7 up there, what about the batte of Okinawa, where the U.S. finally seized originally Japanese territory and where the famous Suribachi picture came from.

They didn't mention the Macabee rebellion, in which untrained, outnumbered, and poorly armed Judean rebels reclaimed the Temple of Solomon from Roman invaders.

They mentioned Antietem, but not Gettysburg. What's the logic in that. Antietem was a skirmish compared to Gettysburg, and Gettysburg had more effect on the war, too.

I could go on and on, but I'd rather not.

In history, Antietam was an important battle in that Lincoln had been waiting to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, but the Union had been experiencing defeats and Lincoln believed its purpose, if issued as a dying measure would not be achieved. The purpose of the Proclamation was to make the Civil War one of antislavery and thus maybe England would not join the South. Lincoln needed a victory to issue the proclamation and Antietam was the first that would qualify, and that was the importance of Antietam. Which was the more important Gettysburg or Antietam is an opinion call. Perhaps if England had joined the South, Gettysburg would not have been the victory it was? The big "ifs" of history.

 

[anotherlife]

Probably the greatest battle of all times was in Massachussetts at around 1200 AD. Large armies of tens of thousands of soldiers of several tribes clashed atop a wide hill, hacking and piercing each other day and night, until none of them remained alive.

Today, at certain nights many dim lights are observed on that hill, and local legends hold that these are the wives of the soldiers barring them.

I forgot the name of the hill, but apparently this was the battle that triggered the pan Indian law, that no tribe owns land, which stayed in effect until European settlers arrived and wiped out the Indians in the 1600's.

 

[Unkotare]

Probably the greatest battle of all times was in Massachussetts at around 1200 AD. Large armies of tens of thousands of soldiers of several tribes clashed atop a wide hill, hacking and piercing each other day and night, until none of them remained alive.

Today, at certain nights many dim lights are observed on that hill, and local legends hold that these are the wives of the soldiers barring them.

I forgot the name of the hill, but apparently this was the battle that triggered the pan Indian law, that no tribe owns land, which stayed in effect until European settlers arrived and wiped out the Indians in the 1600's.

That's the greatest of all time? And no link?

 

[anotherlife]

Probably the greatest battle of all times was in Massachussetts at around 1200 AD. Large armies of tens of thousands of soldiers of several tribes clashed atop a wide hill, hacking and piercing each other day and night, until none of them remained alive.

Today, at certain nights many dim lights are observed on that hill, and local legends hold that these are the wives of the soldiers barring them.

I forgot the name of the hill, but apparently this was the battle that triggered the pan Indian law, that no tribe owns land, which stayed in effect until European settlers arrived and wiped out the Indians in the 1600's.

That's the greatest of all time? And no link?

I think it is called Witch Mountain, but I am not sure any more. If not good enough, maybe we can count those bottles that instantly took entire nations off the face of Earth. Most Inca bottles fall in this category, as well as the 3rd Reich's Voronezh bottle, and also the bottle when the Hougenottes and the Albigenses were eradicated. But probably most of all the Circasian coastal campaign that Russia completed by drowning almost the entire nation. There is also the 1444 fall of the Byzantine country, ending an entire 2000 year chapter in history.

 

[Unkotare]

How could all those people fight inside a bottle?

 

[anotherlife]

How could all those people fight inside a bottle?

The Indians have never developed metal weapons, so it must have been all hand to hand combat at a wast area across large fields.

 

[Unkotare]

How could all those people fight inside a bottle?

The Indians have never developed metal weapons, so it must have been all hand to hand combat at a wast area across large fields.

Wast in a bottle?

 

[eagle1462010]

 

[Unkotare]

Probably the greatest battle of all times was in Massachussetts at around 1200 AD. Large armies of tens of thousands of soldiers of several tribes clashed atop a wide hill, hacking and piercing each other day and night, until none of them remained alive.

Today, at certain nights many dim lights are observed on that hill, and local legends hold that these are the wives of the soldiers barring them.

I forgot the name of the hill, but apparently this was the battle that triggered the pan Indian law, that no tribe owns land, which stayed in effect until European settlers arrived and wiped out the Indians in the 1600's.

That's the greatest of all time? And no link?

I think it is called Witch Mountain....

Were Tia and Tony in that battle?

 

[Unkotare]

The Indians have never developed metal weapons....

Not true, by the way.

 

[anotherlife]

How could all those people fight inside a bottle?

The Indians have never developed metal weapons, so it must have been all hand to hand combat at a wast area across large fields.

Wast in a bottle?

The problem with you English speakers is that you always throw random letters at every word then call it spelling.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Limiting it for the present to WW2, I would say the battles around Moscow in 12/41 and D-Day were most critical in the eventual German defeat, and Midway most so in the eventual Japanese defeat.

I would say Stalingrad and Santa Cruz more than Moscow and Midway.

 

[Unkotare]

Sekigahara