Introduction The Siege of Alkmaar (1573) was a turning point in the Eighty Years’ War. The burghers of the Dutch city of Alkmaar held off the Spanish (who had set up their camp in Oudorp) between 21 August and 08 October 1573, with boiling tar and burning branches from their renewed city walls. The Siege… Read More
Introduction The siege of Haarlem was an episode of the Eighty Years’ War. From 11 December 1572 to 13 July 1573 an army of Philip II of Spain laid bloody siege to the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, whose loyalties had begun wavering during the previous summer. After the naval battle of Haarlemmermeer and… Read More
Introduction The Great Stand on the Ugra River (Russian: Великое cтояние на реке Угре, also Russian: Угорщина, romanised: Ugorshchina, derived from “Ugra”) was a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde, and the Grand Prince Ivan III of Muscovy in 1480 on the banks of the Ugra River, which ended when… Read More
Introduction The Battle of Bliska (present day Blizna in the hinterland of Trogir called Zagora, southern Croatia) was fought in 1322 between the army of a coalition of several Croatian noblemen and Dalmatian coastal towns (with the support of the king Charles I Robert of Anjou) and the forces of Mladen II Šubić of Bribir,… Read More
Introduction The Battle of Cibalae was fought on 08 October 314 (or perhaps as late as 316, the chronology is uncertain), between the two Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius. The site of the battle was approximately 350 kilometres within the territory of Licinius. Constantine won a resounding victory, despite being outnumbered. Background The hostilities… Read More
In the 2020 edition of the Guinness World Records there are a range of military and military-orientated records: Shortest War (p.176): On 27 August 1896, Britain and Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) officially went to war at 09.00 am. The conflict ended after 45 minutes with Zanizbar having suffered approximately 500 casualties. First Use of… Read More
Events 1403 – Venetian–Genoese wars: The Genoese fleet under a French admiral is defeated at the Battle of Modon by a Venetian fleet. 1513 – War of the League of Cambrai: At the Battle of La Motta Spain defeats Venice. 1571 – The Battle of Lepanto is fought, and the Ottoman Navy suffers its first… Read More
