Battles & Wars: Ancient History to 1000

On May 9, 1457 BC, Egyptian troops led by Pharaoh Thutmose III defeated a rebel army led by the King of Kadesh at the Battle of Megiddo. Marching north into Palestine, Thutmose surprised the rebels by passing through the Aruna Valley. Emerging near Megiddo, his troops routed the rebels in a battle outside the city walls.

The Battle of Kadesh was fought in 1274 BC during the conflicts between the Egyptians and Hittite Empire. Marching north, Ramses II was attacked by the Hittites near Kadesh. In the resulting Battle of Kadesh, the Egyptians suffered badly but succeeded in driving back the enemy.

Occurring in August/September 490 BC, the Battle of Marathon saw an inferior Greek force defeat a much larger Persian army. Fought on the Plains of Marathon, the Greeks boldly attacked and caught the Persians in a double envelopment. Battling on three sides, the Persian ranks broke and they fled the field.

The Battle of Artemisium was fought in early August 480 BC in conjunction with the Battle of Thermopylae. The Battle of Artemisium was a naval engagement between the Greek and Persian fleets and saw fighting over a three day span. With the defeat on land at Thermopylae, the Greeks were forced to withdraw from Artemisium.

The Battle of Plataea was fought in August 479 BC during the Persian Wars. Advancing against the Persians a year after the victory at Salamis, Greek forces engaged the enemy in Boeotia. In the resulting Battle of Plataea, the Persians were defeated and driven from Greece.

Fought during the First Fitna (Muslim Civil War), the Battle of Siffin was a contest between Ali ibn Abi Talib and Muawiyah I for control of the Muslim Empire. After several days of fighting, the battle was inconclusive. As a result, the two sides agreed to arbitration, which did little to ease tensions between the two sides.

The Battle of Tours was fought in 732, between the Carolingian Franks and the forces of the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate. Clashing between Tours and Poitiers, the battle resulted in a victory for Charles Martel and the Franks. The Christian triumph at the Battle of Tours stemmed the tide of Muslim expansion into Western Europe.

Fought in northern Spain, the Battle of Roncevaux Pass was a defeat for Charlemagne during one of his Iberian campaigns. The Battle of Roncevaux Pass was an ambush which decimated much of the Frankish rearguard and inspired the poem "The Song of Roland."

The Battle of Ashdown was fought January 8, 871, in modern Berkshire, England and involved Viking and Saxon forces. Led by Prince Alfred, the Saxon forces of Wessex were able to defeat the Danes and earn a brief respite in their ongoing conflict. The success at the Battle of Ashdown was short-lived as the Saxons were defeated several times in the weeks that followed.

The Battle of Maldon was fought in 991 during the Viking invasions of Britain. Sailing up the River Blackwater, Viking forces attacked the Saxons near Maldon. In the fighting at the Battle of Maldon, Ealdorman Brihtnoth was killed leading to a Viking victory.