Posted on 02/15/2003 5:17:33 PM PST by NP-INCOMPLETE
The following is a general listing of wars fought by Great Britain in the last 2000 years. This is part II of my five part series on the military histories of the Great Powers.
43 AD Roman Invasion- Lost celts slaughtered by legions of Emporor Claudius
60 AD Boudica Rebellion- Lost Single Roman Legion slaughtered 60,000 british celts
600 AD Anglo-Saxon Invasion- Won Celts eliminated by modern inhabitants of Britain(Legend of Arthur born of that era).
1066 AD Norman-Invasion- Lost Last Saxon king Harold shot in the eye by a barbed arrow in the Battle Hastings. William the Norman takes over the country.
1200 AD Expansion- Won took over Scotland, Ireland and Wales after decades of warfare, refined longbow technology was the decisive factor of victory.
1337 AD Hundred Years War- Won (Mostly) English Longbowmen slaughtered the French nobility in a series of one-sided battles. War ended with the English in control of Normandy and Castile.
1455 AD War of the Roses- Won Three decades of civil war between the houses of York and Lancaster
1588 AD Spanish Invasion- Won British fleet crushed the Spanish Armada, Britain becomes the dominant naval power of Europe.
1642 AD English Civil War- Won(Barely) British beat themselves
1689 AD French And Indian Wars- Won British forces crushed the French defense in Canada and took over Montreal
1751 AD Conquest of India- Won British forces conquors the Indian Subcontinent. Chandernagore, the last major Indian stronghold taken during the Battle of Plassy.
1756 AD War if the West Indies- Won British Navy takes control of the West Indies
1776 AD American Revolutionary War- Lost British defeated by their own colonists.
1793 AD Napoleonic Wars- Won, Duke of Wellington destroyed Napoleon's armies at the Battle of Warterloo.
1812 AD War of 1812- Lost, British again defeated by their own colonists.
1846 AD Opium War- Won British Naval forces easily crushed the Chinese Navy and took Hong Kong.
1854 AD Crimean War- Won British wins a land war against Russia and takes over the Crimean region and Svestapol from the Russian Empire.
1862 AD Second Opium War- Won British forces take control of Shanghai and portions of the Chinese Coast from the Chinese Empire.
1863 AD Mau Mau Wars- Won British forces sacks Timbuktu, and takes over Eastern africa.
1872 AD Ashanti Wars- Won British forces takes over most of the Ivory Coast
1879 AD Zulu War- Won British forces suffered several defeats but eventually wiped out 70% of the Zulu population and took over southern Africa.
1881 AD Busato Wars- Won British forces takes over central Africa.
1899 AD Anglo-Boer War- Won British forces slaughtered the Dutch settlers and took control of Rhodesia and the northern portion of South Africa.
1900 AD Boxer Rebellion- Won British forces along with 11 other nations destroyed China's rebellion, gained control of China's coastal region from Shanghai to Hong Kong.
1914 AD World War I- Won British forces fought off the German submarine campaign and destroyed the Ottoman Empire. Gained control of Iraq, Iran, Trans-Jordan, Arabia, and Eygpt.
1938 AD World War II- Won(Barely) Britain won with the aid of the U.S but suffered such losses that it did not have the resources to maintain its Empire.
1982 AD Falklands War- Won(Barely) Britain takes back control of the Falklands after losing 8 capital Ships due to the Exocet missiles of the Argentine airforce.
1991 AD Persian Gulf War- Won Britan fought alongside the U.S.
That is it folks.
Actually tied at 1-all, there were two Northman invasions in 1066. One in the South by Duke William of Normandy, and an earlier one in the North by King Harald Hardrada of Norway, who lost.
Let’s not overlook the rather different outcome of the prelude to Culloden.
As I recall, there is a little tune "Johnny Cope, are ye wakin' yet?" Appropriate for a reveille, I should think.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.