5 Battles That Changed History
And the course of human culture...
Battles don’t just decide the fate of empires — they decide the fate of cultures, languages, and much more. Indeed, some battles change the course of history for centuries to come, shaping the destinies of entire civilizations.
Today, we look at five battles that did exactly that…
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The Battle of Cannae (216 BC)
During the Second Punic War, Hannibal of Carthage faced a vastly superior Roman army. Though outnumbered 2-to-1, he didn’t run — in fact, he faced the Romans head on.
His army encircled and annihilated the Roman army, slaughtering over 50,000 Roman soldiers in a single day. This crushing defeat would have forced any other people to immediately surrender — but for the Romans, it only made them dig deeper.
The Republic, though reeling from the devastating loss, refused to give up. Instead, Rome adapted its strategy, avoiding large-scale engagements and focusing on a war of attrition. Over time, this resilience allowed Rome to turn the tide of the war and ultimately emerge victorious.
Cannae forged the Roman spirit by fire. Forever onwards, the Romans would be known for their determination, perseverance, and refusal to surrender. For that reason, Cannae is a paradox — it was a devastating defeat for Rome, but one that paved the way for its future glory.
Hannibal’s tactics at Cannae also changed military strategy forever. His use of battlefield deception and tactical encirclement is still studied in military academies to this day — there is no military commander the world through that is unfamiliar with Hannibal’s tactics at Cannae.
The Battle of Marathon (490 BC)
During the Persian invasion of Greece, King Darius I sought to crush the fledgling city-states of the Aegean. Outnumbered and isolated, the Athenians faced what seemed like certain defeat. Yet, rather than wait for the Persians to march inland, the Athenians struck first.
Using superior tactics and their intimate knowledge of the terrain, the Athenians overwhelmed the Persian forces on the plains of Marathon. The battle ended with the Persian army routed and fleeing to their ships, marking a stunning victory for the vastly outnumbered Greeks.
This victory preserved Greek independence at a critical moment and safeguarded the nascent idea of democracy. Far from being cowed by the might of Persia, Athens emerged emboldened, laying the groundwork for the cultural flourishing that followed. The Golden Age of Greece, with its monumental contributions to philosophy, art, and governance, can trace its origins to this single moment of defiance.
Marathon’s legacy endures not only in history but also in the cultural imagination, symbolizing the triumph of courage and strategy over overwhelming odds.
Without Marathon, the world might never have known Socrates, the Parthenon, or the concept of citizen participation in government…
The Battle of Hastings (1066)
When William of Normandy crossed the English Channel in 1066, he knew he was embarking on a great undertaking — the true scale and impact of it, however, he never could have imagined.
William’s decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings marked the start of the Norman Conquest of England. The battle saw King Harold II’s Anglo-Saxon forces fall to William’s innovative strategies, including a feigned retreat that broke Harold’s defensive lines. Harold himself was killed in the conflict, leaving England without a ruler and its military shattered.
Hastings established a new Norman elite on the island of Britain, displacing the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy. The cultural and linguistic impact of this shift was profound — Norman French blended with Old English to lay the foundation for the modern English we still use today.
But more than just linguistic changes, the Norman victory brought England into closer orbit with continental Europe, influencing its governance, architecture, and social structures for centuries to come. Hastings wasn’t just a military victory — it was a cultural watershed that reshaped England, and Europe, forever.
The Battle of Lepanto (1571)
By the late 16th century, the Ottoman Empire was on the rise as a naval power in the eastern Mediterranean, threatening Venetian trading colonies and thus both the financial and political stability of Christian Europe.
In 1570, the Ottomans besieged the Venetian-held island of Cyprus. The beleaguered Venetian garrison held out for 11 months, but eventually surrendered once they ran out of provisions and the Ottomans guaranteed them safe passage home.
Treachery, however, was underfoot. Upon the Venetian surrender, the Ottoman commander imprisoned the garrison and flayed their commanding officer alive. The message was clear — the Ottomans posed not just a political, but a moral and existential threat.
In response, the leaders of Christian Europe set aside their quarrels to form a united front. The Papal States, the Spanish Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa, the Knights of Malta, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the Duchy of Savoy, the Duchy of Urbino, and the Duchy of Parma united to form a coalition known as the Holy League.
The two sides soon faced off in a massive naval battle where over 130,000 men engaged in ferocious hand-to-hand fighting between ships. The result? A decisive victory for the Holy League, re-establishment of control over the maritime trade routes, and the symbolic victory of Christendom over the Islamic world.
Among the men who fought on that day was the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, who was wounded and lost the use of his left arm. His experiences in the battle would later shape his literary masterpiece Don Quixote, thus further embedding Lepanto’s legacy, albeit indirectly, in European art and culture.
The Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
The Battle of Trafalgar was the defining naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. Facing the combined force of the French and Spanish navies, British Admiral Horatio Nelson led the British to an astonishing victory of annihilation — but gave his life in the process.
Trafalgar did more than just ensure that Napoleon’s plans to invade Britain would never come to fruition. It thoroughly cemented British supremacy at sea, ushering in the Pax Britannica. For the next century, Britain’s dominance on the oceans allowed it to expand its global empire and maintain relative peace across much of the world.
But of course, Nelson’s death in the battle added a poignant note to the triumph. King George III, upon hearing of the victory and Nelson’s passing, remarked: “We have lost more than we have gained.”
The Admiral’s sacrifice became a symbol of patriotic duty and heroism, cementing his legacy not just as one of Britain’s greatest naval commanders, but arguably as her greatest hero ever.
Thanks for reading!
—Alex & Evan
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This weekend, we look inside Napoleon’s library. The French Emperor read everything from poetry to politics — we explain the profound works that influenced him most…
Art of the Week
Here Trumbull captures the chaos of Cannae, as seen from the perspective of the Romans. The painting, rich in neoclassical embellishments, immortalizes the final moments of the Roman consul Paulus Aemilius as he succumbs to his wounds in Hannibal’s crushing victory.
The scene evokes the enormity of Rome’s defeat, yet also hints at the resilience of the Roman people — Paulus, though defeated, remains dignified, embodying the unyielding Roman spirit that would rise from the ashes of Cannae to forge an empire.
One can only imagine how the painting influenced its audience at the time of its exhibit. Just two years after Trumbull completed the painting, his compatriots took up arms to gain independence from the British crown — and their victory gave them the opportunity to establish a new version of the Roman Republic, this time on American soil…
Great List CC! I would also add that the Battle of Tours in 732 AD was perhaps the most important Battle in medieval Europe.
It was fought between the Frankish forces led by Charles Martel and the Umayyad Caliphate’s army.
The victory of the Franks halted the Muslim expansion into Western Europe and secured Christianity as the dominant faith in the region.
This battle was a turning point that preserved the foundations of Western European culture and political structures.
Had Charles Martel succumbed at the battle, the world would not have heard of his grandson Charlemagne.
Great list. The next 5 would be Gettysburg, D-Day, Thermopylae, Vienna, and Stalingrad.