Battles in History that changed the course of the Future. Part 2.
Orleans. 1429.
The king of England claimed that he was king of France as well. Although not accepting him, they had been beaten. France was in need of a leader and then amazingly, Joan of Arc appeared on the scene. She was a 17 year old peasant girl. She claimed that Heavenly voices had told her to lead France to freedom. Joan eventually lead France, carrying the flag. The French booted England out of Orleans with her courage and bravely. In a few years the English was totally removed from France. Outcome : A modern French state was formed, as a result of the victory at Orleans.
Spanish Armada. 1588.
England lit bonfires on the coast. This was a warning to the people that the Spanish Armada was approaching. The fleet was enormous and was led by Philip 11 to conquer England. The English sailed to meet The Spanish in battle. Their leader was Sir Francis Drake. The English fleet was lighter and more maneuverable. 63 ships were lost by the Spanish and none by the English. Outcome : Spain's plans for world domination went down with her fleet.
Blenheim. 1704.
Louis XIV of France was defeated at the battle of Blenheim. Louis warned to rule the whole of Europe. The French army met its match when they were attacked by the combined forces of the English and the Holy Roman Empire. Outcome : The shattered prestige of the French army, preventing the French ruling of the Holy Roman Empire.
Poltava. 1709.
Towards the end of the 17th century, there was a stirring of the Russian empire. Peter the Great wanted to be counted among the European powers. He was helped by Poltava to obtain his goal. He defeated Charles X11 of Sweden. He gained control of Northern Europe and the Ukraine. Outcome : This victory afforded him ample power to unite his country, creating the modern state of Russia.
Saratoga. 1777
This battle of Saratoga, New York, was the battle in America's struggle for independence. Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold led the way to a fierce battle with the British. It lasted for 5 hours. Saratoga won the French sentiment to America. Outcome : This gave the American revolution an amazing push forward, creating incalculable effects on the western world.
Valmy. 1792.
Valmy was a bad dream to the French monarchy. The battle of Valmy was actually a minor skirmish. The Prussian came to support the king, but was utterly defeated by the French army. Outcome : The French Revolution triumphed and could now proclaim, liberty, equality and fraternity.
Waterloo. 1815.
Napoleon Bonaparte, was faced with the wrath of a united Europe, led by the English statesman, the Duke of Wellington. The defensive positions of the Duke, were attacked by the French cavalry relentlessly for a day. Wellington's army was re- enforced by the Prussian. 40,000 soldiers attacked the French. The army fled. Outcome: Napoleon was sent into exile, and peace was restored.
Sources :Wikipedia, excerpts from the World book encyclopedia, Google Images.
I have a major in history, but when I do this, which Iove, I realize that I don't know anything really. I have learned so incredibly much since writing articles. The tribes, clans, armies have always organized to be ready for war. I was in Wales last year and was fortunate to visit and explore some of the castles. The lengths they went to protect themselves are baffling. As far as those beautiful brush strokes, I can only imagine that those people were dramatic.
I am not as interested in the history as I am in the art that depicts the history of those eras. I find it fascinating that the artists would romanticise the violent events and horrific scenes of war with such beautiful brush strokes and compositions.
I am doing my degree in visual art and so the classical paintings of those eras so I find the artwork fascinating.
I also do not know that much about American history; your little excerpt about Saratoga is something I had never heard of before. Very interesting, thank you.
I have always been fascinated by the great battles of the world. Gosh this research must have taken some time @ruthofisrael. Congratulations on an educational article. Upvoted and resteemed.
Great article, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well researched! These battles were turning-points in European history.