Although we may not like to accept it, the history of our world has not always been all peaches and cream. Only since the end of World War I, which occurred a bit more than a century ago, there have been 260 major wars in the world. Military confrontations occur for various reasons, but to summarize, the will to conquer new territories or to defend your own represents the foundation of wars.
The greatest fear nowadays is that a nuclear war might ignite if international tensions keep rising. Such a scenario could easily mean the end of civilization and the death of hundreds of millions or even billions of people, unfortunately. The war between Ukraine and Russia and the conflict between Israel and Hamas cause plenty of concern, but hopefully, diplomatic solutions will be found in the end.
Unfortunately, diplomatic solutions can take many years to be found, as has happened in the case of some of the longest wars ever fought in the history of the world that we’ll be mentioning below:
The Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE):
The Peloponnesian War stands as a testament to the enduring conflicts that took place in classical Greece. This war was fought between the city-states of Sparta and Athens, along with their respective allies.
The Byzantine-Arab Wars (629-1050):
The Byzantine-Arab Wars took place over four centuries, as the Eastern Roman Empire clashed with the emerging Islamic Celiphates. The conflict, which was rooted in religious and territorial disputes, traversed the Byzantine and Umayyad periods, leaving a huge and everlasting impact on the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The Crusades followed and were deeply influenced by the dynamics established during those prolonged military confrontations.
The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453):
The Hundred Years’ War, which was a series of conflicts that took place between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of England, persisted for even more than 100 years, contrary to its name. It lasted 116 years, to be more precise, and it marked one of the longest and most complex struggles in medieval Europe.
Territorial disputes, longstanding animosities, and succession crises have all fueled this war, a conflict that witnessed the rise of important figures such as Joan of Arc.
The Reconquista (711-1492):
The Reconquista, which took place between 711 and 1492, spanned over seven centuries, and it stands as one of the longest conflicts that took place in history. This war started with the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, and it ended when the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon, reclaimed Granada. The multifaceted struggle involved Muslim and Christian forces vying for control as they shaped the cultural and religious landscape of the region.
The Eighty Years War (1568-1648):
The Eighty Years War took place in the 16th and 17th centuries, as the Dutch provinces sought to break free from the oppressive rule of the Spanish Habsburg Empire. The protracted struggle for independence saw the rise of guerrilla warfare, naval power, and the establishment of the Dutch Republic. The war ended with the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
The Second World War has taught the world many lessons, and one of them is how deadly and dangerous atomic bombs can be. Such weapons were used by the US military against Japan, demolishing two cities in the Asian country. To add insult to injury, we must remember that the atomic bombs that exist nowadays are literally thousands of times more powerful. In other words, fostering diplomatic relations and positive feelings of love, respect, and empathy for one another is crucial, and we all should practice them, regardless if we’re in the army or not.
