Battles That Changed History

Millions of people have died in battles throughout mankind’s history, most of which have been forgotten by all but a few historians. However, the names of some battles stand out – names such as Cannae, the Spanish Armada, Waterloo, Gettysburg and Stalingrad. Battles that Changed History offers 47 key battles that helped shape the world’s social and political development.

The book features many famous and decisive battles, such as Alesia (52 BC), where Gaius Julius Caesar’s Roman forces successfully besieged and defeated Vercingetorix’s larger Gaul army to seal the conquest of Gaul; Agincourt (1415), where the numerically superior and heavily armoured French knights were decisively defeated by English King Henry V’s smaller force of longbowmen; the epic three-day battle of Gettysburg (1863), where General Lee’s Confederate invasion force suffered irreplaceable losses at the hands of General Meade’s Union forces; and the battle of Stalingrad (1942), where the Red Army repelled then encircled and annihilated the German Sixth Army, marking the turning point on the Eastern Front.

Each battle includes a concise account of the action, with a broader introductory context and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially-commissioned colour map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader easily grasp the decisive points of the battle. With full-colour maps of each battle and boxes containing key items of information, each volume provides an attractive, informative and easily-accessible guide to the key battles that helped shape the world we live in.