Neil Rennoldson editor successively of Arquesbusier (journal of the pike and shot society) and Hobilar (journal of the lance and longbow society) sometimes used his editorials to review centenaries and anniversaries in a bid to inspire articles written by members.
Looking back through history at the numerous wars and battles fought has two impacts on me. The sheer number of events that occurred and have been recorded and then what a distraction they can be from my current wargame projects.
I will start this post with a reflection. The first two decades of the 21st century have seen multi century anniversaries.
War of the Spanish Succession
Great Northern War
War of the Quadruple Alliance
War of the League of Cambrai
Jacobite Rebellion
The Ottoman Venetian war
Numerous Anglo Norman (1202) Anglo French (1214) wars not to mention Anglo Scottish (1400-1420) Anglo Welsh (1211) wars. Plus the Barons War (1215-1217 – Magna Carta and all that)
Then there have been the Polish Teutonic wars (1409-1411) and the Umayyad wars in Iberia and eastern Mediterranean (700-718).
I should say that my reflections only concern European and Middle Eastern history including those lands bordering the Mediterranean and Black seas during the period 3000BC to the early 1700’s.
Turning to earlier times things seemed a lot quieter although I would single out 400-419 AD as one of immense change for the Western Roman Empire as the Suevi, Alans, Vandals and Visigoths swept across Gaul and Italy sacking Rome in the process and drawing away the last great roman armies of fortress Britain.
I might also mention some of the battles from the medieval and early modern periods like Clontarf 1014, Bouvines 1214, Morgarten 1315, Agincourt 1415, Ravenna 1512, Novara 1513, Flodden 1513, while in the east the Umayyad siege of Constantinople in 717/18.
That’s an impressive list so what do the roaring 20’s promise the historical gamer looking for inspiration, or simply a backdrop to the next wargames project?
War in the “roaring 20’s”
In my preferred periods in question not a lot jumps out prior to 1550BC so here are some that caught my eye since then.
Egyptians conquer the Hyksos 1523-1517
Nubian Campaigns of Thutmose III 1429-1428
First Messenia War with Sparta 740-720BC
Nubian conquest of Egypt 732-721BC
Colchis – Scythian War 725BC
Revolt of Babylon against the Neo Assyrians 626BC
Peloponnesian War 431-404BC
2nd Samian War with Rome 327-304BC
Lamian War with Macedon 323BC
Barcid conquest of Hispania 237-219BC
Greco Bactrian wars of Diodotus II and Euthydemus I 230-220BC
Cloemenean War 229-222BC
Gallic wars with Rome 225- 222BC
Greek Lyttian War 220BC
Rome defeats the pirates of the Balearics 123 – 121BC
Jurgurthen War with Rome 122-105BC
Cantabrian Wars with Rome 29-19BC
Tacfarina Numidia Rebellion from Rome 17-24AD
Constantine versus Licinius 314-324AD
Roman Sassanian Wars 421-422AD
Now for some battle anniversaries coming up this decade
320’s – Chrysopolis
420’s – Aetius and the Visigoths (426) and Franks (428)
520’s – Vezeronce
620’s – Siege of Constantiploe and Nineveh (Byzantine/Sassanid)
720’s – Toulouse and Ravenna
820’s – Ellendun (Mercia/Wessex)
920’s – Battle of the Highlands 926(Bosnia and Bulgaria)
1020’s – Shirimni & Svindux (Byzantine/Georgian) and Lemnos (Byzantine/Rus)
1120’s – Didgori(Tbilisi)(Georgian/SeljukTurks),
1220’s – Lihula, Trebizond, Estonia
1320’s – Boroughbridge, Muldorf, Zuppolino, Cassel
1420’s – Hussite Wars, Arbedo, L’Aquila, Zagonara, Maclodio, Patay, French recovery in the Hundred Years War
1520’s – Belgrade, Bicocca, Frakenhause Peasant War, Pavia, Mohacs, Vienne, Siege of Florence
1620’s – White Mountain and the Thirty Years War, Cossack Raid on Istanbul, Cecora, and Ottoman Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth Wars
1720’s – Russo Swedish Naval War and Russo Persian War
The 1720’s look a bit empty after the numerous wars of the first two decades of the 1700’s. Elsewhere the decisive battles are Pavia, Mohacs, White Mountain and Nineveh.
One stand out battle anniversary for 2020 has to be White Mountain. The 400th anniversary of the battle between the Empire and Bohemia was one of the most significant in the wars that lasted from 1618 until 1648. The only rub is that my pike and shot armies have never got going so I would need a miracle to field the armies by the anniversary day in November.
So plenty to go at if my current interest in Normans and Saxons takes a wrong turn.
The Wargaming Erratic 