1000 years of warfare from the Viking invasion to cyberwarfare

‘Pray don’t let it be me,’ thinks the soldier, ‘please don’t let it be me—or if it is, make it quick. Don’t let something be torn off followed by searing agony.’

No soldier wants to die listening to his own screams as his blood ebbs away in the dirt. That is a cruel end, likely to make his brothers-in-arms throw down their weapons and flee in blind terror. In some instances, though, death is preferable if it means not being dragged off and having your still-beating heart torn from your chest. Never listen to the cacophony of war, only listen for orders and press on, no matter what happens.

The second millennium of mankind has been characterised by almost incessant warfare somewhere on the face of the globe. Battles That Changed the World serves as a snapshot of the development of warfare over the past 1,000 years, illustrating the bravery and suffering mankind has inflicted upon itself in developing what we call the ‘Art of War’.

Here military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones selects twenty battles that illustrate the changing face of warfare over the past thousand years—from the Viking shield wall to long bows and knights, the emergence of gunpowder and finally the long-range faceless warfare of today. This is a look at the killing game and its devastating impact.