This is a list of known wars, conflicts, battles/sieges, missions and operations involving ancient Greek city states and kingdoms, Magna Graecia, other Greek colonies (First Greek colonisation, Second Greek colonisation, Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea, Greeks in pre-Roman Gaul, Greeks in Egypt, Greeks in Syria, Greeks in Malta), Greek Kingdoms of Hellenistic period, Indo-Greek Kingdom, Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Byzantine Empire/ Byzantine Greeks, Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire, Kingdom of Greece and Greece between 3000 BC and the present day.
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Trojan War | ca. 1194 BCE or between 1260 BCE | ca. 1199 BCE and 1240 BCE | No one knows exactly the years the war took place. 1260 and 1240 BCE. The Greek poet Homer wrote about this war in his epic poem Iliad. |
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Dorian invasion | ? | ? | This is when the mysterious Dorians invaded Greece. This is why it is named Dorian invasion. They still don't know what the Dorians' real name is. This is not classified as a war but it was still important in the Greeks' history. |
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Battle/siege | Year of battle/ siege |
---|---|---|---|---|
First Messenian War | 743 BCE | 724 BCE | ||
Lelantine War | 710 BCE | 650 BCE | ||
690 BCE (?) | 670 BCE (?) | |||
Second Messenian War | 685 BCE | 668 BCE | Battle of Deres | |
Battle of the Great Foss | 682 BCE | |||
Argos against the Sparta | Battle of Hysiae | 669 BC | ||
Greco-Punic Wars | 600 BCE | 307 BCE | ||
First Sacred War | 595 BCE | 585 BCE | Siege of Kirrha | 585 BC |
Arcadia against the Sparta | Battle of the Fetters | 550 BC | ||
Argos against the Sparta | Battle of Champions/ Battle of Thyrea | 546 BC | ||
Battle of Pallene | 546 BC | |||
Battle of Alalia | Sometime between 540 BC and 535 BC |
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Name of conflict | Start of the conflict | Finish of the conflict | Battle/siege | Years of battle / siege |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greco-Persian Wars/ Persian Wars | 499 BCE | 449 BCE | Siege of Naxos | 499 BCE | |||
Ionian Revolt | 499 BCE | 488 BCE | Siege of Sardis | 498 BCE | |||
Battle of Ephesus | 498 BCE | ||||||
Revolts at Cyprus | 498 BCE - 497 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Marsyas | 496 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Labraunda | 496 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Pedasus | 496 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Lade | 494 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Miletus | 494 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Chios | 493 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Malene | 493 BCE | ||||||
First Persian invasion of Greece | 492 BCE | 490 BCE | Siege of Lindos | 490 BCE | |||
Siege of Naxos | 490 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Karystos | 490 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Eretria | 490 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Marathon | 490 BCE | ||||||
Second Persian invasion of Greece | 480 BCE | 479 BCE | Battle of Thermopylae | 480 BCE | |||
Battle of Artemisium | 480 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Salamis | 480 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Potidea | 480 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Olynthus | 479 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Plataea | 479 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Mycale | 479 BCE | ||||||
Greek counterattack | 479 BCE | 478 BCE | Siege of Sestos | 479 BC-478 BCE | |||
Siege of Byzantium | 478 BCE | ||||||
Delian League against Persian Empire (Wars of the Delian League) | 477 BCE | 449 BCE | Siege of Eion | 477 BCE–476 BCE or 476 BCE–475 BCE | |||
Battle of the Eurymedon | 466 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Papremis | 460 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Memphis | 455 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Prosopitis | |||||||
Battle of Mendesium | |||||||
Siege of Kition | |||||||
Battle of Salamis (Cyprus) | 450 BCE | ||||||
Greco-Punic Wars | 600 BCE | 307 BCE | First Sicilian War | 480 BCE | 480 BCE | Battle of Himera | 480 BCE |
Second Sicilian War | 410 BCE | 340 BCE | Battle of Selinus | 409 BCE | |||
Second Battle of Himera | 409 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Akragas | 406 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Gela | 405 BCE | ||||||
Sack of Camarina | 405 BCE | ||||||
Delian League against Greek states (Wars of the Delian League) (Before the First Peloponnesian War) | 476 BCE | 460 BCE | Attack in the island of Skyros | 476 BCE or 475 BCE | |||
Attack in the island of Naxos | 471 BCE | ||||||
Thasian rebellion | 465 BCE | 465 BCE | Siege of Thasos | 465 BCE | |||
Battle of Sepeia | 494 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Cumae | 474 BCE | ||||||
First Peloponnesian War | 460 BCE | 445 BCE | Battle of Aegina | 458 BCE | |||
Battle of Tanagra | 457 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Oenophyta | 457 BCE | ||||||
Second Sacred War | 449 BCE | 448 BCE | Battle of Delphi | ||||
Battle of Coronea | 447 BCE | ||||||
Samian War | 440 BCE | 439 BCE | |||||
Battles which led to the Peloponnesian War | Battle of Sybota | 433 BCE | |||||
Battle of Potidaea | 432 BCE | ||||||
Peloponnesian War | 431 BCE | 404 BCE | Archidamian War | 431 BCE | 421 BCE | Battle of Spartolos | 429 BCE |
Siege of Plataea | 429 BC-427 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Naupactus | 429 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Rhium/ Battle of Chalcis | 429 BCE | ||||||
Mytilenean revolt | 428 BC-427 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Tanagra | 426 BCE | ||||||
Aetolian campaign | 426 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Olpae | 426 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Idomene | 426 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Delium | 424 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Megara | 424 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Pylos | 425 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Sphacteria | 425 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Amphipolis | 422 BCE | ||||||
The years after the "Peace of Nicias" | 420 BCE | 414 BCE | Battle of Mantinea | 418 BCE | |||
Battle of Hysiae | 417 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Orneae | 417 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Melos | 416 BCE | ||||||
Sicilian Expedition | 415 BCE | 413 BCE | Attack on Hyccara | 415 BCE | |||
Battle of Syracuse | 415 BCE-413 BCE | ||||||
Decelean War / Ionian War | 413 BCE | 404 BCE | Siege of Miletus | 412 BCE | |||
Battle of Panormus | 412 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Miletus | 412 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Eretria | 411 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Syme | 411 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Cynossema | 411 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Cyzicus | 410 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Abydos | 410 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Chalcedon | 408 BCE | ||||||
Siege of Byzantium | 408 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Notium | 407 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Mytilene | 406 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Notium/Ephesus | 406 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Arginusae | 406 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Aegospotami | 405 BCE | ||||||
Phyle Campaign | 404 BCE | 403 BCE | Battle of Phyle | 404 BCE or 403 BCE | |||
Battle of Munichia | 404 BCE or 403 BCE | ||||||
Battle of Piraeus | 403 BCE | ||||||
Elean War | c. 401 BC | c.400 BC |
Notes | Battle | Year of battle |
---|---|---|
In the battles was not a Greek State, but a large army of Greek mercenaries that helped the Cyrus the Younger. Xenophon wrote about this army of Greek mercenaries, in his work Anabasis. | Battle of Cunaxa | 401 BCE |
Battles between the Ten Thousand and the Persian army during their route back to Greece. | 401 - 399 BCE |
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Name of conflict | Start of the conflict | Finish of the conflict | Battle/siege | Year of battle |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greco-Punic Wars | 600 BC | 307 BC | Second Sicilian War | 410 BC | 340 BC | Siege of Motya | 398 BC |
Siege of Segesta | 398 or 397 BC | ||||||
Battle of Messene | 397 BC | ||||||
Battle of Catana | 397 BC | ||||||
Siege of Syracuse | 397 BC | ||||||
Siege of Tauromenium | 394 BC | ||||||
Battle of Abacaenum | 393 BC | ||||||
Battle of Chrysas | 392 BC | ||||||
Battle of Cabala | any year from 378 BC to 375 BC | ||||||
Battle of Cronium | 374 BC | ||||||
Siege of Syracuse | 343 BC | ||||||
Battle of the Crimissus | 339 BC | ||||||
Spartan-Persian War | c.400 BC | 394 BC | Battle of Sardis | 395 BC | |||
Corinthian War | 395 BC | 386 BC | Battle of Haliartus | 395 BC | |||
Battle of Coronea | 394 BC | ||||||
Battle of Cnidus | 394 BC | ||||||
Battle of Nemea | 394 BC | ||||||
Battle of Lechaeum | 391 BC | ||||||
Bosporan–Sindian War | 389 BC | 380 BC | |||||
Bosporan–Heracleote War | 389 BC | 360 BC | |||||
Dionysius I of Syracuse battles | Battle of the Elleporus | 389 BC | |||||
Siege of Rhegium | 386 BC | ||||||
Boeotian War | 378 BC | 371 BC | Battle of Naxos | 376 BC | |||
Battle of Tegyra | 375 BC | ||||||
Theban hegemony | 371 BC | 362 BC | Battle of Leuctra | 371 BC | |||
Battle of Cynoscephalae | 364 BC | ||||||
Battle of Mantinea | 362 BC | ||||||
Philip's II campaigns | 359 BC | 338 BC | Battle of Methone | 359 BC | |||
Battle of Erigon Valley | 358 BC | ||||||
Third Sacred War | 356 BC | 346 BC | Battle of Crocus Field | 352 BC | |||
Siege of Amphipolis | 357 BC | ||||||
Siege of Pydna | 357 BC or 356 BC | ||||||
Siege of Potidea | 356 BC | ||||||
Siege of Methone | 355–354 BC or 354–353 BC | ||||||
Olynthian War | 349 BC | 348 BC | |||||
Siege of Perinthos | 340 BC-339 BC | ||||||
Siege of Byzantion | 340 BC-339 BC | ||||||
Fourth Sacred War | 339 BC | 338 BC | Battle of Chaeronea | 338 BC | |||
Social War | 357 BC | 355 BC | Battle of Embata | 356 BC | |||
Third Sacred War | 356 BC | 346 BC | Battle of Delphi | 355 BC | |||
Battle of Neon | 354 BC | ||||||
Battle of Crocus Field / Volo | 352 BC | ||||||
Battle of Tamynae | 354 BC or 350 BC | ||||||
Battle of Thermopylae | 352 BC | ||||||
Foreign War | 346 BC | 343 BC | Siege of Lyttos | 346 BC | |||
Siege of Kydonia | 343 BC | ||||||
Alexander the Great's Balkan campaign | 335 BC | 335 BC | Siege of Pelium | 335 BC | |||
Battle of Thebes | 335 BC | ||||||
Alexander the Great's campaign in Asia | 334 BC | 323 BC | Persian Empire campaign | Battle of the Granicus | 334 BC | ||
Siege of Miletus | 334 BC | ||||||
Siege of Halicarnassus | 334 BC | ||||||
Battle of Issus | 333 BC | ||||||
Siege of Tyre | 332 BC | ||||||
Siege of Gaza | 332 BC | ||||||
Battle of Gaugamela | 331 BC | ||||||
Battle of the Persian Gate | 331 BC | ||||||
Battle of Jaxartes | 329 BC | ||||||
Battle of Gabai | 328 BC | ||||||
Siege of Sogdian Rock | 327 BC | ||||||
Indian campaign | Cophen Campaign | 327 BC-326 BC | |||||
Siege of Aornos | 326 BC | ||||||
Battle of the Hydaspes | 326 BC | ||||||
Mallian Campaign | 326 BC-325 BC | ||||||
Sparta against Alexander the Great regent Antipater | Battle of Megalopolis | 331 BC | |||||
Epirus against Italian tribes | Battle of Pandosia | 331 BC |
( * ) The Greek Kingdom of Pergamon helped the Roman Republic.
Byzantine Greece, Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire (Empire of Trebizond, Despotate of Epirus, Despotate of the Morea, Empire of Nicaea, Empire of Thessalonica, Principality of Theodoro), and Frankokratia (after 1204, when Crusader states were established on the territory of the dissolved Byzantine Empire).
In 330 the Emperor Constantine the Great changed the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople. Greek population was part of the Empire and the Eastern part of the Roman Empire was already heavily Hellenized and Emperor Heraclius completed the Hellenization (replaced Latin with Greek as the official language, etc.) of the Byzantine Empire.
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Name of conflict | Start of the conflict | Finish of the conflict | Battle/ Siege | Years Of Battle/ Siege |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Samaritan Revolts | 484 | 572 | |||||
Byzantine–Sasanian wars | 421 | 628 | War of 421–422 | 421 | 422 | ||
War of 440 | 440 | 440 | |||||
Anastasian War | 502 | 506 | |||||
Iberian War | 526 | 532 | Battle of Dara | 530 | |||
Battle of Callinicum | 531 | ||||||
Lazic War | 541 | 562 | |||||
War of 572–591 | 572 | 592 | Battle of Solachon | 586 | |||
Battle of Martyropolis | 588 | ||||||
Battle of Blarathon | 592 | ||||||
War of 602–628 | 602 | 628 | Battle of Antioch | 613 | |||
Jewish revolt | 614-628 | ||||||
Siege of Constantinople | 626 | ||||||
Battle of Nineveh | 627 | ||||||
Nika riots | 532 | 532 | |||||
Vandalic War | 533 | 534 | Battle of Ad Decimum | 533 | |||
Battle of Tricamarum | 533 | ||||||
Gothic War | 535 | 554 | Battle of Taginae | 552 | |||
Battle of Mons Lactarius | 553 |
In 620, the Heraclius introduced Greek as the official language of the Empire. He also, adopted the Greek title of Basileus instead of the Latin Caesar, Augustus, or Imperator.
( * ) Greeks helped the Christian armies.
( ** ) Greeks helped the Russian army.
In 1460 the Ottomans conquered the Despotate of the Morea, in 1461 the Empire of Trebizond (the Akcakale castle captured by the Turks in 1467 though), in 1475 the Principality of Theodoro, in 1479 the Despotate of Epirus and by 1500 most of the plains and islands were in Ottoman hands. Holdouts included Rhodes, conquered in 1522, Cyprus in 1571, Crete, retained by the Venetians until 1669, and the Ionian islands which remained primarily under the rule of the Republic of Venice.
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Name of conflict | Start of the conflict | Finish of the conflict | Battle/siege | Years of Battle / siege |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ottoman–Venetian Wars * | 1463 | 1718 | First Ottoman–Venetian War | 1463 | 1479 | ||
Fourth Ottoman–Venetian War | 1570 | 1573 | Battle of Lepanto | 1571 | |||
Fifth Ottoman–Venetian War / Cretan War | 1645 | 1669 | |||||
Sixth Ottoman–Venetian War / Morean War | 1684 | 1699 | |||||
Siege of Rhodes * | 1522 | 1522 | |||||
Revolts at Vonitsa and Epirus | 1585 | 1585 | |||||
Himara Revolt | 1596 | 1596 | |||||
Thessaly Revolt | 1600 | 1600 | |||||
Revolt of Dionysius the Philosopher | 1611 | 1611 | |||||
Russo-Turkish War ** | 1768 | 1774 | Orlov Revolt | 1770 | 1770 | Battle of Chesma | 1770 |
Revolt of Daskalogiannis | 1770 | 1770 | |||||
Naval battles between Lambros Katsonis fleet and Ottoman Empire's fleet. | 1778 | 1790 | |||||
Ottoman invasion of Mani | 1780 | 1780 | Siege of Grigorakos tower | 1780 | |||
Battle of Vromopigada | 1780 | ||||||
Siege of Kastania | 1780 |
The Kingdom of Greece established in 1832.
( * ) Greeks helped the Russian army.
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Name of conflict | Start of the conflict | Finish of the conflict | Battle/ Siege | Years Of Battle/ Siege |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1841 | 1841 | |||||
Crimean War * | 1853 | 1856 | Siege of Sevastopol | 1854-1855 | |||
Battle of Eupatoria | 1855 | ||||||
Revolts in Thessaly, Macedonia and Epirus against Ottoman Empire | 1854 | 1854 | Battle of Filiadona | 1854 | |||
Battle of Melissatika | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of the gardens of Ano Volos | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of Fyllouria | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of Sphlaio | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of Pedino | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of Dhmario | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of Skoulhkaria | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of Domokos | 1854 | ||||||
Battle of Thaumako | 1854 | ||||||
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1858 | 1858 | |||||
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1866 | 1869 | |||||
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1878 | 1878 | |||||
Revolts in Thessaly, Macedonia and Epirus against Ottoman Empire | 1878 | 1878 | Epirus Revolt | 1878 | 1878 | Revolt of Tzoumerka | 1878 |
Revolt of Valtos | 1878 | ||||||
Revolt of Radovitsi | 1878 | ||||||
Revolt of Arta | 1878 | ||||||
Battle of Lykoursi | 1878 | ||||||
Thessaly Revolt | 1878 | 1878 | Battle of Kato Moni Ksenias | 1878 | |||
Battle of Palio Platano | 1878 | ||||||
Battle of souvria | 1878 | ||||||
First Battle of Makrinitsa | 1878 | ||||||
Second Battle of Makrinitsa | 1878 | ||||||
Battle of Kedros | 1878 | ||||||
Battle of Sekliza | 1878 | ||||||
Battle of Mataragka | 1878 | ||||||
Battle of Mouzaki | 1878 | ||||||
Macedonian Revolt | 1878 | 1878 | |||||
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1885 | 1885 | |||||
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1888 | 1888 | |||||
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1889 | 1889 | |||||
Cretan Revolt against Ottoman Empire | 1895 | 1896 | |||||
Greco-Turkish War | 1897 | 1897 | Battle of Livadeia, Crete | 1897 | |||
Battle of Tyrnavos | 1897 | ||||||
Battle of Farsala | 1897 | ||||||
Battle of Domokos | 1897 | ||||||
Cretan Revolt (1897–1898) | 1897 | 1898 |
( * ) Greece officially entered World War I in 1917.
( * ) Greece entered the World War II at 1940.
There were fights between Greeks before 1946, but these were the prelude and not officially the start of the civil war
War | Start of the war | Finish of the war | Battle | Year Of Battle |
---|---|---|---|---|
Greek Civil War | 1946 | 1949 | Battle of Litochoro | 1946 |
Battle of Karditsa | 1948 | |||
Battle of Sofades | 1948 | |||
Battle of Edessa | 1948 | |||
Battle of Naousa | 1948 | |||
Battle of Ardea | 1948 | |||
Battle of Naousa | 1949 | |||
Battle of Karpenisi | 1949 | |||
Battle of Leonidio | 1949 | |||
Battle of Agios Vasilios of Cynuria | 1949 | |||
Battle of Florina | 1949 | |||
Battle of Tsarnos line | 1949 | |||
Battle of Vitsi | 1949 | |||
Battle of Grammos | 1949 |
( * ) Greece didn't participate at the battles and didn't declare war on Turkey, only some Greek units participated.
War/Mission | Start of the war/mission | Finish of the war/mission | Force | Start operating of the force | Finish operating of the force | Battle | Year Of Battle |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Korean War | 1950 | 1953 | Greek Expeditionary Force in Korea (EKSE) | 1950 | 1958 | Battle of Chosin Reservoir | 1950 |
First Battle of Wonju | 1951 | ||||||
Second Battle of Wonju | 1951 | ||||||
Battle of Hill 381 in Icheon | 1951 | ||||||
Battle of Hill 326 | 1951 | ||||||
Battle of Hill 313 in Yeoncheon (Scotch Hill) | 1951 | ||||||
Battle of Nori Hill | 1952 | ||||||
Sieges of Outpost Harry | 1953 | ||||||
Battle of Bukjeong Pass | 1953 | ||||||
CONGO-UNIKOM | 1960 | 1961 | Air Task Force of Congo | ||||
Turkish invasion of Cyprus * | 1974 | 1974 | Greek Force of Cyprus (ELDYK) | 1959 | Present | Battle of Paphos | 1974 |
Attacks against the area of Kioneli | 1974 | ||||||
Battle of the ELDYK camp | 1974 | ||||||
Battle of Nicosia International Airport | 1974 | ||||||
Battle of Lapithos | 1974 | ||||||
Battle of Karava | 1974 | ||||||
Battle of Vasilia Passage | 1974 | ||||||
Battle of the English College | 1974 | ||||||
Battle of the ELDYK camp | 1974 |
( * ) If the Greek force had/have a specific name.
The Greek forces had/have mostly peacekeeping, humanitarian, logistics, reconstruction and support role
War/Mission | Start of the war/mission | Finish of the war/mission | Name of the International Force | Start operating of the force | Finish operating of the force | Name of the Greek Force * | Start operating of the force | Finish operating of the force | Operation | Start | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gulf War | 1990 | 1991 | |||||||||
United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) | 1991 | 2003 | |||||||||
United Nations Guards Contingent in Iraq (UNGCI) | 1991 | 2003 | |||||||||
NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1992 | 2004 | Implementation Force (IFOR) | 1995 | 1996 | Greek Force in Bosnia (ELDYB) | 1995 | 2004 | Operation Joint Endeavour | 1995 | 1996 |
Stabilisation Force (SFOR) | 1996 | 2004 | Greek Force in Bosnia (ELDYB) | 1995 | 2004 | Operation Joint Guard | 1996 | 1998 | |||
Operation Joint Forge | 1998 | 2004 | |||||||||
United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) | 1993 | 1995 | Unified Task Force (UNITAF) | 1993 | 1994 | Greek Task Force of Somalia (ELLASOM) | 1993 | 1994 | |||
Rebellion in Albania | 1997 | 1997 | Operation Kosmas | 1997 | 1997 | ||||||
Greek Force in Albania (ELDAL) | 1997 | 1997 | Operation Alba | 1997 | 1997 | ||||||
United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) | 1999 | 2011 | |||||||||
Peacekeeping operation in Kosovo after Kosovo War | 1999 | Present | Kosovo Force (KFOR) | 1999 | Present | Greek Force in Kosovo (ELDYKO) | 1999 | 2003 |
( * ) If the Greek force had/have a specific name.
( ** ) Operations started in the 20th century but continuing into the 21st century are listed in both centuries.
( *** ) ISAF was in Afghanistan from 2001–2014, but ELDAF-TESAF was from 2002-2012. Some trainers of the Hellenic Air Force who are training Afghanese pilots stayed there longer than the ELDAF-TESAF. RSM was in Afghanistan from 2015-2021.
( **** ) The Greek Forces in Afghanistan was named ELDAF until 2005 and later they renamed to TESAF.
( ***** ) The Maritime Task Force (MTF) is the naval component of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
The Greek forces had/have mostly peacekeeping, humanitarian, logistics, reconstruction and support role.
War/ Mission | Start of the war/mission | Finish of the war/mission | Name of the International Force | Start operating of the force | Finish operating of the force | Name of the Greek Force * | Start operating of the force | Finish operating of the force | Operation | Start | Finish | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) ** | 1991 | 2003 | Victory | |||||||||
United Nations Guards Contingent in Iraq (UNGCI) ** | 1991 | 2003 | Victory | |||||||||
NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina ** | 1992 | 2004 | Stabilisation Force (SFOR) | 1996 | 2004 | Greek Force in Bosnia (ELDYB) | 1995 | 2004 | Operation Joint Forge | 1998 | 2004 | Victory |
United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) ** | 1999 | 2011 | Operation Artemis | 2003 | 2003 | Victory | ||||||
Peacekeeping operation in Kosovo after Kosovo War ** | 1999 | Present | Kosovo Force (KFOR) | 1999 | Present | Greek Force in Kosovo (ELDYKO) | 1999 | 2003 | Ongoing | |||
Greek Force in Kosovo-2 (ELDYKO-2) | 2003 | 2011 | ||||||||||
Greek Force in Kosovo-3 (ELDYKO-3) | 2011 | Present | ||||||||||
Insurgency in North Macedonia and missions in North Macedonia | 2001 | 2003 | Greek Force in Skopje (ELDYS) | 2001 | 2003 | Operation Essential Harvest | 2001 | 2001 | Victory
| |||
Operation Amber Fox | 2001 | 2002 | ||||||||||
Operation Allied Harmony | 2002 | 2003 | ||||||||||
Operation Concordia | 2003 | 2003 | ||||||||||
War in Afghanistan | 2001 | 2021 | International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Resolute Support Mission (RSM) *** | 2001 | 2021 | Greek Force in Afghanistan (ELDAF) *** / **** | 2002 | 2005 | Defeat
| |||
Special Composition Battalion in Afghanistan (TESAF) *** / **** | 2005 | 2012 | ||||||||||
Operation Active Endeavour | 2001 | 2016 | Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED or SNFM) | 1992 | 2004 | Victory | ||||||
Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) | 2005 | 2016 | ||||||||||
Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa | 2002 | Present | Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) | 2005 | Present | Operation Ocean Shield | 2009 | 2016 | Ongoing | |||
United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) | 2005 | 2011 | Victory | |||||||||
Missions in Lebanon | 2006 | Present | Maritime Task Force (MTF) ***** | 2006 | Present | Ongoing | ||||||
Military intervention in Libya | 2011 | 2011 | Operation Unified Protector | 2011 | 2011 | Victory | ||||||
American-led intervention in Iraq against ISIS | 2014 | present | Ongoing | |||||||||
Operation Irini | 2020 | present | Ongoing | |||||||||
Operation Prosperity Guardian | 2023 | present | Ongoing | |||||||||
Operation Aspides | 2023 | present | Ongoing |
The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid Sultanate. However, a sequence of economic and political events culminated in the Crusader army's 1202 siege of Zara and the 1204 sack of Constantinople, rather than the conquest of Egypt as originally planned. This led to the Partitio terrarum imperii Romaniae or the partition of the Byzantine Empire by the Crusaders and their Venetian allies leading to a period known as Frankokratia, or "Rule of the Franks" in Greek.
When the Roman Empire divided into east and west in 395, the territories of modern Albania became a part of the Byzantine Empire. At the end of the 12th century, the Principality of Arbanon was formed which lasted until mid 13th century, after its dissolution it was followed with the creation of the Albanian Kingdom after an alliance between the Albanian noblemen and Angevin dynasty. After a war against the Byzantine empire led the kingdom occasionally decrease in size until the Angevins eventually lost their rule in Albania and led the territory ruled by several different Albanian chieftains until the mid 14th century which for a short period of time were conquered by the short-lived empire of Serbia. After its fall in 1355 several chieftains regained their rule and significantly expanded until the arrival of the Ottomans after the Battle of Savra.
The Empire of Nicaea or the Nicene Empire was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek rump states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled when Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian armed forces during the Fourth Crusade, a military event known as the Sack of Constantinople. Like the other Byzantine rump states that formed due to the 1204 fracturing of the empire, such as the Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus, it was a continuation of the eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived well into the Middle Ages. A fourth state, known in historiography as the Latin Empire, was established by an army of Crusaders and the Republic of Venice after the capture of Constantinople and the surrounding environs.
The Principality of Achaea or Principality of Morea was one of the vassal states of the Latin Empire, which replaced the Byzantine Empire after the capture of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. It became a vassal of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, along with the Duchy of Athens, until Thessalonica was captured by Epirus in 1224. After this, Achaea became the dominant power in Greece, lasting continuously for 227 years and cumulatively for 229.
Morea was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman Empire for the Morea Eyalet, and later by the Republic of Venice for the short-lived Kingdom of the Morea.
Byzantine Greece has a history that mainly coincides with that of the Byzantine Empire itself.
The Despotate of Epirus was one of the Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire established in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 by a branch of the Angelos dynasty. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire during the subsequent struggle for Constantinople, along with the Empire of Nicaea and the Empire of Trebizond; its rulers briefly proclaiming themselves as Emperors in 1227–1242. The term "Despotate of Epirus" is, like "Byzantine Empire" itself, a modern historiographic convention and not a name in use at the time.
The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century. The empire consisted of the Pontus, or far northeastern corner of Anatolia, and portions of southern Crimea.
Medieval Greece refers to geographic components of the area historically and modernly known as Greece, during the Middle Ages.
The Despotate of the Morea or Despotate of Mystras was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. Its territory varied in size during its existence but eventually grew to include almost all the southern Greek peninsula now known as the Peloponnese, which was known as the Morea during the medieval and early modern periods. The territory was usually ruled by one or more sons of the current Byzantine emperor, who were given the title of despotes. Its capital was the fortified city of Mystras, near ancient Sparta, which became an important centre of the Palaiologan Renaissance.
Thomas Palaiologos was Despot of the Morea from 1428 until the fall of the despotate in 1460, although he continued to claim the title until his death five years later. He was the younger brother of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the final Byzantine emperor. Thomas was appointed as Despot of the Morea by his oldest brother, Emperor John VIII Palaiologos, in 1428, joining his two brothers and other despots Theodore and Constantine, already governing the Morea. Though Theodore proved reluctant to cooperate with his brothers, Thomas and Constantine successfully worked to strengthen the despotate and expand its borders. In 1432, Thomas brought the remaining territories of the Latin Principality of Achaea, established during the Fourth Crusade more than two hundred years earlier, into Byzantine hands by marrying Catherine Zaccaria, heiress to the principality.
The Battle of the Olive Grove of Kountouras took place in the summer of 1205, in Messenia in the Morea peninsula, between the Frankish Crusaders and the local Byzantine Greeks, resulting in a victory of the Franks and the collapse of the local resistance.
The Frankokratia, also known as Latinokratia and, for the Venetian domains, Venetokratia or Enetokratia, was the period in Greek history after the Fourth Crusade (1204), when a number of primarily French and Italian states were established by the Partitio terrarum imperii Romaniae on the territory of the dismantled Byzantine Empire.
The Despotate of Arta was a despotate established by Albanian rulers during the 14th century, after the defeat of the local Despot of Epirus, Nikephoros II Orsini, by Albanian tribesmen in the Battle of Achelous in 1359. The Despotate ceased to exist in 1416, when it passed to Carlo I Tocco.
The First Ottoman–Venetian War was fought between the Republic of Venice with its allies and the Ottoman Empire from 1463 to 1479. Fought shortly after the capture of Constantinople and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottomans, it resulted in the loss of several Venetian holdings in Albania and Greece, most importantly the island of Negroponte (Euboea), which had been a Venetian protectorate for centuries. The war also saw the rapid expansion of the Ottoman navy, which became able to challenge the Venetians and the Knights Hospitaller for supremacy in the Aegean Sea. In the closing years of the war, however, the Republic managed to recoup its losses by the de facto acquisition of the Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus.
The Battle of the Echinades was fought in 1427 among the Echinades islands off western Greece between the fleets of Carlo I Tocco and the Byzantine Empire. The battle was a decisive Byzantine victory, the last in the Empire's naval history, and led to the consolidation of the Peloponnese under the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea.
Since its fall, the issue of succession to the Byzantine Empire has been a major point of contention both geopolitically, with different states laying claim to its legacy and inheritance, and among the surviving members of the Byzantine nobility and their descendants. Historically, the most prominent claims have been those of the Ottoman Empire, which conquered Byzantium in 1453 and ruled from its former capital, Constantinople; the Russian Empire, as the most powerful state practising Eastern Orthodox Christianity; and various nobles and figures in Western Europe of increasingly spurious and questionable imperial descent.