This is a list of conflicts involving the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its predecessor states (the Kingdom of Great Britain (and Ireland)). Notable militarised interstate disputes are included. For a list of wars before the Acts of Union 1707 merging the Kingdom of England and Scotland, please see List of wars involving England & List of wars involving Scotland. For a list of wars involving the predecessors of both states and a broader list of wars fought on the Island of Great Britain, see the list of wars in Great Britain. Historically, the United Kingdom relied most heavily on the Royal Navy and maintained relatively small land forces. Most of the episodes listed here deal with insurgencies and revolts in the various colonies of the British Empire. During its history, the United Kingdom's forces (or forces with a British mandate) have invaded, had some control over or fought conflicts in 171 of the world's 193 countries that are currently UN member states, or nine out of ten of all countries. [1]
*e.g. a treaty or peace without a clear result, status quo ante bellum , result of civil or internal conflict, result unknown or indecisive, inconclusive
Conflict | Britain and allies | Britain's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) | Swedish Empire Ottoman Empire | Tsardom of Russia Cossack Hetmanate | Inconclusive for Great Britain
Russian Allied victory:
|
The War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) including | Austria England (Until 1707) | France | British victory
|
Post-Spanish Succession Caribbean Piracy (1715–1726) | Great Britain | Anglo-American-Caribbean privateers Republic of Pirates | British victory Details
|
Civil war: (1715–1716) Jacobite rising of 1715 | Great Britain | Jacobites | British victory Jacobite restoration attempt defeated |
The War of the Quadruple Alliance including
| Holy Roman Empire Great Britain | Spain | British Allied victory:
|
Dummer's War (1721–1725) | New England Colonies Mohawk | Wabanaki Confederacy | British victory
|
The War of Jenkins' Ear (1739–1748) Location: New Granada, Caribbean, Florida, | Great Britain | Spain | Inconclusive/other outcome
|
The War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) including | Austria Great Britain | France Bavaria | French Allied victory in Europe but British victory outside of Europe
|
Civil War: Jacobite rising of 1745 | Great Britain | Jacobites | British victory Jacobite restoration attempt defeated |
Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755) | Great Britain | France Wabanaki Confederacy | British victory |
The Second Carnatic War (1749–1754) | East India Company Forces of Nasir Jang Mir Ahmad | French East India Company Forces of Chanda Shahib Forces of Muhyi ad-Din Muzaffar Jang Hidayat | British Allied victory
|
Seven Years' War (1756–1763) including | Great Britain Prussia | France Holy Roman Empire Saxony | British Allied victory
|
Anglo-Cherokee War (1758–1761) | Great Britain | Cherokee | British victory Pro-British Attakullakulla becomes Cherokee leader |
Tacky's War (1760–1761) | Great Britain Colony of Jamaica Jamaican Maroons | Jamaican Cromanty | British Allied victory
|
Pontiac's Rebellion (1763–1766) | Great Britain | Native American Coalition: | Inconclusive or other outcome
|
First Anglo-Mysore War (1766–1769) | East India Company | Kingdom of Mysore | Mysorean victory Hyderabad cedes territory to Mysore |
First Rohilla War (1773–1774) | Oudh State East India Company | Kingdom of Rohilkhand | British Allied victory |
First Anglo-Maratha War (1774–1783) | East India Company | Maratha Empire | Maratha victory
|
| Great Britain | United States France Spain | Civil War / American Allied victory
|
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780–1783) | Great Britain | Dutch Republic Dutch East India Company France | British victory
|
Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784) | East India Company | Kingdom of Mysore | Inconclusive or other outcome |
Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789–1792) | East India Company | Kingdom of Mysore | British Allied victory
|
War of the First Coalition (1793–1797) | Dutch Republic (until 1795) [15] Great Britain [16] Holy Roman Empire (until 1797) [17]
Papal States (until 1797) [20] | Kingdom of France (until 1792) French Republic (from 1792) French satellites: [22]
| French victory
|
Ibn Ufaisan's Invasion (1793) | Kuwait Great Britain | Emirate of Diriyah | British Allied victory
|
Second Rohilla War (1794) | Oudh State East India Company | Rampur State | British Allied victory |
Fédon's Rebellion (1795–1796) | Great Britain | Grenadan revolutionaries | British victory |
Second Maroon War (1795–1796) | Great Britain British Jamaica | Jamaican Maroons | British victory Maroon defeat
|
Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars (1795–1816) | Burrberongal Tribe Great Britain from 1801: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Dharug Eora Tharawal Gandangara Irish-convict sympathisers | British victory Displacement of Aborigines from their land |
Anglo-Spanish War (1796–1808) Location: Newfoundland, English Channel, | Great Britain from 1801: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Spain French Republic | Inconclusive or other outcome |
Kandyan Wars (1796–1818) | Great Britain from 1801: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Kingdom of Kandy | British victory
|
War of the Second Coalition (1797–1802) | Holy Roman Empire (until 1801) [c] United Kingdom [26] | French Republic Spain French client republics: [32] | French victory Treaty of Lunéville, Treaty of Amiens
|
Irish Rebellion of 1798 (1798) | Great Britain Kingdom of Ireland | Irish Republic United Irishmen Defenders French Republic | British victory
|
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799) | East India Company | Kingdom of Mysore | British Allied victory Complete annexation of Mysore by Britain and allies |
Conflict | Britain and allies | Britain's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Temne War (1801–1807) | United Kingdom | Kingdom of Koya | British Allied victory Northern shore of Sierra Leone ceded by Koya |
Second Anglo-Maratha War (1802–1805) | East India Company | Maratha Empire | British victory Extensive territory in India ceded by the Maratha Empire |
First Kandyan War (1803–1805) | United Kingdom | Kandy | British victory Territory captured from Kandy |
Civil War: Emmet's Insurrection | United Kingdom | Forces of Robert Emmet | British victory Rebellion defeated |
British Expedition to Ceylon (1803) | Dutch Republic United Kingdom | Chiefdom of Vanni Kingdom of Kandy | British Allied victory
|
War of the Third Coalition (1805–1806) | Austrian Empire | French Empire Batavia | French Allied victory
|
War of the Fourth Coalition (1806–1807) | Prussia | French Empire Polish Legions | French Allied victory
|
Ashanti–Fante War (1806–1807) | Ashanti Empire | Fante Confederacy United Kingdom | Dutch victory |
Anglo-Turkish War (1807–1809) | United Kingdom | Ottoman Empire | Turkish victory
|
Gunboat War (1807–1814) | United Kingdom | Denmark–Norway | British victory
|
Anglo-Russian War (1807–1812) | United Kingdom | Russian Empire | Inconclusive or other outcome
|
Peninsular War (1807–1814) | Spain Portugal | French Empire | British Allied victory
|
Travancore Rebellion (1808–1809) | East India Company | Travancore Kingdom of Cochin | British victory |
War of the Fifth Coalition (1809) | Austrian Empire United Kingdom Spain
| French Empire Russian Empire | French Allied victory
|
Persian Gulf campaign of 1809 (1809) | United Kingdom | Al Qasimi | British victory |
4th Xhosa War (1811–1812) | United Kingdom Cape Colony | Xhosa tribes | British victory Xhosa tribes pushed beyond the Fish River, reversing their gains in the previous Xhosa wars |
War of 1812 (1812–1815) | United Kingdom | United States | Inconclusive or other outcome Treaty of Ghent; Status quo ante bellum with no boundary changes
|
War of the Sixth Coalition (1812–1814) | Original Coalition Russian Empire Prussia Austrian Empire United Kingdom Sweden Spain Portugal Two Sicilies Kingdom of Sardinia After Battle of Leipzig | First French Empire Until January 1814
| British Allied victory
|
Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816) | East India Company | Kingdom of Nepal | British victory |
Second Kandyan War (1815) | United Kingdom | Kandy | British victory
|
Hundred Days (1815) War of the Seventh Coalition | United Kingdom Prussia | French Empire | British Allied victory
|
Slachter's Nek Rebellion (1815) | United Kingdom | Boer rebels | British victory |
Bussa's Rebellion (1816) | United Kingdom | Rebel slaves | British victory |
Bombardment of Algiers (1816) | United Kingdom Netherlands | Regency of Algiers | British Allied victory |
Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818) | East India Company | Maratha Empire | British victory Virtually all territory south of the Sutlej River controlled by Britain |
Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) | 1821: Filiki Eteria Greek revolutionaries After 1822: Hellenic Republic Supported by:
| Ottoman Empire | British Allied victory
|
First Ashanti War (1823–1831) | British Empire | Ashanti Empire | Inconclusive or other outcome
|
Bathurst War (1824) | United Kingdom | Wiradjuri | British victory |
First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826) | East India Company Native tribes | Burmese Empire | British Allied victory
|
Siege of Bharatpur (1825–1826) | East India Company | Bharatpur State | British victory |
British attack on Berbera (1827) | United Kingdom | Isaaq Sultanate | British Allied victory
|
Revolt of the Mercenaries (1828) | Brazil United Kingdom France | German Mercenaries Irish Mercenaries | British Allied victory
|
Naning War (1831–1832) | East India Company | Naning | British victory |
Barra War (1831–1832) | United Kingdom | Kingdom of Niumi | Inconclusive or other outcome |
Baptist War (1831–1832) | United Kingdom Colony of Jamaica | Rebel slaves | British victory
|
Battle of Congella (1832) | United Kingdom | Natalia Republic | British victory |
Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (1832–1833) | United Kingdom | United Provinces of the Río de la Plata | British victory
|
First Carlist War (1833–1840) | Forces of Queen Isabella II French Kingdom | Carlists:
| Inconclusive or other outcome
|
Coorg War (1834) | East India Company | Kingdom of Coorg | British victory |
The 6th Xhosa War (1834–1836) | Free Khoikhoi | Xhosa tribes | British victory Extensive territorial gains from Xhosa |
Rebellions of 1837 (1837–1838) | United Kingdom Province of Upper Canada | Patriotes Hunters' Lodges Reform Movement | British victory
|
Pastry War (1838–1839) also known First Franco–Mexican War | France United Kingdom | Mexico | British Victory
|
First Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842) | East India Company Durrani Kingdom Maimana Khanate Khulm (August 1840 for mere days, September 1840-November 1841) Sadozai loyalists | Emirate of Kabul Principality of Qandahar Khanate of Kalat Khulm (August 1840, November 1841 onwards.) Marri Bugti Afghan Tribes Barakzai Loyalists | Barakzai Afghan victory
|
Aden Expedition (1839) | United Kingdom | Lahej | British victory Port of Aden ceded to Britain |
Second Egyptian-Ottoman War (1839–1841) | Ottoman Empire British Empire | Egypt Eyalet Kingdom of the French Spain | British Allied victory
|
First Opium War (1839–1842) | United Kingdom | Qing dynasty | British victory
|
Newport Rising (1839) | United Kingdom | Chartists | British victory |
British Conquest of Sindh (1843) | East India Company | Talpur dynasty | British victory |
Gwalior Campaign (1843) | East India Company | Gwalior State | British victory |
Flagstaff War (1845–1846) | United Kingdom Colony of New Zealand | Māori | Inconclusive or other outcome |
Anglo-French blockade of the Río de la Plata (1845–1850) | British Empire Kingdom of France | Argentine Confederation | Argentine Confederation victory
|
First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–1846) | East India Company Patiala State | Sikh Empire | British Allied victory
|
Hutt Valley Campaign (1846) | United Kingdom Colony of New Zealand | Ngāti Toa | British victory |
The 7th Xhosa War (1846–1847) The War of the Axe | United Kingdom Cape Colony | Xhosa tribes | British victory Territory ceded from Xhosa |
Whanganui Campaign (1847) | United Kingdom Colony of New Zealand | Māori | Inconclusive or other outcome |
Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1901) | Mexico Republic of Yucatán Guatemala United Kingdom British Honduras | Maya | British Allied victory
|
Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–1849) | East India Company | Sikh Empire | British victory Complete annexation of the Punjab by the East India Company |
Battle of Tysami (1849) | United Kingdom | Chui A-poo's pirates | British victory |
Battle of Tonkin River (1849) | United Kingdom Qing dynasty Nguyen dynasty | Shap-ng-tsai's pirates | British Allied victory |
The 8th Xhosa War (1850–1853) Mlanjeni's War | United Kingdom Cape Colony | Xhosa tribes Khoikhoi tribes | British victory Xhosa-Khoi attacks defeated Status quo ante bellum |
Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864) | Qing dynasty France United Kingdom | Taiping Heavenly Kingdom | British Allied victory
|
Eureka Rebellion (1851–1854) | United Kingdom Colony of Victoria | Stockade rebels | British victory |
Reduction of Lagos (1851–1852) | United Kingdom | Lagos | British victory |
Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852–1853) | United Kingdom | Burmese Empire | British victory Burmese revolution ended fighting Lower Burma annexed |
Crimean War (1853–1856) | French Empire United Kingdom | Russian Empire | British Allied victory |
The Battle of Muddy Flat (1854) Part of Taiping Rebellion, but before the British switched sides in (1860). | United Kingdom United States Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Shanghai Volunteer Corps | Qing dynasty (A-Pak Pirate Mercenary Fleet) | British Allied victory
|
Second Opium War (1856–1860) Arrow War | French Empire United States United Kingdom | Qing dynasty | British Allied victory
|
Anglo-Persian War (1856–1857) | Afghanistan | Persia | British Allied victory Persian withdrawal from Herat |
Indian Rebellion of 1857 (1857–1858) | East India Company | Sepoys of the East India Company | British Allied victory Act for the Better Government of India:
|
Invasion of the Waikato (1863–1864) | United Kingdom Colony of New Zealand | Kīngitanga | British victory |
Shimonoseki Campaign (1863–1864) | United Kingdom French Empire Netherlands United States | Chōshū Domain | British Allied victory |
Bombardment of Kagoshima (1863) | United Kingdom | Satsuma Domain | British victory
|
Ambela Campaign (1863–1864) | United Kingdom | State of Swat Yusufzai | British victory |
Tauranga Campaign (1864) | United Kingdom Colony of New Zealand | Tauranga Māori | British victory |
Duar War (1864–1865) | India | Bhutan | British victory |
Fenian Rising (1867) | United Kingdom | Irish Republican Brotherhood Fenian Brotherhood | British victory |
British Expedition to Abyssinia (1867–1868) | United Kingdom | Ethiopia | British victory |
Klang War (1867–1874) Selangor Civil War | Forces of Raja Abdullah of Klang British Straits Settlements | Forces of Raja Mahadi | British Allied victory |
Nukapu Expedition (1871–1872) | United Kingdom | Nukapu natives | British victory |
Bombardment of Omoa (1873) | United Kingdom | Honduras | British victory |
Third Ashanti War (1873–1874) | United Kingdom | Ashanti Empire | British victory Treaty of Fomena:
|
Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880) | India Afzalids | Afghanistan | British-Afzalid victory
|
Anglo-Zulu War (1879) | United Kingdom Natal | Zulu Kingdom | British victory Zululand annexed to Natal |
'Urabi Revolt (1879–1882) | United Kingdom Khedivate of Egypt | Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed 'Urabi | British Allied victory
|
Basuto Gun War (1880–1881) | United Kingdom Cape Colony | Basuto people | Basuto victory
|
First Boer War (1880–1881) | United Kingdom | South African Republic | South African victory
|
Mahdist War (1881–1899) | United Kingdom Italy Ethiopian Empire Congo Free State Egypt | Mahdist State | British allied victory
|
Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885) | United Kingdom | Burmese Empire | British victory Upper Burma annexed to India |
Sikkim Expedition (1888) | India | Tibet | British victory Tibet recognizes British suzerainty over Sikkim |
Anglo-Manipur War (1891) | United Kingdom | Kingdom of Manipur | British victory |
Hunza-Nagar Campaign (1891) | India | State of Hunza | British victory |
First Matabele War (1893–1894) | South Africa Company | Ndebele Kingdom | British victory |
Anglo-Zanzibar War (1896) | United Kingdom | Sultanate of Zanzibar | British victory Pro-British Sultan installed |
Second Matabele War (1896–1897) | South Africa Company | Matebele | British victory |
Cretan Revolt (1897–1898) | Cretan revolutionaries Kingdom of Greece British Empire France Italy Russian Empire Austria-Hungary (until 12 April 1898) German Empire (until 16 March 1898) | Ottoman Empire | British victory
|
Benin Expedition of 1897 (1897) | United Kingdom | Kingdom of Benin | British victory |
Tirah Campaign (1897–1898) | India | Afridi tribe Orakzai tribe Chamkani tribe | British victory |
Second Samoan Civil War (1898–1899) | Supporters of Tanumafili I | Supporters of Mata'afa | Inconclusive or other outcome |
Six-Day War (1899) | United Kingdom | Punti clans | British victory |
Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901) | United Kingdom Russia | Righteous Harmony Society | British Allied victory
|
Second Boer War (1899–1902) | United Kingdom | South African Republic Orange Free State | British victory
|
War of the Golden Stool (1900) | United Kingdom | Ashanti Empire | Inconclusive or other outcome
|
Somaliland Campaign (1900–1920) | United Kingdom Italy Ethiopia (1900–1904) | Dervish Movement | British victory |
Mahsud Waziri blockade (1900–1902) | India | Mahsud rebels | British victory |
Anglo-Aro War (1901–1902) | United Kingdom | Aro Confederacy | British victory Aro Confederacy destroyed |
Battle of Kano (1903) | United Kingdom | Sokoto Caliphate Kano Emirate | British victory |
British expedition to Tibet (1903–1904) | India | Tibet | British victory |
Bambatha Rebellion (1906) | United Kingdom | Zulu rebels | British victory |
Bazar Valley campaign (1908) | India | Rebel tribes | British victory |
Muscat Rebellion (1913–1920) | British Empire Muscat and Oman | Imamate of Oman | Inconclusive or other outcome |
First World War (1914–1918) | Allied Powers France Russia | Central Powers | British Allied victory
Treaties of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Trianon:
Russia pulls out in 1917
Creation of League of Nations:
|
Operations in the Tochi (1914–1915) | India | Khost tribesmen | British victory |
Chilembwe uprising (1915) | British Empire | Nyasaland rebels | British victory |
Kelantan Rebellion (1915) | British Empire | Kelantanese rebels | British victory
|
Peshawar Campaign (1915) | India | Mohmands, Bunerwals and Swatis | British victory |
Bussa Rebellion (1915) | British Empire | Bussa rebels | British victory
|
Invasion of Darfur (1916) | British Empire Sultanate of Egypt | Sultanate of Darfur | British Allied victory |
Easter Rising (1916) | United Kingdom | Irish Republic Irish Citizen Army Irish Volunteers Fianna Éireann Cumann na mBan Hibernian Rifles | British victory
|
Mohmand Blockade (1916–1917) | India | Mohmands | British victory |
Mahsuds Campaign (1917) | India | Mahsud tribesmen | British victory |
Kuki Rebellion of 1917–1919 (1917–1919) | India | Kuki tribes | British victory |
Adubi War (1918) | British forces | Egba rebels | British victory
|
Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920) | Estonia United Kingdom Latvia White Movement Baltic German volunteers [35] Danish volunteers Finnish volunteers Swedish volunteers | Russian SFSR | British Allied victory
|
Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920) | Latvia Estonia White Movement Poland Lithuania United Kingdom | German Empire West Russian Volunteer Army Russian SFSR | British Allied victory
|
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War (1918–1920) | White Movement United States | Russian SFSR Far Eastern Republic | Bolshevik victory
|
Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923) | Greece France Armenia (in 1920) United Kingdom Ottoman Empire (until 1922)
Georgia (in 1921) | Turkish National Movement
Supported by: | Turkish Allied victory
|
Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919) | India | Afghanistan | Afghan victory
|
Kuwait–Najd War (1919–1920) | Kuwait British Empire | Sultanate of Nejd | British Allied victory |
Irish War of Independence (1919–1921) | United Kingdom | Irish Republic | Inconclusive/Other
|
Great Iraqi Revolution of 1920 (1920) | United Kingdom | Iraqi rebels | Inconclusive/Other
|
1922 Burao Tax Revolt (1922) | United Kingdom | Habr Yunis tribesmen | Tribal victory
|
IRA Northern Offensive (1922) | United Kingdom | Irish Republican Army | British victory |
Conflict | Britain and allies | Britain's opposition | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|
Adwan Rebellion (1923) | United Kingdom Emir Abdullah's forces Hashemite allied tribesmen:
| Sultan al-Adwan's forces | British Allied victory Sultan al-Adwan's defeat and exile |
Irene Incident (1927) | United Kingdom | Pirates | British victory |
Ikhwan Revolt (1927–1930) | Kuwait Nejd and Hejaz RAF | Ikhwan | British Allied victory
|
Great Arab Revolt in Palestine (1936–1939) | United Kingdom Yishuv | Arab Higher Committee | British Allied victory [38] Revolt suppressed |
Palestine Emergency (1939–1948) | United Kingdom | Yishuv | Yishuv victory [39]
|
S-Plan 16 January 1939 – March 1940 | United Kingdom | Irish Republican Army | British victory [40]
|
Second World War (1939–1945) | Allied Powers United States | Axis Powers Germany | British Allied victory Nazi Germany formally surrenders 8 May 1945, ending the Second World War in Europe. |
Anglo-Soviet Invasion of Iran (1941) | United Kingdom Soviet Union | Iran | British Allied victory |
Northern Campaign 2 September 1942 – December 1944 | Royal Ulster Constabulary | Irish Republican Army | British victory
|
Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947 (1944–1947) | Afghanistan •Allied Nuristani tribesmen British Empire • British India | Rebel tribes: | Afghan government & British victory
|
1944–45 Insurgency in Balochistan (1944–1945) | United Kingdom | Badinzai rebels | British victory
|
1945 Sheikh Bashir Rebellion (1945) | United Kingdom | Armed Habr Je'lo tribesmen | British Pyrrhic victory Sheikh Bashir killed, unrest continues, anti-colonialist and nationalist sentiment increases in Somaliland |
Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949) | United Kingdom Netherlands Japan (until 1945) | Indonesia | Inconclusive or other outcome
|
Operation Masterdom (1945–1946) | United Kingdom | Việt Minh | British Allied victory
|
Greek Civil War (1946–1948) | Kingdom of Greece United Kingdom | D.S.E. (Δ.Σ.Ε.) | British Allied victory Communist forces defeated, many D.S.E. soldiers exiled in Eastern Europe. Battalion of UK troops still in Greece until 1948 |
Corfu Channel incident (1946–1948) | United Kingdom | Albania | Inconclusive or other outcome
|
Malayan Emergency (1948–1960) | British Commonwealth | Malayan Communist Party | British Allied victory
|
Korean War (1950–1953) | United Nations Command South Korea Belgium | North Korea China | Inconclusive or other outcome
|
1951 Anglo-Egyptian War (1951–1952) | United Kingdom United States | Egypt | British victory
|
Mau Mau Uprising (1952–1960) | United Kingdom | Mau Mau | British victory
|
Opération Ajax (15-19 August 1953) | United Kingdom | Government of Iran | Overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh
|
Jebel Akhdar War (1954–1959) | Sultanate of Muscat and Oman United Kingdom | Imamate of Oman
| British Allied victory
|
Cyprus Emergency (1955–1959) | United Kingdom | EOKA | Inconclusive or other outcome [42] [43] [44]
|
Suez Crisis (1956–1957) | United Kingdom | Egypt | Inconclusive or other outcome Coalition military victory [48] [49] [50]
|
Border Campaign (1956–1962) | United Kingdom | Irish Republican Army | British victory IRA campaign fails |
First Cod War (1958–1961) | United Kingdom | Iceland | Icelandic victory [e] Iceland expands its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles |
Upper Yafa disturbances [54] (1959) | British Empire | Rebels | British victory |
Brunei Revolt (1962) | United Kingdom Brunei Malaya | Brunei People's Party | British Allied victory |
Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation (1963–1966) | Commonwealth of Nations | Indonesia | British Allied victory Indonesia recognises Malaysian rule over former North Borneo |
Dhofar Rebellion (1963–1975) | Oman United Kingdom Iran | Various insurgents | British Allied victory Insurgency defeated |
Aden Emergency (1963–1967) | Federation of South Arabia United Kingdom | NLF FLOSY | Yemeni NLF victory People's Republic of South Yemen established |
The Troubles (1968–1998) | United Kingdom | Irish National Liberation Army Irish People's Liberation Organisation | Stalemate Inconclusive or other outcome
|
Second Cod War (1972–1973) | United Kingdom | Iceland | Icelandic victory [e] UK accept Iceland's 50 nautical mile exclusive fishery zone |
Third Cod War (1975–1976) | United Kingdom | Iceland | Icelandic victory [e] Iceland expands its exclusive fishery zone to 200 nautical miles |
Iranian Embassy siege (1980) | United Kingdom | Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan | British victory |
Falklands War (1982) | United Kingdom | Argentina | British victory
|
Multinational Force in Lebanon (1982–1984) | United Kingdom France | Islamic Jihad Organization Iran Syria Progressive Socialist Party Amal Movement | Syrian Allied victory [55]
|
Gulf War (1990–1991) | Kuwait United States | Iraq | British Allied victory Kuwait regains its independence |
Bosnian War (1992–1995) | UNPROFOR | Republika Srpska | Military stalemate |
Operation Desert Fox (1998) | United States United Kingdom | Iraq | British Allied victory Objectives largely achieved |
Kosovo War (1998–1999) | United States United Kingdom | Yugoslavia | British Allied victory Kosovo occupied by Nato forces |
Sierra Leone Civil War (2000–2002) | Sierra Leone United Kingdom | RUF Liberia AFRC | British Allied victory Rebels defeated |
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) | Afghanistan United States | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Al-Qaeda | Taliban victory
|
Iraq War (2003–2009) | United States United Kingdom | Iraq under Saddam Hussein | British Allied victory:
|
First Libyan Civil War (2011) | Many NATO members acting under UN mandate, including: United States | Pro-Gaddafi forces | British Allied victory
|
Operation Shader (2014–present) | United States United Kingdom Iraq Syrian Opposition Australia Belgium Canada Denmark France Germany Italy Netherlands New Zealand Norway Portugal Spain Turkey Bahrain Jordan Morocco Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Rojava Egypt Libya Nigeria Cameroon Chad Niger Russia | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Boko Haram | Ongoing
|
Operation Prosperity Guardian (2023–present) | United States United Kingdom Canada France Greece Italy Netherlands Norway Spain Bahrain Seychelles Sri Lanka New Zealand | Supreme Political Council | Ongoing
|
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was an armed conflict that was part of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris (1783), which resulted in Great Britain ultimately recognizing the independence of the United States of America.
The 18th century lasted from 1 January 1701 to 31 December 1800 (MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the Atlantic Revolutions. Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures. The Industrial Revolution began during mid-century, leading to radical changes in human society and the environment. The European colonization of the Americas and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of the Age of Sail. During the century, slave trading expanded across the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, while declining in Russia and China.
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of conflicts fought between the French First Republic (1803–1804) and First French Empire (1804–1815) under the First Consul and Emperor of the French Napoleon Bonaparte and a fluctuating array of European coalitions. The wars originated in political forces arising from the French Revolution (1789–1799) and from the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802) and produced a period of French domination over Continental Europe. The wars are categorised as seven conflicts, five named after the coalitions that fought Napoleon, plus two named for their respective theatres: the War of the Third Coalition, War of the Fourth Coalition, War of the Fifth Coalition, War of the Sixth Coalition, War of the Seventh Coalition, the Peninsular War, and the French invasion of Russia.
The Maratha Confederacy, also referred to as the Maratha Empire, was an early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent Maratha states often subordinate to the former. It was established in 1674 with the coronation of Shivaji as the Maratha Chhatrapati and recognised by Emperor Bahadur Shah I as a tributary state in 1707 following a prolonged rebellion. Following this, the Marathas continued to recognise the Mughal emperor as their nominal suzerain, similar to other contemporary Indian entities, though in practice, imperial politics at Delhi were largely influenced by the Marathas between 1737 and 1803.
The War of the Second Coalition was the second war targeting revolutionary France by many European monarchies, led by Britain, Austria, and Russia and including the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples and various German monarchies. Prussia did not join the coalition, while Spain supported France.
The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha territory by British East India Company troops, and although the British were outnumbered, the Maratha army was decimated. The troops were led by Governor General Hastings, supported by a force under General Thomas Hislop. Operations began against the Pindaris, a band of Muslim mercenaries and Marathas from central India.
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 Bishops' Wars, the First and Second English Civil Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland and the Anglo-Scottish War of 1650–1652. They resulted in the execution of Charles I, the abolition of monarchy, and founding of the Commonwealth of England, a unitary state which controlled the British Isles until the Stuart Restoration in 1660.
The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) was the first of three Anglo-Maratha Wars fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Confederacy in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai. The war, fought in between Surat and Poona, saw British defeat and restoration of positions of both the parties before the war. Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal decided not to attack Pune directly.
The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Confederacy, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the third of four Anglo-Mysore Wars.
The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas including modern France, Europe, and a variety of regions throughout the world.
The Sixty Years' War was a military struggle for control of the North American Great Lakes region, including Lake Champlain and Lake George, encompassing a number of wars over multiple generations. The conflicts involved the British Empire, the French colonial empire, the United States, and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The term Sixty Years' War is used by academic historians to provide a framework for viewing this era as a whole, rather than as isolated events.
French involvement in the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783 began in 1776 when the Kingdom of France secretly shipped supplies to the Continental Army of the Thirteen Colonies upon its establishment in June 1775. France was a long-term historical rival with the Kingdom of Great Britain, from which the Colonies were attempting to separate.
The military history of the United Kingdom covers the period from the creation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain, with the political union of England and Scotland in 1707, to the present day.
The Franco-American alliance was the 1778 alliance between the Kingdom of France and the United States during the American Revolutionary War. Formalized in the 1778 Treaty of Alliance, it was a military pact in which the French provided many supplies for the Americans. The Netherlands and Spain later joined as allies of France; Britain had no European allies. The French alliance was possible once the Americans captured a British invasion army at Saratoga in October 1777, demonstrating the viability of the American cause. The alliance became controversial after 1793 when Great Britain and Revolutionary France again went to war and the U.S. declared itself neutral. Relations between France and the United States worsened as the latter became closer to Britain in the Jay Treaty of 1795, leading to an undeclared Quasi War. The alliance was defunct by 1794 and formally ended in 1800.
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, KG, PC was a British Army officer, Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and the United Kingdom, he is best known as one of the leading British general officers in the American War of Independence. His surrender in 1781 to a combined American and French force at the siege of Yorktown ended significant hostilities in North America. Cornwallis later served as a civil and military governor in Ireland, where he helped bring about the Act of Union; and in India, where he helped enact the Cornwallis Code and the Permanent Settlement.
The revolutions of 1917–1923 were a revolutionary wave that included political unrest and armed revolts around the world inspired by the success of the Russian Revolution and the disorder created by the aftermath of World War I. The uprisings were mainly socialist or anti-colonial in nature. Most socialist revolts failed to create lasting socialist states. The revolutions had lasting effects in shaping the future European political landscape, with, for example, the collapse of the German Empire and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary.
Native Americans in the United States have been a part of major military engagements throughout the history of the United States. There were many wars and battles fought between tribes before the birth of the United States, and later between European colonizers and Native Americans. Native Americans participated in many of the wars of the United States such as the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.
Fighting between Kuwait's forces and Wahhabi supporters of Ibn Sa'ud broke out in May 1920, and the former were soundly defeated. Within a few weeks, the citizens of Kuwait constructed a new wall to protect Kuwait City.
that no one had emerged after four years of violence as an outright winner
Defeat of the ENOSIS cause