Random Longest Wars In History (19 items)

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  (#16) Cold War

  • Europe

  Though it was never a declared war, the state of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, and ostensibly between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, existed for over four decades. It formally began in 1947, when the Truman Doctrine codified the idea of containing communist expansion, and ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

  Both sides fought proxy wars against each other in Korea, Vietnam, and a variety of other countries, funded insurgencies and revolutions, and researched ever more powerful weapons. The two superpowers nearly went to war multiple times.
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  (#7) Hundred Years' War (116 Years)

  The 100 Years' War was so long that there’s actually an extra 16 years that just got rounded off. In fact, the “war” was actually three wars, separated by fairly long periods of peace: the Edwardian War (1337-1360); the Caroline War (1369-1389); and the Lancastrian War (1415-1453).

  In 1337, a long squabble over recognition and title broke out in war between France and England. Three years later, King Edward III of England crossed the English Channel and destroyed the French fleet - with a full-scale invasion happening six years later. England won the Edwardian phase and took possession of France. France then pushed the English out in the second phase before disintegrating into internal conflict, but pulled it together to win the third phase of the war - generations after everyone who fought the first phase was dead. A broke and defeated England soon fell apart into the Wars of the Roses and relinquished their claim on the French throne.
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  (#15) Moro Insurgency (46 Years And Counting)

  The predominately Muslim Moro residents of the southern Philippines have engaged in armed resistance against Spanish, Japanese, and American colonial forces for over 600 years.

  The latest engagement began with the massacre of Muslim Moro soldiers by Filipino troops in 1968, and has continued as a low-level insurgency ever since. A number of engagements between Moro rebels and Filipino armed forces have resulted in thousands of casualties.
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  (#11) North Korea vs. South Korea (62 Years And Counting)

  The state of war that’s existed between the two Koreas since the 1950s might have lessed in intensity after the end of the Korean War in 1953, but it’s never officially ended. North and South have clashed repeatedly in the last six decades, and the North has announced on six different occasions that it wouldn’t abide by the terms of the armistice that both nations signed, though little happened in the wake of these declarations.

  Both sides keep substantial military forces in the Demilitarized Zone, and there have been dozens of violent incursions, incidents, and shootouts between North Korean forces and South Korean and UN troops. The risk of the two Koreas going back to a full-scale war is still high.
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  (#6) Huéscar Vs. Denmark (172 Years)

  In 1809, the Spanish municipality of Huéscar declared war on Denmark, which was itself at war with Napoleonic France. Spanish troops had been cut off in French-occupied Denmark during the war against France, and the Danish were forcing them to swear loyalty oaths to Napoleon’s brother. Despite the patriotic outburst, war fever apparently wasn’t all that contagious, as the people promptly forgot about it and went on with their lives.

  Long a local legend, it wasn’t until 1981 that a Spanish historian discovered the original declaration of war. A ceremony was arranged and on November 11 of that year the mayor of Huéscar and the Ambassador of Denmark officially ended their bloodless, forgotten war.
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  (#4) Arauco Wars (Approx. 290 Years)

  A series of irregular conflicts, the Arauco Wars began in 1536 when the Spanish tried to colonize the Mapuche tribe in what’s now Chile. Spain met a strong army in the course of exploring the Strait of Magellan, and though outnumbered, they took out thousands of Mapuches with their superior firepower and forced them to retreat.

  Despite multiple attempts to break the tribe, the Mapuche remained independent from Spanish rule, thanks in part to the natural boundary of the Biobío River. Battles were common during the 300 years of Spanish presence, until 1609, when a maintenance treaty was signed between the Spanish-appointed governor of Chile and the Mapuche chiefs. Spain was later expelled from Chile in the War of Chilean Independence, beginning in 1810, and Mapuche tribesmen fought on both sides of the conflict.

  Peace was established on January 7, 1825.

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