Random Worst Defeats in Military History (17 items)

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  (#1) Battle of Cannae

  • Roman Italy, Italy

  The Battle of Cannae was fought between the forces of Rome and Carthage, the latter led by Hannibal. Hoping for a decisive victory over Hannibal, Rome sent a massive force after the Carthaginian army. Outnumbered, Hannibal drew the Romans in with a retreating line of men, before flanking them with spearmen. A cavalry charge from the rear surrounded the Romans, and the army of Carthage devastated them.

  The Battle of Cannae is known as the greatest defeat in Roman history, and one of the great strategic coups in history. As many as 70,000 Roman soldiers were lost in the battle.   
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  (#2) Battle of Marathon

  • Marathon, Greece

  When Persians, under King Darius I, invaded Greece, Athenians had little time to react. Athenian commander Militiades assembled an army as quickly as possible and positioned it so that marshes and mountains blocked Persian cavalry, robbing the enemy of a major advantage. The Greeks then charged with a thin center, using strengthened flanks to break through Persian ranks.

  Though the Greek center was weak, it held just long enough for the plan to work. The bravery and endurance of the soldiers at the center, known as Marathon Men, became legendary in Greece, as did the tale of their messenger running 25 miles to Athens to relay news. This gave rise to the tradition of running marathons. 
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  (#3) Battle of Salamis

  • Salamis Island, Greece

  After Persian King Xerxes I defeated the Spartans at Thermopylae, the Greeks blocked the advance of Xerxes' naval forces with a fleet less than half the size of that of the Persians. They then lured the Persians into a narrow passage, where the large Persian ships couldn't maneuver well. The Greeks destroyed enough of Xerxes' fleet to seriously compromise his invasion plans. In addition to being a monumental loss in the expansion of the Persian Empire, the Battle of Salamis was one of the most important naval battles in recorded history.
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  (#4) Battle of the Teutoburg Forest

  • Osnabrück, Germany

  Known as one of the worst defeats in Roman history, the Battle of Teutoburg Forest was waged between the Germanic forces of nobleman Arminius and three legions of Rome. The unsuspecting Romans were ambushed by the Germanic force, which hid among trees in the dense forest. The Germans surrounded the Romans and stormed them.

  Arminius received a Roman military education in his youth, and was able to use Roman strategy against the Legions. Publius Quinctilius Varus, commander of Rome's men, ended his life in the wake of the battle.
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  (#5) Battle of Achelous

  • Aheloy

  The Battle of Achelous was waged between Bulgarian forces and the Byzantine Empire, on the banks of the Achelous River. The Byzantines gained an early advantage and, over confident, broke formation and chased Bulgarians as they retreated. Hidden Bulgarian cavalry units punished Byzantine soldiers for this mistake, dismantling them. The Bulgarian victory was overwhelming and decisive.
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  (#6) Battle of Stamford Bridge

  • Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom

  The Battle of Stamford Bridge was fought between the English and an invading Norwegian force of more than 10,000 Vikings. The English rode 185 miles in four days to meet the Norwegian army, and surprised them with a downhill charge. The Viking shield wall broke and the army retreated, returning to sea with only 24 of their original 300 ships. The rest were empty. 
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  (#7) Battle of Hastings

  • Hastings, United Kingdom

  The Battle of Hastings was a famous engagement between Duke William II's Norman-French army and King Harold Godwinson's English forces. It was a major turning point in British history: King Harold would be the final Anglo-Saxon king of England.

  Accounts of the battle contradict one another, making it impossible to know exactly how Norman forces defeated the Anglo-Saxons. The English (Anglo-Saxons) made various attempts to chase down retreating Normans, who failed to break through the English line. The Normans were able to slowly chip away at the size of the English force by slaying those who chased them. Eventually, King Harold took an arrow through the eye, the English lost the battle, the Normans marched to London, and William was crowned King of England.  
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  (#8) Battle of Legnica

  • Legnica, Poland

  Europeans realized quickly that Mongols don't mess around. Various European forces, including Knights Templar and the Polish military, cobbled together a defending coalition and met the Mongols in Poland, determined the halt their advance.

  The Europeans started the day with a cavalry charge, which caused the Mongol cavalry to withdraw. When the European cavalry pursued, they were cut off from their main force and unable to help when hidden Mongol cavalry piled on the European team with mounted archers. Though the Mongols suffered heavy losses, almost the entire European army was lost in battle. 
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  (#9) Battle of Agincourt

  • Azincourt, France

  The Battle of Agincourt was a major engagement in the conflict that raged for a hundred years between England and France, famously dramatized by William Shakespeare in Henry V with the St Crispin's Day Speech. 

  The English, led by King Henry V, were less than 6,000 strong, and trying to retreat from enemy territory when blocked by a French army of 20,000. When the French advanced slowly in their heavy armor, the English used the superior range of their longbows for distant combat. Even the French cavalry couldn't outflank the English when fired on by their archers. In the end, about 6,000 Frenchmen were lost, while Henry only lost 400 men.

  The Battle of Agincourt  is known as one of the greatest victories in military history. But in every great victory, there's a loser's worst defeat.  
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  (#10) Spanish Armada

  The destruction of the Spanish Armada is one of the greatest naval defeats of all time. The Spanish amassed a massive fleet, under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, to conquer Britain. The outnumbered and outgunned Brits, led by Sir Francis Drake, took advantage of the large Spanish vessels, which lacked maneuverability. Drake's forces used fire ships, or ships loaded with explosives, lit on fire, and sent at the enemy. 

  Forced to retreat under a fusillade of fire ships it couldn't evade, the Spanish Armada was destroyed by a storm on its way back to Spain. 
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  (#11) Battle of Trenton

  • Trenton, New Jersey, United States of America

  The Battle of Trenton was a small, but very important, engagement during the American Revolution. General Washington's forces, having been beaten time and again by the British, were suffering from wounds, low provisions, and terrible morale.

  In desperate need of a victory, Washington and his men cross the Delaware River, from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, on Christmas night, and ambushed Hessian men stationed in Trenton. They successfully captured the outpost, marking a turning point in the morale of the Continental Army. For the British, the Battle of Trenton was one of the worst defeats of the revolution. 
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  (#12) Napoleon's Invasion of Russia (1812 CE)

  Feeding off the momentum from the conquest of most of Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte set his sights on Russia. Russian forces retreated as the French advanced, biding their time for winter. When the cold weather set in, the Russians began their operation. Unfamiliar with the harsh cold and bewildered by the Russians' style of combat, French forces were worn down, and forced to pull out of Russia altogether. Napoleon's reputation and power base never recovered.
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  (#13) Battle of Waterloo

  • Waterloo, Belgium

  The Battle of Waterloo ended Napoleon's reign.

  After returning from exile, Napoleon set his sights on Belgium. The British and Prussians came together to stop the French from conquering its tiny neighbor. Napoleon marched on the British army, but had to wait for wet terrain to dry, so his cavalry wouldn't be stuck in mud. This lull allowed Prussian reinforcements to arrive. Napoleon's forces were routed. 
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  (#14) Battle of Trafalgar

  • Cape Trafalgar

  The Battle of Trafalgar was one of the most decisive naval victories in recorded history. British hero Lord Nelson defeated a joint French-Spanish fleet, commanded by Admiral Villeneuve, off the coast of Spain.

  Slightly outnumbered, Nelson used surprise to his advantage. His forces sunk 19 enemy ships and lost not one vessel themselves. Nelson himself was slain by a French sniper, but his victory at Trafalgar ensured Napoleon would never be able to invade Britain. 
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  (#15) Battle of Actium

  • Ionian Sea

  The Battle of Actium was one of the few naval engagements in Roman history, fought during the civil dispute between Octavian and Mark Antony. An early advantage by Octavian caused Cleopatra, Antony's Egyptian lover, to flee the battle. Antony abandoned his post and followed her. Their commanders gone, Antony's men surrendered to Octavian. 
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  (#16) Battle of the Little Bighorn

  • Montana, United States of America

  The Battle of Little Bighorn was a watershed moment in American history, as the US government attempted to expand America ever westward and bring free-roaming Native tribes to heal, and conform to a reservation-based way of life. 

  The battle was waged by a collective of Native American tribes and the American 7th Cavalry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Custer. When Custer's 600 men entered Little Bighorn Valley in Montana to accost the Natives, 3,000 warriors met them head-on. After an hour, Custer and all his men perished. This showdown is famously known as Custer's Last Stand. 
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  (#17) Battle of Midway

  • Midway Atoll, United States of America

  The Battle of Midway decided the outcome of the Pacific Theater in WWII. Roughly six months after the Japanese operation on December 7, 1941, American forces managed to crack Japanese military codes. Decoding intercepted transmissions, US forces uncovered a plan to end all American aircraft carriers that survived the 1941 Japanese operation. 

  The Americans turned Japan's ambush into an ambush of their own, decimating Japanese forces as they moved into place to carry out their plan. The victory put the Japanese on the back foot, and allowed Allied forces to take an offensive position in the Pacific conflict. It was one of the worst Japanese defeats of WWII. 

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