While wars are long and complex, some battles stand out for their lasting impact. This course examines a small number of decisive engagements that profoundly changed the course of history. From Ancient Greece to Southeast Asia, participants explore how geography, leadership, technology and chance combined to produce outcomes that reshaped empires, ideologies and borders. Through discussion and historical analysis, the course considers why certain battles matter—and how their consequences still shape the world today.
- Edward Creasy: Fifteen Decisive Battles (Everyman, 1960, ISBN n/a)
- Peter Wells: The Battle that Stopped Rome (Norton, 2004, ISBN 0-393-02028-2)
- Martin Dougherty: 100 Battles (Paragon,2012, ISBN 978-1-4454-6680-4)
- Barnaby Rogerson: The House Divided (Profile, 2024, ISBN 13579108642)
- A personal selection of 10-2 key battles which shaped all subsequent history and still have a lasting impact to this day.
- An open discussion of what else might have been included and some reflections on what the impact of armed conflicts in this day and age might be.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Explore the difference between a battle which merely produced a “winner” and one which shaped all subsequent history.
- Know the futility of most military conflicts in resolving far deeper issues.
