Author(s): Martin J. Dougherty

History

Marathon, Cannae, Hattin, Blenheim, Waterloo and The Somme - the names of some battles do not fade with the passing of time. Battles that Changed History offers 47 key battles that altered the course of history. The book features many famous and decisive battles, such as Alesia (52 BC), where Gaius Julius Caesar's Roman forces successfully besieged and defeated Vercingetorix's larger Gaul army to seal the conquest of Gaul; Agincourt (1415), where the numerically superior and heavily armoured French knights were defeated by English King Henry V's smaller force of longbowmen; the epic three-day battle of Gettysburg (1863), where General Lee's Confederate invasion force suffered irreplaceable losses at the hands of General Meade's Union forces; and the battle of Stalingrad (1942), where the Red Army repelled then encircled and annihilated the German Sixth Army, marking the turning point on the Eastern Front. Each battle is explored in detail over more than eight pages. Included are concise accounts of each battle, with a broader introductory context and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned colour map illustrating the movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader easily grasp the turning points of the battle. With colour artworks, photographs and line drawings and boxes containing key items of information, each volume provides an attractive, informative and easily accessible guide to the battles that helped shape the world we live in.