Britain’s greatest battles

Much of our history, for better or worse, is shaped by events on the battlefields of the world – be they on land, sea or in the air. In this special edition from the makers of History Revealed magazine, we examine some of the key battles in Britain’s past, exploring how the events unfolded, who the combatants were, how they fought and what weapons and equipment they used. We also put these events into context – what makes these battles so significant? What were the various factors that brought them about, and what were the consequences? If you enjoy reading this bookazine, don’t forget you can get more battles, adventures, characters, pictures and stories from the past every month in History Revealed magazine.…

BATTLE CONTEXT Who Vikings 2,800-5,600 men, possibly led by warrior Svein Forkbeard and/or Olaf Trygvasson English Army size unknown, led by Ealdorman Brihtnoth When 10 August AD 991 Where Maldon, Essex Why English confront a Viking raiding force Outcome Viking victory Losses Both sides suffered losses and casualties on a great scale. The English force lost its leader, Brihtnoth Almost as soon as the fleet of Viking ships arrived in the English Channel in AD 991, its crew made clear they weren’t on a goodwill mission. Within weeks, they had attacked and plundered Folkestone and Sandwich, and also paid an equally unwelcome visit to Ipswich. By early August, they had sailed up the Blackwater Estuary, and set up camp on Northey Island, where they were threatening the Essex town of…

This, one of the earliest photographs ever taken of a battle scene, is believed to show the aftermath of the Charge of the Light Brigade. “When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made!” So wrote the Poet Laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in his poem The Charge of the Light Brigade, which celebrated the heroic bravery of those involved, while noting that the charge was ultimately futile, thanks to controversial orders. Taking place at the Battle of Balaclava, during the Crimean War, the order for the Light Brigade to charge was the result of, at best, a breakdown in communication, leading to 110 British soldiers being killed, and 161 wounded when they charged at a Russian artillery battery on 25 October 1854.…

Harold may have hoped to catch the Normans by surprise at Hastings that October morning. If so, he was to be disappointed. William’s scouts had warned their Duke of the enemy’s approach and the Normans were themselves advancing. Harold abandoned his attack plans, and took up a defensive position on Senlac Hill, where he waited for the Normans to come to him. CLOSE FIGHT Some of William’s army seems to have deployed into three bodies, with Bretons on the left, soldiers from France, Flanders and Picardy on the right and his own Norman troops in the centre. Although the Bayeux Tapestry makes much of the Norman knights, it’s worth remembering that its creators would have sought to appeal to an aristocratic audience – in fact a substantial part of William’s…

A reporter with the British army in the Colony of Natal (today part of South Africa), Winston Churchill (far right) was captured as a prisoner of war in November 1899 while covering the Boer Wars. Although not an officer, Churchill’s landed background made him a valuable prize to the Boers. However, within a matter of weeks of his imprisonment at the POW camp, the future Prime Minister had escaped, making his way to Mozambique. His story soon spread, and he was treated as a conquering hero on his arrival in Durban.…

Crossing a muddy field in Picardy, an elderly, white-haired man in plate armour rode in front of a small English army. He bellowed an order and hurled his baton into the air as a signal. The man was Sir Thomas Erpingham, it was the morning of St Crispin’s Day 1415, and the place was Agincourt. One of the most famous battles in history was about to begin. The English were not in the best shape to fight that grey day in late October. A little over a fortnight earlier, they had set off from ff the Normandy town of Harfleur, which they had just captured from the French, to march to the English base at Calais. But now their way was blocked by a much larger French army, which had…