Wars: Longest and Shortest

Throughout history, wars have varied dramatically in length, from brief skirmishes to centuries-long conflicts. For good and bad, they shape our borders, cultures, and relationships, leaving lasting marks and standing in history as valuable lessons. Here are ten of the shortest and ten of the longest wars in history.

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1. Reconquista - 770 Years

The Reconquista or reconquest was a series of military campaigns between European and Muslim kingdoms for control over the Iberian peninsula. The war spanned seven centuries from 718 until 1492 when the Catholic monarchs finally conquered Grenada.

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2. Roman-Germanic Wars - 708 Years

The Roman-Germanic wars were a series of conflicts between Roman and Germanic people that spanned from around 100 BCE all the way into the sixth century. It led to the eventual downfall of the Roman Empire. 

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3. Anglo-French Wars - 706 Years

The Anglo-French Wars were a series of conflicts between the French and English for control over French Lands. It started in the 1100s and lasted until 1815, ending with the second defeat of Napoleon at the hands of combined European powers.

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4. Roman-Persian Wars - 681 Years

The Roman-Persian Wars were a series of conflicts between two of the biggest empires. It began in the 1st century BCE and lasted all the way up to 628 CE when early Muslim conquests squashed the Sasanian Empire (a pre-Islamic empire).

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5. Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars - 675 Years

This war began when the Bulgars conquered parts of the Balkan peninsula, belonging to the Byzantine Empire in 680.

After 675 years of fighting, the Bulgarians were eventually victorious, only to be conquered by the Ottomans shortly after. 

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6. Crusades - 604 Years

The Crusades were a series of bloody religious wars between the Christian Latin Church and Islamic powers during the middle ages. The Christian church attempted to conquer lands from Islamic rule, including the Holy Land of Jerusalem. The Crusades ended in the 1600s with the Protestant reformation in Europe.

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7. Arab-Byzantine Wars - 421 Years

This war was a series of conflicts between Arab dynasties and the Byzantine Empire starting in the seventh century when Muslim Caliphates conquered part of the Byzantine empire and attempted to attack Constantinople. The Byzantine empire regained power and eventually the Seljuk Turks took power away from the Arabs, ending the war in the 1100s. 

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8. Yemeni-Ottoman Conflicts - 373 Years

This conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Zaidi tribes in Yemen lasted from 1538 up until 1911 when a treaty was finally signed. The war began when the Ottomans tried to expand their rule in the Arabian Peninsula. The war ended with North Yemen becoming an autonomous republic. 

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9. Moroccan-Portuguese Conflicts - 354 Years

The Moroccan-Portuguese Conflicts were series of battles between the two nations for control over Moroccan coastal regions. It started in 1415 when Portuguese soldiers attempted a surprise attack on Ceuta and ended in 1769 when Portugal lost Mazagan.

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10. Russo-Turkish Wars - 350 Years

The Russo-Turkish Wars were a chain of conflicts between the Russian and Ottoman empires from 1568 to 1918 over access to the Black Sea and control of territories in Eastern Europe and the Holy Lands. It resulted in big losses for the Ottomans and marked the rise of the Russian Empire as a major power in Europe.

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Now that we've covered the most brutally drawn-out conflicts in history, let's go over the ones that finished shockingly quickly.

1. Anglo-Zanzibar War - 40 Minutes

This war between the British Empire and Zanzibar which was then under British rule is estimated to have lasted around 40 minutes. It occurred as a result of Khalid bin Bargash taking the throne after the death of the sultan of Zanzibar without permission from Britain, leading them to completely decimate the palace, killing over 500 Zanzibaris. 

2. Six Day War - 6 Days

Over six days in the summer of 1967, Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank in response to neighboring Arab nations' mobilization for war. Egypt's and Syria's airforces were almost completely destroyed before all parties signed a ceasefire agreement. 

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3. Indo-Pakistani War - 14 Days

This 1971 conflict started when Pakistan launched airstrikes on Indian bases after India supported separatists in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Pakistan was quickly overwhelmed by Indian forces which led them to sign a peace treaty, making Bangladesh a sovereign nation.

4. Serbo-Bulgarian War - 15 Days

This conflict occurred in 1885 after Serbia declared war on Bulgaria. Despite their army having low morale, the Serbs expected a quick victory but were surprised by the much younger and more unified Bulgarian forces who pushed them back until Austria-Hungary put a stop to their advances. 

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5. Georgian-Armenian War - 25 Days

This war which took place in 1918 between Georgia and Armenia over the control of some border territories. Both sides suffered heavy losses before they agreed a ceasefire which made the disputed territories neutral zones until they were divided up between the countries during Soviet rule. 

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6. Sino-Vietnamese War - 27 Days

This conflict between China and Vietnam occurred in 1979 as a response to the previous year's Cambodian-Vietnamese War. That earlier conflict saw the massacre of ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia by Cambodia's Khmer Rouge causing Vietnam to relatiate by invading Cambodia, persecuting the ethnic Chinese there. The fighting took place along the border between China and Vietnam and saw both sides claiming victory although China withdrew. 

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7. Greco-Turkish War - 34 Days

Also known as the Thirty Days’ War, the Greco-Turkish conflict was between Greece and the Ottoman Empire for the control of Crete in 1897. Although the Ottomans were more successful militarily, the conflict was eventually solved through diplomacy, with Crete becoming independent. 

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8. Polish-Lithuanian War - 37 Days

This conflict between the two newly-independent nations occurred in 1920 in the aftermath of World War I.

It was a result of long-time ethnic tensions between the two sides and ended with a shaky peace agreement and a break in diplomatic relations. 

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9. Second Balkan War - 43 Days

The Second Balkan War in 1913 was the result of unsettled disputes leftover from the First Balkan War in which Bulgaria walked away with far less than they expected. The resentful nation attacked Serbia and Greece but the war ended quickly when Romania, Montenegro, and the Ottoman Empire joined against Bulgaria. 

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10. Falklands War - 10 Weeks

The Falklands War started in 1982 when Argentinian forces captured two islands belonging to the British. Britain launched an amphibious attack and had the Argentinians surrounded, forcing them to surrender. 

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