1000day.year
Battle of Svolder, Viking Age.
The Battle of Svolder, fought in 1000 AD, saw King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway ambushed and defeated by a coalition of rival Scandinavian rulers.
In the autumn of 1000, the Battle of Svolder took place in the western Baltic Sea near an island called Svolder. King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, returning from a pilgrimage, was lured into a trap by allied forces led by King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark, King Olof Skötkonung of Sweden, and Earl Eirik of Lade. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Olaf’s fleet suffered heavy losses. According to saga accounts, the king fought bravely before his ship was overwhelmed. His mysterious disappearance sparked legends of his fate. The battle shifted the balance of power in Scandinavia and led to a period of Danish and Swedish influence over Norway. Svolder remains one of the most famous naval engagements of the Viking Age.
1000
Battle of Svolder
Viking Age
1141day.year
Yelü Dashi, the Liao dynasty general who founded the Qara Khitai, defeats the Seljuq and Kara-Khanid forces at the Battle of Qatwan.
Yelü Dashi, founder of the Qara Khitai, dealt a crushing blow to the Seljuq and Kara-Khanid armies at the Battle of Qatwan in 1141.
In 1141, near the Qatwan Plain in present-day Kyrgyzstan, Liao dynasty general Yelü Dashi led the forces of the newly established Qara Khitai against a combined Seljuq and Kara-Khanid army. Despite being outnumbered, Yelü employed superior tactics and discipline to encircle and rout the enemy cavalry. The victory at Qatwan confirmed the Qara Khitai as a major power in Central Asia. It disrupted Seljuq control over the region and opened new routes for trade and cultural exchange. Yelü Dashi’s triumph also secured his position as the first emperor of the Western Liao dynasty. The battle underscored the importance of steppe warfare innovations and marked a turning point in medieval Central Asian politics. Its outcome influenced power dynamics along the Silk Road for decades.
1141
Yelü Dashi
Liao dynasty
Qara Khitai
Seljuq
Kara-Khanid
Battle of Qatwan
1320day.year
In the Battle of Saint George, the Byzantines under Andronikos Asen ambush and defeat the forces of the Principality of Achaea, securing possession of Arcadia.
Byzantine forces under Andronikos Asen ambushed and defeated the Principality of Achaea at the Battle of Saint George in 1320, reclaiming Arcadia.
On September 9, 1320, Byzantine commander Andronikos Asen orchestrated a surprise attack against the Principality of Achaea’s army in the Peloponnese region of Greece. Utilizing local knowledge and covert movements, his troops caught their opponents off guard near a hill known as Saint George. The Achaean forces, unprepared for the ambush, quickly fell into disarray. The victory restored Byzantine authority over the strategic territory of Arcadia. It also boosted morale within the empire and weakened Frankish influence in the region. Andronikos Asen’s leadership and use of guerrilla tactics became celebrated in contemporary chronicles. The battle demonstrated the resilience of Byzantine military tradition during a period of fragmentation. Its success paved the way for further reconquest efforts in the Morea.
1320
Battle of Saint George
Byzantines
Andronikos Asen
Principality of Achaea
Arcadia
1493day.year
Battle of Krbava Field, a decisive defeat of Croats in Croatian struggle against the invasion by the Ottoman Empire.
At the Battle of Krbava Field in 1493, Ottoman forces achieved a decisive victory over Croatian defenders, impacting the region’s resistance to Ottoman expansion.
On September 9, 1493, near Udbina in present-day Croatia, Croatian nobility assembled an army to confront the advancing Ottoman forces. The skirmish culminated in the Battle of Krbava Field, where superior Ottoman tactics and cavalry overwhelmed the Croatian troops. The defeat resulted in heavy casualties and the loss of many noble families. The catastrophic outcome weakened Croatia’s military capacity and accelerated Ottoman incursions into the Balkans. Survivors’ accounts describe the chaos and the scale of the slaughter on the open plains. The battle’s legacy endured in Croatian collective memory as a symbol of resistance and suffering. It also prompted reforms in regional defense and fortification strategies. Krbava Field marked a turning point in the Croatian-Ottoman conflicts of the late 15th century.
1493
Battle of Krbava Field
Croats
Croatian
Ottoman Empire
1513day.year
James IV of Scotland is defeated and dies in the Battle of Flodden, ending Scotland's involvement in the War of the League of Cambrai.
King James IV of Scotland is killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, delivering a crushing defeat to Scottish forces against England.
On September 9, 1513, Scottish and English armies clashed at the Battle of Flodden near Branxton in Northumberland, England. King James IV led his troops against the forces of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, under orders from King Henry VIII. Despite early momentum, the Scots were hindered by difficult terrain and English longbowmen. James IV was struck down during the fighting, becoming the last British monarch to die in battle. The defeat decimated much of the Scottish nobility and cavalry, leaving the kingdom vulnerable. Flodden marked a significant setback in Scotland’s involvement in the War of the League of Cambrai. The battle had lasting political and social repercussions, including a period of regency under James’s widow, Margaret Tudor. Flodden remains one of the bloodiest battles in British history.
1513
James IV of Scotland
Battle of Flodden
War of the League of Cambrai
1739day.year
Stono Rebellion, the largest slave uprising in Britain's mainland North American colonies prior to the American Revolution, erupts near Charleston, South Carolina.
The Stono Rebellion of 1739 was the largest slave uprising in colonial British North America, erupting near Charleston, South Carolina.
In September 1739, around twenty enslaved Africans gathered at the Stono River south of Charleston and launched an armed revolt led by an Angolan named Jemmy.
Seizing weapons, they attacked nearby plantations and grew in number as they marched toward Spanish Florida, believing they would gain freedom there.
Local planters and militia intercepted the rebels in a violent confrontation.
Within days, the uprising was suppressed and most participants were killed or captured.
The revolt sent shockwaves through the colonies and prompted South Carolina to enact the Negro Act of 1740, severely restricting the rights of enslaved people.
The Stono Rebellion remains a powerful symbol of resistance against slavery.
1739
Stono Rebellion
Britain's mainland North American colonies
American Revolution
Charleston, South Carolina
1796day.year
Grenelle camp affair, a failed uprising by supporters of Gracchus Babeuf against the French Directory
In 1796, followers of Gracchus Babeuf staged the Grenelle camp affair, a failed uprising against the French Directory during the Revolution.
In the aftermath of the French Revolution's Thermidorian Reaction, political radicalism simmered among former revolutionaries.
Gracchus Babeuf, known as the 'Tribune of the People,' organized a conspiracy to overthrow the Directory and establish an egalitarian government.
On September 9, 1796, his supporters attempted to seize control at the Grenelle military camp on the outskirts of Paris.
Despite meticulous planning, their plot was betrayed and government forces moved in swiftly.
Babeuf and key conspirators were arrested and later executed for treason.
Though short-lived, the Grenelle camp affair influenced later revolutionary and socialist movements in France.
1796
Grenelle camp affair
Gracchus Babeuf
French Directory
1855day.year
Crimean War: The Siege of Sevastopol comes to an end when Russian forces abandon the city.
Russian forces abandoned Sevastopol on September 9, 1855, officially ending the prolonged siege during the Crimean War.
The Siege of Sevastopol was a pivotal operation in the Crimean War, lasting from October 1854 to September 1855.
Allied forces of Britain, France, and the Ottoman Empire encircled and bombarded the Russian-held port city for nearly a year.
Intense trench warfare and artillery duels inflicted heavy casualties on both sides.
The Russian withdrawal marked a strategic defeat, weakening Russia's Black Sea fleet.
The fall of Sevastopol shifted the balance of power and paved the way for peace negotiations.
The war's end influenced European diplomacy and military tactics in the mid-19th century.
1855
Crimean War
Siege of Sevastopol
1863day.year
American Civil War: The Union Army enters Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Union forces captured Chattanooga, Tennessee on September 9, 1863, securing a vital railroad hub for the Northern campaign.
Chattanooga's rail connections made it a strategic objective in the American Civil War.
After the Battle of Chickamauga, Union troops under Major General Ulysses S. Grant advanced to seize the city.
The occupation opened the Gateway to the Deep South for Union offensives.
Control of Chattanooga allowed the North to launch further campaigns into Georgia.
The city's capture boosted Northern morale and disrupted Confederate supply lines.
This victory set the stage for the successful Chattanooga Campaign, culminating in the Battle of Missionary Ridge.
1863
American Civil War
Union Army
Chattanooga, Tennessee
1914day.year
World War I: The creation of the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade, the first fully mechanized unit in the British Army.
On September 9, 1914, the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade became the British Army's first fully mechanized unit.
The Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade was formed by Canadian and British military planners to enhance battlefield mobility.
It consisted of armored cars equipped with Maxim machine guns mounted on Ford chassis.
This unit pioneered the use of motor vehicles for mobile fire support in modern warfare.
Their mobility allowed rapid response and reinforced infantry operations on the Western Front.
While early models struggled in muddy trenches, they demonstrated the potential of armored mobility.
The brigade influenced the development of tank warfare and mechanized units in later conflicts.
1914
World War I
Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade
1922day.year
The Greco-Turkish War effectively ends with Turkish victory over the Greeks in Smyrna.
Turkish nationalist forces recaptured Smyrna on September 9, 1922, effectively ending the Greco-Turkish War.
The recapture of Smyrna by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's forces marked the collapse of Greek military resistance.
After landing troops in Asia Minor, Greek armies faced a decisive Turkish counteroffensive.
The fall of the city led to the burning of Smyrna and a massive humanitarian crisis.
This victory secured Turkish sovereignty and paved the way for the Republic's establishment.
The event led to the population exchange between Greece and Turkey under the Treaty of Lausanne.
The outcome reshaped the demographics and borders of the modern Turkish state.
1922
Greco-Turkish War
Smyrna
1936day.year
The crews of Portuguese Navy frigate NRP Afonso de Albuquerque and destroyer Dão mutinied against the Salazar dictatorship's support of General Franco's coup and declared their solidarity with the Spanish Republic.
Portuguese sailors mutinied on September 9, 1936, denouncing Salazar's support for Franco and pledging allegiance to the Spanish Republic.
Crews of the frigate NRP Afonso de Albuquerque and destroyer Dão rebelled against Portugal's Estado Novo regime.
The mutineers protested Prime Minister Salazar's backing of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War.
They hoisted Republican flags and issued proclamations of solidarity with the Spanish Republic.
The revolt was quickly suppressed by loyalist naval forces and government authorities.
Many sailors were arrested, exiled, or forced into service on distant assignments.
This brief uprising highlighted divisions within the Portuguese military over foreign policy.
1936
Portuguese Navy
NRP Afonso de Albuquerque
Dão
mutinied
Salazar dictatorship
General Franco
Spanish Republic