Numerous armed conflicts have taken place throughout history, yet none tested the patience of the contending parties as much as the longest wars of all time. For whatever reason, the wars presented in the following list dragged on for years before a winner could be declared or a ceasefire announced. This not only resulted in countless unnecessary casualties, but delayed the inevitable to such an extent that nobody really profited from winning.
In addition to the loss of human lives, the longest wars of all time caused a great deal of destruction and stalled economic development. Just imagine what would happen if the most militarily powerful countries in the world today, which you can read about in one of our previous posts, declared war on each other. It goes without saying that the devastation caused by such a conflict would be tremendous. Nevertheless, once a conflict begins, it is very hard to bring it to an end, especially when both sides are fully committed to achieving their goals.
Although one would expect the longest wars of all time to be conflicts between two equal sides, this has rarely been the case. In fact, military strength has as little to do with the duration of a conflict, as does the number of parties involved. Despite their huge scale and the equal distribution of force amongst its contenders, you will notice the absence of both World Wars in the list presented below, suggesting duration is determined by other factors.
Contrary to what most would think, the longest wars of all time were not necessarily the most devastating. In fact, the scope of the destruction left in their wake was sometimes quite small, since most of them took place centuries ago. Naturally, the lack of technology made things more balanced, leading to longer, but also less deadly wars. Now then, let’s check out the list, beginning with a very controversial war from the latter half of the last century.
10. The Vietnam War
When the US government began supporting South Vietnamese forces in 1956, few anticipated what would follow. The impressive resistance offered by the Vietcong and the inability of both sides to come to an understanding, resulted in a war that lasted 19 years and claimed millions of lives.
The longest wars of all time heads from 1960’s Vietnam to the ancient past for a war that lasted 50 years. Find out more on the next page.
9. The Greco-Persian Wars
When the Greek Cities repelled the first Persian attacks in 499 BC, they surely weren’t expecting to be submerged in war for the next decades. The Persians however, did not give up so easily: although their offensive strikes were not successful, the war dragged on until 448 BC.
8. The Acehnese War
As ridiculous as it might sound, the Dutch declared war on Sumatra in 1873, due to an unproven rumor that the colony was seeking to switch masters. Apparently the Dutch Indonesia was important enough to engage in a 25-year-long war.
7. The Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were actually a series of armed conflicts which took place between 1792 and 1815, and involved most European nations. The French took over large parts of the old continent, before being defeated by a coalition of allies.
6. The Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War might not have been a brutal conflict, but it surely was an epic battle. From 431 to 404 BC, the Spartans led the Peloponnesian League in combat against the mighty city of Athens, in one of the oldest wars in history.
5. The War of the Roses
When the House of York engaged in battle with the House of Lancaster, Northern England saw itself submerged in a conflict that would go on for 32 years. As both had a claim to the throne, a compromise was simply not an option.
4. The Thirty Years War
This is probably the most confusing conflict on our list, since the original dispute was between Catholics and Protestants, but then turned into something else. Although many forgot what they were fighting for, the war carried on for decades.
3. The Guatemalan Civil War
As it was a civil war, the fact that the conflict lasted 36 years is stunning. The dispute between the native population and the folks of Spanish descent was so critical, that neither side was willing to compromise.
2. The Punic Wars
The war between the Roman Empire and Carthage lasted around 43 years, as the Romans failed to honor a peace treaty signed in 198 BC. The conflict was finally resolved when Carthage was conquered and burnt to the ground in 146 BC.
1. The Hundred Years War
Despite its name, this conflict actually lasted 116 years, making it the longest war of all time. The whole thing began when King Edward III claimed the throne of France for himself, and unleashed a feud between England and the French which would go on for more than a century.
