Brad's Battle Maps

Muret (1213) On 12 September 1213, the Battle of Muret was fought between the Crusaders under Simon de Montfort against Toulouse and Aragon under Peter II and Raymond VI during the Albigensian Crusade. Why did it happen?  During the twelfth century, southern France experienced a revival of Gnostic and Alchemical ideas under the patronage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and local nobles who sought independence from northern France. As stated by Jay Weidner, “At the heart of this myst

Badon Hill (516) In 516, the Battle of Badon Hill was fought between the Britons under Arthur and the Saxons under Cheldric during the Wars of King Arthur. Why did it happen? After the Romans abandoned Britain in 410, the island was invaded by waves of Picts and Saxons. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, upon Ambrosius Aurelianus's death, the Romano-British leadership passed to his younger brother, Uther Pendragon, who married Igraine and had two children, Arthur and Anna, i

Jerusalem (1099) On 7 June-15 July 1099, the Siege of Jerusalem was fought between the Crusaders under Godfrey of Bouillon and Raymond of St. Gilles against the Fatimids under Iftikhar ad-Daula during the First Crusade. Why did it happen? Following their defeat at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantine Empire appealed to Christian Europe for help regaining their lost territories. In 1095, Pope Urban II called upon Christian knights to embark on an expedition to Pales

Liegnitz (1241) On 9 April 1241, the Battle of Liegnitz was fought between the Mongols under Kadan and Baidar and Poland under Henry II during the Mongol Invasions. Why did it happen? After the Mongol victories in Russia between 1223 and 1238, tens of thousands of Cuman refugees fled to Hungary, where they sought the protection of Bela IV. The Mongols saw the Cumans as their subjects and subsequently planned an invasion of Europe. In 1241, General Subedei commanded three arm

Agincourt (1415) On 25 October 1415, the Battle of Agincourt was fought between the English under Henry V and the French under Charles d’Albret during the Hundred Years War. Why did it happen? One of the consequences of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was that England came into conflict with France. William and his long line of successors disliked being vassals of the French kings, and in 1337, the English kings attempted to reclaim the land and the throne of France.

Hastings (1066) On 14 October 1066, the Battle of Hastings was fought between the Normans under William the Conqueror against the Anglo-Saxons under Harold II during the Norman Conquest of England. Why did it happen? On 5 January 1066, the English king, Edward the Confessor, died, and Harold Godwinson was named his successor. Crowned Harold II, his coronation sparked two other claimants to vie for the English throne: Harald Hardrada of Norway and Duke William of Normandy. O

Grunwald (1410) On 15 July 1410, the Battle of Grunwald was fought between the Teutonic Knights under Ulrich von Jungingen against the Polish-Lithuanians under King Wladyslaw Jagiello and Duke Witold during the Wars of the Teutonic Knights. Why did it happen? Founded in Acre in 1190 during the Third Crusade, the Order of Teutonic Knights moved to East Prussia in 1230 to convert the Pagans living around the Baltic Sea to Christianity. By the fourteenth century, the Teutonic Kn

Dannoura (1185) On 25 April 1185, the Battle of Dannoura was fought in Japan between the Minamoto under Minamoto Yoshitsune against the Taira under Taira Tomomori during the Gempei War. Why did it happen? The origins of the Gempei War can be traced back to the decline of the Fujiwara clan in the twelfth century. In 1156, the Hojo Rebellion flared up between the Minamoto and Taira clans which reduced the Fujiwara to the role of figureheads. The triumph of the Taira clan in 11

Yarmuk (636) On 20 August 636, the Battle of Yarmuk was fought in Palestine between the Byzantines under Vahan against the Arabs under Khalid ibn al-Walid during the Wars of Arab Expansion. Why did it happen? In 622, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius led a large army out of Constantinople to counterattack the Sassanid Empire, which had overrun much of the Byzantine Empire’s eastern provinces. Although Heraclius won a decisive victory over the Sassanids at the Battle of Nineveh