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Battle of Vienna
The stopping point of Ottoman rise of power in Europe. With Vienna secured, the Hapsburg dynasty was able to start pushing back the weakened Ottoman Empire.
Anonymous. Siege and relief of the city of Vienna in 1683 (1689)
Oil on canvas, 120 x 315 cm, Military Museum of Vienna. -
Levée en masse
Boilly, Louis Léopold (1761-1845) “Departure of the Conscripts in 1807” (1808) Oil on canvas, 85 x 138 cm, Musée Carnavalet, Paris.
France introduces the notion of national mobilization. This could be seen as a precursor of total mobilization. -
The Charge of the Light Brigade
A notable primary source that sums up well the Crimean War could be the poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892). The poem describes how a british cavalry brigade attacks a wrong enemy unit due to miscommunication and leads to their untimely death. It is significance due to the reaction that it had with the British populace, who became disalusioned with the war. -
Battle of Solferino
Jean-Henri Dunant sees the horrors of war at the Battle of Solferino. He was moved by the suffering of the dying and wounded soldiers left behind on the battlefield. He will write his memoirs of that tragic event and campaign for better treatment of wounded soldiers. This will lead to the signing of the Geneva conventions and the foundation of the Red Cross. -
First use of a Tank in the battlefield
The British commanders believed that the “Tank” (aptly named to diminish suspicion of enemy spies) would allow their forces to break the stalemate between the Anglo-French armies and those of Germany. The tank would later revolutionize all aspects of warfare, from logistics to strategic deployment. Armoured vehicles became a sign of the evolution of warfare and technology. War becomes mechanized. (Anonymous, (1917) Mark I crossing trench Imperial War Museum, London) -
The creation of the Nuremberg principles
During the Nuremberg trials, the International Law Commission (basically the jury of those trials), had to create a set of guidelines as to properly determine what is a war crime; they were named the Nuremberg Principles. Eventually this became acting body of the UN. This could be seen as the beginning of stricter international law.
