The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World is a book written by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy and published in 1851. This book tells the story of the fifteen military engagements (from Marathon to Waterloo) which had a significant impact on world history. The battles that Creasy selected were:
- Battle of Marathon, 490 BC
- Defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse, 413 BC
- Battle of Arbela, 331 BC
- Battle of the Metaurus, 207 BC
- Victory of Arminius over the Roman Legions under Varus, 9 AD
- Battle of Chalons, 451
- Battle of Tours, 732
- Battle of Hastings, 1066
- Joan of Arc's Victory over the English at Orléans, 1429
- Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588
- Battle of Blenheim, 1704
- Battle of Pultowa, 1709
- Victory of the Americans over Burgoyne at Saratoga, 1777
- Battle of Valmy, 1792
- Battle of Waterloo, 1815
Some of Creasy's choices are decidedly dated, and are no longer taken as seriously as formerly. Other historians have attempted to modify or add to the list. In 1930 Texas historian Clarence Wharton published San Jacinto: The Sixteenth Decisive Battle, in which he made the case for adding the final battle of the Texas Revolution to Creasy's list.
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