Battle
A military engagement between opposing forces with defined objectives.
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles, and a battle is generally a series of military engagements well defined in duration, area, and force commitment.
- definition
- Combat between opposing military units
- purpose
- Reaching a mission goal by use of military force
- duration
- Historically short, often part of a day; modern battles can last days or weeks
- key_factors
- Number and quality of combatants, equipment, skill of commanders, terrain
- related_terms
- Skirmish, operation, campaign, pitched battle, battle of encounter, battle of attrition
Lore & Background
The word 'battle' is a loanword from Old French 'bataille', first attested in 1297, from Late Latin 'battualia' meaning 'exercise of soldiers and gladiators in fighting and fencing'. The defining characteristic of battle as a concept in military science has changed with variations in organisation, employment, and technology of military forces. English military historian John Keegan suggested an ideal definition of battle as 'something which happens between two armies leading to the moral then physical disintegration of one or the other of them', but origins and outcomes can rarely be summarized so neatly.
Reader's Guide
Battles are decided by various factors, including the number and quality of combatants and equipment, the skill of commanders, and terrain. Weapons and armour can be decisive, as seen at the Battle of Omdurman where a large army of Sudanese Mahdists armed traditionally were destroyed by an Anglo-Egyptian force equipped with Maxim machine guns and artillery. Disciplined troops are often of greater importance; at the Battle of Alesia, the Romans were greatly outnumbered but won because of superior training. Terrain also plays a role: capturing high ground has been a main tactic in innumerable battles, and areas of jungle and forest act as force-multipliers for inferior armies. Generals such as Hannibal, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte were skilled commanders whose armies were extremely successful at times. A battle may end in a Pyrrhic victory, which ultimately favors the defeated party, or in a stalemate if no resolution is reached.
Did You Know?
- The word 'battle' is a loanword from Old French 'bataille', first attested in 1297.
- Until the 19th century, most battles lasted only part of a day; the Battle of Gettysburg (1863) was exceptional in lasting three days, while the Battle of Preston (1648) was a single-day engagement and the Battle of Nati
- The Battle of the Atlantic, Battle of Britain, and Battle of France are examples where 'battle' refers to an entire operational campaign.
- A conflict in which one side is unwilling to reach a decision by a direct battle using conventional warfare often becomes an insurgency.
More in Warfare & Military History 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record