Top 10 battle lost by England

Most of the people think that England never lost any battle. They have good reason to believe it, they
won most of the wars. They were superpower till world war 2.At the height of British empire in 1920,
the empire covered 24% of Earth's total land area. But no Empire remain undefeated, same is applied in
Britain case. Here are the top ten battle lost by Britain.

10.The First Anglo-Afghan War

The First Anglo-Afghan War arguably the greatest military humiliation ever suffered by the West in the
East. The entire army of what was then the most powerful nation in the world was utterly destroyed by
poorly equipped tribesmen.

The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British Imperial India and the Emirate of Afghanistan
from 1839 to 1842. It was part of "Great Game", Russia (LINK 20) had emerged as Britain’s predominant
imperial rival. Competition between the two states for power and influence in Central Asia would give
rise to a ‘Great Game’ of wars. British object was to depose Dōst Moḥammad Khan, the Bārakzay amir of
Kabul and to restore the former Sadōzay ruler, Shah Šoǰā. British managed to capture Dost Mohammad
and Shah Shuja became ruler of Afghanistan. But then Shah Shuja made the fateful decision that he no
longer needed British support.

General William Elphinstone and the 16,500 British and Indian troops began their withdrawal(LINK 19)
from Kabul. This was British biggest mistake. Afghanistan was not peaceful till this time. On their way to
India, Ghilzai warriors attacked the ill-prepared British lines. The whole troop was killed by the warriors.
Only one British person Dr. William Brydon arrived at Jalalabad.

The myth of British invincibility had been shattered. Dōst Moḥammad Khan again became ruler of
Afghanistan. Lord Auckland was replaced as Governor-General of India by Lord Ellenborough.

9.The Battle of Pollilur(1780)

Afghanistan is a tough place to win. Short supplies, rugged mountains, harsh weather, overconfidence,
large distance from their base in India are some of the reason for Britain's defeat in Afghanistan. But
losing a battle in India? Tipu sultan holds a distinction of being one of the (maybe only) Indian rulers to
defeat British in a direct battle. The Battle of Pollilur was fought on 10th September 1780, between
forces of the Kingdom of Mysore and British East India(LINK 18) Company at Pollilur near the city of
Kanchipuram.

It was part of Second Anglo-Mysore war.Eighty percent of the British officers were killed, wounded, or
captured. The British East India Company’s (LINK 17) soldiers, mostly sepoys, were entirely wiped out or
dispersed. Mysore won with superior rocketry.The battle is famous for the use of rocket as a weapon by
Tipu sultan. After defeating Tipu sultan, British use this rocket technology for to advance their
technology and use rocket during Napoleonic wars. This was only time in history when British force
surrendered to an Indian king and accept all his demand.

8.The Battle of Gallipoli

Before knowing about the battle of Gallipoli, let first know about Gallipoli and its importance. Gallipoli is
a narrow peninsula of northwest Turkey between the Dardanelles and the Gulf of Saros. Allied forces
wanted to capture the Dardanelles and open a sea route to Istanbul ( Constantinople) that would enable
Britain and her allies to establish a southern front against their enemies during the First World War.

It was was one of the Allies great disasters in World War 1.

The Battle of Gallipoli was fought between Allied forces and the Ottoman empire from 25 April 1915
and 9 January 1916. It was a complete (LINK 16) military disaster. At end of eight-month long battle,
more than 130,000 men had died: at least 87,000 Ottoman soldiers and 44,000 Allied soldiers. The
military aims of the campaign were not achieved. More soldier died due to illness than due to battle.
The goal of capturing Ottoman capital's Constantinople (Istanbul) was never achieved. In spite of being a
total disaster, 26 April is celebrated in Australia and New Zealand (LINK 15) as the war produce a sense
of nationalism in Australia and New Zealand.

7.The Battle of Balaclava

The Battle of Balaclava was part of Crimean War. It was fought by British, French and Turkish troops
against the Imperial Russian Army on 25th October 1854. For British,(LINK 14) Balaclava was a strategic
defeat. The Russians captured seven guns and at the end of the battle held the ground they had
attacked. In this battle, the Russians failed to capture Balaklava, the Black Sea supply port of the British,
French, and Turkish allied forces in the southern Crimea; but the British lost control of their best supply
road connecting Balaklava with the heights above Sevastopol.The battle is famous for British military
mistake called" Charge of the Light Brigade" which is described as “the most magnificent assault known
in military annals and the greatest blunder known to military tactics.

The commander-in-chief of British troops during the Crimean War issued an ambiguous order that his
subordinates misinterpreted, resulting in the infamous Charge of the(LINK 13) Light Brigade against a
heavily defended Russian position. Although the Light Brigade reached the battery ,it was forced to
retreat immediately. Thus, the assault ended with very high British casualties and no decisive gains.
6.The Battle of Singapore

Singapore was a stronghold of the British empire in Asia, famously nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the
East".In 1938 just before war British(LINK 12) have completed a massive naval base improvement
program in Singapore.British believe that the island was an invincible fortress.

Fall of Singapore was a direct shook for British. The British Army was convinced the Japanese assault
would come from the sea.Japanese forces streamed into Singapore across the narrow Straits of Johore,
through Mangrove forest. within a week between 8 to 15 February 1942 Singapore was under Japanese
control. It is considered one of the greatest defeats in the history of the British Army and probably
Britain’s worst defeat in world war 2.At 80,000, it was largest(LINK 11) British surrender in history.

5.Battle of Bouvines

any one heard the name ofBouvines?It is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. On
July 12, 1214, Philip II Augustus, the King of France, defeated the (LINK 10) combined forces of emperor
Otto IV, the count of Flanders, and King John of England, near Bouvines in northern France.The battle
completely changed the europe political map.It one of the most influential battles in European history,
directing the fate of the kingdom of France, the Holy Roman Empire and the Angevin dominions. In
England, it lead to Magna Carta.

The story of Bouvines was result of King John's determination to retake the French lands he had lost in
Normandy and Anjou. His opponent was the King of France, Philippe-Auguste, equally determined to
establish French power and prestige. When unable to find (LINK 9) support in his court,king made aliens
with france enemy in europe.The battle was clore one but King John lost it.He returned to England,
humiliated and impoverished. Less than a year later,he was forced to sign the Magna Carta, formed the
basis of English democracy.

4.The Battle of Bannockburn

The Battle of Bannockburn was fought between the Scots under Robert I (the Bruce) and the English
under Edward II on June 23–24, 1314.The battle started with the occupation of Stirling Castle, the last
English stronghold in Scotland, by Scottish king Robert the Bruce.In response, The England King Edward
II of England created a massive(LINK 8) force to invade Scotland.It was by far the largest English army
ever to invade Scotland.The British army outnumbers Scottish army by a ratio of around 2:1..

Despite being outnumbered the Scottish army by using several defensive tactics.Bruce ordered
hundreds of holes to be dug which were capable of snapping horse’s legs. Also, he used schiltrons which
were strong defensive circles of men wielding long pikes .The schiltrons were almost unpenetrable by
England's army. The heavily armored English forces found it impossible to cross back over the waterway.
Penned between the enemy spikes and the stream, the English were forced to break their formation
effectively ending the battle. King Edward II fled the field, was chased by(LINK 7) the Scots till he
reached Dunbar where he took a ship back to England .The battle ended with a Scottish army victory .It
still takes 14 years for Robert the bruce to be recognized king of an independent Scotland.

3.The Battle of Isandlwana

Many times we have heard and imagined about an alternate history where industrial revolution happen
in Africa and African civilization’s conquer the Europe . well imagining an African nation defecting a
European power seems to be impossible to even imagine but exactly this happen in the battle of
Isandlwana .The well trained British army with modern rifle and ammunition(LINK 6) was defeated by a
ill trained African tribe.

The Battle Isandlwana of was fought between the british army and the Zulu tribe on 22nd January 1879
.The battle started when the British authorities delivered an ultimatum to Cetshwayo(chief of zulu
tribe), ordering him to hand aver some zulu tribe men accused of murdering a British officer. when no
response came from Cetshwayo , The commander-in-chief in South Africa, Lord Chelmsford attacked
Zululand on 11th January 1879. Like other battle in Africa , Chelmsford(LINK 5) assume that it will be a
easy win. But Cetshwayo came with largest zulu army ever seen .The british army compromises 2000
men whereas zulu army contain 25000 warrior .The British army was completely wiped out in battle
.The news of defect stunned British monarchy.

2.The Battle of Trenton

The battle of Trenton was a very small battle with very low casualties .Most of peoples may have not
heard about it .But it was very important because of its timing .The Fall of Fort Washington on the end
of Manhattan Island was a crushing blow for the Americans and destroyed all hope of holding anything
near(LINK 4) New York .Americans army was forced to retreat from many areas .There moral were very
low .The easy victory in the battle of Trenton boost the moral of colonist army .It was one of the turning
points of the American Revolutionary War.

The Battle of Trenton was a battle which took place on December 26, 1776, during the American
Revolutionary War, after Washington's crossing of the Delaware River. The only way to get to Trenton
without being detected by the British was by boat down the Delaware River .It was very risky due to
winter season, only a small part of total force crossed the river. Washington has no option but to attack
with 2,400 soldiers .The commander of the Hessians, Colonel Rahi seemed unprepared for the assault.
He has a army of 1,400 soldiers but they(LINK 3) were unprepared and tired .When attacked Hessians
force get scattered and shortly surrendered. Colonel Rahl died in battle.
1.The Battle of Princeton

In response to the loss at Trenton ,General William Howe sent Lord Charles Cornwallis with a strong
military force to destroy the American rebels .The british army consist of 8,000 British and Hessians.
General Charles Cornwallis had left 1,400 British troops under the command of Lt. Colonel Charles
Mawhood in Princeton. The American troops(LINK 2) were found in town near south bank of the
Assunpink River. Attempts were made that evening by the British to cross the river but in the face of
stiff resistance the crossing was postponed to the morning .Washington has to option either they should
stand and fight, attempt to cross the river somewhere, or take the backroads to attack Princeton. In the
middle of the night, the Americans left fires burning and marched towards Princeton .They left few
troops to resist british army.

At Princeton ,Washington met small British army under the command of Lt. Colonel Charles Mawhood
in Princeton against there 7000 soldiers. The fight in Princeton, British army was outnumbered

by colonist army .These took refuge in a stone house, but a cannon fired into the building brought their
surrender. Before Cornwallis (LINK 1 ) could arrive ,Washington left place.

LINK 20:

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-first-anglo-afghan-war-195101

LINK 19:

https://www.military-history.org/articles/the-first-anglo-afghan-war-1839-1842.htm

LINK 18:

https://www.battle-of-pollilur-painting.com/

LINK 17:

(When the Tiger Fought the Thistle: The Tragedy of Colonel William Baillie of the Madras Army) by Alan
Tritton,https://books.google.co.in/books?id=1yMBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA312&lpg=PA312&dq=Battle+of+P
erambakkam&source=bl&ots=Y6LdxI1h6Z&sig=8_aJ69WpbPlUB83MN77NY6os1mY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=
0ahUKEwiz4sy35JDWAhUNSo8KHWeUAREQ6AEIUzAG#v=onepage&q=Battle%20of%20Perambakkam&f
=false

LINK 16:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/apr/24/gallipoli-what-happened-military-disaster-legacy

LINK 15:

https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-i-battle-of-gallipoli-2361403
LINK 14:

http://www.britishbattles.com/crimean-war/battle-of-balaclava/

LINK 13:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/battles/crimea/charge.htm

LINK 12:

https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-battle-of-singapore-2361472

LINK 11:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4241644/The-moment-Britain-surrendered-Singapore-Japan-
1942.html

LINK 10:

http://deremilitari.org/2014/03/the-battle-of-bouvines-1214/

LINK 9:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28484146

LINK 8:

http://www.britishbattles.com/scottish-war-of-independence/battle-of-bannockburn/

LINK 7:

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/The-Battle-of-Bannockburn/

LINK 6:

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/jan22/battle-isandlwana/

LINK 5:

http://www.britishbattles.com/zulu-war/battle-of-isandlwana/

LINK 4:

http://www.britishbattles.com/war-of-the-revolution-1775-to-1783/battle-of-trenton/

LINK 3:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Trenton

LINK 2:
http://www.britishbattles.com/war-of-the-revolution-1775-to-1783/battle-of-princeton/

LINK 1:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-princeton