Vercingetorix (82 BC. e.- 46 BC. e.) - the leader of the Celtic tribe of the Arverni in Gaul. His name in Gaelic means"lord of the warriors ." son of the leader Keltilla Arverni , who was executed on charges of wanting to rule the whole of Gaul.by some assumptions, trained in Britain the Druids , and may have served in the Roman army.According to Dio Cassius , was a friend of Caesar. During the Gallic War Vercingetorix led a revolt against the Gallic tribes united by Caesar in 52 BC. e.According to Julius Caesar in his" Notes on the Gallic War ," Rome has its power over Celtic tribes outside the Roman province of Narbonne Gaul application of the policy of" divide and rule".Vercingetorix , on the contrary , united the tribes and applied the tactics of attack on the Roman troops followed waste in natural fortifications.In addition , the uprising became one of the first recorded examples of the strategy of"scorched earth" when the rebels burned urban settlements , in order to deprive the Roman legions provisions. Despite the initial success in Gergova , the rebels were eventually surrounded the fortress of Alesia in central Gaul (modern Aliz St Wren near Semur , France). Vercingetorix called for help from other Gallic tribes , but Julius Caesar organized a double ring around the siege of Alesia , which allowed him to break in parts of the besieged and their allies came to their rescue.After all attempts to break the Roman forts failed, the rebels surrendered. Vercingetorix was among other trophies taken to Rome, where he spent five years in prison , and after participating in a triumphal procession in 46 BC. e.was strangled ( according to other sources , beheaded ).

Battle of Issus ( 333 BC. e.) - battle between the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great and the Persian army of King Darius in Cilicia. Macedonian king Alexander the Great with an army of 32,000 infantry and 4500 cavalry invaded Asia across the Hellespont Strait in 334 BC. e.In the same year he defeated the army of the Persian satraps in a battle on the river Granicus , then subdued the whole of Asia Minor (now territory of Turkey).While the Persian king Darius gathered a large army , Alexander strengthened his rear without risking to go into the inner region of the Persian empire from unconquered cities behind.The opposing armies met in November 333 BC. e.Isskogo Bay on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea , in the place where it ends and begins in Asia Minor Asia , now a province of Hatay.Armies met on the shores of the Gulf Isskogo , in the valley of the small river Pinar. Valley squeezes Amanskie mountains ; coastal strip , where the battle unfolded , was the width of only 2.5 km.In this battle, the Macedonians lost 150 horsemen and 300 infantrymen. Persians Greeks calculate losses in more than 100 thousand people. Eyewitnesses just noted that all the battlefield was strewn with the bodies of the Persians , and through small crevices got over the corpses as the footbridge.Many of the Persian army managed to escape because the soldiers of Alexander rushed to plunder the rich baggage.In the hands of Alexander got a mother, wife and children of Darius, as well as many gold utensils and luxuries before unseen Macedonians.Darius wife later died in the train of the Macedonian army , and the daughter of Darius , Alexander married after returning from the Indian campaign.

Battle of the River Granicus ( 334 BC. e.) - battle between the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great and the Persian army at the river Granicus in Asia Minor near from the legendary Troy. Macedonian king Alexander the Great with an army of 32,000 infantry and 4500 cavalry crossed into Asia Minor through the Hellespont Strait spring 334 BC. e.He opposed the satraps of the Persian king Darius III with the troops recruited in areas subject to them in Asia Minor.In the battle of the Macedonians lost 85 horsemen and 30 infantrymen. The Persians were killed thousand horsemen and 10,000 foot, to 20 thousand Persians were taken prisoner.After the defeat of the Persian satraps Lydia ( a vast area in the heart of Asia Minor ), and Phrygia on the Hellespont ( the north-west Asia Minor ) submitted to Alexander. Cities along the Aegean coast , one after another began to fall away from the Persians.

Battle of the Hydaspes (July 326 BC. e.) - the battle with the army of Alexander the Great Indian king Time to Hydaspes river (a tributary of the Indus ).When the whole territory of the Persian empire was incorporated into the empire of Alexander the Great , Alexander started to expand holdings due to new countries , following the obsession to become the ruler of the whole civilized world.8 years after the invasion of Asia , Alexander joined the fabulous Greeks India. After crossing the river Indus Alexander , moving to the east, in July 326 BC. e.came to the river Hydaspes ( Jhelum river now in Pakistan ) , the largest tributary of the Indus on the east side.For Hydaspes Alexander Por expected king.Indian king Por fought to the last. There are several versions of putting it into captivity. Some authors claim that he was captured unconscious. According to the story Arrian wounded in the shoulder is time persuaded to get off the elephant." Alexander first approached him offering to say what he wants for himself.Then replied, " That you treat me , Alexander, royally ".Alexander liked this answer:" I "ll do it , then, for my own sake.And you ask for yourself what you nice ".Then replied that his request made ​​everything. Alexander liked these words even more ; time he handed power over his indami and added to his former possessions are still others who were more primordial ."After the battle, Alexander gave a month off his army, founded the city on the site of the Battle of Nicaea , and then moved on to the east. Some princes obeyed him willingly, he took other cities by storm.Alexander gave the conquered lands under the authority "s time.However, on the way to the river Ganges Macedonians heard about the huge armies and thousands of elephants in the Ganges , refused to follow their king. Thus the battle on the river Hydaspes , the first battle of the Macedonians with the elephants stopped promoting the great conqueror of the East. Now Alexander conquered the tribes on the way back to Persia.Battle of the Hydaspes was the last major battle in the biography of Alexander the Great.

Capture of Constantinople ( April 12, 1204 ) Crusader forces was one of the epochal events of medieval history and had far-reaching consequences for the entire Europe. That shot was preceded by two rather strenuous siege of 1203 and 1204 years , during which their efforts combined Venetian fleet and Western European (mainly French ) infantry. After capturing the city began mass looting and killing the Greek Orthodox population, which was a kind of revenge for the massacre of the Latins by the Greeks in 1182.May 9 was proclaimed the new emperor Baldwin of Flanders , which initiated the formation of an entire galaxy of"Latin"states in the occupied territories the Crusaders , although Greek nobility on the periphery empire resigned and continued the fight.
Crusaders have long observed the weakening city. During the elapsed Crusades, the Latins had become familiar with the geography of the Balkans and Asia Minor.
After the capture of the city began widespread looting.About 2 thousand people were killed in the first days after the seizure.In the city of raging fires.In the fire destroyed many monuments of culture and literature , kept here since ancient times.Particularly hard hit by the fire the famous library of Constantinople.Greek population en masse to leave the capital.By the end of krestonosskoy authorities plundered the city was no more than 50 thousand inhabitants.

Battle of Taybure ( town on the banks of the Charente , on the way from the north to the south of France ) was held in 1242.In her French King Louis IX Saint repulsed an attempt of King Henry III to seize land along the banks of the Garonne River.In the center of the composition , on a white horse - Saint Louis IX.

Battle of Bouvines - battle of July 27, 1214 during the Anglo -French war between the armies of the French king Philip II Augustus and the Anglo- Flemish- German coalition led by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV. Ended with the victory of the French and gain royal France.
Cavalry opponents was built in separate columns.Infantry ( archers , spearmen ) were placed in front of the knights. The task was to serve as a living infantry parapet for knightly cavalry. So , one of the army units Otto identified several hundred infantrymen who created a kind of circle. During the battle, the knights as necessary hiding in this" refuge" and brought myself up.The battle itself took place in a form of separate battles units and groups of knights. No general guidance was not ; Emperor and King fought as ordinary knights.The battle ended in victory for the French.

in 1298 , Jacques de Molay, Grand Master and becomes the last leader of the Knights Templar.By the time the Order is composed around adversity - with the termination of the Crusades , and there is no existence of such military orders.Realizing this, Jacques de Molay takes desperate decision - one by the Knights Templar in 1299 begins a crusade and take Jerusalem by storm.But a year later the Templars left Palestine forever.

Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordova (1453 - 1515) - Prince of Olbia and Sant Angelo - Spanish general and military reformer, largely thanks to his outstanding victory of Spain in the XVI century.became one of the most powerful military power in Europe. Earned the nickname the Great Captain, was perhaps one of the founders of trench warfare tactics.Many historians as one of the top military leaders of his time.
Battle of Cerignola was held April 28, 1503 between the Spanish and French armies from nearby Cerignola.This battle marked by historians as the first battle in the world, won with the help of gunpowder firearms. After the conquest of the kingdom of Naples joint French and Spanish Fernando II, king of Castile and Aragon , and proclaimed himself king of Sicily and Naples. This caused great discontent among the French , and she immediately declared war on the Spaniards.April 28, 1503 French and Spanish armies converged near the town of Cerignola province of Puglia in southern Italy.
26 French guns gave the first salvo , 13 Spanish shot back , but none of volleys not reached the goal.At this time in the rear of the Spaniards suddenly occur two powerful explosion that blew up two battery carts - all gunpowder Spaniards. Gonzalo de Cordoba , however, just reassured soldiers :"My brave friend ! This is our fireworks !" - Alerted general encouragement.Meanwhile, the French cavalry was rapidly approaching Spaniards positions and soon faced the trench.Arquebusiers gave the first salvo : on the battlefield at once chaos.Duke Nemursky received three bullets and fell from his horse , being immediately buried under a pile of bodies.His assistant Louis de Acres was killed. The smoke mingled with the dust raised by the horses" hooves , and hid the combatants.After some time of smoke appeared and Swiss pikemen ; with lances , disciplined systems, they are inexorably approaching. Arquebusiers gave volley after volley , Swiss ranks thinned , but they kept coming.
Seeing that the battle is not yet a foregone conclusion, Gonzalo de Cordoba decides to launch a counterattack. In the infantry attack goes Pedro Navarro and knights Gonzalo Fernandez. Within a few minutes the French lose killed about three thousand people.Surviving soldiers rush to flee.
This event - the first battle in history won by using firearms, marked the end of the era of chivalry and ushering in an era of gunpowder.

Andrea Doria ( 1466 - 1560 ) - Genoese admiral and statesman.

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