ERA // 1871 – 1913
New Imperialism
62 wars · 305 battles
Profile
The scramble for empire — colonial conquest across Africa and Asia, and the great-power rivalries that set the stage for the World Wars.
Timeline
1871 – 1945
62 wars · span 74 years
Wars
62 catalogued
1871-1872
Mokrani Revolt
The Mokrani Revolt was the most important local uprising against France in Algeria since the conquest in 1830.
1 battle
1872-1873
Modoc War
The Modoc War, or the Modoc Campaign, was an armed conflict between the Native American Modoc people and the United States Army in northeastern California and southeastern Oregon…
2 battles
1872-1876
Third Carlist War
The Third Carlist War, which occurred from 1872 to 1876, was the last Carlist War in Spain. It is sometimes referred to as the "Second Carlist War", as the earlier "Second" War…
9 battles
1873-1904
Aceh War
The Aceh War, was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between representatives of Aceh…
0 battles
1874-1876
Ethiopian–Egyptian War
The Egyptian–Ethiopian War was a war between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt, an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, from 1874 to 1876. The conflict…
2 battles
1874-1875
Red River War
The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874 to displace the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes from the Southern…
2 battles
1876-1878
First Serbian–Ottoman War
The First Serbian–Ottoman War, was a military conflict fought by the Principality of Serbia against the Ottoman Empire. Serbia declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 30 June 1876,…
1 battle
1876-1877
Great Sioux War of 1876
The Great Sioux War of 1876, also known as the Black Hills War, was a series of battles and negotiations that occurred in 1876 and 1877 in an alliance of Lakota Sioux and…
10 battles
1876-1878
Montenegrin–Ottoman War of 1876–78
The Montenegrin–Ottoman War, also known in Montenegro as the Great War, was fought between the Principality of Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire between 1876 and 1878. The war…
2 battles
1876-1878
Serbian–Ottoman Wars
The Serbian–Ottoman Wars, also known as the Serbian–Turkish Wars or Serbian Wars for Independence, were two consequent wars, fought between the Principality of Serbia and the…
2 battles
1877
Nez Perce War
The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict in 1877 in the Western United States that pitted several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band…
7 battles
1877-1878
Romanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the phase of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), in which Romania, fighting on the Russian…
1 battle
1878
Bannock War
The Bannock War of 1878 was an armed conflict between the U.S. military and Bannock and Paiute warriors in Idaho and northeastern Oregon from June to August 1878. The Bannock…
0 battles
1878-1888
Nauruan Civil War
The Nauruan Civil War was fought from 1878 to 1888, between forces loyal to incumbent King Aweida of Nauru and those seeking to depose him in favour of a rival claimant. The war…
0 battles
1878-1880
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of…
6 battles
1879
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War, or simply the Zulu War, was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two…
9 battles
1879-1880
Little War
The Little War or Small War was the second of three conflicts between Cuban rebels and Spain. It started on 26 August 1879 and after some minor successes ended in rebel defeat in…
0 battles
1879-1884
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific, also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Chilean claims on coastal…
14 battles
1880-1881
Basuto Gun War
The Basuto Gun War, also known as the Basutoland Rebellion, was a conflict between the Basuto and the British Cape Colony. It lasted from 13 September 1880 to 29 April 1881 and…
0 battles
1880-1881
First Boer War
The First Boer War, also known as the Transvaal War, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 between the United Kingdom and Boers of the Transvaal. The war resulted…
6 battles
1881-1899
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese, led by Muhammad Ahmad bin Abdullah, who had proclaimed himself the "Mahdi" of Islam, and the forces of the Khedivate of…
22 battles
1882
Anglo-Egyptian War
The British conquest of Egypt, also known as the 2nd Anglo-Egyptian War, occurred in 1882 between mostly Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom.
3 battles
1884-1885
Sino-French War
The Sino-French or Franco-Chinese War, also known as the Tonkin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885 between the French Third Republic and the Qing…
9 battles
1885
Third Anglo-Burmese War
The Third Anglo-Burmese War, also known as the Third Burma War, was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the British. The war saw the loss…
0 battles
1886-1894
Samoan Civil War
The turbulent decades of the late 19th century saw several conflicts between rival Samoan factions in the Samoan Islands of the South Pacific. The political struggle lasted…
0 battles
1890
First Franco-Dahomean War
The First Franco-Dahomean War was fought in 1890 between France, led by General Alfred-Amédée Dodds, and Dahomey under King Béhanzin.
1 battle
1891
Chilean Civil War of 1891
The Chilean Civil War of 1891, or the Second Chilean Civil War or Revolution of 1891, was a civil war in Chile fought between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the…
5 battles
1892-1894
Second Franco-Dahomean War
The Second Franco-Dahomean War, which raged from 1892 to 1894, was a major conflict between France, led by General Alfred-Amédée Dodds, and Dahomey under King Béhanzin. The…
0 battles
1893
1893 Franco-Siamese crisis
The Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893, known in Thailand as the Incident of Rattanakosin Era 112 was a conflict between the French Third Republic and the Kingdom of Siam. Auguste…
1 battle
1893-1894
First Matabele War
The First Matabele War was fought between 1893 and 1894 in modern-day Zimbabwe. It pitted the British South Africa Company against the Ndebele kingdom of Mthwakazi. Lobengula,…
2 battles
1893-1897
War of Canudos
The War of Canudos was a conflict between the First Brazilian Republic and the residents of Canudos in the northeastern state of Bahia, between 1896 and 1897. It was waged in the…
0 battles
1894-1896
First Italo-Ethiopian War
The First Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the First Italo-Abyssinian War, or simply known as the Abyssinian War in Italy, was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from 1895…
4 battles
1894-1895
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War, or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily for influence over Korea. In China…
9 battles
1895-1898
Cuban War of Independence
The Cuban War of Independence, fought from 1895 to 1898, was the last of three liberation wars that Cuba fought against Spain, following the Ten Years' War (1868–1878) and the…
1 battle
1895
Japanese invasion of Taiwan
The Japanese invasion of Taiwan, also known as Yiwei War in Chinese, was a conflict between the Empire of Japan and the armed forces of the short-lived Republic of Formosa…
5 battles
1896
Anglo-Zanzibar War
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was a military conflict fought between the United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. The conflict lasted between 38 and 45 minutes,…
0 battles
1896-1898
Philippine Revolution
The Philippine Revolution was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the…
8 battles
1896-1897
Second Matabele War
The First Chimurenga, also known as the Second Matabele War, was fought between 1896 and 1897 in the region that later became Southern Rhodesia. The conflict was initially…
0 battles
1897
Benin Expedition of 1897
The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition by a British force of 1,200 men under Sir Harry Rawson. It came in response to the ambush and slaughter of a 250-strong…
0 battles
1897
Greco-Turkish War of 1897
The Greco-Turkish War of 1897 or the Ottoman-Greek War of 1897 was fought between the Kingdom of Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Its immediate cause involved the status of the…
3 battles
1898-1934
Banana Wars
The Banana Wars were a series of conflicts that consisted of military occupation, police action, and intervention by the United States in Central America and the Caribbean…
3 battles
1898-1899
Second Samoan Civil War
The Second Samoan Civil War was a conflict that reached a head in 1898 when Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States were locked in dispute over who should have control…
2 battles
1898
Spanish-American War
A short war with large consequences, marking the United States' emergence as an overseas imperial power.
3 battles · U.S. combat deaths were comparatively low, but disease deaths were significant.
1899-1902
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Filipino–American War, Philippine Insurrection, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged in early 1899 following the United States'…
13 battles
1899-1902
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the Boer republics…
40 battles
1899-1902
Thousand Days' War
The Thousand Days' War was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National…
2 battles
1900
War of the Golden Stool
The War of the Golden Stool, also known as the Yaa Asantewaa War, the Third Ashanti Expedition, the Ashanti Uprising, or variations thereof, was a campaign in 1900 during the…
0 battles
1903-1907
Saudi–Rashidi War
Saudi–Rashidi War of 1903–1907, also referred to as the First Saudi–Rashidi War or the Battles over Qasim, was a conflict between Saudi loyalist forces of the newborn Emirate of…
5 battles
1904-1908
Herero Wars
The Herero and Nama War is the collective term for a series of interlinked, anti-colonial armed struggles by native peoples in German South West Africa, mainly the Herero and…
1 battle
1904-1905
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of…
16 battles · Russia: 43,300–71,453; Japan: 80,378–99,000
1905-1907
Majimaji War
The Maji Maji Rebellion was an armed rebellion of Africans against German colonial rule in German East Africa. The war was triggered by German colonial policies designed to force…
0 battles
1907-1937
French conquest of Morocco
The French conquest of Morocco began with the French Republic occupying the city of Oujda on 29 March 1907. The French launched campaigns against the Sultanate of Morocco which…
3 battles
1909
Second Melillan campaign
The second Melillan campaign was a conflict in 1909 in northern Morocco around Melilla. The fighting involved local Riffians and the Spanish Army.
1 battle
1910-1919
Mexican Border War
The Mexican Border War, also known as the Border Campaign, refers to a series of military engagements which took place between the United States military and several Mexican…
2 battles
1910-1920
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern…
16 battles
1911-1912
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish War, also known as the Turco-Italian War, was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911 to 18 October 1912. As a result…
13 battles
1911-1927
Rif War
The Rif War was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain and Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco.
4 battles
1912-1913
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and…
1 battle
1912-1913
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the…
26 battles
1913
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict fought between the Tsardom of Bulgaria and its former Balkan League allies, Serbia and Greece, who were later joined by Romania and the…
6 battles
1914-1945
Second Thirty Years' War
"Second Thirty Years' War" is a periodization scheme sometimes used to encompass the wars in Europe from 1914 to 1945. Just as the Thirty Years' War of 1618 to 1648 was not a…
0 battles
1914-1921
Zaian War
The Zaian War was fought between France and the Zaian Confederation of Berber tribes in Morocco between 1914 and 1921 during the French conquest of Morocco. Morocco had become a…
1 battle
Famous commanders of the New Imperialism era
12 shown
Ōyama Iwao
Strategicgensui1842–1916
Japan
7 battles ledΣ382 int
Oku Yasukata
Strategicmarshal1847–1930
Japan
6 battles ledΣ307 int
Aleksey Kuropatkin
StrategicGeneral of the Infantry1848–1925
Russia
4 battles ledΣ267 int
Kuroki Tamemoto
Strategicgeneral1844–1923
Japan
4 battles ledΣ199 int
Louis Botha
general1862–1919
11 battles ledΣ347 int
Lord Roberts
field marshal1832–1914
8 battles ledΣ300 int
Constantine
general field marshal1868–1923
6 battles ledΣ235 int
Christiaan De Wet
general1854–1922
8 battles ledΣ232 int
Koos de la Rey
general1847–1914
9 battles ledΣ231 int
Abdullah Pasha
1820–1878
4 battles ledΣ229 int
Pancho Villa
general1878–1923
7 battles ledΣ227 int
Radko Dimitriev
General of the Infantry1859–1918
5 battles ledΣ227 int
Ranked by Σ battle intensity across battles led in scope. Strategic leaders (chiefs of state / supreme commanders) pinned to the top.