The war for Jenkins' ear. The Seven Strangest Wars The Shortest War

Most wars of the past are strange in nature. Explosions, shootings, torture of thousands of people seem downright strange when you realize that usually, everything is to blame for the actions of a small group of power-mad people. On a positive note, some of the strangest and most interesting events in history took place during the war.

So girls, today we’re talking about war again, but in the meantime I recommend Clarins body care products, click and read, maybe you’ll like it. And let the boys read about the war

10. French cavalry captured the Danish fleet

In January 1795, the French Revolutionary forces were approaching the United Provinces (now the Netherlands) when cold weather triggered one of the strangest battles of the era, and indeed of all history. A group of French hussars under the command of Johann Willem was ordered to capture the stronghold of den Helder and prevent the Danish ships from breaking through to their ally, Britain.

Arriving at the place, the general learned that the Danish fleet under the command of den Helder was stuck in the ice. Having reached the flotilla unnoticed across the ice, the hussars were able to surround the ships and force the Danish sailors to surrender. This is the only recorded case in history where cavalry captured a fleet.

9. Scientology Inventor Fights a Sea Battle with an Imaginary Enemy


In May 1943, L. Ron Hubbard, captain of a submarine hunter and future founder of the Church of Scientology, was ordered to sail his ship from Portland to San Diego. On May 19, at 3:40 a.m., Hubbard spotted what he assumed was a Japanese submarine on sonar. At 9:06 a.m., two American airships were sent to assist in the search. By midnight on May 26, a small fleet, including two cruisers and two coast guard cutters, was sent to assist Hubbard in his search for the elusive enemy. The ships fired about a hundred underwater bombs. After a 68-hour battle there was no sign of damage or even enemy movement. Later, in a report containing testimony from the captains of other ships about the incident, it was stated that Hubbard fought a 68-hour battle against a well-known and precisely mapped source of the magnetic field on the bottom of the sea.

8. Two drunken soldiers decided to compete


In the autumn of 334 BC. Alexander the Great failed in his attempt to liberate Halicarnassus (present-day Bodrum) from the Persians. The defenders were well armed, and the city walls were able to easily withstand fire from catapults. This long and painful siege wore on many of Alexander's warriors, including two heavily armed infantrymen from Perdiccas's company, who slept on the same bunk bed in the same tent, which meant they often shared stories of their exploits. One day, after getting drunk, they decided to measure their strength through a fight. As a result, they agreed that in order to resolve the dispute they themselves would attack Halicarnassus.

But seeing only two people approaching, the city's soldiers left the walls and headed towards them. The two were reported to have killed many of their enemies before they died. However, the soldiers of both armies saw this skirmish and rushed to the aid of “their own,” which turned into a real battle. During a battle started by two drunken warriors, the weakly defended city was almost captured by the attacking army. If all of Alexander's soldiers had rushed into battle, the city would probably have surrendered to the onslaught of two drunken warriors trying to measure their strength.

7. The British fool the Ottomans


On November 5, 1917, the British struck back at the Ottoman Empire, which had attacked their colonies during the First World War. The Turks were forced to return to Sheria, south of Gaza. Richard Meinertjagen, a British intelligence officer, decided to give the besieged Turks a gift in the form of cigarettes and propaganda leaflets dropped from an airplane. Unknown to the Turks, Meinertjagen added opium to the cigarettes in an attempt to drug the soldiers, who happily smoked them. The next day, the British attacked Sheria, but the Turks offered little resistance. They saw that the Turks were so besotted that they could barely stand, let alone defend their city with arms in hand.

6. The meteorite won the battle


The Roman politician Lucullus was the commander-in-chief during the Third Mithridatic War of 76-63 BC. Hoping to attack the Pontic kingdom during the absence of an army, Lucullus was surprised when King Mithridates himself came out to his soldiers. Both armies were ready to start the battle, but suddenly a meteorite appeared in the sky in the form of a “fireball”. The molten object then fell to the ground between the two armies. Both troops, fearing the revenge of the gods, immediately left the battlefield, making the alien from outer space the first winner in the battle of people. Lucullus eventually managed to conquer Pontus, but he failed in his attempt to conquer Armenia, as the Senate dismissed him.

5. War over the bathroom


The incident occurred on the Marco Polo Bridge on July 7, 1937. The bridge located in Beijing was built along the border between the Japanese Empire and China. Due to high tensions between the two, the sanitary zone was occupied by both Japanese and Chinese troops at the same time. Following unscheduled night maneuvers by the Japanese, a brief firefight occurred on the night of July 8th. When the fire stopped, Japanese Army private Shimura Kukujiro did not return to his post.

After receiving permission from the Chinese to search for Kkujiro, the Japanese, believing that the private had been captured, and in order to obtain any apology, attacked the Chinese camp early on the morning of July 8. Both sides suffered significant losses. Ultimately, this battle sparked the Second Sino-Japanese War, which eventually became part of World War II. Later that day, Private Shimura returned to his post and was surprised by the announcement that he had been captured, saying that he had gotten lost after wandering far from the camp to use the restroom.

4. Marijuana cigarettes as ammunition


The Battle of Chosin Reservoir between the encircled UN troops and the Chinese army lasted from November 27 to December 13, 1950. A Chinese army of 120,000 soldiers entered North Korea and eventually forced the 20,000-strong UN army to surrender its defensive positions at the reservoir. Although the Chinese suffered heavy losses, it is still believed that the battle was won by the Chinese, since the UN troops left North Korea in full force. One of the factors that may have contributed to the defeat of UN troops at the Battle of the Reservoir was marijuana cigarettes.

After very large losses of ammunition, the mortar division of the US Navy risked losing aircraft and anti-aircraft installations. They decided to request ammunition resupply by parachute. Unfortunately, the munitions depot didn't know that the mortar bombs were codenamed "marijuana cigarettes" and sent a plane full of candy into the war zone. The tasty treat, more often eaten than used as mines, was known to keep morale up until UN troops were forced to break out of encirclement and flee south.

3. The blind king wages war


On August 26, 1346, troops from England and Wales met the French army near the French town of Crecy.

King Johann of Bohemia took the side of France in the battle and sent his knights to her army. During the Crusade of 1340, Johann lost his sight completely. However, having spent most of his life in wars, he was not particularly worried about this.

During the battle, the victory of the British and Welsh was obvious, since the Genoese mercenary soldiers from the French army were armed with longbows. However, Johann could not fully assess the chances of retreat. His knights may have been very afraid to suggest the king retreat and were unable to convince him that fighting the enemy was not the best plan. Mounted on a horse, tied by the bridle to the horses of the knights on either side of him, he galloped towards the English. His brave companions, who most likely should have directed his blows, were found dead after the battle near the dead king.

2. The soldier became a veteran of three armies


In 1938, 18-year-old Korean Yang Kuyonjiong was drafted into the army of the Japanese Empire to fight the Soviet army. A year later, during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, Young was captured by the Red Army and sent to a labor camp. However, in 1942, the USSR entered into a bloody war with the approaching German army. Following the military strategy of sending soldiers to their deaths until the enemy ran out of ammunition, they were constantly in need of new soldiers. Almost under the threat of death, Young was “forced” to fight on the side of the Red Army.

In 1943, in the battle of Kharkov, he was captured again, but by the Germans. Like the Soviets, the German army also needed new soldiers, and Young was forced to fight on the German side. In June 1944, Young was captured by the Americans for the last time. Having become a veteran of three armies, he decided not to fight on the side of this country.

1. The British sank their own flagship


With all due respect to L. Ron Hubbard, Britain's legendary navy survived an even worse naval disaster. The Royal Navy battleship HMS Victoria set out on her maiden voyage in 1888 and was destined to become the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. Britain could not afford to field battleships costing £1.35 million per ship. Despite this, they still managed to sink it, even without enemy help. On June 22, 1893, 10 battleships of the Mediterranean Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon set sail for the high seas. Having divided the ships into two columns, with a distance of only 1000 meters between them, the vice admiral decided to try something out of the ordinary.

Wanting to put on a show, he gave the order to the first two ships in the column to turn 180 degrees relative to each other and head to the port, which the rest of the ships had to do as well. In his desire to show something like synchronized swimming, Tryon forgot to calculate the distance between the ships. It was the distance that prevented them from making the maneuver. The collision of two very expensive ships could not be avoided, and as a result, the ship HMS Victoria, having served only 5 years, sank to the bottom, and the battleship HMS Camperdown received serious damage. More than half of the Victoria's crew were killed. To avoid shame and rather large bills, Tryon decided to die, remaining on a sinking ship.

As long as humanity has existed, it has been at war with its own kind for as long. They say that the history of civilization includes about 6 thousand wars. Wars of all kinds: serious and not so serious, funny and absurd.

They all erupted for different reasons, had different durations, but they all had one thing in common - human casualties. Lovers of statistics, classifications, various comparisons and comparisons never tire of looking for common features in world wars and putting military conflicts into perspective.

On one shelf they have the shortest wars, on the other - the longest, on the third - the absurd ones (such as the pig war, ostrich war, drunken war, football war and other “funny” wars). On one of these shelves there are 10 wars that broke out for the most frivolous reasons. These are the strangest wars in the entire history of human society.

War between Troy and Greece

"Peach" war

4-year war between the Vikings

"Chronic" Spanish-French wars

4-year confrontation against the Portuguese

Brazilian "war" between two high-ranking officials

The bloodiest war over... a beard

It was a bloody war that lasted three years in medieval China and killed 15 thousand soldiers and officers. The reason for this massacre was the rash act of a Chinese aristocrat. He was so caught up in an argument with another aristocrat that he didn’t notice how he tugged at his beard. And this is the worst insult in China!

A war over a cow that destroyed two African tribes

The 250 Years' War, which killed 150,000 Japanese

500-year "turtle" war

They say it started because one of the foreign guests of the Assyrian king did not bother to pick up the inlaid tortoiseshell comb that had been dropped by the drunken queen.

Here it is, the ten most frivolous wars!

The Second World War is divided into many periods. At the very beginning of the conflict, despite the fact that Great Britain and France declared war on Germany, full-scale military action was never launched. First in Western and then in Russian historiography, this episode began to be called a “strange war.”

Appearance of the term

The term “phoney war” is a loose translation of the American journalistic cliché Phoney War. The phrase appeared in the US press in the early days of the European conflict. The literal translation of the phrase is a fake, or fake war.

After Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, he began a policy of unifying the lands where the German-speaking majority lived. In 1938 it merged with Austria. A few months later, the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia was occupied.

Hitler's aggressive actions frightened his neighbors. Poland was next to be hit. But she received the former German provinces, which allowed the country to access the Baltic Sea. The Fuhrer demanded the return of these lands. The Polish government refused to make concessions to its neighbor. For greater security, the Warsaw authorities entered into an alliance with France and England. According to the new document, these countries were supposed to come to the aid of Poland in the event of German aggression.

The war did not have to wait long. Germany attacked Poland. Two days later, France and Great Britain declared war on the Third Reich in accordance with their agreements with Warsaw. In Poland they hoped that the help of the Western Allies would divert as many German divisions as possible. In fact, everything turned out quite the opposite.

Siegfried Line

Polish diplomats in London and Paris urged the Allies to launch an immediate all-out offensive to prevent the Germans from seizing the strategic initiative. It soon became clear that Britain and France had not even prepared a contingency plan in the event of a large-scale conflict. “The Strange War” showed this in the most unsightly light.

The Allied generals decided in early September that mobilization would take place for another two weeks, after which the French would launch an attack on the Siegfried Line. This was the name of a large-scale fortification system that was erected in the western part of Germany. 630 kilometers of defense line were necessary in order to secure the country from the French offensive. There were concrete fortifications, as well as structures necessary for protection against tanks and infantry.

Maginot Line

France also had its own line of defense, built in case of war with Germany. It was called the Maginot Line. It was on these lines that the troops stood while the “strange war” was fought. This went against promises to the Poles of active assistance in the fight against the Germans.

The German command redeployed 43 divisions to its western borders. They had to defend themselves until Poland capitulated. Germany rightly decided that a war on two fronts would be too difficult for the country.

Thus, the only way for France to help Poland was to launch an offensive on a narrow section of the border with the Third Reich. In Paris they could not give the order to troops to move through Belgium and the Netherlands, because in this case it would violate their declared neutrality. Therefore, the Germans positioned their main forces on a 144-kilometer stretch from the Rhine. The Siegfried Line was surrounded here. It was an almost impregnable line.

Allied inaction

Until September 17, the “strange war” is local battles between two countries in limited areas. They arose almost spontaneously and did not in any way affect the general state of affairs at the front. The mobilization of France was delayed due to the general obsolescence of the conscription system. The recruits did not even have time to complete the basic fighter courses necessary to survive in battle. Another reason for Paris to delay the offensive was the inability of Great Britain to quickly transfer troops to the continent. The “Strange War” continued as Poland surrendered city after city. The Soviet invasion also began on September 17, after which the republic finally fell, sandwiched between two aggressors. During this time, the “strange war” on the Western Front did not bring any problems to Germany: the Third Reich methodically engaged in the conquest of its defenseless neighbors. After the occupation of Poland, operations began against Denmark and Norway.

Saar offensive

Meanwhile, the French finally launched an offensive that became known in historiography as the Saar offensive. This was part of the campaign that represented the "Phantom War". Determining the plan of the operation fell on the shoulders of Gustave Gamelin. In the first week, French troops advanced only 20-30 kilometers.

The full-scale French offensive was to begin on September 20. However, on the 17th it was decided to postpone it due to the hopeless situation in Poland. In essence, the Western allies capitulated without starting a serious war against the Reich, giving Hitler a free hand, who could easily bring his affairs in other regions to their logical conclusion. This was the result that the “strange war” led to. This half-hearted Allied campaign was defined in the United States, where the press was outraged by the passivity of France and Great Britain.

Plan "Gelb"

The Germans launched their first counteroffensive on October 16. During this operation, the French abandoned all the few occupied positions and again found themselves on the edge of the Maginot Line. Time passed, but the same “strange war” continued. What is this, many historians tried to answer already in peacetime. They all came to the conclusion that the situation at the front changed when the Wehrmacht began to implement the Gelb plan. This was a large scale invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands and France. On the day of the German offensive (May 10, 1940), the “strange war” ended. This determination was cemented after several months of Allied inaction. During this time, Germany was able to capture several European countries and secure its rear in order to begin decisive military actions against France, which ended on June 22, 1940 with the signing. According to this document, France was occupied.

RP recalls the most unusual armed conflicts in human history

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A protest in Reykjavik during one of the Cod Wars. AP Photo, 1973. Source: AP

History knows examples of wars and conflicts that were given unusual, and in some cases rather poetic, names by contemporaries and descendants. The vast majority of people have probably heard of the Wars of the Roses in medieval England. Many people know the Strange War - the passive behavior of Great Britain and France in 1939-1940, when, although they declared war on Hitler in response to the Wehrmacht’s invasion of Poland, they refrained from any action for a long time, actually voluntarily giving the initiative to the Nazis. And everyone probably knows what the Cold War was - an indirect confrontation between the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact and the NATO bloc, which lasted almost the entire second half of the 20th century.

But there were other conflicts in history, not so large in scale and not with such significant consequences, but no less remarkable for their unusual names. Some of these wars did not claim a single human life, while others, on the contrary, were bloody. Some began because of mere trifles, for others a curious incident was only a pretext for the start of a long-brewing confrontation, and others received an unseemly name for other, subjective reasons.

Oak Bucket War, also known as the Bucket War

In the Middle Ages, Italy was a patchwork of many independent states and cities that formed alliances to fight each other. The cities of Modena and Bologna in the north of the country were no exception. Their enmity was also due to the fact that they supported different political forces fighting for influence in Italy. These forces were the so-called Guelphs - supporters of the Pope, and the Ghibellines, who supported the Holy Roman Emperors. In Modena the views of the Ghibellines dominated, while Bologna was a city of the Guelphs. So these two glorious cities remained unkind neighbors for decades, and it is unknown how much longer they would have stood in a state of such hidden enmity if a comical incident had not occurred in 1325, which nevertheless resulted in a war lasting 22 years.

Oak bucket in the tower of the Duomo Cathedral. Source: wikitravel.org

One day, a soldier from the garrison of Bologna decided to change his “employer” and deserted to Modena along with his horse and weapons. In order to water his horse on the way, he took with him a strong oak bucket from a well in the city square.

Whether the townspeople of Bologna were so angry about this offense or whether the theft of a government bucket served only as an excuse to start a war against their hated neighbors is now difficult to say. But the fact remains that when the townspeople and authorities of Modena expectedly ignored the ridiculous request of the delegation from Bologna to return the bucket, the Bolognese people officially declared war.

The only battle of that war was the Battle of Zappolino in November of the same 1325, where the Modenese defeated the superior forces of the Bolognese advancing on them, and they were forced to go home without glory and without a bucket. The oak bucket itself, by the way, is still kept in Modena as a relic.

Club War

This is the name given to the peasant uprising in Finland, which flared up at the end of the 16th century. At that time, Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden, so all the hardships of the Russian-Swedish war of 1596-1597 fell fully on it. The country was devastated and depleted by recruitment, and the situation was aggravated by the internal crisis in the kingdom - various noble groups were fighting for power among themselves and with the ruler of the country, Duke Charles.

Jaakko Ilkki's weapons and clothing in the Ilmajoen Museum. Photo: Jari Laurila

Under these conditions, the muzzled Finnish peasantry rebelled in November 1596 against the Swedish aristocrats and administration. The uprising was led by Jaakko Ilkka. Most peasants were not trained in the art of war; in addition, normal armor and swords were an unaffordable luxury for the poor, so they armed themselves with what was at hand. The most common type of weapon among the rebels were clubs, which later gave the name to the conflict. At first, Ilkki's army was successful - in an unstoppable wave they swept through rich estates and cities in Finland, killing nobles and tax collectors. However, due to weak organization, low discipline and lack of training, this army could not fight on equal terms with the royal army in the open field and, as a result, was defeated by the provincial governor Claes Fleming in December of the same year. Ilkka himself was caught and executed. Nevertheless, the Club War took its place both in the history of Finland and in local folklore. This was the largest peasant uprising in the history of the country.

Reaper War

The war between the region of Catalonia and Spain in 1640-1652 is known under this name, during which the independence of the province was restored for a short time.

The popular uprising itself was due to a number of reasons - the all-powerful favorite of the king, Count-Duke Olivares, planned to take away from the Catalans a number of freedoms previously granted to them by the Spanish crown. In addition to this, foreign mercenaries of the royal army were constantly stationed in the province, who annoyed the local residents. The last straw was the massive enlistment of Catalan youths and men into the army - Spain at that time took an active part in the Thirty Years' War, and was constantly in need of reinforcements at the front.

In response to the tyranny of Madrid, a rebellion broke out in Catalonia in 1640 - detachments of peasants called segadors (“reapers”) took Barcelona. The Spanish administration fled, the viceroy of the province was killed.

Realizing that they alone could not stand against the king, representatives of the Catalan aristocracy, who took command of the forces of the rebels, turned to their natural ally - the French king Louis XIII, who was an enemy of Spain in the Thirty Years' War and actively fought with it. The French immediately realized that they did not throw away such gifts of fate, and hastily concluded an alliance with the rebels. At the end of 1640, French troops entered the province, and Louis XIII was proclaimed Count of Barcelona by the local nobility.

Thanks to the support of France, the province successfully fought off the Spaniards for almost twelve years, but over time, the state of constant war began to weigh down the local population and cause great damage to Catalonia. The Spanish king played on this, who in 1651 besieged Barcelona and began to force the Catalans to obey. At that time, court turmoil reigned in France, and Paris had no time for Spanish affairs, so the Catalans, seeing the hopelessness of their situation, agreed to make peace with Spain on the condition that they were promised certain liberties.

War for Jenkins' Ear

Surprisingly, the conflict that received this name was not a local showdown, but a serious confrontation that ultimately resulted in one of the largest wars of the 18th century - the War of the Austrian Succession.

By the middle of the 18th century, a direct conflict of interests between Spain and England had matured in the Caribbean. Madrid desperately continued to cling to the remnants of its former colonial power, but managing its scattered overseas possessions became more and more difficult every year. This was largely due to the increased activity of England, which was rapidly acquiring the status of mistress of the seas, having already displaced Holland from the pedestal and was actively squeezing France into second place. Spain, although it had withdrawn from this race quite a long time ago, was jealous of its positions in the Caribbean archipelago, where the most important trade routes ran, bringing fabulous income to those who controlled them.

Spain, which did not have its own merchant fleet, traditionally hired French merchant ships to transport its cargo. At the same time, the strengthening of England's position in the region negatively affected the profits of the Spanish crown. In London, they made no plans to oust the Spaniards from the colonies - the role of Spain as an intermediary in the transit of goods from the New World to Europe suited everyone. The problem was that it was quite difficult for these two forces to coexist in the Caribbean without mutual oppression. The Spaniards were irritated by the impudence of the English merchants, who traded in excess of the approved annual limit, and besides, they transported contraband en masse, which meant losses for the Spanish treasury of hundreds of thousands of pesos. It came to the point that the king of Spain established a corps of so-called coastal guards, which were hired ships engaged in catching and eliminating smugglers. Essentially they were privateers in the service of the Spanish crown. The British repeatedly expressed outrage at the actions of the guardacostas (“coast guards”), who captured and plundered their merchant ships, but until a certain point the parties managed to balance on the brink between war and peace.

The incident that gave rise to the conflict occurred with the English merchant Robert Jenkins, whose ship was intercepted by the Spanish privateer Isabella, who escorted the British to the port of Havana for inspection. During the inspection of the ship, the Spaniards behaved defiantly, and when the Englishman tried to rebel, the Spanish captain ordered the merchant to be forced to his knees and cut off his ear, adding: “The same will happen to him (the king) if he is caught smuggling.” Jenkins, having come to his senses after this, immediately hurried home to England, taking with him the ear preserved in a jar - he took it with him everywhere for another seven years, in the hope of finding a doctor who could sew it back on him. Arriving in London, Jenkins first wrote a complaint addressed to the king, and when this did not have much effect, he personally appeared at a meeting of parliament, where in a fiery speech he told about what had happened, presenting his scar and his ear in alcohol as evidence. The parliamentarians were furious, believing that Jenkins had insulted them, the king, and England. Prime Minister Walpoll had no choice but to obey the wishes of the majority - on October 23, 1739, England declared war on Spain.

The confrontation between the two powers, which began as a colonial war, soon escalated into a pan-European conflict known as the War of the Austrian Succession, but that was another story.

Potato War, also known as the War of the Bavarian Succession and the Plum Market War

The cause of the war was Austria's claim to a number of lands that were transferred along with Bavaria to the Elector of the Palatinate in the 70s of the 18th century. The Bavarian house ceased to exist, and under the terms of the Treaty of Pavia in 1329, which divided the Wittelsbach dynasty into the Palatinate and Bavarian branches, everything went to Charles Theodor of the Palatinate. However, the Austrian Emperor Joseph II started a complex intrigue with the goal of appropriating part of the richest Bavaria for himself. He managed to convince the apathetic and childless Karl Theodor to cede Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate to him, after which he immediately sent his troops there in the winter of 1778.

However, Prussia, ruled by the old, but still not losing his former firmness and military talent, Frederick II, strongly disagreed with this situation. Prussia and Austria had long competed for the place of hegemon within the Holy Roman Empire, so any strengthening of Vienna was a threat to Berlin. Frederick cleverly found a formal reason for war by conspiring with Karl of Zweibrücken, a representative of another line of the Palatinate Wittelsbach, who himself had plans for the electorate after the death of the childless Karl Theodor. Of course, in the latter’s act, Karl of Zweibrücken saw the squandering of lands that in the future should have belonged to him, so he immediately declared a threat to the House of the Palatinate and turned to his “old friend” Frederick of Prussia for help.

Frederick II the Great. Portrait by the artist Anton Graf, 1736

The fighting itself, however, was more like a game of cat and mouse and was not rich in major clashes. The Austrians were too afraid of the formidable Frederick, who beat them to smithereens in the Seven Years' War, and tried to act carefully. The Prussian king himself was retreating under the onslaught of age, no longer showing the world that ebullient energy, flight of strategic thought and military genius, with which in previous years he had more than once awed and delighted all of Europe. The armies marched, waited, looked for a convenient opportunity for a surprise attack, and along the way they ate all the supplies that the Bavarian peasants had. This gave the war names associated with potatoes and plums - the soldiers of both armies fought more actively and successfully with edibles than with each other.

Finally, on May 13, 1779, through the mediation of France and Russia, a peace was concluded in Teschen, according to which Austria received a small district on the banks of the Danube, in return renouncing any further claims and recognizing the hereditary right to the Palatinate and Bavaria of the protege of Friedrich Karl of Zweibrücken.

Confectionery War

This innocuous name was given to the conflict that occurred in 1838-1839 between Mexico and France. It all started with ordinary vandalism. During the destruction of the Parian market in Mexico City during the unrest of 1828, the confectionery shop run by the Frenchman Remontel was also destroyed. Moreover, the store was destroyed not by ordinary bandits, but by Mexican marauding officers. However, the owner decided to announce his misfortune only ten years later. He was afraid to ask the Mexican authorities for compensation and asked for the protection of his immediate overlord, King Louis Philippe of France. The latter responded to the pleas of his subject and billed the Mexican government for the inconvenience caused to the confectioner. They counted 600 thousand pesos - a fabulous amount and, undoubtedly, exceeding the real losses. In addition, the Mexican side defaulted on loans issued by France, which only worsened its debt to Paris.

Louis Philippe, in an ultimatum, demanded “money for a barrel,” and when his demand was ignored, the enraged king, as proof of the seriousness of his intentions, sent a powerful fleet to Mexico under the command of Admiral Boden. In December 1838, French ships blocked the main Mexican ports, bombed Fort San Juan de Ulua, and to top it all off captured almost the entire Mexican fleet in the harbor of Veracruz.

Bombing of the fortress of San Juan de Ulua. Painting by Vernet Horace, 1841

Having lost its fleet and suffering huge losses from the blockade of its ports, Mexico nevertheless declared war on France. Mexico City hoped to maintain its budget by smuggling goods overland across the border into Texas, which was an independent republic at the time. However, the French came to an agreement with both the Texans and the Americans, receiving support from both, as a result of which all channels for Mexican trade were blocked.

Mexican President Anastasio Bustamante, realizing the gravity of his situation, was forced to give in and agree to pay all debts to the French. Peace was concluded, and on March 9, 1839, Louis Philippe recalled his ships.

The Pig War, also known as the Pig and Potato War

Despite its name, the origins of the 1859 conflict between the United States and Great Britain over San Juan Island lie more in the realm of geography and law than in the field of livestock farming.

At this time, the development of North America was still ongoing, and since it was carried out in parallel by the Americans and the British, confusion and disputes often arose as to whose jurisdiction this or that land fell under. This is what happened with the island of San Juan in the Great Lakes, which, without reaching a consensus regarding the demarcation of borders, was declared by both the United States and Great Britain as their property.

Accordingly, both the British and Americans began to settle on the island itself. The former were mainly engaged in livestock farming, while the latter plowed and grew various crops. And everything was quiet and peaceful until one ill-fated day, June 15, 1859, when the American farmer Lyman Cutler once again noticed a large pig on his plot that was eating his potatoes. As you know, for an American, private property is inviolable, therefore, in full accordance with US laws, the farmer took out a gun and shot the pig.

Later, however, it turned out that the pig belonged to the British Charles Griffin, who was in the habit of letting his pigs roam freely. The American wanted to settle the matter peacefully and offered compensation of $10 for the killed pig. Griffin refused and demanded $100. Cutler became angry and declared that in this case he would not pay anything at all, and he shot the pig in full accordance with the law, since it had wandered onto his land and was causing damage to his property. Griffin immediately filed a complaint with a court authorized by the British crown, and the judge threatened the American with arrest if he did not pay the required amount to the cattle breeder. Realizing that things were bad, Cutler turned to the American authorities for protection.

The Americans sent a detachment of 66 soldiers to the island to strengthen themselves there and stop possible provocations or forceful pressure from the British authorities. The British, in turn, fearing that the Americans would occupy the island, sent three warships to its shores. The US authorities responded to this by sending reinforcements to the island to strengthen the detachment stationed there, and by August 1859, both sides had significant forces and artillery in the area of ​​the disputed territory.

There was a stalemate. Neither side dared to open fire first; commanders on the ground received almost identical orders - to defend with all their might in the event of an enemy attack, but not to start it themselves. For several days, both sides tried to provoke each other - American soldiers from land hurled choice insults at British sailors and marines, and they responded in kind from the ships.

When news of the conflict reached London and Washington, the authorities of the two countries were shocked both by the absurdity of the situation and by how far it could go if some action was not taken immediately. An urgent decision was made to mutually reduce the military presence in the area of ​​the island, and it was decided to leave San Juan itself under the joint occupation of the British and American garrisons, which would act as guarantors of security and respect for the interests of each side. As a result, the only shot in that conflict was fired by the American farmer Cutler, and the only victim was that same pig. The issue of ownership of the island was resolved only in 1872, when, through the mediation of the German Kaiser Wilhelm I, who agreed to act as an arbiter in the dispute, San Juan was transferred to the United States.

Little Crow's War, also known as the Dakota War

The events that went down in history as Little Crow's War in Minnesota are one of the most tragic pages in US history. The reason was the conflict between the Santee Indians and the Americans over the enslaving terms of trade imposed by the latter. This, as well as the active expansion of white colonists into Indian lands, caused increasing indignation among the indigenous inhabitants of the continent, and sooner or later the situation threatened to turn into open confrontation.

It all started in the summer of 1862. On the night of August 17, the Indians attacked several settlements to drive the white people from their land. The massacre began, many settlers were captured. The attack was commanded by a chief named Little Crow, or Little Crow, and the total number of Santee warriors was approximately equal to a thousand people.

Chief Little Crow, 1857

The settlers, however, were not timid either - they assembled self-defense units, and also notified the district authorities so that they would send regular troops to help. The confrontation continued throughout the fall, and as a result, the technical superiority of the Americans played a role - by mid-December, the Santee detachments were defeated, many Indians were captured and distributed to state prisons. After a short trial, 38 of the most guilty of them were hanged.

Voronenko managed to escape, and he, having gathered around himself fellow tribesmen who had survived and had not lost their fighting spirit, continued the armed struggle until he was shot dead on July 3, 1863.

Football war

The war between El Salvador and Honduras, which broke out in July 1969, claimed a total of up to five thousand lives, including civilian casualties. Football, which gave the name to that war, was only a pretext for a quarrel between neighbors.

Salvadorans and Hondurans have disliked each other throughout almost the entire history of these two Latin American states. Political elites and Hondurans were envious of their neighbors' more developed economies and the generally higher standard of living in El Salvador. The Salvadorans, in turn, did not have enough land to cultivate and settle, but there was more than enough of it in neighboring Honduras, whose vast and sparsely populated territories literally attracted Salvadoran settlers. It got to the point that entire illegal rural agglomerations were formed on the territory of Honduras; Salvadoran peasants arbitrarily occupied empty lands and cultivated them.

As a result, by the age of 60, the opinion had become stronger among the Honduran public that their country was under threat from Salvadoran expansion. Not only did Honduras have a huge financial debt to El Salvador, but also the presence of Salvadorans in the country grew every year, which was perceived by the local population as a gradual takeover of the country. These sentiments were skillfully fanned by the Honduran government and local nationalists, who blamed El Salvador for all the country’s ills. The government of El Salvador, in turn, could not do anything about the spontaneous resettlement - there was a “land famine” in the country, forcing peasants who did not have their own plots to look for fortune in a foreign land. Conflict was inevitable.

In the summer of 1969, the national teams of El Salvador and Honduras were supposed to play two matches for the right to qualify for the upcoming World Cup. For both countries, winning this confrontation was a matter of honor. For example, after the first match, held in Honduras, one Salvadoran fan committed suicide, saying that she could not bear the shame of her country's defeat. The Salvadorans prepared for the return match at home as if it were their last battle, however, the Hondurans also went to it as if they were going to war. This time luck was on the side of the former - they defeated their opponents on their field with a score of 3:0, which gave impetus to the riots, during which Honduran fans and players were beaten. In response to this, mass pogroms unfolded in Honduras - Salvadorans were beaten everywhere, even diplomatic officials were injured.

Both sides appealed to the Human Rights Commission with a demand to look into cases of unrest, and in the football confrontation, to determine the winner, it was decided to arrange a third match, which was to be held in Mexico, on neutral territory. In a bitter struggle, the El Salvador team won that match with a score of 3:2, after which the countries broke off diplomatic relations with each other.

From the beginning of July 1969, a series of provocations took place on the border of the two states, until on July 14, in the afternoon, Salvadoran soldiers finally crossed the border into Honduras. The war has begun.

At first, the Salvadoran troops were successful, but their advance soon stalled due to a lack of fuel and ammunition. The Salvadorans occupied several key settlements and began to strengthen the bridgehead for further advance into enemy territory, bringing up new troops and bringing in ammunition and fuel.

The day after the war began, the Organization of American States (OAS) held an emergency session to develop a unified plan to resolve the conflict. The parties were urged to cease fire, and El Salvador to begin withdrawing its troops from the territory of the neighboring country. In San Salvador, these demands were ignored; moreover, as soon as the necessary resources were brought to the front, the Salvadoran army resumed the offensive, capturing a number of settlements. At the same time, El Salvador's press began to publish documents and historical references that substantiated the historical right of the Salvadorans to the occupied territories of Honduras.

In response, the OAS threatened El Salvador with economic sanctions, and President Hernandez eventually relented. He agreed to cease fire and withdraw troops on the condition that, under the patronage of the Regional State Administration, a special mission would be created on the territory of Honduras, which would oversee the observance of the rights of Salvadoran settlers.

Despite certain tactical successes of El Salvador, there were no real winners in that war. Enormous costs on both sides undermined the economies of states. Tens of thousands of Salvadoran peasants were forced to flee to their homeland, which caused a wave of unemployment in the country and provoked an economic crisis, which gradually developed into a political one, which eventually resulted in a protracted civil war.

Cod War

In fact, there were three so-called “cod wars,” and each time the stumbling block in this series of conflicts between Great Britain and Iceland was the Icelanders’ expansion of the boundaries of the exclusive economic zone. But, as a rule, when they talk about the Cod War, they mean the third conflict that took place in 1975-1976, which was not without bloodshed.

The conflict between Great Britain and Iceland began in the 50s and was associated with the fact that the authorities of the Country of Geysers decided to gradually expand their own territorial waters in order to increase income from fishing. This caused a strong protest from the British, whose fishing vessels were actively fishing off the coast of the island, bringing significant profits to the treasury of the United Kingdom. Twice the parties came to a compromise, as a result of which Iceland was able to slightly expand its water area. However, in 1975, the island authorities decided to expand this zone from 50 nautical miles to 200, which was done unilaterally, and the Icelandic coast guard began patrolling these sectors, expelling foreign fishing vessels from there.

Humanity has always loved to fight. There is no escape from this, such is nature. The reasons for this can be the most ridiculous, not to mention the reasons. From the banal desire to become famous to petty, despicable grievances over trifles. It seems that people just like to kill and this selection of the 10 strangest wars in the history of mankind is a clear confirmation of this.

1. Australian army against emus

In 1932, the emu population in Australia grew out of control. According to experts, over 20,000 voracious birds ran around the desert and, in principle, did not bother anyone except the valiant Australian army. The country's military headquarters decided to teach the breeding ostriches a lesson and declared war on them "for fun", the results of which were not at all funny for the poor birds. For a week, groups of soldiers armed with machine guns ambushed unsuspecting enemies in the desert. It was bloody November. In seven days, 2,500 emus were killed, and then the Australian army surrendered. The soldiers refused to participate in the brutal massacre. As it turned out later, there were other reasons for this. Killing an emu turned out to be not so easy. Hit by even a few machine-gun bullets, the strong birds continued to run, ahead of the heavily laden Australian soldiers.

2. War in Transnistria

In 1992, war broke out in Transnistria from the ruins of the Soviet Union. For about four months, fighting was carried out over something that no longer had any significance. But it was really strange to see fighters from both warring sides drinking on neutral territory late at night. The soldiers even made agreements not to shoot each other the next day if they recognized the person they were drinking with. This happened not just one or two nights, but regularly. One soldier wrote in his diary: “War is like a grotesque show. During the day we kill our enemies, and then during the night we drink with them. What a strange thing these wars are...” The war in Transnistria claimed 1,300 lives on both sides.

3. Football war

Some wars begin with a surprise attack, others with a massacre, and this one began with a football match between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. El Salvador lost the match, tensions increased between the states and on June 14, the army of the losing team went on the offensive against Honduras. For four days, the Salvadoran military took revenge on the people of Honduras for the defeat of their football team. Then the Organization of American States intervened and the chaos was stopped. Human losses in this war amounted to 3,000 people.

Ironically, the longest war our civilization has ever fought ended without a single casualty. We are talking about the war between the Netherlands and the Isle of Scilly, located off the southwest coast of Great Britain. No one remembers who was the first to declare this war and why in 1651, but the fact remains that during the entire period of the “hostilities” not a single person died. In 1986, the war was remembered and a peace treaty was concluded. If only all wars were like this...

5. Pig of discord

In 1859, a British infantryman shot and killed a pig that was roaming American soil. Outraged Americans declared war. Over the course of four months, a plan for retaliation against British troops was developed, tactics and strategies for military action were built, but ultimately the British apologized, saying that it was an accident. This ended the war. Losses in the war: 1 pig.

6. War of Pork and Beans

Another funny standoff between the United States and Great Britain on the Maine border. After the War of 1812, British troops occupied most of eastern Maine and, despite the lack of troops in the area, still considered it British territory. In the winter of 1838, American loggers cut wood in the disputed area and as a result provoked the ire of Great Britain, which moved troops into the area. The States also responded by raising troops and it seemed that war would be inevitable. Active hostilities were expected for eleven months, but never began. Due to an error in the supply department, American troops received a huge amount of beans and pork, which they ate, and then staged “gas attacks”, frightening the British with loud sounds. And although military action was never taken, more than 550 on both sides died from illness and accidents during the 11 months of inactivity.

7. War over a stray dog

In 1925, Greece and Bulgaria were sworn enemies. They fought each other during the First World War, and those wounds have not yet healed. Tensions were particularly acute along the border in an area called Petrich. There, the fragile peace was shattered on October 22, 1925, when a Greek soldier was chasing a dog running away to the Bulgarian border and was killed by a Bulgarian sentry. Greece promised revenge and invaded Petrich the very next day. They quickly cleared the area's border outpost, killing over fifty Bulgarian soldiers, but were unable to advance further into the country. The League of Nations called for stopping the invasion and abandoning Petrich. Ten days later, Greece withdrew its troops, paying Bulgaria 45,000 pounds in compensation for the damage caused.

8. Paraguayan War

The President of Paraguay, Francisco Solano Lopez, was a great admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte. He imagined himself to be a professional strategist and an excellent commander, but one thing was missing - war. To solve this small problem, in 1864 he declared war on three countries surrounding Paraguay - Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The outcome of the war? Paraguay was almost completely destroyed and devastated. It is estimated that about 90% of the country's male population died due to war, disease and famine. The senseless massacre lasted in the name of the glory of the commander from 1864 to 1870. Losses in this war amounted to over 400,000 people, which is a colossal figure for Latin America at that time.

9. Bucket of Discord

This war began in 1325, when rivalry between the independent city-states of Modena and Bologna reached its climax over a simple wooden bucket. Trouble began when a squad of Modena soldiers raided Bologna and stole a wooden bucket from one of the wells. Wanting to get the stolen item back, Bologna declared war and for 12 years tried unsuccessfully to return the lost wooden bucket. To this day, this trophy is kept in Modena.

10. Lizhar v France

In 1883, residents of the small village of Lijar in southern Spain were furious when they learned that their beloved Spanish King Alfonso XII had been insulted by the French during a visit to Paris. In response to this, the mayor of Lijar, Don Miguel García Saez, and along with him all 300 residents of the village declared war on France on October 14, 1883. The bloodless war ended 93 years later when the Spanish King Juan Carlos made a trip to Paris, during which he was treated with great respect by the French. In 1981, the Lizhar city council decided that "due to excellent relations with the French", they would cease hostilities and agree to a peace treaty with France.