Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles

Episode 11 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles revisits the Battle of Saratoga (1777) — the defining moment of the American Revolution. British General John Burgoyne marched south from Canada with 8,000 troops, planning to split the colonies in two. But his advance through the New York wilderness was slow, and American forces under General Horatio Gates and the fiery Benedict Arnold bloc...

Episode 10 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles recounts the Battle of Vienna (1683) — the decisive clash that halted the Ottoman Empire’s final advance into Europe. Led by Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha, an Ottoman army of more than 150,000 men surrounded Vienna, defended by only 15,000 under Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg. For two months, the city endured constant bombardment and...

Episode 9 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles explores the Battle of Lepanto (1571), one of the largest naval battles in history and the final great clash of oar-powered warships. The battle was fought between the expanding Ottoman Empire, led by Admiral Ali Pasha, and the Holy League, a temporary alliance of Christian powers commanded by Don John of Austria. Despite political divisions,...

Episode 8 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles covers the Battle of Agincourt (1415), a stunning English victory during the Hundred Years’ War. King Henry V, leading a small, exhausted force of around 6,000 men, faced a vastly larger French army — possibly three to five times his size. The French nobles, confident in their heavy cavalry and armor, underestimated the English longbowmen and...

Episode 7 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles recounts the Battle of Hastings (1066), where William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold Godwinson of England. After Harold had just repelled a Viking invasion in the north, he rushed south to face William’s invading Norman army. Harold’s troops formed a strong shield wall atop Senlac Hill, initially repelling Norman attacks. However, th...

Battle of Zama (202 BCE), the climactic encounter that ended the Second Punic War. After years of devastating victories in Italy, Hannibal Barca was recalled to defend Carthage against the rising Roman commander Publius Cornelius Scipio. On the plains of North Africa, Hannibal deployed elephants and a mixed army of mercenaries, allies, and veterans, while Scipio commanded disciplined Roman legions...

Episode 5 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles tells the story of the Battle of Cannae (216 BCE) during the Second Punic War. Hannibal Barca, outnumbered by a massive Roman army, executed one of the most brilliant battlefield maneuvers ever recorded. Using a curved formation and strategic retreat at the center, he drew the Romans in, then encircled them with his elite infantry and cavalry...

Episode 4 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles recounts the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE), where Alexander the Great faced the Persian king Darius III in one of antiquity’s most decisive clashes. Vastly outnumbered, Alexander’s 40,000 men confronted a Persian army possibly five times their size on the plains near Gaugamela. Using brilliant strategy, Alexander lured Persian cavalry away fr...

Episode 3 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles focuses on the Battle of Salamis (480 BCE), a decisive naval encounter in the Persian Wars. After the fall of Thermopylae and the burning of Athens, the Greek city-states faced destruction. Themistocles, the Athenian commander, lured the larger Persian fleet under Xerxes I into the narrow straits of Salamis with a clever deception. There, the...

Episode 2 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE), where a small Greek force led by King Leonidas of Sparta confronted the massive Persian invasion under King Xerxes I. Around 7,000 Greeks held the narrow mountain pass against overwhelming numbers, with the legendary 300 Spartans forming the core of the defense. For two days, the Greeks...

Episode 1 of Turning Points: History’s Greatest Battles explores the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE), where a small Greek force of about 10,000 Athenians and allies defeated a much larger Persian army. The Persians, led by King Darius I, sought to punish Athens for supporting a revolt, but the Athenians under General Miltiades used daring tactics: thinning their center, strengthening their wings, and...