The 14 most powerful military forces in ancient world history

The strongest military forces in the world

1. Spartan heavy infantry

2. Han Dynasty Army

3. Xiongnu Cavalry

4. Mongolian cavalry

5. Teutonic cavalry

6. Roman army

7. Byzantine army

8. Macedonian army

9. Arab cavalry

10. Tang Dynasty Army

11. Cossack cavalry

12. Napoleon's cavalry

13. Husarian cavalry

14. Polish cavalry

1. Spartan heavy infantry

Sparta was the first professional army in history, with strong will and strict discipline. During the Peloponnesian War, 90,000 Spartan heavy infantry troops forced the Athenians to only reside in the inner city for several years. During the Persian war, only 500 Spartan soldiers led 3,000 Greek troops to fight inconclusively with 100,000 Persian troops. In the end, Persia had to rely on the instructions of the traitor Greek to win.

Legions of "evil" immortals in history

2. Han Dynasty Army

At that time, the Han army and the Roman army were considered the two most powerful forces in the world. However, the Han Dynasty's achievements were still much "better" than the Roman army when considering wars with nomadic peoples. The Han army has strong fighting power, is strictly organized, and uses many crossbows, so it has a great advantage over the armies of other countries in battles. This is also a typical all-powerful military model in human history.

3. Xiongnu Cavalry

The Huns had the ability to be flexible in movement, attack as fast as lightning, leaving the enemy unable to react in time, and could replace horses many times in a day while still ensuring fighting ability. In addition, this army also possessed the main weapon, the bow, which was much more powerful than the bows of Western armies at that time.

4. Mongolian cavalry

The Mongol cavalry was founded by Genghis Khan. This army broke free from the shackles of traditional military ideology in Europe, forming an empire of unprecedented scale in the world and also famous for its horrifying ability to slaughter.

When considering each cavalry individually, the Mongol cavalry may not be as good as the Macedonian or Ottoman cavalry, but when they join forces to fight together, this army is extremely strong, even considered the strongest. They are like ferocious beasts on the battlefield, born on horseback and with only one purpose: to rush straight into the battlefield to kill. There was almost no place that could withstand the Mongols' horse hooves.

5. Teutonic cavalry

Although this cavalry was not invincible, in its most prosperous period, the Teutonic Knights actually controlled the entire eastern Baltic Sea region.

They are always at the forefront of battles and are true monsters on the battlefield, their strategy is to rush straight into the enemy squad from afar like a giant rhinoceros, then spread out to the two wings and circle back to attack. Prepare for the next hit. This action was repeated over and over until the enemy formation was torn apart.

6. Roman army

The legions of the Roman army were made up of approximately 5,000 heavy infantry recruited from among Roman citizens. In the Mediterranean, the Roman army fought countless wars and defeated many different peoples such as the Gauls, Samnites, Italians, Epirus or Syracuse...

7. Byzantine army

Byzantines flourished during the Justinian period. Before the 11th century, the Byzantines were still the strongest army in the near east. The defense ability of this army is said to be the strongest in the world, the cavalrymen all wear armor carrying spears and bows.

8. Macedonian army

The Macedonian Phalanx (infantry) army is equipped with heavy weapons, the left hand holds a round shield about 1 meter in diameter, the right hand holds a spear about 2 meters long, the formation is arranged neatly and densely.

In addition to infantry, Macedonia also possesses an extremely strong Hetairoi cavalry army. This is the key cavalry force in the Macedonian army and is considered the most successful and powerful cavalry force in the ancient world under the leadership of King Philiops II and then his son - Alexander the Great. .

Alexander the Great considered soldiering a legitimate profession, building a very systematic system of training and practice schools. The Hetairoi cavalry always focuses on developing its advantages, while at the same time trying to overcome its weaknesses, remaining loyal to the strategy of quickly flanking and disrupting the enemy's tactical formation and then starting to retreat. The Hetairoi are always used as support forces for the Phalanx infantry.

9. Arab cavalry

The Arab cavalry is the powerful cavalry of Khalid ibn Al Walid, established with the purpose of serving the conquest and expansion of Islam.

The Arab cavalry had a spirit of martyrdom, endurance, discipline, excellent horsemanship, extreme religious fervor, but still remained alert when on duty.

Each cavalryman learned to ride horses and camels, use a variety of weapons such as swords, spears, bows, and even martial arts and military tactics.

10. Tang Dynasty Army

The Tang Army is a powerful army composed of many ethnic groups. The Tang army consists of an army corps with 12,500 people, below the army is the camp, below the camp is the brigade, each brigade manages 2 brigades, each brigade is 100 people. Tang troops are among the most elite in quality and top in quantity.

11. Cossack cavalry

Cossacks were very famous horsemen and were also considered the best horsemen of all time. They are masters of battle, from head-to-head encounters, sweeps, reconnaissance to hit-and-run tactics. Each soldier has very high military skills and independence.

12. Napoleon's cavalry

Emperor Napoleon's armored cavalry is a symbol of mass, strength, and discipline. With Naopleon I's ingenious ability to organize his army, the French army and cavalry became stronger than ever after millennia of weakness and even lack thereof.

13. Husarian cavalry

Not only are they particularly impressive because of their wings that make them look like an army coming out of a mythical world, this cavalry group is also famous for its intelligent military tactics and special iron armor that creates destructive power. destroy the enemy.

The name of this cavalry makes the enemy afraid every time they see their wings on the battlefield. With countless battles, the cavalry is almost invincible. A series of consecutive victories of this army such as: Lubiszew (1577), Byczyna (1588), Kokenhausen (1601), Kircholm (1605), Kluszyn (1610), Chocim (1621), Martynów (1624), Trzciana (1629 ), Ochmatów (1644), Beresteczko (1651), Polonka (1660), Cudnów (1660), Chocim (1673), Lwów (1675), Vienna (1683) and Párkány (1683).

This unbeaten streak created the 100-year Golden Age of the Hurasia warriors. On flat terrain, they are almost unbeatable. Not only that, in most battles, the number of troops of this cavalry group was much smaller than that of its opponents.

Typically, in the battle of Kircholm (1605), the Swedish army was superior in strength and number with 11,000 infantry and rifles compared to 1,900 Hurasian cavalry.

However, they were defeated miserably with casualties reaching 6,000, while the Polish cavalry only lost less than 100 people!

The most heroic battle and clearly showing the legendary strength of the winged cavalry was when they had to confront the strongest enemy in the world at that time: the Ottoman Empire - the new empire that destroyed the Roman Empire. Old code for European domination.

With only 3,000 Husarian cavalry to defeat a powerful army of 200,000 people in 1683 at the Battle of Vienna (rescuing the Austrian capital Vienna from the siege of the Ottoman army).

The name and eternal legend of the winged cavalry was once again increased with the convincing victory of the Ottoman Empire to become the strongest cavalry in European history.

14. Polish cavalry

The predecessor originated from a group of devout Serbian mercenaries around 1500 and gradually developed into a powerful regular army. They were undefeated against all opponents including the Ottomans, Cossacks (Cossacks) or Russians (Tatars).

Using long spears skillfully along with powerful sweeping tactics is simple but has almost no disadvantages. The greatest victory of the Polish cavalry was the battle of Vienna in 1683.

In September 1683, the Ottoman army brought 150,000 troops commanded by Emperor Mehmed IV and an additional 12,000 troops led by Ottoman vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha to attack and besiege Vienna. Then Pope Innocent XI himself sent the Polish army to relieve the siege of Vienna with about 30,000 troops.