In 1798, an Irish rebellion assisted by French troops defeated a numerically superior British force at Castlebar. Unfortunately, the rebellion didn't last long; it was all but over when the British won their war against the French. Ireland would ultimately gain its independence from the UK in 1922.
Like the Romans, the British fought a variety of enemies. They also had the distinction of being defeated by a variety of enemies, including Americans, Russians, French, Native Americans, Africans, Afghans, Japanese and Germans. Even in defeat, there is something glorious in losing to so many different foes.
Since the Act of Union in 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain has fought in over 120 wars across a total of 170 countries. With over 300 years of conflict to look back upon, we've decided to crunch the numbers and work out who – historically, of course – are Britain's traditional friends and foes!
The Crimean War (1854-56) was fought by an alliance of Britain, France, Turkey and Sardinia against Russia. It was the only major European conflict the Army engaged in between 1816 and 1914.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, relations between the two nuclear powers collapsed entirely; the United Kingdom imposed economic sanctions on Russian outlets, seized the assets of Russian oligarchs, recalled its citizens and severed all business ties with Russia.
There have been no declarations of war since the Second World War (against Thailand in 1942, to be precise), though British Armed Forces have taken part in armed conflict on numerous occasions nonetheless.
The GFP index denotes United Kingdom as a Top 5 world power. For 2023, United Kingdom is ranked 5 of 145 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. The nation holds a PwrIndx* score of 0.1435 (a score of 0.0000 is considered 'perfect').
In the early 21st century, Britain affirmed its relationship with the United States as its "most important bilateral partnership" in the current British foreign policy, and the American foreign policy also affirms its relationship with Britain as its most important relationship, as evidenced in aligned political ...
The monarch of the UK is still the head of state of Australia and 'rules' through a governor-general. The death of Queen Elizabeth II has reignited a debate in Australia regarding whether the country should become a republic, and thus shed its colonial past.
Ongoing conflicts
The UK armed forces are involved in several ongoing military conflicts, and the deadliest of these is the War in Afghanistan, which is responsible for 457 British fatalities.
LONDON (Reuters) - The Battle of Imphal/Kohima, when British troops fighting in horrendous jungle conditions turned the tide against the Japanese army in World War II, has been chosen as Britain's greatest battle.
After French assistance helped the Continental Army force the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.
On October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the Revolutionary War.
The Battle of DoIran signified the British Armies most devastating loss.
Although the ADF's 60,330 full-time active-duty personnel and 29,560 active reservists as of June 30th 2021 make it the largest military in Oceania, it is smaller than most Asian military forces.
The UK is a global giant when it comes to culture – and that makes it a superpower when it comes to soft power.
The Queen is the only person to declare war and peace. This dates back from when the Monarch was responsible for raising, maintaining and equipping the Army and Navy. Today, this power can only be exercised on the advice of Ministers.
The United States has fought five major wars — Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan — and only the Gulf War in 1991 can really be classified as a clear success.
Operations and deployments
The British Army is actively engaged in operational duties across the globe. The work we do ranges from peacekeeping to providing humanitarian aid, from enforcing anti-terrorism measures to helping combat the international drugs trade.
Unlike other countries in Europe, the UK is in no way dependent on Russian gas supply. We meet around half of our annual gas supply through domestic production and the vast majority of imports come from reliable suppliers such as Norway. There are no gas pipelines directly linking the UK with Russia.
The UK government is providing a range of economic, humanitarian and defensive military assistance to Ukraine, and is imposing additional sanctions on Russia and Belarus. Find out more about the UK's response to the invasion of Ukraine.
If you are in Russia, it is not possible to fly directly to the UK, or via EU countries, and should amend any travel plans accordingly.