World History Encyclopedia

Featured Definition

Cniva

Cniva (also given as Kniva, c. 250 CE to possibly 270 CE) was the king of the Goths who defeated Emperor Decius (249-251 CE) at the Battle of Abritus...

Featured Image

The Roman-Parthian Conflict (53 BCE - 217 CE)

The Roman–Parthian conflict (53 BCE–217 CE) was a centuries-long struggle for dominance in Western Asia between the Roman Republic, later Empire, and...

Article: Trench Warfare on WWI's Western Front

The trench warfare of the Western Front during the First World War (1914-18) involved soldiers living and dying in an awful mix of mud, filth, and barbed...

Definition: Atlanta Campaign - The Bloody Struggle for Georgia During the US Civil War

The Atlanta Campaign (7 May to 2 September 1864) was a major military campaign in the western theater of the American Civil War (1861-1865). It saw...

Article: Hummingbirds in Aztec Culture - Warriors, Survivors, & the Namesakes of Gods & Kings

Hummingbirds, called huitzillin ("wee-TZEEL-een") in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs, are one of the most recognizable and striking species in the...

Article: Battle of Franklin - The Death Angel's Last Harvest

The Battle of Franklin (30 November 1864) was a major battle in the western theater of the American Civil War (1861-1865). In his push to liberate Nashville...

Definition: Eustathios Rhomaios - Judge and Jurist of the Byzantine Empire

Eustathios Rhomaios was a prominent Byzantine judge and jurist during the late-10th and early- to mid-11th century. He studied Roman Law and began his...

Definition: John Bell Hood - The Most Aggressive Confederate General

John Bell Hood (1831-1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Known for his aggressive style of leadership, he initially...

Definition: Norns - Female Figures of Fate

The norns were supernatural female entities responsible for the fates of all living beings in Viking Age Scandinavia. Associated with Yggdrasil, the...

Article: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand - The Road to WWI

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863-1914) in the Balkans in the summer of 1914 set off a chain of events that led to the First World...

Definition: Chogha Zanbil - The "Basket Mound" of the Gods

Chogha Zanbil (literally "basket mound") is an ancient Elamite temple complex located in the modern-day province of Khuzestan, Iran. It is also known...

Article: Ten Ancient Elam Facts You Need to Know

Elam, located in the region of the modern-day provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan in Iran, was one of the most impressive civilizations of the ancient world...

Article: The Alamo - The Mission, The Fortress, The Shrine

The poster for John Wayne's The Alamo (1960) celebrates its history with the line, "The Mission That Became a Fortress…The Fortress That Became A Shrine…,"...

Article: The Anglo-German Arms Race - Riding the Waves to WWI

The pre-First World War arms race between Britain and Germany was fuelled by Britain's desire to protect its empire, Germany's desire to build an empire...

Definition: Elam - The Ancient High Country

Elam was a region in the Near East corresponding to the modern-day provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan in southern Iran (though it also included part of...

Definition: Moroccan Crises - German v. French Imperialism

The Moroccan Crises were two international incidents, the first in 1905-6 and the second in 1911, when Imperial Germany, eager to expand its empire...

Article: Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead, known in Spanish as Día de los Muertos, is a holiday that celebrates life and honors the dead through traditions, food, decorations...

Definition: Battle of the Alamo - The Fall of Heroes

Of all the battles of the Texas Revolution, the Battle of the Alamo (6 March 1836) is the most famous. It is not only among the best-known and most...