List of wars of independence
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This is a list of wars of independence. These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
Dates | Name | Independent Country | Original Country | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1185–1188 | Uprising of Asen and Peter | Bulgaria | Byzantine Empire | Independence of Bulgaria from the Byzantine Empire; creation of the Second Bulgarian Empire |
1296–1357 | Wars of Scottish Independence | Scotland | England | Scotland retains its status as an independent nation |
1521–1523 | Swedish War of Liberation | Sweden | Kalmar Union | Independence of Sweden from the Kalmar Union |
1568–1648 | Eighty Years' War | Netherlands | Spain | Independence of the Netherlands from Spain |
1640–1668 | Portuguese Restoration War | Portugal | Spain | Restoration of Portuguese independence from Spain |
1703–1711 | Rákóczi's War of Independence | Hungary | Holy Roman Empire | Limited autonomy for Hungary within the Habsburg Monarchy |
1775–1783 | American Revolutionary War (American Revolution) |
United States | Great Britain | Independence of the United States from Great Britain |
1791–1804 | Haitian Revolution | Haiti | France | Independence of Haiti from France |
1804–1813 | First Serbian Uprising (Serbian Revolution) |
Serbia | Ottoman Empire | Defeat of insurgents; Ottoman Empire retains control of Serbia |
1808–1814 | Peninsular War | Spain | France | Independence of Spain from France |
1810s–1820s | Latin American wars of independence: Argentine War of Independence, Bolivian War of Independence, Chilean War of Independence, Foolish Fatherland, Ecuadorian War of Independence, Mexican War of Independence, Peruvian War of Independence, Venezuelan War of Independence | Río de la Plata
Bolivia Chile Colombia Ecuador Mexico Peru Venezuela |
Spanish Empire | Independence of many Spanish-American colonies from Spain |
1814 | Swedish–Norwegian War (1814) | Norway | Sweden | Partial independence of Norway within the later United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway |
1815–1817 | Second Serbian Uprising (Serbian Revolution) |
Serbia | Ottoman Empire | Semi-independence of Serbia within the Ottoman Empire |
1821–1829 | Greek War of Independence | Greece | Ottoman Empire | Independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire |
1822–1824 | Brazilian War of Independence | Brazil | Portuguese Empire | Independence of the Empire of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves |
1825–1828 | Cisplatine War | Uruguay | Brazil | Disputed between the Empire of Brazil and United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Independence of Uruguay from Brazil |
1830-1831 | November Uprising | Poland | Russia | Defeat of Polish insurgents. Russian retains control of Poland, introduction of the Organic Statute of the Kingdom of Poland, liquidation of Polish autonomy. |
1830–1839 | Belgian Revolution | Belgium | Netherlands | Independence of Belgium from the Netherlands |
1835–1836 | Texas Revolution | Texas | Mexico | Independence of Texas from Mexico |
1843–1849 | Dominican War of Independence | Dominican Republic | Haiti | Independence of Dominican Republic from Haiti |
1846 | Bear Flag Revolt | California | Mexico | The California Republic declares independence from the Centralist Republic of Mexico. The republic is quickly annexed by the United States |
1848-1849 | First Italian War of Independence | Sardinia | Austria | Kingdom of Sardinia defeated by the Austrian Empire; Italian unification not achieved |
1857–1858 | Indian Rebellion of 1857 | India | British East India Company | Defeat of Indian insurgents; Great Britain retains control of India |
1859 | Second Italian War of Independence | Piedmont-Sardinia
Parma Tuscany |
Austria | France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia defeat the Austrian Empire; most of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia transferred to France and then to Piedmont-Sardinia; Duchy of Parma, Duchy of Modena, Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal Legations annexed by Piedmont-Sardinia |
1863–1865 | January Uprising | Poland | Russia | Defeat of Polish insurgents; Russia retains control of Poland |
1863–1865 | Dominican Restoration War | Dominican Republic | Spain | Independence of Dominican Republic from 4 year occupation by the Spanish Empire; ousts Spain from Hispaniola |
1866 | Third Italian War of Independence | Veneto | Austria | Austrian Empire loses Veneto to Kingdom of Italy |
1868–1878 | Ten Years' War | Cuba | Spain | Defeat of insurgents; Spain retains control of Cuba |
1869 | Red River Rebellion | Métis | Canada | Establishment of Provisional government of the Red River Colony |
1876 | April Uprising | Bulgaria | Ottoman Empire | Defeat of Bulgarian nationalists by the Ottoman Empire; subsequent reprisals by the Ottomans led to the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78 and the 1878 independence of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. |
1877 | Romanian War of Independence | Romania | Ottoman Empire | Independence of Romania from the Ottoman Empire |
1896–1898 | Philippine Revolution | Philippines | Spain | Inconclusive; Philippines independence from Spain then achieved by Spanish–American War |
1896–1898 | Philippine Revolution | Philippines | Spain | Inconclusive; Philippines independence from Spain then achieved by Spanish–American War |
1895–1898 | Cuban War of Independence | Cuba | Spain | Independence of Cuba from Spain following four years of American occupation |
1899–1913 | Philippine–American War | Philippines | United States | Defeat of Philippine insurgents; United States retains control of the Philippines |
1902-1932 | Unification of Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia | Emirate of Jabal Shammar | Independence of Saudi Arabia from the Kingdom of Hejaz and Emirate of Jabal Shammar |
1916–1918 | Arab Revolt | Hejaz | Ottoman Empire | Defeat of Arab aspirations for independence by post-World War I partition of Arab Ottoman Empire lands into protectorates controlled by United Kingdom and France |
1917–1921 | Ukrainian War of Independence | Ukraine | Soviet Russia
Poland |
Independence of Ukraine from Russia; partition of Ukraine by Soviet Union and Poland |
1918–1920 | Finnish War of Independence | Finland | Russia | Independence of Finland from Russian Empire/Russian SFSR |
1918–1920 | Estonian War of Independence | Estonia | Soviet Russia | Independence of Estonia from Russian Empire/Russian SFSR |
1918–1920 | Latvian War of Independence | Latvia | Soviet Russia | Independence of Latvia from Russian Empire/Russian SFSR |
1918–1920 | Lithuanian War of Independence | Lithuania | Soviet Russia
Poland |
Independence of Lithuania from Russian Empire/Russian SFSR and Poland |
1919–1921 | Irish War of Independence | Ireland | United Kingdom | Anglo-Irish Treaty; Partition of Ireland; secession of 26 of Ireland's 32 counties (the Irish Free State) from the United Kingdom |
1919–1923 | Turkish War of Independence | Turkey | Ottoman Empire | Creation of the Republic of Turkey |
1920–1926 | Rif War | Republic of the Rif | Spain | Defeat of insurgents and Rif Republic; Spain retains control of Spanish Morocco |
1944-1948 | Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine | Israel | United Kingdom | Independence of Israel from the United Kingdom |
1945–1949 | Indonesian National Revolution | Indonesia | Netherlands | Independence of Indonesia from the Netherlands |
1946–1954 | First Indochina War | Vietnam
Laos Cambodia |
France | Independence of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia from France; partition of Vietnam |
1947 | Indian independence movement | India | United Kingdom | Independence of India from the United Kingdom |
1947–1949 | 1948 Arab–Israeli War | Israel
Palestine |
United Kingdom
Arab League |
Defeat of Arabs; Israel retains independence |
1952–1960 | Kenyan Mau Mau Uprising | Kenya | United Kingdom | Defeat of insurgents; United Kingdom retains control of Kenya |
1954–1962 | Algerian War | Algeria | France | Independence of Algeria from France |
1955-1972 | First Sudanese Civil War | Southern Sudan | Sudan | Conflict between Sudan and South Sudan |
1961–1974 | Angolan War of Independence | Angola | Portugal | Independence of Angola from Portugal |
1961–1991 | Eritrean War of Independence | Eritrea | Ethiopia | Independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia |
1963–1974 | Guinea-Bissau War of Independence | Guinea-Bissau | Portugal | Independence of Guinea-Bissau from Portugal |
1964–1974 | Mozambican War of Independence | Mozambique | Portugal | Independence of Mozambique from Portugal |
1966–1988 | Namibian War of Independence | Namibia | South Africa | Independence of Namibia from South Africa |
1967–1970 | Nigerian Civil War | Biafra | Nigeria | Defeat and dissolution of the Republic of Biafra |
1971 | Bangladesh War of Independence | Bangladesh | Pakistan | Independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan |
1975-1991 | Western Sahara War | Western Sahara | Morocco | Partition of Western Sahara between Morocco and Sahrawi Republic |
1981-1991 | Somaliland War of Independence | Somali National Movement | Somalia | Unrecognized independence of Somaliland from Somalia |
1983–2005 | Second Sudanese Civil War | South Sudan | Sudan | Independence of South Sudan from Sudan |
1988-1994 | First Nagorno-Karabakh War | Artsakh | Azerbaijan | De facto independence of the Republic of Artsakh from Azerbaijan |
1990-1992 | Transnistria War | Transnistria | Moldova | De facto independence of Transnistria from Moldova |
1991-1992 | South Ossetia War | South Ossetia | Georgia | De facto independence for South Ossetia from Georgia |
1991–1995 | Croatian War of Independence | Croatia | Yugoslavia | Independence of Croatia from Yugoslavia |
1991 | Ten-Day War | Slovenia | Yugoslavia | Independence of Slovenia from Yugoslavia |
1992-1993 | War in Abkhazia | Abkhazia | Georgia | De facto independence for Abkhazia from Georgia |
1996–1999 | Kosovo War | Republic of Kosova | Serbia & Montenegro | No legal changes to Yugoslav borders according to the Resolution 1244, but effective political and economic separation of Kosovo from the rest of Yugoslavia under United Nations temporary administration. |
2012 | Tuareg rebellion (2012) (Northern Mali conflict (2012–present)) |
Azawad | Mali | Unrecognized independence of Azawad from Mali. Azawad claimed territory controlled by Ansar Dine. |
2014-Ongoing | War in Donbass | Donetsk People's Republic | Ukraine | De facto independence for the proto-states of Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic from Ukraine |
2017-Ongoing | Anglophone Crisis | Ambazonia | Cameroon | Ongoing |
See also[]
Categories:
- Lists of wars
- Wars of independence