Wars are tragic, devastating affairs, which is why no one wants to fight them longer than it takes to resolve the issue. That’s not always the case, however, as we know of quite a few conflicts in history that went on for tens or hundreds of years. Some of the longest wars of the past could even be classified as eras of their own, often outlasting the people – and sometimes even the empires – that started them. This roundup of 10 history 8217 highlights the most enduring clashes ever recorded.
10 61 Years
10 history 8217 Overview
Kicking off in 1640, the Great Beaver Wars unfolded as a string of skirmishes between the Iroquois Confederacy—also known as the Five Nations—and a French‑backed coalition of Algonquian‑speaking tribes inhabiting the Ohio Country and the Great Lakes region.
The hostilities dragged on for more than six decades, finally winding down in 1701. Control of the lucrative fur trade sparked the conflict, prompting the Iroquois to launch campaigns against rivals such as the Huron, Petun, and Erie peoples.
Fought largely around the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley—key fur‑trading hubs—the wars displaced or decimated many Native American groups, reshaped regional power balances, and ultimately left the tribes vulnerable to European colonization and assimilation.
9 77 Years
From 1823 to 1900, the Anglo‑Ashanti Wars pitted the Ashanti Empire—located in modern‑day Ghana—against the British Empire in a series of brutal confrontations.
These wars erupted in three major phases (1823‑1831, 1863‑1864, and 1873‑1874). The Ashanti, renowned for their military skill, initially bested British forces with guerrilla tactics, securing decisive victories in the first two campaigns.
Eventually, superior British firepower and a succession of treaties forced the Ashanti to cede control over lucrative slave, gold, and trade routes along Africa’s west coast, cementing colonial dominance.
8 0 Years
True to its name, the Eighty Years’ War raged from 1568 to 1648, a protracted struggle between the Spanish Empire and the Dutch Republic.
Rooted in religious and political tensions, Dutch Protestants led by William I of Orange rebelled against Catholic Spanish rule, spurred by Philip II’s oppressive policies.
Spain’s early successes were reversed when France entered the fray, tipping the balance in favor of the Dutch. The conflict concluded with the Peace of Münster in 1648, securing Dutch independence and shaping Europe’s religious‑political landscape.
7 80 Years
The Anglo‑Afghan Wars comprised three separate conflicts spanning from 1839 to 1919, forming a crucial chapter of the Great Game between Britain and Russia.
Britain, intent on safeguarding its Indian empire, clashed with Afghan rulers such as Dost Mohammad Khan and Sher Ali Khan, with major battles unfolding in Kabul, Kandahar, and surrounding regions.
Initial British victories gave way to disaster after the 1842 retreat, and by 1919 the United Kingdom signed an armistice relinquishing control over Afghanistan’s foreign affairs, marking the end of a lengthy imperial contest.
6 101 Years
Japan’s Sengoku Period, a century‑long era of upheaval, began around 1467 with the Ōnin War—a power struggle among rival samurai clans.
Local daimyōs and their armies vied for dominance as the centralized Ashikaga shogunate weakened, fragmenting the nation into a patchwork of feudal fiefdoms.
The chaos persisted until 1568, when Oda Nobunaga emerged as the pre‑eminent warlord, later succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who finally reunified Japan under a single authority.
5 146 Years
The Australian Frontier Wars erupted with the arrival of British settlers in 1788, thrusting poorly‑armed Indigenous peoples into a clash with a battle‑hardened imperial army.
Over roughly a century and a half, the conflict claimed the lives of up to 60,000 native Australians, accompanied by widespread violence against civilians and soldiers alike.
By 1900, disease, warfare, and forced displacement had reduced the Indigenous population by an estimated 90 percent, leaving a profound scar on Australia’s history.
4 196 Years
From 1095 to 1291, the Crusades comprised a series of Christian‑sponsored military campaigns aimed at reclaiming the Holy Land from Islamic control.
Early successes saw the establishment of Crusader states in Palestine and Syria, yet the tide turned as burgeoning Muslim forces recaptured territory.
The Ninth Crusade’s failure and the Muslim conquest of Acre in 1291 signaled the end of the Crusader presence, closing a 196‑year chapter of religious warfare.
3 96 Years
Spanning from 1533 to 1929, the Yaqui Wars were a protracted civil conflict between New Spain (later Mexico) and the Yaqui people of Sonora.
The primary spark was the encroachment of Yaqui lands by European and Mexican settlers, prompting a series of brutal confrontations marked by summary executions and scorched‑earth tactics.
Mexican forces employed private armies and forced deportations, ultimately suppressing the rebellion in 1929 after decades of intermittent violence.
2 680 Years
Fought intermittently from 53 BC to 627 AD, the Roman‑Persian Wars pitted the Roman Republic, later the Roman and Byzantine Empires, against the Parthian and Sassanid Persian empires.
Stretching across a massive frontier from the Transcaucasus to Mesopotamia, the wars saw no decisive territorial gains but drained both powers, leaving them vulnerable to the rise of Islamic armies.
The protracted conflict reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the ancient Near East, earning its reputation as a Great War of antiquity.
1 770 Years
The Reconquista was a nearly 770‑year struggle triggered by the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, beginning with the defeat of the Visigothic Kingdom in 711.
Christian kingdoms of the north—Castile, Aragon, and Portugal—gradually pushed southward against Muslim‑ruled states, driven by religious fervor and territorial ambition.
The campaign culminated in 1492 with the fall of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold, captured by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, ending Muslim rule in Iberia.