List of longest wars

Throughout history humans have engaged in diverse forms of war. Even though there is disagreement among scholars as to how long these wars were, the following list classifies wars according to their duration.

War	Start date	End date	Duration
Germanic Wars	220 BCE	572 AD	792 years
Reconquista	718-722	1492	774 years[1]
Roman–Persian Wars	92 BCE	629 AD	721 years
Ottoman wars in Europe	1265	1918	653 years
Serbian–Turkish conflict	1312	1918	606 years
Hispano-Moroccan wars	1497	1958	461 years
Croatian–Ottoman wars	1443	1878	435 years
Polish–Russian Wars	1507	1939	432 years
Arab–Byzantine wars	634	1050	416 years
Mexican Indian Wars	1519	1933	414 years
Spanish–Moro conflict	1500	1900	400 years
Byzantine–Arab wars (780–1180)	780	1180	400 years
Yaqui Wars	1533	1929	396 years
Philippine revolts against Spain	1521	1898	377 years
Russo-Turkish wars	1568	1918	350 years
Dano-Swedish wars	1470	1814	344 years
Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War	1651	1986	335 years[2]
Apache–Mexico Wars	1600	1915	315 years
Russo–Swedish Wars	1495	1809	314 years
Ottoman–Persian Wars	1514	1823	309 years
Burmese–Siamese wars	1547	1855	308 years
American Indian Wars	1622	1924	302 years
Ottoman–Venetian Wars	1422	1718	296 years
Arauco War	1536	1825	289 years[3]
Arauco War	1536	1818	282 years
Viking invasions of England	793	1066	273 years
Navajo Wars	1600	1866	266 years
Ottoman–Habsburg wars	1526	1791	265 years
Byzantine–Seljuq wars	1048	1308	260 years
Polish–Ottoman Wars	1443	1699	256 years
Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts	1481	1718	237 years
Chechen–Russian conflict	1785	Ongoing	231 years
Islamic conquest of Afghanistan	642	870	228 years
Anglo-Spanish Wars	1585	1808	223 years
Byzantine–Ottoman Wars	1265	1479	214 years
Polish–Teutonic War	1308	1521	213 years
Franco-Moroccan conflicts	1765	1958	193 years
Cossack uprisings	1591	1775	184 years
Russo-Persian Wars	1651	1828	177 years
Spanish conquest of Guatemala	1521	1697	176 years
Spanish conquest of Chiapas	1523	1695	172 years
Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars	1368	1537	169 years
Russian conquest of Siberia	1580	1747	167 years
Fitnas	656	819	163 years
Moroccan—Portuguese conflict	1415	1578	163 years
Ottoman–Hungarian Wars	1366	1526	160 years
Polish–Swedish wars	1563	1721	158 years
Anglo-Dutch Wars	1652	1810	158 years
Australian frontier wars	1788	1934	146 years
Mongol invasions and conquests	1206	1337	131 years
Early Muslim conquests	622	750	128 years
Second Hundred Years' War	1689	1815	126 years
Mughal-Sikh Wars	1635	1753	118 years
Hundred Years' War	1337	1453	116 years[4]
Russo-Kazan Wars	1438	1552	114 years
Jin–Song Wars	1125	1234	109 years
Seleucid–Parthian wars	238 BCE	129 BCE	109 years
Georgian–Seljuk wars	1099	1203	104 years
Russo-Circassian War	1763	1864	101 years
Xhosa Wars	1779	1889	110 years
Tuareg rebellion	1916	Ongoing	100 years
Kurdish separatism in Iran	1918	Ongoing	98 years
Kurdish rebellions in Turkey	6 March 1921	Ongoing	95 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 2 days
Arab separatism in Khuzestan	1922	Ongoing	94 years
Afghan–Sikh Wars	1751	1837	86 years
Iraqi–Kurdish conflict	1918	2003	85 years
Dagohoy Rebellion	24 January 1744	31 August 1829	85 years, 7 months and 1 week
Anglo-Afghan War	1839	1919	80 years
Eighty Years' War	1568	1648	80 years[5]
Spanish conquest of Petén	1618	1697	79 years
Muslim conquest of Transoxiana	673	751	78 years
Anglo-Ashanti wars	1823	1900	77 years
Umayyad conquest of Hispania	711	788	77 years
Muslim conquest of Sicily	June 827	August 902	75 years and 2 months
Apache Wars	1849	1924	75 years
Dzungar–Qing Wars	1687	1758	71 years
Indo-Pakistani wars	22 October 1947	Ongoing	69 years, 1 month and 1 week
Rohingya insurgency in Western Myanmar	1947	Ongoing	69 years
Internal conflict in Burma	1948	Ongoing	68 years
Israeli–Palestinian conflict	1948	Ongoing	68 years
Israeli–Lebanese conflict	14 May 1948	Ongoing	68 years, 6 months, 2 weeks and 1 day
Arab–Israeli conflict	15 May 1948	Ongoing	68 years, 6 months and 2 weeks
Balochistan conflict	1948	Ongoing	68 years
Pacification of Algeria	1835	1903	68 years
Kashmir conflict	22 October 1948	Ongoing	68 years, 1 month and 1 week
Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes	1949	Ongoing	67 years
Karen Conflict	1949	Ongoing	67 years[6] Civil war between Burman and Non-Burman ethnic nationalities have been going on since 1948 just after one year of Burma gained independence from British.[7]
Korean War (Fatherland Liberation War)	1950	Ongoing (Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953)	66 years
Argentine Civil Wars	1814	1880	66 years
Italian Wars	1494	1559	65 years
Darfurs Civil War	1722	1786	46 years
Ethnic conflict in Nagaland	1954	Ongoing	62 years
Muslim conquest of the Maghreb	647	709	62 years
Sudanese Civil Wars	18 August 1955	Ongoing	61 years, 3 months, 1 week and 4 days
Sixty Years' War	1754	1814	60 years
Dutch–Portuguese War	1601	1661	60 years
Italian unification	1815	1871	56 years
South Thailand insurgency	1960	Ongoing	56 years
Xinjiang conflict	1960	Ongoing	56 years
Texas–Indian wars	1820	1875	55 years
Papua conflict	1962	Ongoing	54 years
Moro attacks on Sabah	1962	Ongoing	54 years
Insurgency in Northeast India	1963	Ongoing	53 years
Colombian Conflict	1964	Ongoing	52 years
Basque conflict	1959	2011	52 years
Bulgarian–Ottoman wars	1344	1396	52 years
Galicia–Volhynia Wars	1340	1392	52 years
Insurgency in Manipur	24 November 1964	Ongoing	52 years and 5 days
Communist insurgency in Myanmar	1939	1989	50 years
Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria	968	1018	50 years
Greco-Persian Wars	499 BCE	449 BCE	50 years[8]
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency	18 May 1967	Ongoing	49 years, 6 months, 1 week and 4 days
Comanche–Mexico Wars	1821	1870	49 years
Wars of the Diadochi	322 BCE	275 BCE	47 years[9]
Civil conflict in the Philippines	1969	Ongoing	47 years
CPP–NPA–NDF rebellion	29 March 1969	Ongoing	47 years and 8 months
Moro conflict	29 March 1969	Ongoing	47 years and 8 months
Caucasian War	1817	1864	47 years
Western Sahara conflict	1970	Ongoing	46 years
Chadian Civil Wars	1965	2010	45 years
Kongo Civil War	1665	1709	44 years
Sino-Dutch conflicts	1620	1662	42 years
Thirty-Eight Years' War	770	811	41 years
Cabinda War	8 November 1975	Ongoing	41 years and 3 weeks
Insurgency in Laos	3 December 1975	Ongoing	40 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 5 days
Bab al-Tabbaneh–Jabal Mohsen conflict	1976	Ongoing	40 years
Polish–Czechoslovak border conflicts	1918	1958	40 years
Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire	1532	1572	40 years
Chichimeca War	1550	1590	40 years
Umayyad invasion of Gaul	719	759	40 years
Comanche Wars	1836	1875	39 years
War in Afghanistan (1978–present)	27 April 1978	Ongoing	38 years, 7 months and 2 days
Kurdish–Turkish conflict (1978–present)	27 November 1978	Ongoing	38 years and 2 days
Assam separatist movements	1979	Ongoing	37 years
Guatemalan Civil War	1960	1996	36 years[10]
Internal conflict in Peru	17 May 1980	Ongoing	36 years, 6 months, 1 week and 5 days
French Wars of Religion	1562	1598	36 years
Maoist insurgency in Turkey	1980	Ongoing	36 years
Banana Wars	1898	1934	36 years
Anglo-Powhatan Wars	1610	1646	36 years
Holy Man's Rebellion	1901	1936	35 years
Ayutthaya-Lan Na War	1441	1474	33 years
Wars of the Roses	1455	1487	32 years[11]
First War of Scottish Independence	1296	1328	32 years[12]
Casamance conflict	1982	2014	32 years
Anglo-Mysore Wars	1767	1799	32 years
Libyan resistance movement	1911	1943	32 years
Aceh War	1873	1904	31 years[13]
Afaqi Khoja revolts	1826	1857	31 years
Somali Civil War	1986	Ongoing	30 years
The Troubles	1968	1998	30 years
French conquest of Algeria	1827	1857	30 years
Thirty Years' War	1618	1648	30 years[14]
Eritrean War of Independence	1 September 1961	29 May 1991	29 years, 8 months and 4 weeks
Murid War	1830	1859	29 years
Lord's Resistance Army insurgency	1987	Ongoing	29 years
Portuguese Restoration War	1640	1668	28 years[15]
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict	1988	Ongoing	28 years
Insurgency in Aceh	4 December 1976	15 August 2005	28 years, 8 months, 1 week and 4 days
Intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine	1 March 1920	15 May 1948	28 years, 2 months and 2 weeks
Nicaraguan Revolution	1962	1990	28 years
FULRO insurgency against Vietnam	1964	1992	28 years
Communist insurgency in Sarawak	December 1962	3 November 1990	27 years, 10 months and 5 days
Peloponnesian War	431 BCE	404 BCE	27 years[16]
New Zealand Wars	1845	1872	27 years
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir	1989	Ongoing	27 years
Abkhaz–Georgian conflict	1989	Ongoing	27 years
Georgian–Ossetian conflict	1989	Ongoing	27 years
Communist insurgency in Sarawak	December 1962	3 November 1990	27 years, 10 months and 5 days
Sectarianism in Pakistan	1989	Ongoing	27 years
Internal conflict in Bangladesh	1989	Ongoing	27 years
Angolan Civil War	1975	2002	27 years[17]
Russo-Finnish wars	27 January 1918	19 September 1944	26 years, 7 months, 3 weeks and 2 days
DHKP/C insurgency in Turkey	1 April 1990	Ongoing	26 years, 7 months and 4 weeks
Mughal–Maratha Wars	September 1681	May 1707	25 years and 8 months
Livonian War	1558	1583	25 years[18]
Somali Civil War	May 1991	Ongoing	25 years and 6 months
Sri Lankan Civil War	23 July 1983	18 May 2009	25 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 4 days
Spanish American wars of independence	1808	1833	25 years
Oromo conflict	1992	Ongoing	24 years
Insurgency in Meghalaya	1992	Ongoing	24 years
Indonesian occupation of East Timor	7 December 1975	31 October 1999	23 years, 10 months, 3 weeks and 3 days
South African Border war	26 August 1966	21 March 1990	24 years
First Punic War	264 BCE	241 BCE	23 years
Silesian Wars	1740	1763	23 years
Laotian Civil War	9 November 1953	2 December 1975	22 years, 3 weeks and 2 days
Second Sudanese Civil War	1983	2005	22 years
Occupation of Araucanía	1861	1883	22 years
Chiapas conflict	1994	Ongoing	22 years
Insurgency in Ogaden	1994	Ongoing	22 years
Norman conquest of England	1066	1088	22 years
Kandyan Wars	1796	1818	22 years
Little War in Hungary	1530	1552	22 years
Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89)	17 June 1968	2 December 1989	21 years, 5 months, 2 weeks and 1 day
Second Afar insurgency	1995	Ongoing	21 years
United States occupation of Nicaragua	1912	1933	21 years
Great Northern War	1700	1721	21 years[19]
Ottoman conquest of Habesh	1557	1578	21 years
Muslim conquest of Persia	633	654	21 years
Allied Democratic Forces insurgency	1996	Ongoing	20 years
Eumerella Wars	1840	1860	20 years
War of the Sicilian Vespers	1282	1302	20 years
Somaliland Campaign	1900	1920	20 years
Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict	1977	2 December 1997	20 years and 3 days
Vietnam War	1 November 1955	30 April 1975	19 years, 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day[20]
United States occupation of Haiti	July 28 1915	August 1, 1934	19 years and 4 days
Miao Rebellion (1854–73)	1854	1873	19 years
Gothic War	535	554	19 years
Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen	1998	Ongoing	18 years
Communal conflicts in Nigeria	1998	Ongoing	18 years
Communist insurgency in Thailand	1965	1983	18 years
Mahdist War	1881	1899	18 years
Second Punic War	218 BCE	201 BCE	17 years
Ethiopian Civil War	12 September 1974	4 June 1991	16 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 2 days
First Sudanese Civil War	18 August 1955	27 March 1972	16 years, 7 months, 1 week and 2 days
Bolivian War of Independence	1809	1825	16 years
Chilean War of Independence	1810	1821 or 1826	11-16 years
Polish–Ottoman War (1683–99)	1683	1699	16 years
Western Sahara War	30 October 1975	6 September 1991	15 years, 10 months and 1 week
Great Turkish War	14 July 1683	26 January 1699	15 years, 6 months, 1 week and 5 days
Lebanese Civil War	13 April 1975	13 October 1990	15 years and 6 months
Rhodesian Bush War	4 July 1964	12 December 1979	15 years, 5 months, 1 week and 1 day
War on Terror	11 September 2001	Ongoing	15 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 4 days[21]
Morean War	1684	1699	15 years
Long Turkish War	1591	1606	15 years
Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)	11 April 2002	Ongoing	14 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 4 days
Cambodian–Vietnamese War	30 April 1977	23 October 1991	14 years, 5 months, 3 weeks and 2 days
Taliban insurgency	2002	Ongoing	14 years
Third Indochina War	1978	1992	14 years
Dhofar Rebellion	1962	1976	14 years
Years of Lead (Italy)	1968	1982	14 years
Taiping Rebellion	1850	1864	14 years
Russo-Turkish War (1686–1700)	1686	1700	14 years
Abyssinian–Adal war	1529	1543	14 years
Marcomannic Wars	166 AD	180 AD	14 years
Second Sino-Japanese War	September 18 1931	September 9 1945	13 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 1 day
War in Darfur	26 February 2003	Ongoing	13 years, 9 months and 3 days
War in Afghanistan (2001–2014)	7 October 2001	28 December 2014	13 years, 2 months and 3 weeks
Portuguese Colonial War	4 February 1961	25 April 1974	13 years, 2 months and 3 weeks
Angolan War of Independence	4 February 1961	25 April 1974	13 years, 2 months and 3 weeks
Darul Islam Rebellion	August 7, 1949 – September 2, 1962	September 1962	13 years, 3 weeks and 5 days
War of the Spanish Succession	9 July 1702	11 July 1715	13 years and 2 days
Conflict in the Niger Delta	2003	Ongoing	13 years
Peruvian War of Independence	1811	1824	13 years
Venezuelan War of Independence	1810	1823	13 years
Wars of Alexander the Great	336 BCE	323 BCE	13 years
War in North-West Pakistan	16 March 2004	Ongoing	12 years, 8 months, 1 week and 6 days
Iran–PJAK conflict	1 April 2004	Ongoing	12 years, 7 months and 4 weeks
Napoleonic Wars	18 May 1803	20 November 1815	12 years, 6 months and 2 days[22]
Burundian Civil War	21 October 1993	15 April 2006	12 years, 5 months, 3 weeks and 4 days
Haitian Revolution	21 August 1791	1 January 1804	12 years, 4 months, 1 week and 4 days
Salvadoran Civil War	October 15 1979	January 16 1992	12 years, 3 months and 1 day
Malayan Emergency	16 June 1948	12 July 1960	12 years, 3 weeks and 5 days
Kivu conflict	2004	Ongoing	12 years
Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency	2004	Ongoing	12 years
Iraqi no-fly zones conflict	1991	2003	12 years
Wars of the Three Kingdoms	1639	1651	12 years
Cimbrian War	113 BCE	101 BCE	12 years
Guinea-Bissau War of Independence	23 January 1963	10 September 1974	11 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 4 days
Paraguayan People's Army insurgency	27 August 2005	Ongoing	11 years, 3 months and 2 days
Mexican War of Independence	16 September 1810	27 September 1821	11 years, 1 week and 4 days
Pool Department insurgency	1997	2008	11 years
Insurgency in Punjab	1984	1995	11 years
Sino-Vietnamese conflicts 1979–90	1979	1990	11 years
Queen Anne's War	1702	1713	11 years
Sierra Leone Civil War	23 March 1991	18 January 2002	10 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 5 days
Nepalese Civil War	13 February 1996	21 November 2006	10 years, 9 months, 1 week and 1 day
Houthi insurgency in Yemen	18 June 2004	6 February 2015	10 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 5 days
Yugoslav Wars	31 March 1991	12 November 2001	10 years, 7 months, 1 week and 5 days
Gaza–Israel conflict	June 2006	Ongoing	10 years and 5 months
Algerian Civil War	26 December 1991	8 February 2002	10 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days
Mexican Revolution	1910	1920	10 years

See also

• List of wars extended by diplomatic irregularity

References

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2. Bowley, R. L. (2001). Scilly at war. St Mary's: Bowley Publ. ISBN 0900184345.
3. Cruz, Eduardo Agustin (2010). The grand Araucanian wars (1541–1883) in the kingdom of Chile. [S.l.]: Xlibris. ISBN 1450055281.
4. Corrigan, Gordon (2014). Great and glorious adventure : a history of the hundred years war and the birth of renaissance... [S.l.]: Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1605985794.
5. Hart, Marjolein 't (2011). Dutch wars of independence : the eighty years struggle, 1566–1648. [S.l.]: Longman. ISBN 0582209676.
6. Charney, Michael W. (2009). A history of modern Burma (1. publ.3. print. ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521617588.
7. Ashley South (2003). Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake, RoutledgeCurzon, London/New York, ISBN 0700716092
8. Green, Peter (1996). The Greco-Persian wars ([Repr.]. ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of California Press. ISBN 0520205731.
9. Romm, James (2012). Ghost on the throne : the death of Alexander the Great and the war for crown and empire (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0307271641.
10. Chauche, Victor Perera ; photographs by Daniel (1995). Unfinished conquest : the Guatemalan tragedy. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0520203496.
11. Jones, Dan (2014). Wars of the roses : the fall of the plantagenets and the rise of the tudors. [S.l.]: Viking. ISBN 0670026670.
12. Traquair, Peter (1998). Freedoms̓ sword. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0004720792.
13. Martinkus, John (2004). Indonesia's secret war in Aceh (1. publ. ed.). Milsons Point, N.S.W.: Random House. ISBN 174051209X.
14. Wilson, Peter H. (2011). The Thirty Years War : Europe's tragedy (1st Harvard University Press pbk. ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674062310.
15. Birmingham, David (2003). A concise history of Portugal (2. ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521536863.
16. Kagan, Donald (2004). The Peloponnesian War. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0142004375.
17. III, W. Martin James (2011). A political history of the civil war in Angola, 1974–1990 (Pbk. ed.). New Brunswick, [N.J.], U.S.A.: Transaction Publishers. ISBN 1412815061.
18. Stevens, Carol B. (2007). Russia's wars of emergence : 1460–1730. Harlo [u.a.]: Pearson Longman. ISBN 0582218918.
19. Frost, Robert I. (2000). The northern wars : war, state, and society in northeastern Europe, 1558 – 1721 ([Nachdr.] ed.). Harlow [u.a.]: Longman. ISBN 0582064295.
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