PLJoin the list

The Greatest Battles of the Early Modern Age

History · 6 battles · ~5 min read · Updated August 2026

By Echoes of Battle

Late sixteenth century painting of the Battle of Lepanto with Christian and Ottoman galleys locked together amid cannon smoke
At a glance
BattleDateForcesCasualties
1Tenochtitlan1521~180,000~130,000
2Lepanto1571~172,000~53,000
3Sekigahara1600~171,000~36,000
4Rocroi1643~50,000~19,000
5Vienna1683~214,000~34,500
6Poltava1709~64,000~23,400
Quick answer

What were the greatest battles of the early modern period?

The greatest battles of the early modern age include Tenochtitlan in 1521, Lepanto in 1571, Sekigahara in 1600, Rocroi in 1643, Vienna in 1683 and Poltava in 1709. Gunpowder, galleys and disciplined infantry changed war in this era, and these battles turned back empires at sea and on land.

Gunpowder, galleys and disciplined infantry changed war forever. These battles of the early modern age turned back empires at sea and on land, and decided who would rule.

Tenochtitlan, 1521. The ninety-three-day siege that toppled an empire.

Woodcut map of the island city of Tenochtitlan in the middle of a lake
Tenochtitlan on its lake, from the map printed in Nuremberg in 1524 with the Latin edition of Cortes's letters, three years after the siege. Public domain

Lepanto, 1571. The last great galley battle.

Sekigahara, 1600. The battle that made a shogun.

Japanese folding screen painted with hundreds of samurai and banners across a battlefield
A folding screen of the Battle of Sekigahara from the late Edo period, in the collection of the Gifu City Museum of History. Public domain

Rocroi, 1643. The fall of the invincible Spanish tercios.

Vienna, 1683. The charge that turned back the Ottomans.

Panoramic painting of a battle before a walled city, with cavalry charging into tents
The relief of Vienna in 1683, with the besieged city in the background and the Ottoman camp under attack. Painting by Frans Geffels, made between 1683 and 1694. Public domain

Poltava, 1709. Peter the Great breaks the Swedish empire.

See these battles set beside every other era in Battles That Changed the World.

War in the age of gunpowder

The early modern age is the story of gunpowder changing everything. Massed pikes gave way to muskets and cannon, ships became floating gun platforms, and disciplined, drilled armies replaced feudal levies. Battles like Lepanto, Sekigahara and Rocroi mark the passing of one age of war and the birth of another. In Ireland, the English victory at Kinsale in 1601 marked the end of something older still, the old Gaelic order.

Engraving of a musketeer in a helmet and puffed breeches holding a matchlock musket
A musketeer from Jacob de Gheyn's drill manual of 1608, the Wapenhandelinghe, which taught the new gunpowder infantry to load and fire by numbers. Public domain

Read each battle in full below, or trace the longer arc in the greatest battles of all time.

Frequently asked questions

What defined warfare in the early modern age?

According to this guide, gunpowder, galleys and disciplined infantry changed war forever in the early modern age. Its battles turned back empires at sea and on land and decided who would rule.

Which early modern battles does the guide consider the most decisive?

The guide highlights Lepanto in 1571, the last great galley battle, Sekigahara in 1600, the battle that made a shogun, and Vienna in 1683, the charge that turned back the Ottomans. Together they show the early modern age deciding power on sea and on land.

Why does the guide call Lepanto a turning point of the era?

The guide describes Lepanto in 1571 as the last great galley battle, marking the close of the age of oar-driven fleets in the early modern period. It stands beside Vienna in 1683, where a charge turned back the Ottomans on land.

Which battles does the early modern guide cover?

This guide to the greatest battles of the early modern age covers Tenochtitlan in 1521, Lepanto in 1571, Sekigahara in 1600, Rocroi in 1643, Vienna in 1683 and Poltava in 1709, six battles that turned back empires at sea and on land.

When was the early modern period?

Roughly from the late 15th century to the end of the 18th, from the spread of gunpowder to the eve of the Napoleonic Wars.

How did gunpowder change warfare?

It made castle walls vulnerable to cannon, replaced knights and archers with musketeers, and rewarded drill and discipline over individual prowess.

Relive the battles

Echoes of Battle brings 40 of history's greatest battles to life, scene by scene, with a real-time tactical mode in the works. Join the list to be first when it launches.

Or support the app on Ko-fi ›