Poll: The longest war in history

[Jona Lendering]

In 1651, the Dutch started a war that was to last no less than 335 years. The Peace of London, which marked the end of this conflict, was signed exactly twenty-two years ago, on the 17th of April 1986. Who was the opponent?

[Theodosius the Great]

I honestly don't know the answer to your question, Jona. Although, I am interested in the answer.

But I would dispute that any of the choices are contenders for the longest war in history. I'd say the longest war was the Reconquista which lasted for seven and a half centuries. True, there was no united front against the Moors and there was infighting on both sides sometimes but the goal of reuniting the Iberian peninsula under a single Christian kingdom was always seen as the ultimate ideal.

~Theo

[Caius Fabius]

the war between the sexes

[Chuck Russell]

the war between the sexes

here here well spoken bruce

[M. Demetrius]

I was going to say the Spartans vs. the Helots, but Caius wins, hands down. :lol:

[Robert Vermaat]

the war between the sexes

Was that war ever formally declared? :wink:

I'd say mankind vs. nature, which started with the felling of the first tree, and will end with the felling of the last one. :evil:

[Goffredo]

How about the "war" between territories controlled by Christianity and those by Islam? For those that say that Islam was tolerant with Christians, fine. That may have been true in many instances, even the norm. But I am talking about control of the territory, that type of control that is obtained by TAKING the territory with military force and then holding it. I am speaking of war! Let's say it started with arab attacks of byzantine syria. Anyone wish to say there ever was a stop? No politics please. Just history. In my opinion there never was true peace, but a single unending war that went thru periods and cycles from phases of cold war, to luke warm war, to full war as the identities and characteristics of the fighters changed. I think the struggle can be seen as a single conflict that went thru different phases rather than a series of independent wars that flaired up for independent reasons. Call it culture clash if you wish. I call it war. It is still going on.

[Robert Vermaat]

But I am talking about control of the territory, that type of control that is obtained by TAKING the territory with military force and then holding it. I am speaking of war!

Goffredo,
I can tell you with the certainty of being someone who has studied that part of history, that such a war as you define it does not exist. hock:
Defining every conflict between Christian-ruled territories and Muslim-ruled territories as a war is a distortion of historical facts. Using your definition, there would also be a war of the West to conquer the rest of the world, and an even longer war of Christian conquering the world (which would be about 6 centuries longer than ‘your’ war between Christianity and Islam). Had we been living in the 1930s, we would even have mentioned (using your definition) an even longer war, that of the Jews to conquer the world.

In reality, many wars waged between Muslim rulers and Christian rulers were just that, wars over lands, with no religious background. Kings made war on each other to gain land and power – they were not mullahs and priest who fought every conflict in the name of their god.
Neither does a millennia-old Jewish-Christian war exist, or a Christian World War, or whatever you want to name such non-existing conflicts.
Re-defining historical conflicts as if the were religious wars that were somehow related and part of a world plan would be a distortion of the facts and therefore dead wrong. :evil:

Frankly, I am a bit amazed hock: that with all the information available these days it is still possible for that sort of propaganda to be spread around.

[Goffredo]

Yes I am amazed myself. I've have this impression too.

[Tarbicus]

It might help if a definition was given for what exactly constitutes a formal "War", as opposed to an "ideological conflict".

:wink:

[M. Demetrius]

Caius Fabius wrote:
the war between the sexes

Was that war ever formally declared?

I'd say mankind vs. nature, which started with the felling of the first tree, and will end with the felling of the last one.

Well, how about this proof text? "...Lord, it was that woman you gave me; she gave me of the tree [of the knowledge of good and evil] and I did eat...." That's pretty early in history, y'know. :wink: And until that day the war against nature hadn't begun.

I rest my queso.

[Robert Vermaat]

Well, how about this proof text? "...Lord, it was that woman you gave me; she gave me of the tree [of the knowledge of good and evil] and I did eat...." That's pretty early in history, y'know. :wink: And until that day the war against nature hadn't begun.

Beg to differ Your Honour!
That text clearly proves that the war on nature started ("she gave me of the tree [..] and I did eat") before they started bitchin'to each other about who's fault it was, and the war of the sexes started! that makes the war on nature at least several hours older! :twisted:

[Jona Lendering]

Well, how about this proof text? "...Lord, it was that woman you gave me; she gave me of the tree [of the knowledge of good and evil] and I did eat...." That's pretty early in history, y'know. :wink: And until that day the war against nature hadn't begun.

Beg to differ Your Honour!
That text clearly proves that the war on nature started ("she gave me of the tree [..] and I did eat") before they started bitchin'to each other about who's fault it was, and the war of the sexes started! that makes the war on nature at least several hours older! :twisted:

No, no, no. It only proves that God has a sense of humor, as is clearly proved by the creation story:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them [...] and on the seventh day, he rested, because he needed the entire seventh day to stop laughing.

:wink: