# What long-past Wars/Battles are people still pissed off about today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685 "2009-06-23T04:30:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/21 "2009-06-23T13:26:18Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Sorry, but you can’t lure me into a thread and then set arbitrary parameters. Yes, I can. The purpose of this thread is not to discuss how people in the South are still pissed off about the US Civil War. That’s fairly well known and the US Civil War really wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things. If someone wants to start a thread on how people in the South are still upset about the Civil War, please, feel free to do so (and feel free to link here). But please don’t sidetrack this particular thread with the discussion when I’ve politely said that it’s beyond the scope of the OP. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/22 "2009-06-23T14:36:39Z")
> [@FrWindyShephardHenderson](#): > > Was actually just watching a program about Oliver Cromwell in Ireland last night. The massacres at several towns along with the treatment of the Irish after the war, “To Hell or to Connaught”, still are used by a fairly small number of people as a stick to beat the English with. Cromwell is still quite a hated figure in Ireland. > > Throw in some people up north still going on about the Battle of the Boyne and the whole history of the English in Ireland is still used by a number of people as a motivation to hate another community. And it’s not as if there was any possible GOOD outcome for the IRish at the Boyne. One way or the other, the Irish were going to be ruled over by an oppressive foreigner. The only question was, would it be they be under the thumb of a Scottish oppressor or a Dutch oppressor. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/23 "2009-06-23T14:43:11Z")
Does getting angry every time I (re) read something about Caesar’s assassination counts?, cuz i do :), I also hate the fever germs that killed Alexander. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/24 "2009-06-23T14:56:14Z")
Well Jewish people still have enough of a hard-on about Egypt that they celebrate Passover every year. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/25 "2009-06-23T14:59:55Z")
> [@jinty](#): > > Years ago I saw a history programme, IIRC presented by Michael Wood, where the presenter was in Iran, talking to a minority religious/ethnic group who were still pissed off at what Alexander the Great had done to them. > Sorry I don’t have more details but still… holding a grudge for 2300+ years is pretty impressive. 😃 If you haven’t managed to recover and improve in that time, I think the problem wasn’t the invaders. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/26 "2009-06-23T15:02:30Z")
There were a load of Tories/Loyalists who fled the States after the Revolutionary War. Their property was, or had already been confiscated. Most of them ended up in Canada. Every now and then their descendants get a little media attention as they scream that they should be compensated for that confiscation. ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/27 "2009-06-23T15:03:00Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > Well Jewish people still have enough of a hard-on about Egypt that they celebrate Passover every year. And they’re still a wailing about the destruction of the temple… ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/28 "2009-06-23T15:06:28Z")
… ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/29 "2009-06-23T16:05:04Z")
I guess Southerners are still pissed about Sherman’s march to the sea. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/30 "2009-06-23T16:08:03Z")
When I was in Hungary I could tell there was still an undercurrent of resentment due to its occupation by Turkey – which ended in 1718. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/31 "2009-06-23T16:10:54Z")
The Siege of Derry in 1689 still gets murals painted on the walls of the Shankill Road, and there’s an annual apprentice boys march to commemorate it. > **[Siege of Derry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Derry)** > > .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}54°59′38″N 7°19′34″W / 54.994°N 7.326°W / 54.994; -7.326 > Williamite victory > The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by an attempt... It’s closely tied to the Battle of the Boyne. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/32 "2009-06-23T16:17:43Z")
The members of the Mayan tribes in modern-day Guatemala that co-operated with the [Conquistadors](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_de_Alvarado) during the 16th century still face hostility from those that did not. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/33 "2009-06-23T16:20:55Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > It’s closely tied to the Battle of the Boyne. Well, they were both part of the [Williamite War in Ireland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamite_War_in_Ireland) which was itself part of the [Nine Years’ War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Years%27_War), which stretched as far away as North America. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/34 "2009-06-23T16:37:37Z")
This one barely makes your cutoff period, taking place between 1776 and 1781. My dad’s family comes from the Carolinas, where people still speak with hot contempt of [Banastre Tarelton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banastre_Tarleton), largely because of the [Battle of Waxhaws](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waxhaw_Massacre) and numerous incidents involved in the guerilla conflict with [Frances Marion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion). One particularly grisly incident: > [@](#): > > at one plantation of a deceased Patriot officer, he had the man’s body dug up, then required the widow to serve him a meal. That’s the kind of thing that results in old women spitting on the ground after saying your name, even 225 years later. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/35 "2009-06-23T16:55:43Z")
From Roman History, I’d say the battle of Allia and the later battle of Alesia still have some resonance, especially in France (I remember seeing a huge statue of Vercingetorix on one of my trips). Also, the battle of the Teuteberg Forrest I think still has some resonance today…but certainly, like Allia, it resonated with Roman citizens for hundreds of years after it was fought. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/36 "2009-06-23T17:09:55Z")
I get the sense that Iranians are still a little pissed-off over the [destruction of Persepolis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis#Destruction) by the troops of Alexander the Great, in 330 B.C. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/37 "2009-06-23T17:45:14Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > I get the sense that Iranians are still a little pissed-off over the [destruction of Persepolis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis#Destruction) by the troops of Alexander the Great, in 330 B.C. But that was just revenge for the burning of Athens in 480 BC! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/38 "2009-06-23T19:16:20Z")
This past February Mrs. G and I went to Ireland for a week and went out into County Meath to see the Newgrange. At the visitors center we realized that we were not only on Boyne Water but right next to New Bridge where King Billy forced a passage of the Boyne and kicked King James out of Ireland, so we drove over. The route was remarkably well marked. We found a perhaps 160 acre park with a visitors center in a 19th century country house, archeological exhibits, a movie, a big terrain map, 16th century cannons, paved walks, tea shop, big parking lot – really a very nicely set up little battle ground park. I was surprised, thinking the last thing the Irish Republic would want to spend money on was a commemoration of the event that secured English (that word is used advisedly since the event was before the Act of Union) domination of the Irish for almost 250 years. I asked one of the ladies at the desk about it. She said that the battleground park was one of the terms of the Good Friday Agreement as part of the tentative settlement of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. So if the Irish are willing to memorialize the Battle of the Boyne there may be hope yet for old antagonists to burry the hatchet some where other than in each others’ heads. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/39 "2009-06-23T22:51:50Z")
[Koom Valley,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koom_Valley#Battle_of_Koom_Valley) of course! ---
**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685/40 "2009-06-24T05:16:47Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Yes, I can. The purpose of this thread is not to discuss how people in the South are still pissed off about the US Civil War. That’s fairly well known and the US Civil War really wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things. You see Martini? You ask southerners to leave it out and it pisses em off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-long-past-wars-battles-are-people-still-pissed-off-about-today/500685.md?page=3)