Portal:Military of Greece/Introduction

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A drawing of a classical Greek hoplite.

The Military of Greece, relates to the military and military history of the city states of Classical Greece to the Military of Modern Greece. The ancient Greece is a complecated affair with Greeks serving in military's as far as east as India, as far west as Spain, as south as Egypt and as far north as Ukraine.

From 499 BC to 449 BC the Greek states fought a series of battle against the Persian Empire in which they were eventually victorious. This left Sparta with the strongest army and Athens with the strongest navy. They fought out a war which lasted from 431 BC to 404 BC with Sparta coming out on top. Spartan dominace last until 371 BC when they were defeated by the Thebans. Most of Greece was later incorparated into Alexander the Great empire. After Alexander's death his empire split up into several states. The last of these Greek state lost it's independence in 30 BC when Cleopatra died, however the Greeks continued to serve under the Roman's and formed the bulk of the Byzantine army. When the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottomans in 1453 AD the Greeks were forced to accept Ottoman rule. Some of the Greeks revolted against the Ottomans in 1821 and by 1832 Greece was an independent state. Since then the Modern Greek military has seen action in the Balkan Wars, both World Wars and the Korean War.