In the history of any nation, periods of war and expansion begin. At the same time, the most warlike peoples of the world can be singled out for whom cruelty and militancy have become an integral part of their culture. Entire generations of warriors grew up, for whom battles became the main meaning of all life. About the most famous tribes from this list - in this article.
Maori
The most warlike peoples of the world include Maori. This is a tribe living in New Zealand. Its name literally means “ordinary”, but in reality there is nothing ordinary in them, of course. One of the first Europeans to meet with Māori was Charles Darwin. This happened during his journey on the Beagle ship. The English scientist emphasized their unprecedented cruelty, which was especially pronounced in relation to the British and white people in general. The Maori had to fight with them repeatedly for their territories.
It is believed that Maori belong to the autochthonous population of New Zealand. Their ancestors arrived on the island about two thousand years ago from Eastern Polynesia. Until the British reached New Zealand in the middle of the 19th century, the Maori had no serious rivals at all. Only from time to time there were internecine wars with neighboring tribes.
Over these centuries, traditions and customs have formed, which then became characteristic of most Polynesian tribes. They are inherent in the most warlike peoples of the world. So, the heads were cut off by the prisoners, and the bodies were completely eaten. There was a belief that in this way it was possible to take the strength of the enemy. By the way, the Maori participated in two world wars, unlike the rest of the Australian aborigines.
Moreover, during World War II, their representatives insisted that their own battalion be formed. There is a remarkable fact about the First World War. During one of the battles, they drove off the enemy, only performing their battle dance called haku. This happened during the offensive operation on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The dance was traditionally accompanied by scary grimaces and warlike cries, which simply discouraged the enemy, giving the Maori a significant advantage. Therefore, we can confidently call the Maori one of the most warlike peoples of the world in history.
Gurkha
Another fighting people, who also sided with Great Britain in many wars, are the Nepalese Gurkhas. They received the definition of one of the most warlike peoples of the world at a time when their country remained a British colony.
According to the British themselves, who had to fight a lot with the Gurkhas, in battle they were distinguished by unprecedented courage, aggressiveness, physical strength, self-sufficiency, as well as the ability to lower the pain threshold. Even the British army had to surrender under the pressure of the Gurkhas, armed with only knives. As early as 1815, a full-scale campaign was launched to attract Gurkha volunteers to the ranks of the British army. Quickly enough they won the glory of the best soldiers in the world.
The Gurkhas participated in the First and Second World Wars, the suppression of the Sikh uprising, the war in Afghanistan, as well as in the conflict between Great Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. And today, the Gurkhas remain among the elite fighters of the English army. Moreover, the competition for getting into these elite military units is simply huge: 140 people per seat.
Even the British themselves had already recognized that the Gurkhas were better as soldiers than they were. Perhaps because they have more motivation, but the Nepalese themselves say that money has nothing to do with it. Military art is something that they can really be proud of, therefore they are always happy to demonstrate it and put it into practice.
Dayaks
The list of warlike peoples of the world traditionally includes Dayaks. This is an example of how even a small people do not want to integrate into the modern world, trying by any means to preserve their traditions, which can be completely far from human values and humanism.
The Dayak tribe has earned a terrible reputation on the island of Kalimantan, where they are considered bounty hunters. The fact is that, according to the customs of this people, only a man who brings the head of his enemy to the tribe is considered a man. This situation among the dyaks persisted until the beginning of the 20th century.
Literally, the name of this people from the Malay language is translated as "pagans." This is an ethnic group that includes the peoples of Kalimantan Island in Indonesia. Some representatives of dyaks still live in remote places. For example, you can only get there by boat; most of the achievements of modern civilization are unknown to them. They preserve their ancient culture and traditions.
Dayaks have many bloodthirsty rites, which is why they are on the list of warlike peoples of the world. The custom of hunting for human heads remained for a long period, until the Englishman Charles Brooks, who came from the White Rajas, managed to influence a people who knew no other way to become a man, except to chop off someone’s head.
Brooks captured one of the most warlike leaders of the Dayak tribe. Applying both a stick and a carrot, he managed to instruct all the dayaks on a peaceful path. True, people continued to disappear without a trace even after that. It is known that the last wave of mass killings swept through the island in the period 1997 - 1999. Then all the world news agencies reported ritual cannibalism on Kalimantan, the games of young children with human heads.
Kalmyks
Kalmyks are considered one of the most warlike peoples of Russia . They are the descendants of the western Mongols. Their self-name translates as “breakaway”, which hints that the people did not accept Islam. Currently, most Kalmyks live in the territory of the republic of the same name.
Their ancestors, calling themselves Oirats, lived in the Jungra. They were warlike and freedom-loving nomads, whom even Genghis Khan could not subordinate. For this, he even demanded the complete destruction of one of the tribes. Over time, the Oirat warriors nevertheless became part of the troops of the famous commander, and many became related to the Genghisides. So modern Kalmyks have every reason to officially consider themselves descendants of Genghis Khan.
In the XVII century, Oirats left Dzungaria, made a great transition, reaching the Volga steppes. In 1641, Russia officially recognized the Kalmyk Khanate, after which the Kalmyks began to serve in the Russian army on an ongoing basis.
There is even a version that the famous battle cry "Hurray" came from the Kalmyk word "Uralan", which literally means "forward" in our language. As part of the Russian army, Kalmyks especially distinguished themselves in the Patriotic War of 1812. Three Kalmyk regiments fought against the French at once, about three and a half thousand people. According to the results of only one battle of Borodino, 260 Kalmyks were awarded the highest orders of Russia.
Kurds
In world history, among the most warlike peoples it is customary to call the Kurds. Together with the Persians, Arabs and Armenians, they are the oldest peoples of the Middle East. Initially, they lived in the ethno-geographical region of Kurdistan, which after the First World War was divided among several states at once: Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria. Today, the Kurds do not have their rightful territory.
According to most researchers, their language belongs to the Iranian group, while in terms of religion there is no unity among the Kurds. Among them are Muslims, Christians and Jews. Largely because of this, it is extremely difficult for the Kurds to agree among themselves.
This feature of this warlike people was noted by the doctor of medical sciences Erickson in his work on ethnopsychology. He also claimed that the Kurds were merciless towards their enemies and at the same time very unreliable in friendship. In reality, they respect only the elders and themselves. Their morality is at a very low level. At the same time, superstition is very common, but the religious feeling is extremely poorly developed. War is one of their innate needs, which absorbs all their attention and interests.
The modern history of the Kurds
Note that it is difficult to judge how this thesis applies to today's Kurds, since Erickson conducted his research at the beginning of the 20th century. But the fact remains: the Kurds never lived under centralized power. According to Sadrin Alexi, a professor at the Kurdish University in Paris, every Kurd considers himself a king on his own grief, because of this they often quarrel among themselves, conflicts often arise from scratch.
Paradoxical as it may seem, with all this uncompromisingness, the Kurds most of all dream of living in a centralized state. So the so-called Kurdish issue is currently one of the most acute in the entire Middle East. Unrest regularly occurs, during which the Kurds try to achieve autonomy by uniting into an independent state. Such attempts have been made since 1925.
The situation escalated in the mid-90s. From 1992 to 1996, the Kurds launched a full-scale civil war in northern Iraq; now the unstable situation remains in Iran and Syria, where armed conflicts and clashes occur from time to time. At the moment, there is only one state entity of Kurds with the rights of wide autonomy - this is Iraqi Kurdistan.
Germans
It is widely believed that the Germans are a warlike people. But if you examine the facts, it turns out that this is a fallacy. The reputation of Germany was greatly spoiled by the 20th century, when the Germans unleashed two world wars at once. If we take the history of mankind for a longer period, the situation will be completely opposite.
For example, the Russian historian Pitirim Sorokin conducted an interesting study in 1938. He tried to answer the question which European countries fought more often than others. He took the period from the XII to the beginning of the twentieth century (1925).
It turned out that in 67% of all wars that took place during this period, the Spaniards participated, in 58% - the Poles, in 56% - the British, in 50% - the French, in 46% - the Russians, in 44% - the Dutch, in 36% - Italians. For 800 years, the Germans took part in only 28% of wars. This is less than any other leading European state. It turns out that Germany is one of the most peace-loving countries, which only in the XX century began to show aggression and militancy.
Irish
It is believed that the Irish are a warlike people. This is a nation that descended from the Celts. Historians claim that the first people appeared on the territory of modern Ireland about nine thousand years ago. Who these first settlers were was unknown, but they left behind several megalithic structures. The Celts populated the island at the beginning of our era.
Decisive in the fate of the Irish people was the famine of 1845-1849. Due to the massive crop failure, about one million Irish were killed. At the same time, from the estates that belonged to the British, all this time they continued to export grain, meat and dairy products.
The Irish emigrated en masse to the United States and overseas colonies of Great Britain. From then until the mid-70s of the XX century, the population of Ireland was constantly declining. In addition, the island on which the people lived was divided. Only a part became part of the Republic of Ireland, the other remained in the United Kingdom. For decades, Catholic Irish fought against Protestant colonists, often resorting to terrorist methods, for which the Irish are included in the top warlike nations.
IRA
Since 1916, a paramilitary group called the Irish Republican Army began to operate. Its main goal was the complete liberation of Northern Ireland from British rule.
The history of the IRA began with the Easter Uprising in Dublin. From 1919 to 1921, the war for the independence of Ireland against the British army continued. Its outcome was the Anglo-Irish agreement, in which Britain recognized the independence of the Republic of Ireland, leaving Northern Ireland.
After that, the IRA went underground, beginning the tactics of terrorist attacks. Activists of the movement constantly blew up bombs in shopping centers, buses, near the British embassies. In 1984, an attempt was made on the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At a hotel in Brighton where the Conservative Conference was held, a bomb exploded. 5 people were killed, but Thatcher herself was not injured.
In 1997, the dissolution of the IRA was announced, an order to end the armed struggle was issued in 2005.
Caucasian peoples
The warlike peoples of the Caucasus are well known in Russia. First of all, we are talking about Vainakhs. In fact, these are modern Ingush and Chechens, who in modern history leave no less vivid trail than their distant ancestors.
The Vainakhs rendered heroic resistance to the armies of Genghis Khan and Timur, retreating to the mountains. Then their famous defensive architecture was built. An ideal confirmation of this is the fortresses and watchtowers of the Caucasus.
Now you know which nations are the most warlike.