This book presents an overview of world military history in all its many aspects, beginning with a summary of warfare in the context of weapons development. Running through the core of the book is a chronological Timeline of Military Events - wars, campaigns and battles - from earliest times to the present. Facing this are illustrated sections expanding upon, and providing background to, the facts in the chronology, with: biographies of the principal commanders and leaders; weapons, from spears and swords to artillery and ballistic missiles; armour, from shields and breastplates to battle tanks; fortification, castles and siege warfare; aircraft, from balloons to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles; plus maps of selected battles.Completing the book is a comprehensive A-Z reference guide to two thousand of the Great Battles of History.