How many times has your capital city been conquered

[IDonT]

This exercise should be easy for those living in the America's due to not a lot of history.

Let's me start:
Washington DC - Conquered by the British 1812
For Southeners - Richmond, VA conquered by the Union in 1865

I think Baghdad or Jerusalem took the credit for being conquered the most times.

[Gollevainen]

Helsinki-none
If you look it from that angle that it begun to be a city as well as our Capital only during the days of finnish grand dutchy. of the nations that actually fougth in WWII, only London, Washington, Moscow and Helsinki remained non occupied by foreing forces.

[IDonT]

Helsinki-none
If you look it from that angle that it begun to be a city as well as our Capital only during the days of finnish grand dutchy. of the nations that actually fougth in WWII, only London, Washington, Moscow and Helsinki remained non occupied by foreing forces.

Wasn't Finland used to be part of Sweden?

I'm not familiar with the history of that part.

[Gollevainen]

we were, but the days they got us, we didnt have any cities, not mention any sort of capital. The old "capital" ...or something most close to be a capital of the Swedish "östland" was Turku, but it lost that position to Helsinki, wich became our first real capitol only in Russian rule, and we begun to be a state like unit only during this russian rule, becouse they gave us autonomy.

[Spike]

Helsinki-none
If you look it from that angle that it begun to be a city as well as our Capital only during the days of finnish grand dutchy. of the nations that actually fougth in WWII, only London, Washington, Moscow and Helsinki remained non occupied by foreing forces.
Might be nitpicking but what about Ottawa and Canberra? Canada and Australia can be considered major participants.

Also CCP headquarters in Yanan. :p

[Gollevainen]

Ah I forget the canadians...and Chinese communist werent "legimate" state back then, well that claim could count those nations that had the war on their soil:D

[planeman]

London:

Founded by Romans.... "conquored" or rather taken over by the Celts before generally absorbed by the Angles and Saxons... then along come those horrible Scandanavians but although they beat it up a bit they never bother to conquor it properly. Then that frog-eating muppet "William the Bastard" (historically accurate name!) comes and calls it home.

Um, that was the last time I think although it sort of changed hands a few times during the "Wars of the Roses" and the English Civil War but never requiring considerable force IIRC.

[Spike]

I think Baghdad or Jerusalem took the credit for being conquered the most times.

Damascus is older than both I think and has been occupied countless times.

[jason_she]

Several times by so called minority nationality. But now we consider them as we are.

[rhino123]

For Singapore, being such a small country, I don't think there is any capital city at all. So I will only step on the country as a whole.

Singapore, as legend has it, was founded first by an Indian Prince, then the country was discovered by the British in 1819 and occupied in 1824 after a treaty of the sultan of johore (not sure does this qualify as conquered). Japan occuppied her since 1942 during WWII.

After WWII, British came back, then regain the country's freedom in the 50s.

[flyzies]

Canberra - none. In fact, none of the cities on Australian soil had been conquered before...quite boring if youre looking at it from military point of view...

[Tasman]

Canberra - none. In fact, none of the cities on Australian soil had been conquered before...quite boring if youre looking at it from military point of view...

As flyzies said, none of the cities on Australian soil have been conquered although some of my aboriginal friends argue that the area where Hobart now stands was taken from them by force. I have to agree that that is probably true.

During 1942, after the Japanese bombed Darwin quite heavily, there was widespread panic and it is widely believed that the Australian government actually considered abandoning Darwin and everything else north west of a line between Brisbane and Adelaide. General Douglas MacArthur stated in his reminisces that "the Australian General Staff planned to defend Australia on a line of defence that followed the Darling River from Brisbane to Adelaide." There is no official confirmation that this was actually planned and many believe the so called 'Brisbane Line' to be a myth.

http://home.supacom.brisnet.org.au/~dunn/ozatwar/brisbaneline.htm

Cheers

[FuManChu]

London:

Founded by Romans.... "conquored" or rather taken over by the Celts before generally absorbed by the Angles and Saxons... then along come those horrible Scandanavians but although they beat it up a bit they never bother to conquor it properly. Then that frog-eating muppet "William the Bastard" (historically accurate name!) comes and calls it home.

Um, that was the last time I think although it sort of changed hands a few times during the "Wars of the Roses" and the English Civil War but never requiring considerable force IIRC.

London was never conquered during the Civil War or War of the Roses - it was occupied without a fight, I think.

For William the Conquerer, the war was over before anyone got near London.

In Roman times, what was called "London" wasn't actually the modern city. Boudica burnt it down, then the next Roman city was just abandonned. A new city was made by the Celts - it was then moved again afterwards.

So you could argue that London (i.e. the current city) has never been conquered.

[Ravensteina]

Beijing(Northern capital)
1) captured by Mongols
2) Surrounded in 3/4 directions and then captured when Japan attacked(even though it wasn't the capital of China back then).

Nanjing(Southern capital)
1) captured in 1937

Chongqing and Guangzhou, capital of Nationalist China during the Chinese civil war, conquered by Communists 1949(maybe only getting conquered by foreigners count)...

[sumdud]

Hmm, should we include the even older capitals like Chang An and Xi'an?

BTW, Guangzhou was also under Japanese rule in the war. My grandpa was there then. (Anyone have the map/link to one of how much of China Japan had occupied? My school's books doesn't mention the Pacific Theater AT ALL...except Pearl Harbour and Hiroshima.)

[Shingy]

London was never conquered during the Civil War or War of the Roses - it was occupied without a fight, I think.

For William the Conquerer, the war was over before anyone got near London.

In Roman times, what was called "London" wasn't actually the modern city. Boudica burnt it down, then the next Roman city was just abandonned. A new city was made by the Celts - it was then moved again afterwards.

So you could argue that London (i.e. the current city) has never been conquered.

I know we can be patriotic about the fact we have never been successfully invaded for 1000 years now, but most of what you are saying is crap, there is just no argument of whether London has never been conquered, it has it doesn't take much to conquer a city but it does take much to conquer a country, which is why i think the occupation you said is basically the same as conquering.

[FuManChu]

most of what you are saying is crap

Really? What exactly did I say that was incorrect? Point-by-point, please.

Also I never said London was never conquered - I merely addressed matters raised, presenting an alternative view. As I said:

one could argue

I did not say what I believed.

I know we can be patriotic

You can be patriotic if you like, but I'm just looking at the history. It was Golle, not me, that said London has never been occupied by foreign forces.

[IDonT]

Beijing(Northern capital)
1) captured by Mongols
2) Surrounded in 3/4 directions and then captured when Japan attacked(even though it wasn't the capital of China back then).

Nanjing(Southern capital)
1) captured in 1937

Chongqing and Guangzhou, capital of Nationalist China during the Chinese civil war, conquered by Communists 1949(maybe only getting conquered by foreigners count)...

I might be mistaken but your forgetting:
1.) Boxers invasion of Beijing
2.) 8 Nation force that invaded Beijing from the Boxers
3.) English and French Forces captured Beijing in the 2nd Opium War
4.) Manchu captured it from the Ming

[Gollevainen]

It was Golle, not me, that said London has never been occupied by foreign forces.

well as for london's issue, it migth be fair if we count only the time, when real national-state concept has existed along with the emotional factor that conquered capital brings to it.

In that frame, we can easily say that London has enver been conquered, at least as long as the generally self-aware United Kingdom has existed as such.

But as my intial response, I made a mistake:o , Helsinki has actually been conquered once by foreing force. It was during our Civil war in 1918 when the rigth-wingers and land-lords commander's invited little German help and the imperial Baltic Division captured Helsinki that was then firmly in working class hands.

[sumdud]

Beijing(Northern capital)
1) captured by Mongols
???
I thought Beijing wasn't the Chinese capital until halfway through the Ming Dynasty?