No-one wants to hear that. 

9 January 1921 - The Battle of Inonu.

In order to strengthen their hand in the ongoing peace talks with Turkey after the end of World War I Greek troops occupied the Turkish port of Izmir in 1919 pushing inland months later. Sure enough when the Treaty of Sèvres was signed in 1920 Greece was granted Izmir. 

The Turkish government was split between those who wanted peace and a more nationalistic faction intent on driving the Greeks out of Anatolia, the latter faction predominated with an irregular army launching attacks on the Greeks throughout 1920. In response the Greeks went on the offensive pushing deeper into Anatolia with the aim of reaching the newly proclaimed Turkish capital of Ankara. 

On 9 January 1921 a Greek advance reached the town of Inonu which was defended by 6000 Turks, a third the size of the Greeks. The battle lasted three days with the Turks effectively halting the Greek advance and forcing them back. It was the first significant success for the Turks and gave the new government heart that they could expel the invaders, which ultimately proved correct.    

10 January 1475 - The Battle of Vaslui.

A victory for the Moldavians over the invading Turks. The Principality of Moldavia reached the height of its power under Prince Stephen the Great in the late 15th century who fought off invasions by the Hungarians, the Poles and the Turks extending his own territories.

The Turks invaded at the end of December 1474. Prince Stephen lay in wait on the far side of a marsh at Vaslui drawing the Turks in. The result was a massacre of the Turks, up to 40,000 are said to have been killed. 

Moldavia retained a precarious independence under Stephen, but following his death in 1504 the Principality fell to the Ottomans, only regaining a measure of self government in the 19th century.    

Self praise is no recommendation. Most monarchs with such a title were "awarded" it after death, although a few basked in the glory in their lifetime.  

Yes, nearly 300 years later. You were born on the anniversary of the death of Joanna the Mad, Queen of Castile and Aragon (in effect Spain) in 1555. 

11 January 1654 - The Battle of Río Bueno.

A battle fought between the Spanish and the Araucanian Indians in the Captaincy General of Chile.

The sporadic conflict was already a century old as the Spanish pushed deeper into Araucanian territory. 

In 1651 a Spanish ship was driven aground in a storm and the survivors massacred by local Indians. Punitive expeditions failed to suppress the growing uprising, so in January 1654 a Spanish army of 2400, of which 1500 were native auxiliaries, headed into Araucanian territory. First they had to cross the Río Bueno so a pontoon bridge was constructed. However the bridge was not large enough to allow more than a few at a time to cross and when the first 200 had gone over the Araucanians, numbering around 3000, fell on and routed them. An attempt to get more men across caused the bridge to collapse with more soldiers drowned. 

The expedition was called off with the depleted army turning back. 

Colonial powers used the term a lot, better than a war; much like Putin and his "special military operation". 

12 January 1848 - The Sicilian Revolt began.

Important in that it was the first in a series of uprisings and all out revolutions that swept across Europe 1848-49. 

12 January 1848 was a National Holiday in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, it was King Ferdinand II's 38th birthday. However he was not a popular ruler having enacted certain repressive measures after failed uprisings for reform and liberalisation. 

The island of Sicily was by far the poorest territory within Ferdinand's Kingdom which he ruled from Naples on the mainland. The situation was made worse by a severe cholera epidemic in the 1830s which killed 70,000 Sicilians.

Oddly the 1848 uprising was announced in advance. On 9 January a manifesto was circulated declaring 12 January as the day for the people to assemble in the main square in Palermo to collect arms for the revolution. The authorities arrested about a dozen suspected leaders beforehand, and on the day itself a small number of guns were handed out followed by sporadic clashes with police and the few soldiers deployed at short notice. Barricades were erected in the poorest quarter where a revolutionary committee was set up. The first deaths occurred that day. The Year of Revolutions had begun.

13 January 1849 - The Battle of Chillianwala.

The short 1st Sikh War ended with the Treaty of Lahore in 1846 in which GB annexed a portion of the Sikh Empire but allowed the remaining territory a nominal independence under a British Resident. 

At first relations were cordial with British troops even assisting the Sikhs in suppressing internal uprisings. In 1848 the city of Multan rose in revolt against the government of the Empire and its links with the British. A combined Anglo-Sikh army laid siege to the city only for the Sikh contingent to go over to the rebels forcing the British to retreat. 

A British army under the command of Hugh, Baron Gough invaded Sikh territory in November capturing Multan in January 1949. They advanced deeper into Sikh lands and met the enemy at Chillianwala, the Sikh commander Shere Singh led up to 20,000 men to Gough's 15,000 who had 100 cannon to Singh's 60.

The battle can be considered a draw, Gough inflicted greater casualties, 4000 killed and wounded to his 800 dead and 1650 wounded, but failed to advance. In fact news of the action prompted the the British to remove him from command, but before his replacement could arrive Gough secured a decisive victory at Gujrat the following month resulting in the annexation of the Sikh Empire to British India.

In Britain's Indian and eastern colonies it was the means we used to exert control over a territory without actually bringing it into the Empire. The Resident was a government official who acted as our representative who made sure his "hosts" followed an agreed pro-British policy, in return we would provide military and civil aid as required.

India is the best example, GB never actually annexed all of the sub-continent, not much more than 50% was under direct British rule, the rest were Princely States nominally independent, but with a British Resident managing major affairs.

In fact when we granted independence to India in 1947 the Princely States were offered the choice of independence rather than become part of a united India, but none were in a position to assert independence from the proposed government of India which naturally wanted the entire sub-continent under one authority.     

Not all Sikhs are Singhs, but all Singhs are Sikhs.

The Sikhs of the Punjab and the Gurkhas of Nepal were remarkably loyal to the British Crown considering they were both defeated by the British. They made up dozens of regiments in the British and (British) Indian Armies from the 19th century through both World Wars and beyond. The Gurkhas still do so today. 

14 January 1809 - An Anglo-Portuguese force captures Cayenne.

The colony of Cayenne on the Atlantic coast of South America became the first French overseas target for the British after the war with France resumed in 1803. The government of GB's ally Portugal had fled to Brazil in 1808 after Portugal was occupied by France, nevertheless the Portuguese were eager to assist in attacking the French in South America.

Two French outposts were seized by Anglo-Portuguese naval forces in December 1808 before a further combined army landed east of the capital Cayenne in January. There was little resistance and the French commander opened talks for the surrender of the colony which was effected on 14 January. Casualties were light with total losses combined totalling less than 70 killed and wounded.   

The Portuguese were left in control until the war ended in 1814 when a much reduced Cayenne was restored to France with Brazil being granted the larger portion of former French territory. Today Cayenne is the French Overseas Department of French Guiana. 

14 January 1809 - An Anglo-Portuguese force captures Cayenne.

The colony of Cayenne on the Atlantic coast of South America became the first French overseas target for the British after the war with France resumed in 1803. The government of GB's ally Portugal had fled to Brazil in 1808 after Portugal was occupied by France, nevertheless the Portuguese were eager to assist in attacking the French in South America.

Two French outposts were seized by Anglo-Portuguese naval forces in December 1808 before a further combined army landed east of the capital Cayenne in January. There was little resistance and the French commander opened talks for the surrender of the colony which was effected on 14 January. Casualties were light with total losses combined totalling less than 70 killed and wounded.   

The Portuguese were left in control until the war ended in 1814 when a much reduced Cayenne was restored to France with Brazil being granted the larger portion of former French territory. Today Cayenne is the French Overseas Department of French Guiana. 

Of Devil's Island fame. Known to most Americans from the movie Papillion. 

One of the suggested reasons for the lack of French resistance is that a few days before the allied landings a Portuguese army officer was granted an audience with the Governor of Cayenne and advised him that if he surrendered after a token fight the Portuguese would administer the colony henceforth, if not the British would take over with a far less neighbourly attitude.