Brisieis

What are your favourite moments in history where unexpected alliances were formed? I am thinking of alliances made which shocked people. Cheers.

Zeno

Burgundy and England against the Dauphin of France.

Earl_of_Rochester

Octavian and Anthony.

Hitler and Stalin.

pugsville

Hitler and Stalin. hands down number 1. Cant think of anything thats gonna top that.

M.E.T.H.O.D.

Maybe not the most unexpected, but surely extremely heterogeneous: the alliance proclaimed At Constance between the Eidgenossen of the Old Swiss Confederacy, Alsatian towns and municipalities(Strasbourg, the Sundgau and Breisgau), the County of Tirol, the Duchy of Lorraine; plus with the support of Louis XI and the Emperor Frederick III, all united against the Duchy of Burgundy.

The Republic of Venice allying herself with the Kingdom of France, just four years after the Battle of Agnadello(1509), the greatest defeat suffered by Venice...Precisely at the hands of the army of Louis XII.


Francis I of France, "Most Christian King", allying himself with the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I in order to oppose the Holy Roman Empire of Charles V (in Italy, in the Mediterranean and in the Balkan theatre)

yapxingguan

America and Saddam Hussein :P and to any totalitarian regime back in the cold war.

Sicknero

I can't see that this one was so unexpected tbh. Aside from its being a non-agression treaty rather than an alliance, it was really just an opportunistic temporary arrangement which suited both parties very well at the time.

Unfortunately I have nothing of my own to add

kbear

the earl of warwick and margaret of anjou was a shocker..

Callimaco

Great example. I'd even say whole series of Italian Wars was full of unusual alliances as far as the fact that each country, principality, kingdom etc. involved kept changing alliances year after year.

Black Dog

The Franciscans and the Holy Roman Emperor.