Battle of Geronium

Coordinates: 41 ° 45 ′ 42.6 ″  N , 14 ° 44 ′ 0.1 ″  E

Battle of Geronium

Part of: Second Punic War

Location of geronium on an ancient map

date	Autumn 217 BC Chr.
place	Geronium in the Samnium , today's Sannio in the Molise region
output	draw

Parties to the conflict
Roman Empire	Carthage
Commander
Marcus Minucius Rufus (Consul 221 BC) Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus	Hannibal
Troop strength
2 armies with 20,000 legionnaires each	40,000 foot troops 10,000 horsemen
losses
unknown	few

The Battle of Geronium was a skirmish between Rome and Carthage in the autumn of 217 BC. In the Second Punic War .

swell

The oldest and best preserved source is the historical work of the Greek historian Polybius . His third book, the war against Hannibal (including prehistory) from 219–216 BC. Chr. Describes, is still completely available today; Books 6–15, which dealt with the subsequent course of the war, are, like all other works by Polybius, only available in excerpts and excerpts. However, the detailed account of the Roman historian Titus Livius , who in his main work ab urbe condita mainly refers to Polybius as an informant, is completely preserved.

prehistory

After the devastating defeat for Rome at the Battle of Lake Trasimeno , Fabius Maximus was elected dictator. Marcus Minucius Rufus held the position of his Magister equitum (army master or cavalry commander). Fabius marched south from Rome with his army. Through scouts he learned that Hannibal was camped in the “Ager Falernus” area in Campania . There, in the Battle of the Ager Falernus , the opponents met for the first time, which ended with a victory for Hannibal.

Hannibal's winter camp

Now Hannibal and his army moved through the Samnium in the direction of Apulia to take winter quarters there. Fabius followed him with his army, but continued to avoid giving the enemy the opportunity to engage in open battle. The successful escape from the trap at Ager Falernus was a success for Hannibal, but now he had to realize that he could no longer reach Apulia before winter. Near the village of Lupatum (today Lupara ), on the Tifernus ( Biferno ) river, he found a ruined city of the Samnites , which had been abandoned by its builders since the wars with Rome . At this place, which according to Livy was called Geronium , after Polybius Gerunium , he set up the winter camp and had it fortified. He did not plan further military actions until the year 216 BC. BC Fabius moved into a camp near Larinum (today Larino ).

Roman disagreement

The dictator's delaying tactics came under considerable criticism, because Hannibal's devastation without consequences put the loyalty of many Roman allies to a severe test. Eventually Fabius had to leave for Rome to perform religious services. These consensus-building acts served not least to defend him against parts of the Senate who called for more decisive action against Hannibal. Previously, Fabius had handed over the command of the army in Larinum to Minucius, not without expressly asking him not to take any action during his absence and to adhere to the defensive strategy. Because Fabius was aware that his Magister Equitum had already not appreciated this kind of warfare.

Soon Hannibal noticed the absence of the dictator and stepped up the raids to get supplies for the winter. This weakened the defense of his camp, and he therefore had an outpost set up on a hill sixteen stadia (about 3 km) from Geronium, on the way to Larinum. When he tried to set up further safeguards in the direction of the Roman camp from here, however, he encountered the resistance of Minucius, who attacked the outposts, and now drove his camp from the hill on which it had been located until then Relocated level. The weak defense of the Carthaginians had not escaped the Roman army master and, unlike Fabius, he was ready to attack Hannibal.

Minucius' advance

The situation worsened for Hannibal, as daring a battle did not seem advisable to him, as he was in the middle of the preparations to winter in this area. Significant troops had to be used to graze the horses and haul in the ripe grain.

Minucius now used this opportunity, who advanced with his cavalry and light infantry against the Carthaginians scattered in the field, while he himself attacked the no longer adequately occupied Carthaginian positions in Geronium with the rest of his army. Only the fact that Hannibal's quartermaster Hasdrubal was able to secure the relief together with 4,000 men allowed the Carthaginians to retreat to the main camp.

Minucius also retired triumphantly to his camp. Although this was the first notable victory against the Carthaginians so far, it had no military significance. Nonetheless, Minucius reported his victory to Rome with a number of exaggerations. There the news was received with great enthusiasm, while bitterness over the dictator's previous warfare increased further. Finally, the Senate decided, in breach of the constitution, to give Minucius also dictatorial powers and to put him on an equal footing with Fabius.

Thereupon Fabius returned to Larinum and both dictators decided to split the Roman army into two halves and separate camps.

The battle

Hannibal's ruse

Hannibal soon found out about the change that was so favorable for him and immediately tried to use it for himself. As has often been the case, he set a trap for the Romans by letting parts of his teams line up in the area so that they remained hidden from the enemy. The valley between Geronium and the troops of Mancinus offered good opportunities for this and during the night he was able to position 500 horsemen and 5,000 infantry men unnoticed by the Romans. At dawn he had a clearly visible hill in the middle of the valley occupied. This served on the one hand to camouflage the hidden troops and on the other hand to deliberately provoke the Minucinus.

Minucius' error

Probably in the hope of being able to easily lead his army to a brilliant victory again, he first set his light infantry, then the cavalry against the Carthaginians and finally set out with both legions when he realized that Hannibal was also with the whole army was approaching.

Hannibal succeeded in the surprise and the Roman cavalry was quickly defeated. When they escaped, they messed up the infantry behind them, so that the lightly armed fighters in the front line in particular fell on the defensive. When the Carthaginians also intervened from the ambush and the Romans were attacked from all sides, the whole army was in great danger and suffered heavy losses.

Fabius' triumph

Then Fabius appeared, whose camp was only twelve stadia (2.2 km) from that of Minucius, with his legions on the battlefield. This time it was Hannibal who must have been surprised and quickly initiated the retreat. His troops were so confused by the persecution of the Romans that they could not have put up any resistance to the orderly battle lines of Fabius. Fabius pursued the Carthaginians, who were able to withdraw successfully to Geronium. With that the battle was over and the Romans withdrew; another attack on the Carthaginian fortifications would not have been promising.

consequences

Minucius is said to have submitted to the sole command of Fabius as Magister Equitum again. He is said to have thanked the legions of Fabius and referred to Fabius himself as his "second father". However, this seems to go back to unhistorical exaggerations of the later historians, who seemed very keen to portray Fabius as magnanimous forgiving. Even Polybius' rather sober account of this event does not seem to be entirely objective. It is much more likely that both dictators continued to keep their troops divided. In any case, her term of office would soon end.

The end of the dictatorship of Fabius in particular had far more significance for the further course of the war than the battle itself. Although his defensive tactics had ultimately proven their worth, the forces in the Roman Senate who risked another offensive fight were able to prevail were ready. This led to the crushing defeat against Hannibal in the Battle of Cannae .

It was only after this catastrophe that the mood in Rome turned completely in favor of Fabius, as his strategy, recognizable to everyone, had proven to be correct in retrospect and was now appropriately appreciated. Fabius was celebrated in Rome as the "hesitant" - "cunctator". Since then he has had this nickname as an honorary title.

In the next few years, Fabius became the dominant figure in Roman politics.

literature

• Peter Connolly : Hannibal, and the Enemies of Rome , ISBN 3-7886-0182-5

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Polybios 3, 87, 6-9; Livy 22, 8, 6.
2. ^ Konrad Mannert Geography of the Greeks and Romans: Italia and the islands, Sicilia, Corsica, 1823, p. 804
3. ↑ Livius 22, 18, 5ff .; u. a.
4. ↑ Polybios 3, 94, 8ff .; Livy 22, 18, 8ff.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Wilhelm Bötticher, History of the Carthager according to the sources, 1827, p. 285 ff.
6. ↑ Polybios 3, 100, 1-3, 102, 11; Livy 22, 23, 9–22, 24, 10.
7. ↑ Polybios 3, 103, 1-5, 102, 11; Livy 22, 25, 1ff.
8. ↑ Polybios 3, 104, 1-105, 11; Livy 22:28, 1-22.
9. ↑ Elogium; Livy 22:29, 10; 22, 30, 2f .; Plutarch, Fabius 13, 5.
10. ^ Livy 22, 29, 7-22, 30, 10; Plutarch, Fabius 13, 1-9.
11. ↑ Livy 22:55, 4-8; Plutarch, Fabius 17, 6-18, 5.