The Battle of Cannae was the largest battle of the Second Punic War, which lasted from 218 to 201 BC. This battle literally brought the Roman Republic to the brink of collapse. The world might not recognize such a majestic empire as it became a little later. But first things first.
Background of the battle
At the first stage of the Second Punic War, the Carthaginian commander Hannibal managed to win a number of victories: at Ticinus, Trebbia. These were not the greatest battles of antiquity. Rome knew and lost even more magnificent battles. However, now the republic literally stood on the verge of collapse. This has greatly improved
Carthage's position provided him with a strategic initiative in this conflict. In the spring of 217 BC. the troops of this North African state entered Italy and in the next battle on Lake Trasimene defeated the 40,000-strong formation of Roman legionnaires. However, Hannibal did not dare to attack Rome, because he risked losing his own army under the walls of a well-defended city. Was takenthe decision to isolate Rome from the north (which had already been done) and from the south. The commander rushed to the southern coast of Italy.
General Battle
Here the Carthaginians occupied a small fortress in Puglia. Actually, it happened here on August 2, 216 BC. battle of Cannae. Hannibal stationed his army in the fortress of the same name, when the Roman armies, recovering from previous blows, under the command of the consul Varro, approached. The numerical ratio on the day of the battle was clearly on the side of the latter. Against 80 thousand well-armed Roman soldiers, Hannibal could put up only 50 thousand soldiers under his command. The Battle of Cannae threatened the Carthaginians with complete defeat, which would mean defeat for them in the war. Hannibal lined up his troops before the battle in a very original way. He refused
from the strong saturation of the central part of his formations, however, he placed impressive forces on the flanks of his army. When the battle began, the central forces drew the attention of the main Roman order to themselves for a certain time. This made it possible for the powerful wings of the Hannibal army to overturn the flanks of the Romans, consisting of light cavalry. After this first stage of the battle, the Carthaginians actually surrounded the Roman infantry, attacking them from the flanks and from the rear. The Battle of Cannae developed according to the scenario conceived by Hannibal. The army, initially lined up in a crescent, was able to enter the rear of the Italian legionnaires in smaller numbers, after which the latter were defeated.
Results of the battle
The Battle of Cannes ended with a completedefeat of a large Roman army. According to a number of ancient testimonies, the Italians lost about 50 thousand killed, and
several thousand more were taken prisoner by the Carthaginians. Only a few managed to escape. Hannibal's troops, on the contrary, had relatively small losses: about 8 thousand killed. However, according to a significant number of modern historians, Hannibal never managed to take advantage of the fruits of this grandiose victory in the future. Although he was able to defeat the Roman army in open battle, he still did not have the strength to take the defended city. Within a few years, the republic managed to recover from a crushing defeat and gradually tip the scales of this war in its favor.
