Battle of Ilipa

Believing his deception had taken firm hold of the Carthaginian commanders, Scipio made his move. First he ordered the army to be fed and armed before daylight. He then promptly sent his cavalry and light troops against the Carthaginian outposts at daybreak while advancing with his main force behind, all the way to the front of the Carthaginian position. This day his legions stood at the wings and the Spaniards in the centre. Surprised by the sudden attacks by the Romans, the Carthaginians rushed to arm themselves and sallied forth wi ...

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Battle of Ilipa, Battle of Ilipa - Prelude, Battle of Ilipa - Pre-Battle Maneuver, Battle of Ilipa - Battle, Battle of Ilipa - After-Battle Maneuvers, Battle of Ilipa - Aftermath

Read more here: » Battle of Ilipa: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Ilipa - Battle

Centuries: 4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC Decades: 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC - 200s BC - 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC Years: 211 BC 210 BC 209 BC 208 BC 207 BC - 206 BC - 205 BC 204 BC 203 BC 202 BC 201 BC Events Second Punic War: Scipio Africanus Major destroyed the combined Carthaginian army of Mago Barca and Hasdrubal Gisco in the Battle of Ilipa, thus ending Carthaginian hold in Spain. Mago evacuates the remaining Ca ...

Read more here: » 206 BC: Encyclopedia - 206 BC

Hannibal anticipated that a consular army would move along the coast towards Hispania, and so took a combined army of 40,000 North Africans and Iberians across southern France by an inland route and crossed the Alps over the winter. His invasion of Italia came as a surprise to the Romans, for he had constructed no fleet, and it was believed his army could not possibly make it through the mountains. Indeed, it sustained very heavy casualties, including all but three of his 37 war elephants. Nevertheless, that spring he came into Northe ...

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Second Punic War, Second Punic War - Background, Second Punic War - The war in Italy, Second Punic War - The war in Hispania, Second Punic War - The attack on Carthage, Second Punic War - Results, Second Punic War - List of battles

Read more here: » Second Punic War: Encyclopedia II - Second Punic War - The war in Italy

Hispania was lost to Carthage forever, and she was reduced to a client state. A war indemnity of 10,000 talents was imposed, her navy was limited to 10 ships to ward off pirates, and she was forbidden from raising an army without Rome's permission. Numidia took the opportunity to capture and plunder Carthaginian territory. Half a century later, when Carthage raised an army to defend itself from these incursions, it was destroyed by Rome in the Third Punic War. Rome on the other hand, by her victory, had taken a ...

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Second Punic War, Second Punic War - Background, Second Punic War - The war in Italy, Second Punic War - The war in Hispania, Second Punic War - The attack on Carthage, Second Punic War - Results, Second Punic War - List of battles

Read more here: » Second Punic War: Encyclopedia II - Second Punic War - Results

While all this was happening, the Romans had carried the war into Hispania. Over the years Rome had gradually expanded along the coast until in 211 BC it captured Saguntum. This prevented Hasdrubal from sending his brother any aid and also diverted Carthaginian reinforcements away from Italia. That same year Rome recaptured Capua and Syracuse, the second falling after what was now a two-year siege, made famous by the defense engines made by Archimedes, who was killed in the sack of the city. However, Hasdrubal was able to defeat the Romans i ...

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Second Punic War, Second Punic War - Background, Second Punic War - The war in Italy, Second Punic War - The war in Hispania, Second Punic War - The attack on Carthage, Second Punic War - Results, Second Punic War - List of battles

Read more here: » Second Punic War: Encyclopedia II - Second Punic War - The war in Hispania

Scipio returned to Rome a great hero, and, although he was technically ineligible, was elected consul in 205 BC. He resolved to end the war by attacking Carthage itself, and appealed directly to the Centuriate Assembly when he found the Senate opposed this. Thus he was given command of the two legions in Sicily, plus 7,000 volunteers he had recruited, and the next year brought the war to North Africa when he landed at Utica, about twenty miles away from Carthage. Here he was counting on support from the Numidians, who resented Cart ...

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Second Punic War, Second Punic War - Background, Second Punic War - The war in Italy, Second Punic War - The war in Hispania, Second Punic War - The attack on Carthage, Second Punic War - Results, Second Punic War - List of battles

Read more here: » Second Punic War: Encyclopedia II - Second Punic War - The attack on Carthage

Although temporarily safe in their camp, the Carthaginians were not able make rest. Facing the inevitable Roman attack the next morning they were obliged to strengthen their defenses. But as more and more Spanish mercenaries deserted the Carthaginians as night drew forward Hasdrubal tried to slip away with his Africans in darkness. But Scipio was not to repeat the mishap in Baecula. He immediately ordered a pursuit. Led by the cavalry, the whole Roman army was hot on Hasdrubal’s tail. When the Romans finally caught up with the Carth ...

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Battle of Ilipa, Battle of Ilipa - Prelude, Battle of Ilipa - Pre-Battle Maneuver, Battle of Ilipa - Battle, Battle of Ilipa - After-Battle Maneuvers, Battle of Ilipa - Aftermath

Read more here: » Battle of Ilipa: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Ilipa - After-Battle Maneuvers

The next spring the Carthaginians launched their last great effort to recover their Spanish holdings. Mago was joined at Ilipa by Hasdrubal Gisco, creating a force estimated at 54,000 to 70,000, considerably larger than Scipio’s army of 43,000 men which was composed of a large number of Spanish allies who were not as experienced as Roman legionnaires. Upon the arrival of the Romans, Mago unleashed a daring attack on the Roman camp with most of his cavalry, under his Numidian ally Masinissa. However this was foreseen by Scipio, who h ...

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Battle of Ilipa, Battle of Ilipa - Prelude, Battle of Ilipa - Pre-Battle Maneuver, Battle of Ilipa - Battle, Battle of Ilipa - After-Battle Maneuvers, Battle of Ilipa - Aftermath

Read more here: » Battle of Ilipa: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Ilipa - Pre-Battle Maneuver

After the Battle of Baecula and Hasdrubal Barca's departure, further Carthaginian reinforcements were landed in Spain in early 207 BC under Hanno, who soon joined Mago Barca. Together they were raising a powerful army by heavy recruiting of Celtiberians. Meanwhile, Hasdrubal Gisco also advanced his army from Gades into Andalusia, thus Scipio was facing two concentrated enemy forces, one of which would no doubt fall upo ...

See also:

Battle of Ilipa, Battle of Ilipa - Prelude, Battle of Ilipa - Pre-Battle Maneuver, Battle of Ilipa - Battle, Battle of Ilipa - After-Battle Maneuvers, Battle of Ilipa - Aftermath

Read more here: » Battle of Ilipa: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Ilipa - Prelude