The Battle of Cannae is written in English as "Battle of Cannae" and is also written as Cannae or Cannae.
One of the factors that raises the difficulty of world history is the problem of this notation, but aside from that, let's take a look at the Battle of Cannae, the worst defeat in Roman history!
A quick review of what happened before Kanne
Twenty-two years after the First Punic War, which originated from the problem of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, the Second Punic War, also known as the Hannibal War, broke out.
The son of defeated general Hamilcar Barca, this rare strategist who thought he would devote his life to defeating Rome was fearless to cross the Alps and attack Italy directly from Spain. Take action.
Hannibal, who brought his army to the 2000m-class Alps in the 200s BC, won an overwhelming three-game winning streak with the Battle of Ticinus, the Battle of the Trebia, and the Battle of the Trazimeno River.
Recognizing the emergency, the Roman side actually appointed a dictator for the first time in 32 years.
Fabius Maximus, who became a dictator, adopts a tactic that does not fight Hannibal, but the Romans oppose it.
Maximus was virtually dismissed without waiting for his term, and the Senate appointed Lucius Aemilius and Gaius Terentius Varro as consuls, pushed by voices hoping for a decisive battle with Hannibal.
The battle of Cannae was cut off here.
The troops were overwhelmingly Roman
The number of soldiers in both armies varies depending on the record.
Generally, the Roman side has about 70,000 troops, and the Carthaginian side has about 50,000 troops.
In ancient battles, the number of soldiers is more important than in modern battles. It is difficult to defeat the enemy with a mercenary.
Still, Hannibal wouldn't have intended to lose at all.
Hannibal knew that it was the number of cavalry that would take advantage of this battle.
Obviously, cavalry is stronger than infantry. However, there was a shortage of horses in Rome. There was a shortage of horses as well as soldiers who could ride horses. By this time, there were no stirrups, and it was much more difficult to ride a horse than it is today.
Hannibal took about 10,000 Numidian cavalrymen, who were said to be the strongest in the Mediterranean at that time. On the other hand, there are about 6000 Roman cavalrymen. Hannibal had an overwhelming advantage in terms of the number and quality of cavalry.
Legion's defeat
Greek-style phalanx tactics and Roman-style legions are often contrasted. Both had a main strategy of assault tactics with a crowd of heavy infantry, and were almost invincible in the plains at the time.
Hannibal got there. He deliberately made Rome charge.
Hannibal initially adopted a bow-shaped formation. It is a formation that concentrates the assault of the Roman army in the center.
If Legion's assault is received, the normal unit will be divided into two and the chain of command will be messed up.
Rome rushed into the central unit without hesitation!
But that was a trap.
When the Roman assault began, Hannibal retreated the assaulted soldiers.
He then placed the Numidian cavalry on his wings on the sides of the Roman army and began preparing for the assault.
Rome, which started the assault, was in a state of being overwhelmed and was surrounded when he noticed.
The Roman army after the siege was miserable. The number of soldiers, said to have been 70,000, dropped sharply to 10,000, and most of the survivors were taken prisoner.
Lucius, the consul, was killed in action. Eighty of the 300 senators at the time died in the war.
On the other hand, the damage on the Hannibal side was about 5,000, most of whom were Gaul mercenaries.
Rome is defeated
Rome experienced such a big loss that there was nothing less than this. It's a desperate defeat.
Usually, the country will die if it is hit so much.
However, Rome was not an ordinary nation.
From this state, two heroes save the crisis in Rome.
Fabius Maximus, the Roman shield, and Marcus Claudius Markels, the Roman sword.
And Hannibal didn't know at this time that he had missed a genius in this battle.
The young soldier absorbs Hannibal's strategy as it is and later defeats Hannibal.
The name of the young genius is Publius Cornelius Skipio. He is a Roman hero later called Scipio Africanus.
What is the real loser?
It is the one who did not stand up immediately after the defeat.
Rome recovered shortly after its defeat. Rome's strength is its willingness to act immediately, no matter how cornered it may be.
Rome, which suffered the greatest defeat in history, absorbed Hannibal's tactics and later destroyed the great powers of Asia.
Knowing the defeat makes you stronger, that is Rome.