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Scipio Africanus Biography

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His dad, a Roman consul, was killed through the Second Punic War. Scipio took up the mantle of military direction and shown himself to be a talented general and tactician. In 202 B.C., Scipio defeated Hannibal in the Battle of Zama and stopped the Second Punic War. Publius Cornelius Scipio, who become famous Roman general Scipio Africanus, came to be in Rome, Italy, in 236 B.C. Scipio shared the same name as his dad, a Roman consul.

Scipio who’d been trained to become a military leader followed his dad into war to protect Rome’s tactical interests. Scipio rode to the conflict of the Ticinus River to save his dad in 218 B.C. Scipio continued to fight for Rome as Hannibal’s military moved into Italy. Scipio survived the conflict, and regrouped at Canusium with 4,000 other survivors. He also kept a few of these guys from leaving.

Though Scipio took a civilian place in 213 B.C., he returned to fighting after his dad and uncle were killed in conflict. A couple of years after, he took the city of Carthago Nova (New Carthage), the centre of Carthaginian power in Spain. This gave Scipio accessibility to a fresh cache of weapons and equipment. The following year, Scipio convinced the local people in Spain to forswear Carthage and vow their allegiance to Rome. In 206 B.C., Scipio conquered the remaining Carthaginian forces in Spain, which put Spain under Roman control.

Scipio was elected consul in 205 B.C. He next intended to take his forces to Africa, but had to overcome resistance in the Roman Senate. Though his political opponents restricted his troop numbers, Scipio could raise additional troops and shortly traveled from Sicily to North Africa. Hannibal was recalled from Italy to be able to defend Carthage.

In 202 B.C., the militaries of Scipio and Hannibal faced each other in the Battle of Zama. Throughout the battle, the Romans sounded horns that panicked the Carthaginian elephants, making them turn and trample many of Hannibal’s troops. Scipio’s forces were victorious as well as the Carthaginians sued for peace, so ending the Second Punic War. Scipio returned to your hero’s welcome in Rome in 201 B.C. Due to his successes in Africa, he was given the title “Africanus.” He was elected consul for another time in 194 B.C.

Despite his successes, Scipio had many strong political opponents in Rome, including Marcus Cato. Scipio faced charges of bribery and treason which were meant to discredit him, and he left Rome in 185 B.C. Disgusted by the ingratitude of the Roman authorities, Scipio organized for his body to be buried in Liternum and not in Rome. Nevertheless, he’d be recalled by Romans and others for his first-class military capabilities and achievements.

Scipio Africanus Biography