| Battle of Lautulae | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Samnite War | |||||||
 Map of Lazio with possible location of Lautalae. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Roman Republic | Samnium | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Fabius Maximus Rullianus | |||||||
The Battle of Lautulae was fought in 315 BC during the Second Samnite War, opposing the Roman Republic (led by dictator Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus) and the Samnites, who defeated the Romans. [1]
In 315 BC, the Romans elected Lucius Papirius Cursor and Quintus Publilius Philo as consuls. These were the same consuls who were elected five years earlier to deal with the crisis that followed Rome's defeat at the Caudine Forks against the Samnites. [2] This same year, Cursor went to Apulia to attack the Samnites at Luceria, while Philo went to Campania to attack the Samnites at Saticula. [3] Simultaneously, another Roman force, under Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, continued to press an attack on Satricum and on the Volscian rebels in the Liris valley. [4] This was a logical progression of the policy of southward expansion; however later it was revealed, this was a dangerous dispersal of Rome's military strength. [3]
In Apulia, Cursor laid siege to Samnite-controlled Luceria, and in the Liris valley Fabius Maximus recovered Satricum. [3] Reports from Campagnia told that a Samnite force either defeated or eluded Philo and began to move toward Latium. Fabius Maximus was the only commander close enough who could help defend Latium. He chose to cover the inland route while the Samnites came steadily on. [3] When the Samnites reached the site of Fregellae, they were faced with the choice of either continuing onto Rome along the Trerus valley or travelling left, thereby splitting the Roman territory. They chose the latter course and this brought them against the forces of Quintus Aulius Cerretanus at Lautulae. [3]
The inexperienced Roman levies were no match for the hardy Samnites and were soundly defeated. [3] The only Roman who chose not to flee was Quintus Aulius Cerretanus, who stayed to fight the Samnites and was killed. [3] The Roman territory had been split. The southern portion of Rome was inhabited by citizens who were persuaded or coerced by the Samnites to renounce the allegiance to Rome. The northern half of Rome was inhabited by citizens with full rights. However they were being advanced upon by the Samnites. [3]
In the meantime, in Rome, Rullianus and the authorities were trying to protect the various approaches in the city. They succeeded in doing so, but it weakened the Roman forces in the Liris Valley. There the Samnites stormed across the river and captured Sora. Then, the Samnites thwarted lines of communication between Roman forces within the city and those in Apulia. This is where the Samnite success had reached its peak. [3]
This new defeat, which followed that at the Caudine Forks, forced the Roman military to reorganize and rethink their strategy. [5] The Romans had a knack for learning from their enemies, such as the Greeks, Etruscans, and Carthaginians. [5] For example, they learned how to fight with round shields from the Etruscans, and they learned how to manipulate siege craft from the Greeks. [5] What they learned from the Samnites was how to fight in maniples, and they later turned this against the Samnites and defeated them. [5]
There are two versions of the battle. Livy wrote the main narrative of the Battle of Lautulae, quite favorable to Rome. [6] He recounts that the battle was indecisive and had to be broken off because of the coming of the night. [6] However, Livy mentions an alternative account where the Romans were defeated and the master of the horse was killed. [6] However, the aftermath of the battle clearly shows that the Samnites inflicted a major defeat upon the Romans. This was shown through the widespread civil unrest and revolts among Rome's Volscian, Auruncan, and Campanian allies. [6]
During the 290s BC, Hellenistic civilization begins its emergence throughout the successor states of the former Argead Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great, resulting in the diffusion of Greek culture throughout the Levant and advances in science, mathematics, philosophy, etc. Meanwhile, the Roman Republic is embroiled in war against the Samnites, the Mauryan Empire continues to thrive in Ancient India, and the Kingdom of Qin in Ancient China, the one which in the future will conquer its adversaries and unite China, begins to emerge as a significant power during the Warring States period.
Year 296 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Violens and Caecus. The denomination 296 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
Year 295 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. It was known in the Roman Republic as the Year of the Consulship of Rullianus and Mus. The denomination 295 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe.
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of Southern Italy anciently inhabited by the Samnites. Their own endonyms were Safinim for the country and Safineis for the people. The language of these endonyms and of the population was the Oscan language. However, not all the Samnites spoke Oscan, and not all the Oscan-speakers lived in Samnium.
Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, son of Marcus Fabius Ambustus, of the patrician Fabii of ancient Rome, was five times consul and a hero of the Samnite Wars. He was brother to Marcus Fabius Ambustus.
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Lucius Papirius Cursor was a celebrated politician and general of the early Roman Republic, who was five times consul, three times magister equitum, and twice dictator. He was the most important Roman commander during the Second Samnite War, during which he received three triumphs.
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Publius Decius Mus, of the plebeian gens Decia, was a Roman consul in the years 312 BC, 308 BC, 297 BC and 295 BC. He was a member of a family that was renowned for sacrificing themselves on the battlefield for Rome.
The military campaigns of the Samnite Wars were an important stage in Roman expansion in the Italian Peninsula.
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The Battle of Tifernum was an important battle of the Third Samnite War, fought in 297 BC near Castropignano, either on the banks of the river Biferno or near the Matese mountains in the province of Campobasso, in what is now southern Italy, where the Romans overcame a determined Samnite army. The result would lead to the decisive Battle of Sentinum, which granted Rome the domination of central Italy.
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Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus was a Roman general and statesman, he was elected consul of the Roman Republic thrice, he was also appointed dictator or magister equitum thrice, and censor in 307 BC. In 311, he made a vow to the goddess Salus that he went on to fulfill, becoming the first plebeian to build a temple. The temple was one of the first dedicated to an abstract deity, and Junius was one of the first generals to vow a temple and then oversee its establishment through the construction and dedication process.
Gaius Fabius Ambustus was a general and politician of ancient Rome. He was the son apparently of Marcus Fabius Ambustus, and brother to Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus and to the Marcus Fabius Ambustus who was magister equitum in 322 BC. He himself was appointed Master of the Horse in 315 BC in place of Quintus Aulius Cerretanus, who had fallen in battle while serving as Master of the Horse to Gaius's brother Marcus.
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