Battle of Nola (215 BC)

Last updated
Second Battle of Nola
Part of the Second Punic War
Plan of the second battle od Nola (215 BC).jpg
Plan of the second battle od Nola (215 BC)
DateAugust 215 BC
Location
Nola, present-day Italy
40°55′34″N14°31′39″E / 40.9261°N 14.5275°E / 40.9261; 14.5275
Result Stalemate
Belligerents
Carthage standard.svg Carthage SPQR sign.png Roman Republic
Commanders and leaders
Carthage standard.svg Hannibal
Carthage standard.svg Hanno
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Casualties and losses
• 5,000
• 600 prisoners
• 2 elephants captured
• 18 regalia
• less than 1,000

The Second Battle of Nola was fought in 215 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman force under Marcus Claudius Marcellus. [1] [2] It was Hannibal's second attempt to seize Nola after a failure the year before. He was again repelled and would make one more, also unsuccessful attempt the next year. For the Romans, it was a crucial success against Hannibal's army and gave them hope that they could win the war.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal</span> Carthaginian general and statesman (247–183/181 BC)

Hannibal was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punic Wars</span> Wars between Rome and Carthage, 264 to 146 BC

The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146 BC fought between Rome and Carthage. Three conflicts between these states took place on both land and sea across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three years of warfare. The Punic Wars are also considered to include the four-year-long revolt against Carthage which started in 241 BC. Each war involved immense materiel and human losses on both sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Punic War</span> War between Rome and Carthage, 218 to 202 BC

The Second Punic War was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Italy and Iberia, but also on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and, towards the end of the war, in North Africa. After immense materiel and human losses on both sides, the Carthaginians were once again defeated. Macedonia, Syracuse and several Numidian kingdoms were drawn into the fighting, and Iberian and Gallic forces fought on both sides. There were three main military theatres during the war: Italy, where Hannibal defeated the Roman legions repeatedly, with occasional subsidiary campaigns in Sicily, Sardinia and Greece; Iberia, where Hasdrubal, a younger brother of Hannibal, defended the Carthaginian colonial cities with mixed success before moving into Italy; and Africa, where Rome finally won the war.

This article concerns the period 219 BC – 210 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Claudius Marcellus</span> Roman general and statesman (c.270–208 BC)

Marcus Claudius Marcellus, five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roman general could earn, the spolia opima, for killing the Gallic military leader and king Viridomarus in single combat in 222 BC at the Battle of Clastidium. Furthermore, he is noted for having conquered the fortified city of Syracuse in a protracted siege during which Archimedes, the famous mathematician, scientist, and inventor, was killed, despite Marcellus ordering the soldiers under his command not to harm him. Marcus Claudius Marcellus died in battle in 208 BC, leaving behind a legacy of military conquests and a reinvigorated Roman legend of the spolia opima.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Lake Trasimene</span> 217 BC battle of the Second Punic War

The Battle of Lake Trasimene was fought when a Carthaginian force under Hannibal ambushed a Roman army commanded by Gaius Flaminius on 21 June 217 BC, during the Second Punic War. The battle took place on the north shore of Lake Trasimene, to the south of Cortona, and resulted in a heavy defeat for the Romans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasdrubal Barca</span> Carthaginian general (245–207 BC)

Hasdrubal Barca, a latinization of ʿAzrubaʿal son of Hamilcar Barca, was a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was the brother of Hannibal and Mago Barca.

Gaius Terentius Varro was a Roman politician and general active during the Second Punic War. A plebeian son of a butcher, he was a populist politician who was elected consul for the year 216 BC. While holding that office, he was decisively defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Cannae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaius Claudius Nero</span> Roman general and statesman, consul in 207 BCE

Gaius Claudius Nero was a Roman general active during the Second Punic War against the invading Carthaginian force, led by Hannibal Barca. During a military career that began as legate in 214 BC, he was praetor in 212 BC, propraetor in 211 BC during the siege of Capua, before being sent to Spain that same year. He became consul in 207 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Nola (216 BC)</span>

The First Battle of Nola was fought in 216 BC between the forces of Hannibal and a Roman force led by Marcus Claudius Marcellus. Hannibal was attempting to seize the town of Nola: He failed to do so, and would make two more unsuccessful attempts on the city over the next two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Nola (214 BC)</span>

The Third Battle of Nola was fought in 214 BC between Hannibal and a Roman army led by Marcus Claudius Marcellus. It was Hannibal's third attempt to take the town of Nola. Once again, Marcellus successfully prevented the town's capture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Numistro</span> 210 BC stalemate between Hannibal and Rome

The Battle of Numistro was fought in 210 BC between Hannibal's army and one of the Roman consular armies led by consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus. It was the fourth time they met in a battle. Previous encounters were located around the walls of Nola (Campania) in 216, 215, and 214 and had been favourable for the Roman side.

Marcus Junius Pera was a Roman politician before and during the Second Punic War.

Hanno, distinguished as the son of the suffet Bomilcar, was a Carthaginian officer in the Second Punic War.

Nola is a town and municipality in Italy; and NOLA is an acronym for New Orleans, Louisiana, a city in the USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Beneventum (214 BC)</span>

The Battle of Beneventum was fought in 214 BC near modern Benevento during the Second Punic War. Roman legions under Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus defeated Hanno's Carthaginian forces, denying Hannibal reinforcements. Livy gives a brief description of the battle, which was part of the Roman campaign to subdue the southern Italian city-states that had joined Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae.

The Battle of Nola may refer to the following engagements at Nola, Italy:

References

  1. Livy: The Fragments and Periochae Volume II: Periochae 1-45. Oxford University Press. 2023-09-27. pp. 480–490. ISBN   978-0-19-269908-4.
  2. Fronda, Michael P. (2007). "Hegemony and Rivalry: The Revolt of Capua Revisited". Phoenix. 61 (1/2): 83–108. ISSN   0031-8299. JSTOR   20304639.