0
What were some of the ideas of Quintus Fabius Maximus as he viewed the problem of Hannibal?
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
After early defeat of the Roman forces, he did not risk another, but adopted a strategy of stalking their army, lurking in the hills to threaten them and limit their activities and persuade others joining them, and waiting for any opportunity.
Wiki User
∙ 7y ago
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoFabius Maximus was facing the terrible threat of Hannibal in the Second Punic War. Fabius had to take in allot of information if he was to successfully deal with the great general of Carthage. One thing Fabius did understand was that Hannibal had the never ending task of feeding his army. With that said, there was the possibility of defeating Hannibal by restricting his ability to provision his army. This would require the removal or destruction of crops and livestock. Fabius also pressured Hannibal's troops that were attempting to gather food for the Carthage army.And, it became clear that the idea of Fabius of not engaging Hannibal in a major battle was the best way to preserve the Roman army from destruction.
The so-called Fabian strategy ran contrary to Rome's historic strategies of war. Their inclination had mostly been offensive, they were acculturated to seek battle, not to avoid the enemy.
The Roman legions had been conditioned to believe their military system would be victorious over any general, no matter how clever such an enemy might be. They were also farmers, for the most part and their instincts were to protect, not burn their crop fields.
Fabius' ideas were prudent in the face of the ultra-successful genius general, Hannibal, but ran against the very grain of Roman warfare.
These new ideas,however, prevented Hannibal from destroying any more large armies in Italy.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Did Quintus Fabius Maximus have a deputy?
As dictator, he had to appoint a Master of Horse as his deputy. He appointed M. Minucius Rufus.
Who was a historical notable person in the Roman army?
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus gained the title Maximus = The Greatest for his performance early in the Hannibal invasion.
What was fabius maximus like as a kid?
Fabius Maximus was called "cunctator" because of his delaying tactics
How did the Romans change tactics after Cannae?
The Romans returned to their original strategy, rather than changing it. Quintus Fabius Maximus had chosen a strategy of attrition. This consisted in avoiding open battle with Hannibal and instead pursuing his with hit and run guerrilla tactics. The aim was to wear Hannibal down in the long run in recognition of the fact that Hannibal was liable to rout the Roman armies in an open battle. This strategy was unpopular with many Romans who saw it as cowardly and who hoped for a decisive victory that would end the war quickly. The magnitude of the rout at Cannae convinced these dissenters that a quick victory was out of the question and that the strategy of Quintus Fabius was wise. After Cannae there were no major battles between Rome and Hannibal. Instead, the Romans concentrated on defeating their allies in Southern Italy who switched to supporting Hannibal after the Cannae to deprive him of this support and on repressing revolts in Sicily. They succeeded in this. Hannibal was dealt a blow when his brother Hasdrubal was intercepted and his army was routed in central Italy. Hasdrubal was bringing reinforcements and siege machines from Spain to Hannibal in southern Italy. Without these reinforcements and machines Hannibal could not sustain his war effort. Moreover, Carthage refused to sent reinforcements with its navy. Hannibal ended up withdrawing to the easily defensible mountains of Calabria (the toe of Italy) and was stuck there for the last three years of his Italian campaign.
What nationality was Hannibal?
Hannibal was a Carthaginian.Carthage and Rome were the two great powers of the last two centuries BC, and since both depended on control of the Mediterranean (Rome for food, Carthage for trade) there was an inevitable rivalry between them, which Roman politicians regularly converted into open war.Usually Rome's more militaristic and centralised government led to Roman victories in these wars, but in 216 BC during the Second Punic War (Punic means Carthaginian) Hannibal developed a strategy which trapped, immobilised, and then destroyed the largest army Rome had ever mustered at the battle of Cannae.Rome should have been finished as a military power after Cannae, but a combination of bluff, misdirection, and political legerdemain by Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator(Quintus Fabius Maximus the timewaster) stopped Hannibal from destroying Rome until the army had time to regroup.Once the Roman army had regrouped, the Roman General Scipio Africanus landed an expeditionary force in north Africa and in turn defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama - using a combination of bribery of the Carthaginian allies and a variation of Hannibal's own tactics at Cannae.Hannibal is considered to be one of the greatest strategists of the Ancient World - comparable to Alexander the Great and Themistocles - while the way that he could destroy Rome as a credible military force, yet still eventually lose the war, has been one of the most difficult lessons for military theorists ever since.
What method of fighting did Fabius Maximus follow in the second Punic War?
The Fabian strategy was one were the Romans avoided a direct confrontation with Hannibal Barca's Carthaginian Army by waging a war of attrition that involved attacks upon foraging parties , "Scorched Earth" preventing Hannibal from using available resources , attacks upon supply trains and reinforcements . It was a war waged to wear out Hannibal and to thwart his ambitions to conquer Rome by avoiding situations where Hannibal had the advantage either in terrain or cavalry .It is important to know that the average Roman citizen did not agree with the battle strategy of Fabius. He was roundly criticized for his "delay" tactics. And the farmers both in the Legions and not, were not inclined to burn crops in Fabius' scorched earth policies"
What lessons did the Roman military learn from its defeat at Cannae?
The Roman army learnt that Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator had been right. He had said that the Roman army could not stand up to Hannibal in open battle and he adopted a strategy of attrition: tailing and harassing Hannibal and avoiding open battle to wear him down. Many Romans had become frustrated and impatient. The strategy clashed with their culture of aggressive war and wanted a head on clash which would give victory and a quick end of the war. This is what led to disaster at Cannae. The Romans reverted to the Fabian strategy.
Who was the leader of Rome who fought against Hannibal from Carthage?
Scipio Africanus was the most famous. Other generals were less successful. === === Probably the most successful was Fabius Maximus. He got his Maximus (not Great but Greatest - what other general got that accolade?) by not fighting. His army avoided engaging Hannibal and getting defeated, but shadowed it in the hills, posing a constant threat, and inhibiting Hannibal's aim of detaching Rome's allies from the Roman side. This most of all saved Rome. Scipio delivered the coup de grace by invading North Africa and getting Hannibal recalled to defend the city.
Who was a famous patrician?
There were many famous patricians in Rome because they were the aristocracy and, thus a very powerful social group. Some famous patricians during the Republican period were Appius Claudius (Sabinus Inregillensis), Appius Claudius (Caecus), Quintus Fabius Maximus (Verrucosus) Scipio Africanus, Quintus Fabius Pictor, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, (Lucius Cornelius) Sulla, Cassius and Julius Caesar. Famous patricians during the period of rule by emperors were the emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero; Livia, Messalina, Tacitus and Horace.
Who was the first to rule Rome after defeating the Greeks?
The Roman annexation of mainland Greece occurred during the Republican period. The republic was headed by two annually elected consuls. Greece was annexed in 146 BC. The two consuls for that year were Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus and Lucius Mummius Achaicus. The two consuls for the next year were Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus and Lucius Hostilius Mancinus.
What style of fighting was used between Rome and Carthage?
It was done with armies and fleets of ships. Fabius Maximus used an early style of guerrilla warfare against Hannibal, and there were other examples of military innovation, but the three wars between Rome and Carthage were otherwise mostly conventional. The third war was a three-year siege after which Carthage was destroyed.
What was the role of ancient Roman Fulvius Flaccus in the Punic Wars?
The Flachi (plural of Flachus) were a branch of the clan of the Fulvii (plural of Fulvius), one of the most prestigious Roman clans. Marcus Fulvius Flaccus was the first member of this family who became a consul. The consuls were the two annually elected heads of the Roman Republic and the Roman army. His son Quintus Fulvius Flaccus, became a consul for a third time during the second Punic War - in 212 BC. He defeated one of Hannibal's generals, Hanno the Elder, at Beneventum when the latter was trying to bring reinforcements to Hannibal which was encamped at the nearby Capua (near Naples). This defeat weakened Hannibal's position at Capua. The next year he captured Capua in 211 BC while serving as proconsul. When he was consul for a fourth time in 209 BC he led a of the two Roman legions which were sent for an offensive in southern Italy. He retook northern Lucania (the area between the heel and the toe of Italy), while is colleague Quintus Fabius Maximus took the city of Tarentum, in Apulia.
