Battle of Herdonia

Overview

The first Battle of Herdonia was fought in 212 BC during the Second Punic War between Hannibal's Carthaginian army and Roman forces led by Praetor Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus, brother of the consul Quintus Fulvius Flaccus. The Roman army was destroyed, leaving Apulia free of Romans for the year.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The first Battle of Herdonia, fought in 212 BC, resulted in the destruction of the Roman army under Praetor Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus by Hannibal's Carthaginian forces. With Roman casualties of 16,000 from an army of 18,000, the engagement effectively annihilated the force committed to the field. The immediate operational consequence was the clearing of Apulia of Roman military presence for the remainder of the year, leaving the region open to Carthaginian influence and movement during a critical phase of the Second Punic War. The scale of the Roman loss, suffered against a Carthaginian force recorded at roughly one-sixth the size, underscored the continued battlefield dominance Hannibal exercised in southern Italy years after Cannae. The defeat also carried a political dimension: the commander, Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus, was the brother of the sitting consul Quintus Fulvius Flaccus, making the loss a source of both military and reputational damage for Rome.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)