Generals
Julius Caesar
Rome has produced many famous generals. However,
perhaps the most famous of them all is Gaius Julius Caesar. He was not
just one of Rome’s, but one of history’s greatest generals. Caesar’s
most well known military campaign was the conquest of Gaul, which
culminated in the defeat of the Gallic hero Vercingetorix at the epic
siege of Alesia in 52 BC. Caesar also led the first two invasions of
Britain between 55 and 54 BC.
In 49 BC, Caesar crossed the Rubicon at the head of his army in defiance of the Roman Senate and sparked civil war, uttering the famous words “Alea iacta est” – “The die is cast.” The civil war pitched Legion against Legion. Caesar was nearly defeated by his main rival Pompey at Dyrrachium in 48 BC. But in that same year he went on to defeat Pompey at Pharsalus. Next he defeated King Pharnaces in 47 BC at the battle of Zela. It was after this victory that he sent his famous message to the Roman Senate “Veni, vidi, vici” – “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Caesar then headed to North Africa to finish off Pompey. One year after defeating Pompey, Caesar was assassinated in Rome by his political enemies. His death ultimately marked the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.
Scipio
Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major is one of the great
generals of Rome’s Republican period. He earned his surname, Africanus,
because of his defeat of the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal during
the second Punic War. Scipio joined the Roman army at a young age and
actually took part in and survived Hannibal’s early victories against
Rome at Ticinius and Trebia (both in 218 BC). He also survived one of
Hannibal’s greatest battles at Cannae (216 BC). His role in these
conflicts has been regarded throughout history as the epitome of
generalship and is still studied by soldiers today.
The Roman Legion in Scipio’s day wasn’t the perfect killing machine that it became in the later days of Roman history, but in the hands of a skilled general like Scipio it was a formidable weapon. Despite previous setbacks, it was the weapon that ultimately defeated one of history’s greatest generals, Hannibal, at the battle of Zama on October 19th, 202 BC.
Trajan
Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus or “Trajan” is one of the best
known Roman Emperors. This is largely due to the monument known as
Trajan’s Column in Rome and because of the campaigns that led to the
erection of that monument - the conquest of Dacia.
Trajan launched an attack on Dacia (roughly modern Romania and other sections of the Balkans) in 101 AD to punish the Dacian King Decabelus , who had flouted the terms of a peace treaty following an earlier Roman campaign. Trajan took the Dacian capital Sarmizegethusa and peace was made again. Four years later Decabelus once again invaded Roman territory and Trajan set out to destroy the Dacian threat once and for all!
The army that Trajan commanded was still based on the tough, hard fighting Legionnaires that were famed and feared throughout the Empire. However, since the days of Marius and Caesar, the cavalry arm, whilst still not the decisive force it would later become, had been strengthened. The Legions were supported by units of Auxiliaries, who were slightly less well armed that the Legions and being non citizens were somewhat expendable. The Auxiliaries did their fair share of hard fighting, but it was the Legions who gained eternal fame down through history.
