Publius Cornelius Scipio African Senior: short biography, photo

The future antique politician and military leader Scipio African was born in Rome in 235 BC. E. He belonged to Cornelius - a noble and influential family of Etruscan origin. Many of his ancestors became consuls, including Father Publius. While the Scipions (a branch of the genus Corneliev) were influential in the political arena, they were not rich. Another important feature of this family was Hellenization (susceptibility to Greek culture), when it was not yet of a mass character.

The beginning of military career

Scipio African, whose childhood is almost unknown, began to fall into the Roman chronicles after in 218 BC. E. Chose a military career. She defined all of his future. The choice was not accidental. Just this year, Rome declared war on its southern neighbor Carthage. This Phoenician state was the main competitor of the republic in the Mediterranean. His capital was in the north of Africa. At the same time, Carthage had many colonies in Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Spain (Iberia). It was to this country that the father of Scipio, Consul Publius, was sent. The 17-year-old son went with him. In Spain, the Romans had to face Hannibal.

At the end of 218 Scipio African first took part in a major battle. It was a battle in Ticino. The Romans lost it because they underestimated their enemy. But Publius Cornelius Scipio of Africa himself at Ticine was only famous. When he learned that his enemy's cavalry had attacked his father, the young soldier rushed alone to help the consul. The horsemen fled. After this episode, Cornelius Scipio African for his courage was awarded an honorary award in the form of an oak wreath. It is significant that the brave young man defiantly refused him, saying that the deeds are done not for the sake of recognition.

Further information about the young man is contradictory. Thus, until the end, it is not established whether he participated in subsequent battles with the Carthaginians of that period. These inaccuracies are due to the fact that the ancient era left us many sources, directly refuting each other. At that time the chroniclers often resorted to falsifications to blacken their enemies, while others, on the contrary, overstated the merits of their patrons. Anyway, there is a version that in 216 BC. E. Scipio African was a military tribune in the army, who fought in the battle of Cannes. If this is true, then he was extremely fortunate to remain alive and escape captivity, because the Romans then suffered a crushing defeat from Hannibal's forces.

Scipio had a strong character and bright leadership qualities. An episode is known when, having learned of the desire of several commanders to desert due to the defeats of the republic, he burst into the tent to conspirators and, threatening them with a sword, forced to swear allegiance to Rome.

The Roman Avenger

The father and uncle of Scipio died during that Second Punic War. From the family he had only the older brother Lucius (the mother died during childbirth). In 211 BC. E. Publius put forward his candidacy for the post of curule aedile in order to support a relative in his political campaign. In the end, both were elected. Scipio African Sr. began his own civilian career, which later also will be marked by numerous successes.

Shortly before his election as an aedil, the military participated in the successful siege of Capua. After the capture of this city, the Roman authorities began to consider the plan of the campaign in Spain. In this country, the Carthaginians had many cities and ports that were sources of food and other important resources for the victorious army of Hannibal. To defeat this strategist has so far failed, which meant that the Romans needed a new strategy.

It was decided to send an expedition to Spain, which was to deprive Hannibal of its rear. Because of the endless defeats at the people's congress, none of the generals hesitated to nominate their candidacy. Nobody wanted to become a scapegoat after another rout. At this critical moment Publius Cornelius Scipio of Africa offered to lead the army. On the eve of his father and uncle died. For the military campaign against Carthage became personal. He delivered a fiery speech about revenge for the defeat of Rome, after which he was elected proconsul. For a 24-year-old young man, this was an unprecedented success. Now he had to justify the aspirations and hopes of his fellow citizens.

Spanish Campaign

In the year 210 BC. E. Scipio African senior, along with the 11-thousand-strong army of the sea, went to Spain. There he joined his forces with the army of the local propretor. Now in his hands were 24 thousand people. Compared with the Carthaginian contingent in the Pyrenees, this was a rather modest army. In Spain there were three Phoenician armies. The commanders were the brothers Hannibal Mahon and Hasdrubal, as well as the grip of the last Hasdrubal Giskon. If at least two of these forces were united, then Scipio would face imminent defeat.

However, the commander was able to take advantage of all of his insignificant advantages. His strategy was completely different from the one followed by his predecessors, the victims of the Carthaginians' defeat. First, the Roman army used its cities as its bases north of the Iber River, once founded by the Greek colonists. This was particularly insisted Scipio African. A brief biography of the strategist is full of episodes when he made extraordinary decisions. Iberian campaign was just such a case. Scipio understood that there was no point in landing in the south, where the enemy's positions were particularly strong.

Secondly, the Roman commander turned to the local population for help, displeased with the rule of the Carthaginian colonizers. They were the Celtiberians and the Northern Iberians. The army of the republic acted in concert with the partisans who knew the terrain and the roads there.

Thirdly, Scipio decided not to give a general battle at once, but gradually to exhaust the enemy. To do this, he resorted to fleeting raids. There were four in total. When the next army of the Carthaginians was defeated, the Romans returned to their bases, there they regained strength and again went into battle. The commander tried not to go too far from his own positions, so as not to be cut off from the rear. If you combine all these principles of the strategist, you can understand what became famous Scipio African senior. He was able to make the most optimal decision and always used his own advantages and weaknesses with maximum efficiency.

Conquest of Iberia

The first serious success of Scipio in Spain was the capture of New Carthage - a major port, which was the mainstay of the regional dominance of African colonists. In ancient sources, the story of the conquest of the city was supplemented by a story that became known as the "magnanimity of Scipio of Africa".

Once the commander was led by 300 Iberian hostages of a noble family. Also, the Roman soldiers gave Scipio as a gift to a young captive, who had a rare beauty. From her commander learned that the girl was the bride of one of the captured hostages. Then the leader of the Romans ordered her to give her fiancé. The prisoner thanked Scipio by bringing his own large detachment of cavalry into his army and since then he had served the republic faithfully. This story became widely known thanks to the artists of the Renaissance and the New Age. Many European masters (Nicolas Poussin, Niccolo del Abbate, etc.) depicted in their pictures this ancient story.

Decisive victory in Spain, Scipio achieved in the battle of Ilep in 206 BC. E. The commander-in-chief Hasdrubal Giskon fled to his homeland. After the defeat in Carthage decided to abandon the Iberian possessions. In Spain, Roman power was finally established.

Homecoming

At the end of 206 BC. E. Scipio, the African senior, returned triumphantly to Rome. Publius Cornelius addressed the senate and announced his victories - he managed to smash four enemy armies and drive the Carthaginians out of Spain. During the absence of the commander in the capital in power, he had many envious enemies who did not want the political take-off of the strategist. This first opposition was led by Quintus Fulvius Flaccus. The Senate refused to Scipio in the formal ritual of triumph. However, this did not prevent the commander from becoming a true national hero. Simple Romans enthusiastically welcomed the winner.

However, the war with Carthage was not over yet. Although the Punjian power in Spain has remained in the past, the enemies of Rome continued to control North Africa and certain islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Scipio went to Sicily. If the republic managed to win back this island, it would become an excellent springboard for further offensives to North Africa. Having landed in Sicily, the commander with a small army was able to enlist the support of the local population (mostly Greek colonists), promising him to return all the property lost during the incessant war.

The African Campaign

In the summer of 204 BC. E. Scipio, along with an army of about 35 thousand people left the Sicilian coast and went to Africa. There it was to decide whether the Roman Republic would become a key force in the ancient Mediterranean. It was those successes of the commander in Africa that made him known as Scipio African. A photo of his busts and sculptures from different parts of the Roman state show that he really became a legendary figure for his compatriots.

The first attempt to take Utica (a large city northeast of Carthage) ended in nothing. Scipio, along with his army, wintered right on the African coast, not owning at least some significant settlement. At this time, the Carthaginians sent their best commander Hannibal a letter demanding him to return from Europe to his homeland and protect his country. To somehow stretch the time, the Punjians began to negotiate with Scipio about peace, which, however, ended in nothing.

When Hannibal arrived in Africa, he also arranged a meeting with the Roman commander. The following proposal followed: the Carthaginians leave Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Spain in exchange for a peace treaty. However, Publius Cornelius refused to accept such conditions. He objected that the republic already in fact controls all these lands. Scipio from his side proposed a more stringent version of the agreement. Hannibal refused. It became clear that bloodshed was inevitable. The fate of Hannibal and Scipio of Africa was to be decided in the internal confrontation.

The Battle of Zama

The decisive battle of Zama occurred on October 19, 202 BC. E. On the side of the Roman Republic also came Numidians - indigenous inhabitants of the African continent. Their help was invaluable to the Latins. The thing was that the Romans for a long time puzzled how to neutralize the most formidable weapon of Hannibal - the elephants. These huge animals terrified Europeans who never dealt with such beasts. On the elephants sat archers and riders, shooting their enemies. This "cavalry" has already demonstrated its effectiveness during the attack of Hannibal on Italy. He carried elephants through the high Alps, which led the Romans into even more confusion.

The Numidians knew the habits of elephants well. They understood how to neutralize them. It was these animals that the Africans took up and, as a result, offered the Romans the best strategy (about it below). As for the numerical ratio, the aspect ratio was approximately the same. Publius Cornelius Scipio of Africa, whose brief biography already consisted of many campaigns, brought to Africa a well-knit and well-coordinated army that unquestioningly carried out the orders of his long-time commander. The Roman army consisted of 33,000 infantrymen and 8,000 horsemen, while the Carthaginians had 34,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry.

Victory over Hannibal

Attack of the elephants army Publius Cornelia met in an organized manner. The infantry parted before the animals. Those at high speed swept through the formed corridors, not hitting anyone. In the rear, they were waiting for numerous archers, who fired at animals with heavy fire. The decisive role was played by the Roman cavalry. At first she defeated the Carthaginian cavalry, and then struck the infantry in the rear. The rows of Punjians flinched and they ran. Hannibal tried to stop them. Scipio African, however, achieved what he wanted. He was the winner. The Carthaginian army lost 20 thousand killed, and the Roman army - 5 thousand.

Hannibal became an outcast and fled far to the east. Carthage admitted defeat. The Roman Republic received all its European and island possessions. The sovereignty of the African state was significantly undermined. In addition, independence was given to Namibia, which became a loyal ally of Rome. Scipio's victories ensured the republic's dominant position throughout the Mediterranean. A few decades after his death, the Third Punic War broke out, after which Carthage was finally destroyed and turned into ruins.

War with the Seleucids

The next ten years for the commander were peaceful. He took up his political career, which he lacked time for because of regular campaigns and expeditions. To understand who Publius Cornelius Scipio is an African senior, it is enough to list his civil positions and titles. He became consul, censor, senate's trainee and legate. The figure of Scipio was the most significant in the Roman politics of his time. But he and his enemies in the face of aristocratic opposition.

In 191 BC. E. The commander again went to war. This time he traveled east, where Rome had a conflict with the Seleucid Empire. The decisive battle took place in the winter of 190 - 189. BC. E. (Because of the inconsistency of sources, the exact date is unknown). Following the Syrian war, King Antiochus paid the republic a huge contribution of 15,000 talents, and gave it land in modern western Turkey.

Court and death

After returning home Scipio faced a serious problem. His opponents in the Senate initiated a lawsuit against him. The commander (together with his brother Lucius) was accused of financial uncleanliness, the theft of money, etc. A state commission was appointed, which forced the Scipians to pay a large fine.

Then followed a period of behind-the-scenes struggle with opponents Publius Cornelia in the Senate. His main antagonist was Mark Porcius Cato, who wanted to get a censorship and sought to destroy a faction of supporters of a famous military leader. As a result, Scipio lost all his posts. He went on a voluntary exile to his estate in Campania. There Publius Cornelius spent the last year of his life. He died in 183 BC. E. At the age of 52 years. By coincidence, his main military opponent, Hannibal, who also lived in exile in the east, also perished. Scipio was one of the most outstanding people of his time. He managed to defeat Carthage and the Persians, as well as make an outstanding career in politics.