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Fabius Maximus - Coggle Diagram
Fabius Maximus
Ager Falernus
in 417, hannibal's guides told him that there were supplies in an area called Ager Falernus
In fact, Fabius had intended for them to find this, and was setting a trap
The area was surrounded by fast-flowing rivers, and Fabius controlled all the exits, planning to starve Hannibal into surrender
The master of horse, Minucius, was very critical of this strategy and turned many of the new recruits against Fabius, but Fabius stuck to his plan
hannibal tried to escape, at night he drove a few cows towards the hills near Fabius' position, but he was convinced this was a trick, and so didn't react
But behind the cows was Hannibal's entire army which easily overpowered the roman soldiers guarding the exit
fabius left and Municius was left in charge and immediately prepared for battle, then managing to attack and kill a few hundred of Hannibal's men
Roman response
Rome's consuls began to target Carthage's allies to counter defeats in Italy, for example they sieged Capua and Fabius defeated the city of Tarentum in 209
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Claudius Nero drew hannibal into a stalemate at Grumentum, before marching north to destroy Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal as he crossed the alps
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Whom?
Fabius had a reputation of being a great general, and after Trasimene he was chosen to be dictator
Marcus Minucius was chosen as his Master of Horse, and they were political rivals
Fabius' first action was to bring calm to rome. Plutarch and Livy both state that Flaminius ignored religious customs when he was appointed consul, so when he was killed and the romans defeated, people thought that the gods had deserted rome
So Fabius organized several religious sacrifices to try and convince the public that the gods' support had been regained. This had a significant propaganda effect on the citizens
Fabian Strategy
By 217 the roman army had been seriously weakened and Fabius decided he needed to weaken Hannibal gradually
Thus, Fabius promoted a war of attrition to reduce Hannibal's army little by little
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Fabius also destroyed the roman countryside to prevent Hannibal from taking any supplies to feed his army so hannibal was always on edge, unsure of where to get supplies
Geronium
Minucius prepared to attack hannibal at Larinium, but Hannibal placed his army on a field near Geronium
the field was perfect for setting a trap because there were many hollows where large numbers of soldiers could hide without being noticed
Minucius failed to scout the area, ans his four legions fell into Hannibal's trap
Hannibal's men surrounded Municius', and Fabius reinforced him, causing hannibal to retreat because he didn't want to fight both consuls