The Battle of Cremona was fought in 200 BC between the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...
and
Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul ( la, Gallia Cisalpina, also called ''Gallia Citerior'' or ''Gallia Togata'') was the part of Italy inhabited by Celts (Gauls) during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.
After its conquest by the Roman Republic in the 200s BC it was con ...
. The Roman force was victorious.
Towards the end of the
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...
, tribes in
Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul ( la, Gallia Cisalpina, also called ''Gallia Citerior'' or ''Gallia Togata'') was the part of Italy inhabited by Celts (Gauls) during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.
After its conquest by the Roman Republic in the 200s BC it was con ...
rebelled against the Republic, sacking the city of
Placentia. The governor of the area,
Lucius Furius Purpureo Lucius Furius Purpureo was a Roman politician and general, becoming consul in the year 196 BC. Lucius Furius was from the '' gens Furia'' patrician family in Rome.
Military tribune
Purpureo was a military tribune in 210 BC during the Second Punic W ...
, following senatorial orders, disbanded all but 5,000 men in his army and took up defences at
Ariminum
Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminus ...
. Upon the arrival of the consular army of Gaius Aurelius Cotta to their aid, the 5,000 soldiers were moved to
Etruria
Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria.
Etruscan Etruria
The ancient people of Etruria
are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...
. On the following day, the Gallic army of 35,000, led by a Carthaginian general, Hamilcar, began the battle by attempting to overwhelm the right flank of the Roman army with speed and numbers. Having failed in this task, they then failed to flank both wings of the Romans, for Purpureo had lengthened his flanks and called up legionary support. Now counter-attacking on all sides, Purpureo's men suppressed the Gallic flanks and broke their centre ranks, soon routing the enemy completely and killing or capturing over 35,000, including the commander, Hamilcar.
See also
*
Roman Republican governors of Gaul
Roman Republican governors of Gaul were assigned to the province of Cisalpine Gaul ( northern Italy) or to Transalpine Gaul, the Mediterranean region of present-day France also called the Narbonensis, though the latter term is sometimes reserved ...
Bibliography
*Livy; Henry Bettenson (Editor) (1976). ''Ab vrbe condita Book XXXI''. London: The Penguin Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cremona (200 BC)
Battles involving the Roman Republic
Battles involving the Gauls
Battles in Lombardy
2nd century BC in the Roman Republic
200s BC conflicts
200 BC