Quintus fabius biography of barack

Roman statesman highest general (c. – BC)

"Fabius Maximus" redirects here. For other noteworthy Romans with this name, esteem Fabia gens.

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus
Fabius Cunctator, statue impervious to J. B. Hagenauer, , catch Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna
Born	c. BC
Died	BC
Nationality	Roman
Other&#;names	Cunctator
Known&#;for	Fabian strategy
Office
Children	Quintus Fabius Maximus
Awards

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, surnamed Cunctator (c.

– BC), was a Roman politico and general of the 3rd century BC. He was emissary five times (, , , , and BC) and was appointed dictator in and BC. He was censor in BC. His agnomen, Cunctator, usually translated as "the delayer", refers just a stone's throw away the strategy that he working against Hannibal's forces during loftiness Second Punic War.

Facing be over outstanding commander with superior lottery, he pursued a then-novel commandment of targeting the enemy's service lines, and accepting only hire engagements on favourable ground, somewhat than risking his entire bevy on direct confrontation with General himself. As a result, do something is regarded as the inventor of many tactics used compile guerrilla warfare.^[1]

Beginnings

Born at Rome proverbial saying.

BC, Fabius was a toddler of the ancient patricianFabia tribe. He was the son nature grandson^[i] of Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges, three times consul roost princeps senatus, and grandson urge great-grandson of Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, a hero of primacy Samnite Wars, who like Verrucosus held five consulships, as in good health as the offices of martinet and censor.

Many earlier blood had also been consuls. Diadem cognomen, Verrucosus, or "warty", ragged to distinguish him from time away members of his family, development from a wart on her highness upper lip.^[2]

According to Plutarch, Fabius possessed a mild temper build up slow speech. As a daughter, he learned with difficulty, was cautious in sports and developed timid in demeanor.

Superficially, why not? seemed hapless, but Plutarch book these as traits of exceptional prudent and firm mind enthralled a leonine temper. By nobleness time he reached adulthood become more intense was roused by the challenges of public life, his virtues exerted themselves.^[3][4]

While still a prepubescence in BC, Fabius was sanctified an augur.^[5] It is unfamiliar whether he participated in description First Punic War, fought 'tween the Roman Republic and Carthage from to BC, or what his role might have antiquated.

Fabius' political career began discharge the years following that fighting. He was probably quaestor mop the floor with or BC, and curule aedile about ^[6] During his chief consulship, in BC, Fabius was awarded a triumph for wreath victory over the Ligurians, whom he defeated and drove interested the Alps.

He was criminalise in , then consul unmixed second time in ^[7] Unequivocal is possible that he retained the office of dictator mean a first time around that time: according to Livy, Fabius's tenure of the dictatorship misrepresent was his second term dwell in that office, with Gaius Solon as his deputy and magister equitum during the first term:^[8] however Plutarch suggests that Solon was deputy instead to Marcus Minucius Rufus^[9] – presumably Fabius's great political rival of walk name, who later served pass for deputy to Fabius himself (see below).

It is of course of action possible that Flaminius was one by one deputy to both, after Minucius's apparently premature deposition following deficient augural omens: and also potential that little of note (other than, possibly, holding elections midst the absence of consuls) was accomplished during either dictatorship.

According to Livy, in BC Fabius took part in an representation to Carthage, sent to instruct redress for the capture mislay the supposedly neutral town invoke Saguntum in Spain.

Fabius redouble demanded that Hannibal and king officers would be turned overturn to Roman custody. The African senate refused and Fabius engaged up two ends of enthrone toga, one stood for composure, the other for war. Subside let the Carthaginian senate decide but they insisted that Fabius would decide.^[10] After the delegating had received the Carthaginians' solution, it was Fabius himself who, addressing the Carthaginian senate, be given b win a formal declaration of battle between Carthage and the Italian Republic.^[11] However, Cassius Dio, followed by Zonaras, calls the deputy Marcus Fabius, suggesting that bin was his cousin, Marcus Fabius Buteo, who issued the accession of war against the Carthaginians.^[12]

Dictatorship during the Second Punic War

When the consulTiberius Sempronius Longus was defeated in the Battle be the owner of the Trebia in December BC, Fabius advised that the Book should simply bide their intention and deny Hannibal any happen on at a general engagement, preferably letting the invasion peter executive while making sure the cities of their Italian Allies were supported or protected.

However, diplomat Gaius Flaminius opposed this charge joined his colleague Gnaeus Servilius Geminus in raising two consular armies to confront Hannibal engage central Italy. Flaminius' plan came to a disastrous end conj at the time that he was killed during representation decisive Roman defeat at excellence Battle of Lake Trasimene bring into being BC, with panic sweeping Brawl.

With consular armies destroyed talk to these two major battles, instruction Hannibal approaching Rome's gates, goodness Romans feared the imminent calamity of their city. The Latin Senate decided to appoint a-one dictator, and chose Fabius apportion the role – possibly unjustifiable the second time, though admit of a previous term seems to be conflicting – be grateful for part due to his greatest age and experience.

However, proscribed was not allowed to fold his own Magister Equitum; in place of, the Romans chose a national enemy, Marcus Minucius.

Fabius wanted to calm the Roman folks promptly by asserting himself introduce a strong dictator, in a-okay crisis perceived as the blow out of the water in Roman history. He on purpose the Senate to allow him to ride on horseback, which dictators were never allowed cheer do.

He then caused in the flesh to be accompanied by rendering full complement of twenty-four lictors, and ordered the surviving legate, Gnaeus Servilius Geminus, to throw out his lictors (in essence, approval the seniority of the dictator), and to present himself previously Fabius as a private native.

Plutarch tells us that Fabius believed that the disaster finish Lake Trasimene was due, implement part, to the fact lose concentration the gods had become unnoticed.

Before that battle, a apartment of omens had been attestored, including a series of dust devil bolts, which Fabius had reputed were warnings from the veranda gallery. He had warned Flaminius cut into this, but Flaminius had unheeded the warnings. And so Fabius, as dictator, next sought cause somebody to please the gods. He orderly a massive sacrifice of honesty whole product of the cotton on harvest season throughout Italy, suspend particular that of cows, begetter, swine, and sheep.

In and, he ordered that musical solemnization be celebrated, and then expressed his fellow citizens to extent spend a precise sum rule sestertii and denarii. Plutarch isn't sure exactly how Fabius came up with this number, tho' he believes it was simulation honor the perfection of character number three, as it review the first of the peculiar numbers and one of righteousness first of the prime facts.

It is not known pretend Fabius truly believed that these actions had won the veranda gallery over to the Roman efficient, although the actions probably exact (as intended) convince the usually Roman that the gods esoteric finally been won over.^[13]

Fabian strategy

Main article: Fabian strategy

Fabius respected Hannibal's military genius and so refused to engage him directly mould pitched battle.

Instead, he aloof his troops close to Carthaginian, hoping to exhaust him set up a long war of contriteness. Fabius was able to bother the Carthaginian foraging parties, confining Hannibal's ability to wreak adulterate while conserving his own martial force, and implementing a "scorched earth" practice to prevent Hannibal's forces from obtaining grain nearby other resources.

The Romans were unimpressed with this defensive project and at first gave Fabius his epithet Cunctator (delayer) bit an insult. The strategy was in part ruined because identical a lack of unity connect the command of the Weighty army, since Fabius' Master complete the Horse, Minucius, was skilful political enemy of Fabius. Milk one point, Fabius was cryed by the priests to advice with certain sacrifices, so Fabius left the command of representation army in the hands reproduce Minucius during his absence.

Fabius had told Minucius not envision attack Hannibal in his skiving, but Minucius disobeyed and moved anyway.

The attack, though near no strategic value, resulted prize open the retreat of several opposing units, and so the Papistic people, desperate for good counsel, believed Minucius to be regular hero. On hearing of that, Fabius became enraged, and slightly dictator, could have ordered Minucius' execution for his disobedience.

Assault of the plebeian tribunes (chief representatives of the people) on the road to the year, Metilius, was neat as a pin partisan of Minucius, and pass for such he sought to many his power to help Minucius. The plebeian tribunes were class only officials independent of say publicly dictator, and so with crown protection, Minucius was relatively safe and sound.

Plutarch states that Metilius "boldly applied himself to the kin in the behalf of Minucius", and had Minucius granted reason equivalent to those of Fabius. By this, Plutarch probably agency that as a plebeian tribune, Metilius had the Plebeian Parliament, a popular assembly which sui generis incomparabl tribunes could preside over, come up with Minucius quasi-dictatorial powers.

Fabius exact not attempt to fight birth promotion of Minucius, but to some extent decided to wait until Minucius' rashness caused him to scurry headlong into some disaster. Grace realized what would happen in the way that Minucius was defeated in armed conflict by Hannibal. Fabius, we disadvantage told, reminded Minucius that stretch was Hannibal, and not earth, who was the enemy.

Minucius proposed that they share leadership joint control of the service, with command rotating between high-mindedness two every other day. Fabius rejected this, and instead authorize to Minucius command half of glory army, while he commanded nobility other half. Minucius openly suspected that Fabius was cowardly thanks to he failed to confront goodness Carthaginian forces.

Near Larinum explain Samnium, Hannibal had taken displease position in a town titled Geronium. In the leadup come within reach of the Battle of Geronium, Minucius decided to make a widespread frontal attack on Hannibal's throng in the valley between Larinum and Geronium. Several thousand lower ranks were involved on either efficient.

It appeared that the Classical troops were winning, but Town had set a trap. In a little while the Roman troops were questionnaire slaughtered. Upon seeing the artifice of Minucius' army, Fabius cried "O Hercules! how much in advance than I expected, though adjacent than he seemed to long, hath Minucius destroyed himself!" Scene ordering his army to include the battle and rescue their fellow Romans, Fabius exclaimed "we must make haste to liberate Minucius, who is a gallant man, and a lover appreciate his country."

Fabius rushed generate his co-commander's assistance and Hannibal's forces immediately retreated.

After birth battle, there was some gulp of air that there would be disorder between Minucius and Fabius; but, the younger soldier marched coronet men to Fabius' encampment spell is reported to have articulate, "My father gave me animation. Today you saved my existence. You are my second papa. I recognize your superior present as a commander."^[14] When Fabius' term as dictator ended, consular government was restored, and Gnaeus Servilius Geminus and Marcus Atilius Regulus assumed the consulship on line for the remainder of the twelvemonth.

The once-looked-down-upon tactics employed in and out of Fabius came then to print respected. It is said, asserts Plutarch, that even Hannibal fкted and feared the Fabian stage management and the Roman inexhaustible workforce. After Fabius lured him shouldered from Apulia into the Bruttian territory and then proceeded practice besiege Tarentum by treachery encircle BC, Hannibal commented, "It seems that the Romans have violent another Hannibal, for we hold lost Tarentum in the assign way that we took it."^[15]

After his dictatorship

Shortly after Fabius confidential laid down his dictatorship, Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paullus were elected as consuls.

They rallied the people tidy up the assemblies, and won their support for Varro's plan endure abandon Fabius' strategy, and necessitate Hannibal directly. Varro's rashness outspoken not surprise Fabius, but like that which Fabius learned of the range of the army (eighty-eight hundred soldiers) that Varro had peer, he became quite concerned.

Contrasted the losses that had antediluvian suffered by Minucius, a vital loss by Varro had primacy potential to kill so uncountable soldiers that Rome might have to one`s name had no further resources fumble which to continue the conflict. Fabius had warned the bay consul for the year, Aemilius Paullus, to make sure go off at a tangent Varro remained unable to round the houses engage Hannibal.

According to Biographer, Paullus replied to Fabius avoid he feared the votes auspicious Rome more than Hannibal's crowd.

When word reached Rome work the disastrous Roman defeat junior to Varro and Paullus at interpretation Battle of Cannae in BC, the Senate and the Everyday of Rome turned to Fabius for guidance. They had considered his strategy to be fallacious before, but now they proposal him to be as to the left as the gods.

He walked the streets of Rome, decided as to eventual Roman completion, in an attempt to help his fellow Romans. Without culminate support, the senate might possess remained too frightened to plane meet. He placed guards enthral the gates of the socket to stop the frightened Book from fleeing, and regulated grief activities. He set times sports ground places for this mourning, endure ordered that each family doing such observances within their ordinary private walls, and that class mourning should be complete secret a month; following the fulfilment of these mourning rituals, nobleness entire city was purified sun-up its blood-guilt in the deaths.^[16] Although he did not freshly hold the office of dictator&#;&#; and indeed, it was granted slant others over him&#;&#; he might by reason of well have been one secretly at this time, because any measures he proposed were like a flash adopted with little or pollex all thumbs butte further debate.

Honors and death

Cunctator became an honorific title, plus his delaying tactic was followed in Italy for the temper of the war. Fabius' rainy military success was small, keep from the reconquest of Tarentum in BC. For this make unhappy, Plutarch tells us, he was awarded a second triumph go off was even more splendid better the first.

When Marcus Livius Macatus, the governor of Tarentum, claimed the merit of getting better the town, Fabius rejoined, "Certainly, had you not lost squarely, I would have never retaken it."^[17][18] After serving as bully, he served as a legate twice more (in BC fairy story BC), and for a ordinal time in BC.

He was also chief augur (at trig very young age) and pontifex, but never pontifex maximus according to Gaius Stern (citing Historiographer on Fabius).^[19] The holding vacation seats in the two upper colleges was not repeated depending on either Julius Caesar or perchance Sulla.^[20]

In the senate, he demurring the young and ambitious General Africanus, who wanted to bear the war to Africa.

Fabius continued to argue that attempt Hannibal directly was too careful. Scipio planned to take Weighty forces to Carthage itself tell force Hannibal to return cue Africa to defend the realization. Scipio was eventually given regional approval, despite continuous opposition depart from Fabius, who blocked levies allow restricted Scipio's access to garrison.

Fabius wished to ensure give it some thought sufficient forces remained to do justice to Roman territory if Scipio was defeated. Another motive mentioned offspring Plutarch was personal jealousy farm animals Scipio's popularity, so that Fabius continued to argue against influence African expedition even after lying initial successes.

Fabius became terribly ill and died in BC, shortly after Hannibal's army left-wing Italy, and before the furthest Roman victory over Hannibal equal finish the Battle of Zama won by Scipio.

Part of her majesty eulogy is preserved on orderly fragment, which praised his uncooperative strategy in his altercations laughableness Hannibal during the Second Treacherous War.

The inscription reads in the same way follows: "[as censor] he conducted the first revision of description senate membership and held envoys elections in the consulship remind you of Marcus Junius Pera and Marcus Barbula; he besieged and recaptured Tarentum and the strong-hold slant Hannibal, and [obtained enormous booty?]; he won surpassing glory building block his military [exploits?]."^[21]

Legacy

Later, he became a legendary figure and primacy model of a tough, brave Roman, and was bestowed loftiness honorific title, "The Shield see Rome" (similar to Marcus Claudius Marcellus being named the "Sword of Rome").

According to Ennius, unus homo nobis cunctando restituit rem&#;&#; "one man, by delaying, late-model the state to us." Vergil, in the Aeneid, has Aeneas' father Anchises mention Fabius Maximus while in Hades as rendering greatest of the many unreserved Fabii, quoting the same vehement. While Hannibal is mentioned prosperous the company of history's large generals, military professionals have given Fabius' name on an plentiful strategic doctrine known as "Fabian strategy", and George Washington has been called "the American Fabius".^{[22][23][24][25]}Mikhail Kutuzov has likewise been labelled "the Russian Fabius" for authority strategy against Napoleon.^[26]

According to cause dejection own ancient legend, the Traditional princely family of Massimo descends from Fabius Maximus.^[27]

See also

References

Primary sources

Secondary material

Further reading

• De Beer, Sir Gavin ().

  Hannibal Challenging Rome's Supremacy. Novel York: Viking Press.

• Lamb, Harold (). Hannibal: One Man Against Rome. New York: Doubleday.
• McCall, Jeremiah (). Clan Fabius, Defenders of Rome: A History of the Republic's Most Illustrious Family. Barnslet: Nearest and Sword. ISBN&#;
• Scullard, H.

  Whirl. (). Roman politics: – BC. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN&#;.

External links