Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major (Latin: P·CORNELIVS·P·F·L·N·SCIPIO·AFRICANVS¹) (236–183 BC) was a general in the Second Punic War and statesman of the Roman Republic. He was better known for defeating Hannibal of Carthage, a effort that earned him a cognomen Africanus.

Biography

Early years

Scipio was present at a black Battle of Ticinus (where, based on data from 1 tradition, he economised his father's life); and those at the Trebia and at Cannae. Possibly fallowing a survive one defeats at a mitts of the Carthaginians, he was resolutely focused on securing Roman triumph. In hearing that Lucius Caecilius Metellus & other politicians were at a point of rendering higher a struggle and quitting Italy inside despair, he gathered what few followers he can ccompletely for & stormed into a meeting, in which at sword-point he forced all present to swear that it would prove my point in faithful service to Rome.

Spanish Campaign

A month when his father's demise, he offered himself for a command of the freshly army which the Romans resolved to send to Spain. Within spite of his youth, his noble deportment & enthusiastic language got manufactured then peachy an impression that he was nemine contradicente elected. In the month of his arrival (210), all Spain south of the Ebro river was under Carthaginian control, but to his fortune a tierce Carthaginian generals—Hannibal's brothers Hasdrubal and Mago, and Hasdrubal a boy of Gisgo—were non discarded to work together & were preoccupied sustaining rebellion around Africa. Scipio landed at a mouth of the Ebro & was respire to surprise & capture Carthago Nova, the headquarters of the Carthaginian power inside Spain. He found the rich dirty money of war places & the diapers, & an fantabulous harbor. His kindly coarse of action of the Spanish surety & captive brought numerous ended to his side.

Within 209 he drove back Hasdrubal from either his position at Baecula, on the upper Guadalquivir, but was unable to hinder a Carthaginian's march to Italy. Fallowing convert the total of Spanish chiefs he achieved around 206 a decisive victory on top a to the full Carthaginian levy at Ilipa (near Córdoba), which resulted in the evacuation of Spain per Punic commanders.

Using the idea of striking a blow at Carthage around Africa, he paid a short visit to the Numidian princes Syphax and Massinissa, and managed to win the babies each to his side. Unluckily, Syphax afterwards changed his mind & married Sophonisba, daughter of Hasdrubal a boy of Gisgo, & fought against Massinissa & Scipio around Africa. In his go to to Spain, Scipio experienced to quell the mutiny which experienced broken out among his troops. Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal got meanwhile marched for Italy, & within 206 Scipio himself, getting secured a Roman occupation of Spain per capture of Gades, gave up his comm& and returned to Rome.

African Campaign

In the resulting month he was nemine contradicente elected to the consulship and assigned a province of Sicily. By this instance Hannibal's movements were restricted to a southwestern toe of Italy, & the war was okay, to become transferred to Africa. Scipio was dead set this, & his neat title drew to him the total of volunteers from either completely area of Italy. a old-old-hat aristocracy of Rome, world health organization disliked his luxurious tastes & affinity for Greek culture & however entertained a wholesome apprehensiveness of Hannibal, opposing the idea; tons Scipio can obtain was permission to cross ended from either Sicily to Africa, whenever it appeared to exist as in the interests of Rome.

A introduction (205) of the Phrygian worship of Cybele and the transference of the image of the goddess herself from either Pessinus to Rome to bless the expedition might use affected opinion. the commission of inquiry was sent ended to Sicily, & it noticed that Scipio was at the head of a easily-equipped fleet & army. At a commissioners' bidding he sailed within 204 & landed touching Utica. Carthage, meanwhile, experienced secured a friendly relationship of a Numidian Syphax, whose advance compelled Scipio to raise the siege of Utica & burrow around on the shore between that place & Carthage. A as a consequence month he destroyed deuce conjunct armies of the Carthaginians & Numidians.

Fallowing the failure of peace negotiations, where Scipio displayed smashing moderation, he defeated Hannibal within a decisive battle near Zama (October 19, 202 BC), despite being outnumbered.

In a subsequent cash settlement using Carthage he with success upheld his relatively lenient terms, against the immoderate demands of several Roman patrician. Scipio was welcomed back to Rome using a cognomen of Africanus. He refused a numbers of farther honours which a population would stand click upon him. For a few years he lived quietly & took there is no a portion inside politics.

Allegations of Corruption

Meanwhile, Scipio's political enemies, led by Cato, had get ahead. Whilst a Scipiones returned to Rome, two tribunes prosecuted (187) Lucius on the grounds of misappropriation of money received from either Antiochus. When Lucius was within the work of producing his account-books, his brother wrested the children from either his paws, tore the babies in pieces, & flung the two on the floor of the Senate home. This created the bad impression; Lucius was bring around test, condemned & heavy fined.

Africanus himself was afterward (185) accused of having been bribed by Antiochus, however by reminding a population that it was a day of remembrance of his triumph at Zama he induced an outburst of enthusiasm within his favor. A population crowded spherical him & followed him to the Capitol, in which it offered thanks to the gods & begged the children to give Rome supplementary citizens prefer Africanus.

He so retired to his united states seat at Liternum on the coast of Campania where he lived until his death. Sustaining his married woman Aemilia, girl of the consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus who fell at Cannae, he had the girl, Cornelia Africana, who became a mother of the deuce illustrious Gracchi by her marriage with Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus.

Opinions

Scipio was one of Rome's greatest generals, even a greatest ever. He never misplaced the battle. Expert similar inside strategy & inside maneuver, he experienced too a faculty of inspiring his soldiers confidently. Based on data from a story, Hannibal, world health organization regarded Alexander as the foremost & Pyrrhus as the 2nd among military commanders, confessed that experienced he beaten Scipio he should develop put himself prior to either of the children. He was the human of smashing noetic culture & may speak & review Greek, and wrote his have memoirs around Greek. He too enjoyed the reputation of existence a refined orator.

There was a belief that he was the favorite favorite of heaven & held actual communication by owning the gods. These are quite imaginable that he himself honestly shared this belief; to his political opponents he was typically coarse & self-important, however towards others singularly gracious & sympathetic. Based on data from Gellmus, his life was written by Oppius & Hyginus, and likewise, it was said, by Plutarch.

Music
A deed of Scipio inspired George Frideric Handel to write the opera Scipio, a march from either which remains the regimental slow march of the British Grenadier Guards.

Notes
P·CORNELIVS·P·F·L·N·SCIPIO·AFRICANVS around English is "Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, son of Publius, grandson of Lucius"