Battle of Italica facts for kids

The Battle of Italica happened in 75 BC. It was a fight between a rebel army led by Lucius Hirtuleius, who was a top officer for the Roman rebel Quintus Sertorius, and a Roman army led by General Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius. General Metellus was a proconsul, meaning he was a powerful Roman governor and general in charge of a province. The battle took place near Italica, a Roman city in Spain. General Metellus's army won a big victory.

Why the Battle of Italica Happened

In 88 BC, a Roman general named Lucius Cornelius Sulla marched his army into Rome. This started a period of civil wars in the Roman Republic. Quintus Sertorius was a supporter of Gaius Marius, who was Sulla's enemy. Sertorius fought against Sulla's side.

After Marius and another leader named Lucius Cornelius Cinna died, Sertorius felt that his side was losing direction. In 82 BC, during the war against Sulla, he left Italy for his assigned province in Spain. However, Sulla's side won the war in Italy soon after Sertorius left.

In 81 BC, Sulla sent an army to take Spain from Sertorius. After a short fight, Sertorius and his men were forced out of Spain. They ended up in Mauretania in North Africa. There, they took over the city of Tingis.

Sertorius Returns to Spain

The Lusitanians, a brave tribe from Spain, asked Sertorius for help. They were about to be invaded by a Roman governor who supported Sulla. They wanted Sertorius to be their war leader.

In 80 BC, Sertorius returned to Spain. He landed at a small fishing town called Baelo Claudia, near the Pillars of Hercules (which is now Gibraltar). Soon after, he defeated the Sullan general Lucius Fufidius at the Battle of the Baetis River. After this, Sertorius won against several other Roman armies and drove his enemies out of Spain.

Rome Sends More Armies

Sertorius's success worried the Roman Senate in Rome. They sent a powerful general, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, with a large army to fight him. Sertorius used clever guerrilla tactics, which means he used small, surprise attacks and avoided big battles. This wore down Metellus's army.

Meanwhile, Sertorius's officer, Lucius Hirtuleius, defeated another Roman governor. In 76 BC, Rome decided to send an even larger army led by Pompey to help Metellus.

In the same year, Sertorius gained more strength. He was joined by Marcus Perpenna, who brought the remaining soldiers from another rebel general's army. With these new forces, Sertorius decided to try and take cities on the east coast of Spain. These cities supported his enemies. His first target was the city of Lauron. There, Sertorius showed he was a better general than Pompey. Sertorius's forces defeated a large part of Pompey's army.

Leading Up to the Battle

In 75 BC, Sertorius decided to focus on fighting Metellus. He left his officers, Perpenna and Gaius Herennius, to deal with Pompey. However, Pompey defeated Perpenna and Herennius in a battle near Valentia. This forced Sertorius to come and take charge of the situation himself. This left Hirtuleius to face Metellus alone.

Metellus and Hirtuleius were fighting near the Roman city of Italica. Hirtuleius made a mistake by trying to force Metellus into a big, open battle.

The Battle of Italica

Hirtuleius gathered his army soon after dawn. He marched them towards Metellus's camp, hoping to make Metellus fight. But Metellus kept his soldiers inside their camp, behind their defenses, until noon.

It was extremely hot that day. Hirtuleius's troops were sweating and tired from standing in the open for hours. Metellus's soldiers, however, stayed cool and fresh inside their camp. Since his enemy stayed in front of his camp for so long, Metellus had plenty of time to study their positions. He saw that Hirtuleius had placed his strongest units in the middle of his battle line. Metellus decided to use this to his advantage.

When the battle finally began, Metellus held back his own center. Instead, he focused on winning on the sides of the battle line. After defeating the enemy on the flanks (the sides), Metellus's forces then moved in to surround Hirtuleius's center. This was a famous tactic used by the general Hannibal at the Battle of Cannae many years before. It worked then, and it worked again at Italica.

Hirtuleius lost 20,000 men at Italica. He was defeated and fled north to join his commander Sertorius, who was fighting Pompey. Metellus followed closely, wanting to use his victory to trap Sertorius between his own army and Pompey's.

What Happened Next

With Hirtuleius's army destroyed, Metellus and Pompey had a chance to trap Sertorius. Metellus marched his army north to attack Sertorius from behind. Unfortunately, Pompey decided to fight Sertorius before Metellus arrived. Pompey almost lost his army and his own life at the Battle of Sucro.

When Metellus finally arrived, Sertorius retreated towards Clunia in Spain. He went back to using guerrilla warfare tactics. The war continued for another three years. It only ended because some of Sertorius's own men plotted against him and killed him.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Itálica para niños