Battle of Sucro facts for kids

The Battle of Sucro was a fight that happened in 75 BC. It was between a rebel Roman army led by Quintus Sertorius and a Roman army led by the famous general Pompey. The battle took place near the Sucro River in what is now Spain. It ended with no clear winner, as both sides had to pull back.

Why the Battle Happened

The Start of the Conflict

Around 88 BC, a Roman general named Lucius Cornelius Sulla marched his army into Rome. This started a series of civil wars, which were wars between different groups of Romans. Quintus Sertorius joined the side of Gaius Marius, who was Sulla's enemy.

Sertorius later left Italy for Hispania (modern-day Spain). But Sulla's side won the war in Italy. So, in 81 BC, Sulla sent armies to take Hispania from Sertorius. Sertorius and his men were forced to leave Spain for a while.

Sertorius Returns to Hispania

Sertorius ended up in North Africa. There, a brave Iberian tribe called the Lusitanians asked him for help. They wanted him to lead them against the Sullan governors who were trying to take over their land.

In 80 BC, Sertorius returned to Hispania. He quickly defeated several Sullan armies. He became very successful and drove his enemies out of much of Hispania.

Rome Sends More Armies

The Roman Senate in Rome was worried about Sertorius's success. They sent a large army led by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius to fight him. Sertorius used clever guerrilla tactics, which meant he used surprise attacks and avoided big battles.

In 76 BC, Rome sent an even larger army led by Pompey to help Metellus. Sertorius also got more soldiers when Marcus Perpenna Vento joined him. With more troops, Sertorius decided to try and capture cities on the east coast of Hispania. These cities supported his enemies.

Leading Up to Sucro

Sertorius first attacked the city of Lauron. He cleverly tricked Pompey and caused a lot of damage to Pompey's army.

In 75 BC, Sertorius decided to focus on fighting Metellus. He left his generals, Perpenna and Gaius Herennius, to deal with Pompey. But Pompey defeated Sertorius's generals near Valentia. This forced Sertorius to come and take charge himself.

Meanwhile, Metellus defeated Sertorius's general Hirtuleius at the Battle of Italica. Metellus then marched to join Pompey. Not wanting to wait for Metellus, Pompey and Sertorius decided to fight each other at the Sucro River.

Before the Battle

The night before the battle, there was a big thunderstorm with lots of lightning. Even though it seemed like a bad sign, the experienced soldiers on both sides were ready to fight. The next day, the armies lined up for battle.

Each general stood on the right side of their army. This meant Sertorius faced Lucius Afranius, who was Pompey's second-in-command. Pompey, on the other hand, faced one of Sertorius's less famous generals.

The Battle of Sucro

Fighting Begins

The battle started with fierce fighting all along the line. At one point, Pompey's side began to push hard, and Sertorius's left side started to fall back.

Sertorius saw the danger. He quickly handed over command of his fight against Afranius to another officer. Then, he rode over to help his struggling left wing.

Sertorius's Counter-Attack

When Sertorius appeared, his soldiers were inspired. After making his left side strong again, Sertorius launched a powerful counter-attack. This attack broke Pompey's right side.

Pompey tried his best to stop his men from running away. He was almost captured by Sertorius's troops. But he was saved by his horse! Sertorius's soldiers stopped to try and capture Pompey's valuable horse instead of going after Pompey himself.

Afranius's Mistake

Meanwhile, Afranius had defeated his opponents and pushed into Sertorius's army camp. Afranius's men thought they had won, so they started taking things from the camp.

But then, Sertorius and the other half of his army arrived. They caught Afranius's men by surprise and defeated many of them. Pompey had managed to gather most of his army and retreated to his own camp.

Sertorius's Retreat

At the same time, Metellus's army was getting close. They were only about a day's march away. Sertorius knew that if he fought Pompey again the next day, he would also have to fight Metellus. Fighting two armies at once was too risky.

Sertorius was disappointed that he couldn't completely defeat Pompey. He reportedly said, "If the old woman had not made an appearance, I'd have trashed the boy and packed him off to Rome." He was calling Metellus an "old woman" and Pompey a "boy."

Even though Sertorius had pushed Pompey back, his army had lost many soldiers. When Metellus arrived, Sertorius would be outnumbered. So, Sertorius decided to retreat to Clunia in the highlands. There, he would be among his allies, and Pompey and Metellus would have to follow him into difficult territory.

What Happened Next

Sertorius had fought hard for the east coast of Hispania, but he had to give up his gains for now. However, the war was far from over. Sertorius still had his allies, his strong reputation, and his army.

He went into the Celtiberian uplands and returned to using guerrilla warfare. The war continued for another three years. It only ended when some of Sertorius's own men plotted against him and killed him.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla del Río Sucro para niños