Battle of the Upper Baetis facts for kids
The Battle of the Upper Baetis was actually two battles, called the Battle of Castulo and the Battle of Ilorca. They happened in 211 BC during the Second Punic War. In these battles, the Carthaginian army, led by Hasdrubal Barca (who was the brother of the famous general Hannibal), fought against the Roman army. The Roman forces were led by two brothers, Publius Cornelius Scipio and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio. The Carthaginians won a big victory, and both Roman brothers were killed.
Before this defeat, the Scipio brothers had been fighting the Carthaginians in Hispania (modern-day Spain) for seven years, from 218 BC to 211 BC. Their efforts helped keep Carthaginian resources busy in Spain, which meant fewer supplies and soldiers could go to Hannibal, who was fighting the Romans in Italy at the same time.
Quick facts for kids Battle of the Upper Baetis |
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| Part of the Second Punic War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Carthage |
 Roman Republic |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Hasdrubal Barca Mago Barca Hasdrubal Gisco |
Publius Cornelius Scipio † Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown total
12,000+ infantry 1,500+ cavalry 3,000 Numidian cavalry 7,500 Iberians |
50,000
30,000 Romans and allies 20,000 Celtiberian mercenaries (deserted) |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 21,000–22,000 killed or captured | ||||||
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
After the Romans defeated Hasdrubal Barca in the Battle of Dertosa in 215 BC, they made sure their bases north of the Ebro River were safe. They also convinced some local Iberian tribes to join their side. Both the Romans and the Carthaginians had to deal with revolts from other Iberian tribes.
The Scipio brothers didn't get many extra soldiers or supplies from Rome. This was because Hannibal was putting a lot of pressure on the Romans back in Italy. Because of this lack of support, the Scipios couldn't launch any major attacks against the Carthaginians in 214–213 BC. They even complained about not having enough money and supplies for their army. The Roman government tried to help by sending private companies to provide supplies, but some of these merchants cheated the Scipios. Rome also faced money problems because of the war, making it even harder for the Scipios to get funding.
Despite these challenges, the Scipios went on the attack in 212 BC. They managed to take back Saguntum, a city that Hannibal had captured in 219 BC.
Carthaginian Reinforcements
Meanwhile, Hasdrubal had received help from two more Carthaginian armies. These were led by his younger brother, Mago Barca, and another general named Hasdrubal Gisco.
The Scipios also convinced Syphax, a king from Numidia (a region in North Africa), to start fighting against Carthage. Syphax's army was even trained by a Roman soldier. This made Hasdrubal Barca go to Africa in 213/212 BC to stop this rebellion. Hasdrubal Barca returned to Spain in late 212 BC, bringing 3,000 Numidian soldiers with him. These soldiers were led by Masinissa, who would later become a very important king.
Getting Ready for Battle
In 212 BC, the Scipio brothers captured Castulo, an important town known for its mines. This town was also the home of Hannibal's wife. The Roman armies spent the winter there and in another town called Ilugia.
To make their army stronger, the Scipio brothers hired 20,000 Celtiberian mercenaries. Their own Roman army had about 30,000 soldiers, but it had become smaller due to earlier battles and the need to guard their main base at Tarraco.
The Scipios noticed that the Carthaginian armies were spread out. Hasdrubal Barca's army was near Amtorgis, while Mago Barca and Hasdrubal Gisco's armies were further west, with about 13,500 men. The Roman brothers decided to split their own forces to attack both Carthaginian groups. Publius Scipio took Roman and allied soldiers to attack Mago Barca near Castulo. Gnaeus Scipio took about a third of the Roman army and the mercenaries to attack Hasdrubal Barca. This plan led to two separate battles, the Battle of Castulo and the Battle of Ilorca, which happened only a few days apart.
Gnaeus Scipio reached his target first. However, Hasdrubal Barca had already told the armies of Indibilis and Mandonius (Iberian chiefs who were friends with the Carthaginians) and Hasdrubal Gisco to join Mago near Castulo. Hasdrubal Barca stayed in his strong camp against Gnaeus Scipio. He then secretly paid the Celtiberian mercenaries to leave Gnaeus Scipio's army. This meant Hasdrubal's army now had more soldiers than Gnaeus Scipio's. Hasdrubal waited, avoiding any direct fights with the Romans.
Battle of Castulo
As Publius Scipio got closer to Castulo, he was constantly bothered by the fast Numidian cavalry led by Masinissa. He then learned that Indibilis was moving with 7,500 Iberians to block his escape route. Publius Scipio decided not to fight Mago directly. Instead, he chose to attack the Iberian chief, fearing he would be surrounded by Carthaginian forces.
He left 2,000 soldiers in his camp and marched out that night to surprise the Iberians and hopefully avoid Masinissa's cavalry. Scipio marched all night and caught Indibilis and his men off guard early in the morning. The Romans had more soldiers and started to win the fight. However, the Iberians fought hard in the confusing night battle. They held out just long enough for Masinissa and his Numidian cavalry to arrive.
With the Numidian cavalry attacking from the side, the Roman attack on the Iberians slowed down. When Mago and Hasdrubal Gisco arrived with their combined armies, the Romans finally broke and ran away after a very tough fight. Publius Scipio and most of his soldiers were killed on the battlefield. Mago allowed the Numidians to take loot from the dead Roman soldiers before marching his army to join Hasdrubal Barca. Only a few Roman soldiers managed to escape and reach their camp.
Battle of Ilorca
Gnaeus Scipio had lost many soldiers when the mercenaries left his army. He didn't know what had happened to Publius Scipio, but he decided to retreat towards northern Spain because Mago and Hasdrubal Gisco had joined forces. The Romans left their camp at night, leaving their campfires burning to trick the Carthaginians. They tried to reach the Ebro River.
The Numidians found them the next day. Their attacks forced the Romans to stop for the night on a hilltop near Ilorca. The main Carthaginian army, which now included the forces of Hasdrubal Barca, Hasdrubal Gisco, and Mago, arrived during the night. In a desperate attempt to defend themselves, the Romans tried to build a wall using their baggage and saddles, because the ground was too rocky to dig trenches. The Carthaginians easily broke through this weak defense, and Gnaeus Scipio was killed in the fighting. Most of his army was destroyed.
What Happened Next
The few Roman soldiers who escaped fled north of the Ebro River. They eventually gathered a small army of about 8,000 to 9,000 survivors. The Carthaginian commanders didn't work together to completely destroy these remaining Romans or send help to Hannibal in Italy.
In late 211 BC, Rome sent 13,100 new soldiers under Claudius Nero to strengthen their forces in Spain. Nero didn't win any huge victories, and the Carthaginians didn't launch any big attacks on the Romans in Spain either.
However, when Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the son of the Publius Scipio who died, arrived with another 10,000 soldiers in 210 BC, the Carthaginians would later regret not finishing off the Romans earlier. This became clear during the Battle of Cartagena in 209 BC.
Because the Carthaginian armies in Spain didn't get rid of the Romans, Hannibal didn't receive any extra soldiers or supplies from Spain during the important year of 211 BC, when the Romans were attacking the city of Capua.
See also
In Spanish: Batalla del Betis Superior para niños
