Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus facts for kids

Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus (died 211 BC) was an important Roman general and leader in the 200s BC. He played a big role in the Second Punic War. He helped Rome take control of eastern Spain. He also kept many Carthaginian armies busy there, stopping them from helping Hannibal in Italy.

Who Was Gnaeus Scipio?

Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus belonged to a powerful Roman family called the Cornelii Scipiones. His father was Lucius Cornelius Scipio, who was a consul in 259 BC. A consul was a top leader in ancient Rome.

Gnaeus's younger brother was Publius Cornelius Scipio. Publius was also a consul in 218 BC. He was the father of the very famous general Scipio Africanus. Scipio Africanus is known as one of Rome's greatest heroes.

Gnaeus was called "Calvus," which means "the bald." This helped people tell him apart from his uncle, another Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio. His uncle was nicknamed "Asina," meaning "donkey."

Gnaeus Scipio's Time as Consul

Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio became a consul in 222 BC. His co-consul was Marcus Claudius Marcellus. Together, they led Roman armies against the Insubres, a Gaulish tribe in northern Italy.

Scipio's army surrounded the city of Acerrae. Meanwhile, Marcellus fought the Insubres at Clastidium. After Acerrae fell, Scipio marched towards Mediolanum (modern-day Milan). This made the Gauls come out to fight. The Romans defeated them completely. After this victory, the Gauls had to surrender to Rome.

Gnaeus Scipio in the Second Punic War

Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus fought bravely in the Second Punic War. Even though he never fought Hannibal directly, his actions helped defeat the Carthaginian general.

When the war started in 218 BC, Gnaeus served as a helper to his younger brother Publius. Publius was a consul at the time. From 218 BC until his death in 211 BC, Gnaeus fought against the Carthaginians in Spain.

Stopping Hannibal's March

In 218 BC, Gnaeus and Publius sailed with their army to Massilia. This was a Greek city in southern Gaul (modern-day France). They planned to attack Hannibal and the Carthaginian lands in Spain.

Publius learned that Hannibal was further north in Gaul. He sent Roman cavalry to scout the area. They fought with Carthaginian cavalry from Numidia. The Romans won this fight.

Publius then marched his whole army north to find Hannibal. But Hannibal had already moved east towards the Alps mountains. When Publius reached Hannibal's empty camp, he realized Hannibal was three days ahead. Publius decided to send his army to Spain under Gnaeus's command. Publius himself returned to Northern Italy to prepare Rome's defenses.

Invading Spain

Gnaeus took 20,000 Roman soldiers and 2,200 cavalry. He also had 60 warships called quinqueremes. He sailed from Massilia and landed in eastern Spain at Emporion.

The Greek cities of Emporion and Tarraco welcomed the Romans. Gnaeus began to convince the local Iberian tribes north of the Ebro River to join Rome.

Hannibal had left a general named Hanno in charge of the new Carthaginian lands north of the Ebro. Hanno had 10,000 soldiers and 1,000 cavalry. He was greatly outnumbered by the Romans. So, Hasdrubal Barca, who commanded the Carthaginian army in southern Spain, marched north to help Hanno. Hasdrubal brought 8,000 soldiers and 1,000 cavalry.

The Battle of Cissa

Hanno worried he would lose the Iberian tribes and all Carthaginian land north of the Ebro. So, he decided to attack the Romans. He marched and attacked them near Tarraco, at a place called Cissa.

It was a direct fight with no tricks. The armies simply lined up and faced each other. Hanno's army was outnumbered two to one. He was easily defeated, losing 6,000 soldiers. The Romans also captured the Carthaginian camp, along with 2,000 soldiers and Hanno himself. The camp held all the supplies Hannibal had left behind. Among the prisoners was Indibilis, an important Iberian leader. The Romans also took the town of Cissa.

The Battle of the Ebro River

In spring 217 BC, Gnaeus led a fleet of 55 warships. They fought a naval battle near the mouth of the Ebro River. The Carthaginian fleet had 40 warships. The Roman ships launched a surprise attack and completely defeated them.

The Carthaginians lost 29 ships. They also lost control of the seas around Spain. This Roman victory made Rome look stronger to the Iberian tribes.

The Battle of Dertosa

In early 215 BC, the Scipio brothers, Gnaeus and Publius, crossed the Ebro River together. Hasdrubal marched north with his army. After some movements, the two armies met on the south bank of the Ebro River, near the town of Dertosa.

Both armies were similar in size. The Scipio brothers had 30,000 soldiers and 2,800 cavalry. Hasdrubal had 25,000 soldiers, 4,000 cavalry, and 20 elephants. Hasdrubal tried to use a tactic like his brother Hannibal's (see: Cannae). This tactic tries to surround the enemy. But it failed because the Roman cavalry fought hard.

The Scipio brothers kept working to bring the Iberian tribes under Roman control. They also continued to raid Carthaginian lands. After losing most of his army, Hasdrubal had to get new soldiers. These soldiers were supposed to go to Italy to help Hannibal. By winning this battle, the Scipios stopped Hannibal from getting more help. This also made their position in Spain much stronger.

The Battles of the Upper Baetis

In 212 BC, the Scipio brothers captured Castulo. This was a major mining town and the home of Hannibal's wife, Imilce. They spent the winter at Castulo and Ilugia.

Over the past few years, the Scipios' army had become smaller. They had lost soldiers in battles and needed to guard the lands they had conquered. So, the brothers hired about 20,000 Celt-Iberian mercenaries. This made their army 40,000 men strong.

The Carthaginian commanders had spread their armies out. The Scipio brothers decided to divide their forces too. Publius led an army of Roman and allied soldiers to attack Mago Barca near Castulo. Gnaeus took one-third of the Romans and all the mercenaries to attack Hasdrubal Barca. This plan led to two battles that happened within a few days: the Battle of Castulo and the Battle of Ilorca.

Battle of Castulo

As Publius got close to Castulo, Numidian cavalry led by Masinissa bothered him day and night. Publius learned that Indibilis was moving with 7,500 Iberians to block his escape route. Publius decided not to fight Mago. Instead, he attacked the Iberian leader.

He left 2,000 soldiers in his camp. He marched out at night to avoid Masinissa's cavalry. Early in the morning, he attacked the Iberians by surprise. The Romans had more soldiers and started to win. The Iberians fought hard enough for Masinissa to arrive.

With the Numidian cavalry attacking their side, the Roman attack on the Iberians slowed down. Then Mago and Hasdrubal Gisco arrived with their armies. The Romans fought fiercely but then broke and ran. Publius and most of his soldiers died on the battlefield. Mago let the Numidians take loot from the dead. Then he quickly marched his army to join Hasdrubal Barca. A few Roman survivors made it back to their camp.

Battle of Ilorca

Gnaeus Scipio reached his target first. Hasdrubal Barca decided not to fight and stayed inside his strong camp. He then managed to pay the Celt-Iberian mercenaries to leave Gnaeus's army. This meant Hasdrubal's army now had more soldiers than Gnaeus's. Still, Hasdrubal waited and avoided any battles with the Romans.

Gnaeus had lost his advantage in numbers. He decided to retreat north after Mago and Hasdrubal Gisco arrived with their armies. The Romans left their camp at night, leaving their campfires burning. They headed for 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 combined Carthaginian armies arrived during the night. The ground was too rocky to dig trenches. So, the Romans tried to build a defensive wall using baggage and saddles. The Carthaginians easily broke through these weak defenses, destroying Gnaeus's army.

Gnaeus Scipio's Death

Gnaeus died fighting the Carthaginians. They had attacked his makeshift camp during the Battle of Ilorca. His death did not end the war against the Carthaginians. His nephew, Publius (Scipio Africanus), would play an even bigger part in defeating Hannibal. He also helped Rome take full control of Spain.

Gnaeus Scipio's Family Line

Gnaeus's son was Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica. He was called "Nasica" because of his pointed nose. He became a consul in 191 BC. He was the first Scipio Nasica and started a new branch of the Scipio family.

Scipio Nasica's son, another Scipio Nasica (called Corculum), married his second cousin Cornelia Africana Major. She was the oldest daughter of Scipio Africanus. This marriage brought the two family lines back together. Their male descendants continued until at least 46 BC, with Metellus Scipio.

See also

In Spanish: Cneo Cornelio Escipión Calvo para niños

• Scipio-Paullus-Gracchus family tree

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