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He has appeared on The History Channel as a featured expert. Facebook Facebook. Updated March 06, They collected a considerable force and appointed, for theirs consuls, Fabius Maximus and Marcus Claudius Marcellus. The character of Marcellus was very different from that of Fabius. He possessed an intrepid and spirit, and the most animated valour; and was well skilled in the art of war. Notwithstanding this, he had the good sense to accord with Fabius in his plans, of following Annibal without fighting him, checking him wherever it was possible, with safety, to do so; and allowing him no repose to recruit his strength, after his fatigue.
Fabius was justly called the shield, and Marcellus the sword of Rome; and the Romans, at this period, were accustomed to say, that the steadiness and caution of the one, in conjunction with the vivacity and boldness of the other, formed an admirable compound. By the motions of Marcellus, which resembled those of a torrent, the forces of Annibal were often broken and disconcerted; whilst, by those of Fabius, who moved like a silent but constant stream, they were undermined and insensibly weakened.
With these two generals, as praetors, consuls or proconsuls, he had to contend during nearly the whole remainder of the war. Marcellus was, indeed, deceived in one of his stratagems and slain; but Amribal never succeeded in effectually deceiving Fabius. In one instance, however, he had nearly done so. He caused letters to be forged, as if from the inhabitants of Metapontum, a town of Lucania, offering to deliver up the place to Fabius.
The Roman general was delighted with the prospect of obtaining possession of this town, and ordered a strong party to be prepared for marching thither in the night. But, before they set out, he discovered the stratagem, and escaped the danger which otherwise would have awaited him. Fabius, at all times, treated his soldiers with great mildness and affability; and he was little inclined; either to suspect them of treachery, or even to treat them with severity, when he had reason to suspect them.
A remarkable instance of this has been recorded. He was informed that one of his soldiers, a native of Lucania, often quitted his post and went out of the camp. Fabius enquired the character of the man; and every one declared that there were few men in the army who had afforded more remarkable proofs of valour and good conduct than he.
It was by a love affair that Fabius recovered the city of Tarentum, which, during his absence, had been treacherously delivered up to Annibal. But, on this occasion, he acted with great cruelty: for, on taking possession of the place, lest it should appear to have been betrayed to him, he caused several of the inhabitants to be put to the sword: no fewer than thirty thousand of the citizens were sold for slaves, and the city itself was given up to plunder.
That his operations in taking this place might be conducted with the greater certainty of success, Fabius, by a skilful stratagem, had contrived to draw Annibal a distance from it.
As soon, however, as the Carthaginian had discovered the deception, he hastened back, and, being within five miles of Tarentum when it was taken; he exclaimed to his men, The Romans too have their Annihal; for we have lost Tarentum in the same manner that we gained it.
On this occasion it was that Annibal first acknowledged to his friends that he had always thought it difficult to conquer Italy; but that he now saw it was impossible to do so, with the forces which he possessed.
This achievement was considered by the Romans of such much importance, that they decreed to Fabius the honour of a splendid triumph. Even his enemies were compelled to acknowledge, not only that he had gloriously maintained the field against his antagonist, but that, hitherto, he had baffled all the schemes of the great Carthaginian hero. The army of Annibal was now enervated, and nearly worn down by fatigue. Among other honours which the Romans paid to Fabius, was the election of his son to the office of consul; and a very remarkable circumstance has been related concerning the conduct of the younger Fabius towards his father.
When he had entered upon his office, and was arranging some affairs relative to the war, his father, mounted on horseback, happened to ride towards him. As soon as the consul saw him, he sent to him one of the lictors with orders that he should dismount and approach on foot.
This procedure, which gave great offence to many of the persons present, afforded satisfaction to Fabius. He alighted from his horse, ran to his son, and, embracing him with affection, said: My son, I applaud both your sentiments and your conduct: you know what kind of people you have to command, and you have a just sense of the dignity of your office.
This is the way which our fathers took, to advance Rome to her present height of glory; they always considered the honour and interest of their country, before those of their own families. There seems reason to suppose that Fabius had intentionally approached his son on horseback; for Livy states that, after he had dismounted, he exclaimed, I wished, my son, to try whether or not you knew that you were consul!
We now enter into an important epoch in the Roman history; commencing about the year of the city, B. He had served with great renown in Spain, and, ridiculing the notion of wearing out the Carthaginians, by watching the motions of Annibal in Italy, he boldly resolved to transfer the seat of war into Africa; to fill the enemy's country with the Roman legions; to extend his ravages there in every direction; and to attempt the capture even of Carthage itself.
Fabius objected to this project, fearful that operations carried on at so great a distance, and by one whom he considered a rash and indiscreet young man, might involve his country in ruin. He used every means in his power to persuade the Romans not to assent to the wishes of Scipio.
With the senate he was successful; but he could not so easily convince the people, who were inclined to believe that the opposition of Fabius proceeded either from envy of the success of Scipio in Spain, or from a secret fear, that, if Scipio should now achieve some signal exploit, and thus terminate the war, his own slow proceedings, through the course of so many years, might be imputed to indolence or timidity.
The conduct of Fabius appears to have been occasionned by an excess of cautious. At the outset, he probably thought the danger great which attended the project of Scipio; but, in the progress of his opposition, he seems to have been influenced by a jealousy of Scipio's rising glory.
He used all his endeavours to prevent the raising of money for the expedition; and sought, in every possible way, to impede the plans of Scipio. In the public assemblies he declared, that, in avoiding a personal contest with Annibal, Scipio was carrying away, into a foreign country, the remaining strength of "Italy;" and he so much alarmed the people, that Scipio was suffered to sail for Africa, with a very inferior force.
Scipio, however, had not long been in Africa, before accounts were brought to Rome of several wonderful achievements performed by him. These accounts were followed by rich spoils.
A Numidian king, named Syphax, was taken prisoner. Two camps were burned, and fifty thousand of the enemy were either slain or taken prisoners. Notwithstanding all this, Fabius was incessant in expressing dissatisfaction at the proceedings of Scipio.
And, while nearly every tongue was loud in praise of this general, Fabius alone proposed that he should be deprived of his command. So extraordinary an opposition gave great offence to the people. But Fabius was now old, nearly in his ninetieth year, and almost superannuated.
Indeed, his declaration, after Annibal, in consequence of the successes of Scipio in Africa, had been obliged to quit Italy, seems to prove this. He affirmed that the commonwealth was now come to its last and worst trial; and that there was greater reason to dread the efforts of Annibal, when he should arrive in Africa and attack Scipio under the walls of Carthage, than there had ever been during his campaigns in Italy.
Thus, when the pressure of war removed accross the sea, he pretended to imagine that the danger was more imminent, than when it had threatened to approach the gates of Rome.
All the predictions of Fabius failed. Scipio defeated Annibal in a pitched battle; and thus restored a firmness to the commonwealth, of which it had long been deprived.
Fabius, however, did not live to hear even of this overthrow of Annibal; for, shortly after the Carthaginians had sailed from Italy, he was seized with a fatal disorder, which terminated his life, at the great age of about an hundred years, in the year of the city , and years before the birth of Christ.
The Romans, notwithstanding all the prejudices which, during his life, had been excited against him; honoured the body of Fabius with a public funeral. The expence of this, however, was not defrayed out of the public treasury, but by the contributions of the citizens individually. They were desirous that he should be interred as the father of the people; and that those who particularly honoured his memory, might thus be enabled to render him the public homage which they believed his merits to deserve.
Few men have exhibited more remarkable examples of resolution in adversity, and of moderation in prosperity, than Fabius Maximus. It was when the Romans were in the midst of disgrace and distress, and almost despaired of being able any longer to continue a nation, that they committed the management of their affairs to him.
At this time, he had, before his eyes, the frightful picture of defeat and disaster, of Roman consuls and generals slain, of fields and forests containing the dead bodies of whole armies. Notwithstanding all this, his intrepidity was unshaken. In the midst of the clamour, accusation, and reproach, which his enemies and rivals heaped upon him, he exhibited the firmest and most invincible patience.
And, afterwards, with a magnanimity that cannot be exceeded, and has not often been equalled, be saved, from destruction, and protected the reputations of many of those very men who had sought his ruin.
How admirably also did he sustain the character of a humane and benevolent commander, when he sold even his own property to ransom, from captivity, those companions in arms, who had fallen into the hands of their Carthaginian enemies! Fabius was, on all occasions, solicitous to inspire his troops with the truest spirit of Roman courage; but it was also his care to instruct them, that valour would avail them little without the favour of heaven: that to obtain this was their first duty; and that, after having obtained it, no enemy was to be feared.
Hence he was punctual in fulfilling all those religious duties, which, at the period in which he lived, were considered requisite to appease the anger, and obtain the favour of a Supreme Being, worshipped under many different appellations. There are, however, a few particulars in the history of Fabius, which an admirer of his character would be desirous of passing over in silence. One of these was the cruelty which he exercised towards the inhabitants of Tarentum; and another, his conduct towards Scipio.
But, there are so many circumstances of his life which deserve our admiration, that these become eclipsed by his numerous excellences. In the character of Fabius Maximus, it is peculiarly deserving of remark, that it was not by any foreign expedition, not by invading the countries of peaceful nations, not by extending the power and dominions of Rome, that he gained his glorious name but by his services to his country, in that most just of all military labours, a defensive war.
Roma Latina. History Characters. Quintus Fabius Maximus : born about B. Quintus Fabius Maximus. Quintus Fabius Maximus He subsequently attained great eminence, both as a statesman and a general. Authorities-Livy, and Plutarch. For this victory, Plutarch tells us, he was awarded a second triumph that was even more splendid than the first.
When Marcus Livius Macatus, the governor of Tarentum, claimed the merit of recovering the town, Fabius rejoined, "Certainly, had you not lost it, I would have never retaken it. In the senate, he opposed the young and ambitious Scipio Africanus , who wanted to carry the war to Africa.
Fabius continued to argue that confronting Hannibal directly was too dangerous. Scipio planned to take Roman forces to Carthage itself and force Hannibal to return to Africa to defend the city. Scipio was eventually given limited approval, despite continuous opposition from Fabius, who blocked levies and restricted Scipio's access to troops. Fabius wished to ensure that sufficient forces remained to defend Roman territory if Scipio was defeated.
Fabius became gravely ill and died in BC, shortly after Hannibal's army left Italy, and before the eventual Roman victory over Hannibal at the Battle of Zama won by Scipio. Part of his eulogy is preserved on a fragment, which praised his delaying strategy in his altercations with Hannibal during the Second Punic War.
The inscription reads as follows: " Later, he became a legendary figure and the model of a tough, courageous Roman, and was bestowed the honorific title, "The Shield of Rome" similar to Marcus Claudius Marcellus being named the "Sword of Rome". According to Ennius , unus homo nobis cunctando restituit rem — "one man, by delaying, restored the state to us. While Hannibal is mentioned in the company of history's greatest generals, military professionals have bestowed Fabius' name on an entire strategic doctrine known as " Fabian strategy ", and George Washington has been called "the American Fabius.
According to its own ancient legend, the Roman princely family of Massimo descends from Fabius Maximus. Military Wiki Explore. Popular pages. Project maintenance. Register Don't have an account? Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus. Edit source History Talk 0. For other people with similar names, see Fabia gens Fabii Maximi.
Main article: Fabian strategy. Modern scholarship supposes that he was probably the grandson of Gurges, although in this case his father's identity is uncertain. Traditionally the Gurges who was consul in has been regarded as the same man who had been consul for the first time in , and again in , in which case Livy may be correct; but some scholars think that the Gurges who was consul in was the son of the consul of and ; the aedile of may have been his brother or another kinsman.
Transaction Publishers. ISBN Plutarch: Makers of Rome. Penguin Group. I, pp. Retrieved Makers of Rome. Penguin Classics. Roman Civilization: Selected Readings. New York: Columbia UP, Cancel Save. Fan Feed 1 List of active duty United States four-star officers. Universal Conquest Wiki. Succeeded by Publius Valerius L. Flaccus and Marcus Atilius Regulus.
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