Battle of Lake Trasimene
North shore of Lake Trasimene, Umbria, Italy
What happened
Hannibal's Carthaginian army fought a Roman army under the consul Gaius Flaminius. During the Second Punic War, Hannibal hid his army on the hills above the north shore of Lake Trasimene. Early in the morning, Flaminius's army marched along the narrow shore, possibly in thick mist. Hannibal's troops attacked from the side and rear before the Romans could form a battle line, and the Roman army was destroyed or captured; Flaminius fell.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The military historian Basil Liddell Hart called it 'the greatest ambush in history'. In panic, Rome chose Quintus Fabius Maximus as dictator, and he began a new, careful way of fighting.
What came next
Fabius avoided big battles and wore Hannibal down, earning the nickname 'the Delayer'. Impatient Romans later chose bolder leaders, who were defeated at Cannae in 216 BCE.
Did you know?
Today a patient strategy that wears an enemy down slowly is still called a 'Fabian' strategy, after Fabius.
Timeline
- 21 June 217 BCEHannibal ambushes the Romans at Lake Trasimene.
- 217 BCEFabius Maximus is appointed dictator.
- 216 BCERome is defeated at Cannae.