Battle of Capua (212 BC)

First Battle of Capua
Part of the Second Punic War
Date 212 BC Location Capua, present-day Italy Result Carthaginian victory
Belligerents
Carthage	Roman Republic
Commanders and leaders
Hannibal	Quintus Fulvius Flaccus, Appius Claudius Pulcher
Strength
20,000 and approximately 2000 Numidians plus Capuan allies	8 Legions, approximately 40,000
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

The First Battle of Capua was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal and two Roman consular armies. The Roman force was led by two consuls, Quintus Fulvius Flaccus and Appius Claudius Pulcher. The Roman force was defeated, but managed to escape. Hannibal temporarily managed to raise the siege of Capua. A tactical Carthaginian victory, but ultimately it did not help the Capuans.

In Italy, The Romans had fielded at least four armies. The Consular armies were poised to attack Capua, while an army under Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was active in Lucania. Legions were also stationed in Rome, Samnium and North Italy. Romans had retaken Arpi, Casilinum and Sussela from the Carthaginians.

Hannibal had enjoyed considerable success, as Thruii, Metapontum and Heraclea had fallen under Carthaginian control. Hanno the Elder was active in Bruttium. All of Magna Graecia except Rhegium and Tarentum was allied to Carthage. Hannibal was in Southern Italy, trying to gain the citadel of Tarentum, while the city had fallen to him in 213 BC. (Cottrell, Leonard, Hannibal: Enemy of Rome p. 172).

In Iberia, The Romans and Carthaginians were deadlocked with neither side gaining any decisive advantage. In fact, the situation was favorable enough for Hasdrubal Barca to move to Africa and crush the rebellion of Syphax without the Scipios gaining any advantages in Iberia.

In Sicily, the Siege of Syracuse continued. On the whole, the Romans under Marcus Claudius Marcellus had gained the upper hand. The Carthaginians had not recovered from the ravages of pestilence which had decimated their army.

Capua had defected to Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC. Hannibal had made Capua his winter quarter in 215 BC and had conducted his campaigns against Nola and Casilinum from here. The Romans had recaptured Casilinum, crucial for attacking Capua, in 214 BC. Since then they had conducted annual raids during harvest time to prevent the Capuans from gathering provisions. (Cottrell, Leonard, Hannibal: Enemy of Rome p. 173).

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