From Caesar to Constantine of Illyria, the 7 greatest Roman generals

2023-03-03 19:38:11Histori SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
From Caesar to Constantine of Illyria, the 7 greatest Roman generals

The Roman Empire is considered by historians and scholars to be the most perfect empire that ever existed, with a stable economy, a strong government, and a deadly professional army. Rome's rich history is marked by its great generals. These are the 7 biggest.

7 – Flavius ??Aetius

Flavius ??Aetius lived from 454-396 BC, a time when the Western Roman Empire was in chaos and faced threats from all sides. The empire had seen rapid growth and the fall of several military leaders over the past decade, with the Huns led by the brutal leader Attila seeking to enter Italy with their armies. Flavius ??served in the Imperial Court, before being taken hostage for three years by King Alcaric of the Visigoths. These experiences raised him militarily bringing him success in later years. In 451 BC, Flavius ??won the battle for which he is still famous today. Attila, hungry for power, decided to attack the Gauls at the place where Flavius ??was standing. But Flavius ??joined his old enemy Theodoric I of the Visigoths to face Attila who was said to have 300,000 men. After a war in which both sides suffered heavy losses, Flavius ??emerged victorious with his army. Such a work gave Flavius ??the title "the last true Roman".

6 – Marcus Vispanius Agrippa

Agrippa lived during the time of great Roman generals like Julius Caesar and Pompey, and served in the highest and most respected order of military leaders under Rome's greatest emperor: Caesar Augustus. Agrippa was one of Augustus' best friends throughout his early life, and rose to power with Octavian as the adopted nephew of Julius Caesar, and was appointed governor of Gaul in 39 BC. Agrippa was hailed throughout Rome for putting down a Gallic rebellion, and became famous for refusing aid that would affect his triumph. Octavian then took control of the Roman Empire, when Agrippa won his most famous victory, the naval clash between the Egyptian forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII, the Battle of Actium in 31 BC

5 – Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus

Lucius was twice consul of Rome, responsible for the fall of the great kingdom of Macedonia. Since the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, Macedonia was torn apart by civil wars due to the fact that Alexander did not produce any heirs. Tensions rose between Rome and Macedonia when King Philip V ruled Rome. Thus, in 171 BC, in what is known as the Third Macedonian War, Rome and Macedonia were at each other's throats after King Perseus defeated an army Roman at the battle of Calycinus. Later that year, Lucius dealt the final blow to Macedonia at the decisive battle of Pydna. Lucius ordered the execution of 500 Macedonian soldiers and sent many more into exile before looting large sums of money

4 – Constantine the Great

His birth name was Flavius ??Valerius Constantinus. He was the son of the Illyrian Commander Constantinus Chlorus. In 305 he was co-emperor. A year later, he joined his family in Britain. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to support and tolerate Christianity in his empire.

He moved the Roman capital from the western city of Rome to the eastern city of Constantinople (Istanbul), a city located between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and thus flourished as a major trading center for people from all over the world. . Thus, he is considered the great founder of the Eastern Roman Empire (also called the Byzantine Empire), which managed to live for 1,000 years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. He established his rule by defeating Maxentius and Licinius during the civil wars. During his reign he led successful campaigns against the Franks, Alemanni, Visigoths, and Sarmatians. He is considered one of the best emperors of the Byzantine Empire.

3 – Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Known simply as Pompey, he lived in the years 106-48, experiencing many wars and invasions during his life. With Pompey's help, Lucius Cornelius Sulla returned to Rome from successful campaigns against King Mithidates, punishing the powerful Marian family for control of Italy in a civil war. Sulla took full control of Rome and declared himself dictator for life. Sulla was impressed with Pompey's work, and over the decades, he fought successful campaigns – the first of which in Sicily and Africa in 82-81 BC. He secured Sicily and managed to bring a large supply of grain to Rome. Pompey was proclaimed Emperor by his loyal soldiers and asked Sulla to give Pompey the title "Pompey the Great".

2 – Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus

The so-called Scipio lived in the years 236-186 BC and is considered one of the greatest generals in all of history. After joining the Roman army at a young age during the treacherous Second War against Carthage and led by Hannibal Barca, Scipio vowed to fight to the end. He served with distinction and notably managed to survive the battles of Ticinus, Trebia and Cannae. Scipio saved his father's life when he was 18 years old. Scipio's commitment to achieving Roman victory was so strong that, during a conference in which Rome's leaders had gathered to discuss the possibility of surrender, Scipio ran into the room, saying that they must never surrender. Scipio gained great respect for his condescending behavior towards prisoners, and on one occasion, after he was offered a beautiful woman as a spoil of war, he became engaged to her. In 205 BC Scipio was given the title of consul and returned to Africa to resume his campaign against the Carthaginians, in which he fought his most legendary and famous battle: Zama.

1 – Julius Caesar

From Caesar to Constantine of Illyria, the 7 greatest Roman generals

Julius Caesar is perhaps the most famous Roman who ever lived. He was a brilliant politician, writer, statesman, and of course, an absolute military genius general, and the most legendary of all Rome. Caesar was born in 100 BC into a noble family and joined the army in 85 after the sudden death of his father. Caesar was almost killed in his 20s when Sulla became dictator of Rome in 82. He quickly began to eliminate his enemies by execution, and Caesar was against his policies, which forced him to leave Rome, during which time he contracted malaria, which nearly killed him. Caesar returned to Rome after Sulla's death in 78, quickly becoming extremely popular, holding gladiatorial games for the public. He was appointed to the post of head of consuls, for the fifth time. That same year, he became dictator for life and decided to take a campaign against Parthia, the only danger to the borders of Rome. His dictatorial power had aroused unpopularity and had been severely criticized by his enemies.

A conspiracy was carried out against Caesar by his friends and defenders. Here we may mention Cimber, Casca, Cassius, and Marcus Junius Brutus. On March 15, 44, he was stabbed to death in the senate chamber. In his will, Caesaria left everything to his 18-year-old nephew, Octavian, later known as Augustus.

Caesar has always been one of the most controversial historical figures. His followers had seen in Caesar the defender of human rights against an oligarchy. His enemies had seen Caesar as an ambitious demagogue who had forced his way to dictatorial power and destroyed the republic. He was excellent in war, oratory and as a statesman. /History Channel/VoxNews

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