Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus summary

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus.

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus , byname Cunctator, (died 203 bc), Roman commander and statesman. He served as consul in 233 bc (an office he would hold five times) and censor in 230. Elected dictator in 217, he used a strategy of harassment and attrition in the Second Punic War against Hannibal (218–201). These cautious delaying tactics (Cunctator means “delayer”) allowed Rome to recover and take the offensive, but Roman impatience led to defeat at the Battle of Cannae. He unsuccessfully opposed the invasion of Africa by Scipio Africanus in 205.

army Summary

Army, a large organized armed force trained for war, especially on land. The term may be applied to a large unit organized for independent action, or it may be applied to a nation’s or ruler’s complete military organization for land warfare. Throughout history, the character and organization of

The western Mediterranean during the Punic Wars

Punic Wars Summary

Punic Wars, (264–146 bce), a series of three wars between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) empire, resulting in the destruction of Carthage, the enslavement of its population, and Roman hegemony over the western Mediterranean. The origin of these conflicts is to be found in the

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not