| Mercenary War |
Article Index for Mercenary |
Website Links For Mercenary |
Information AboutMercenary War |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MERCENARY WAR | |
| 3rd century bc | |
| wars involving carthage | |
| mercenary warfare | |
| history of tunisia | |
The Mercenary War ( C. 240 BC ) — also called the ''Libyan war'' and the ''Truceless war'' by Polybius — was an uprising of Mercenary armies formerly in the employ of Carthage , backed by Libyan settlements revolting against Carthaginian control. The war began as a dispute between the mercenary armies who fought the First Punic War on Carthage's behalf, and a destiture Carthage (who had lost most of its wealth due to the indemnities imposed by Rome as part of the peace treaty) over payment of money owed the mercenaries. The dispute grew until the mercenaries seized Tunis by force of arms, and directly threatened Carthage, who then capitulated to the mercenary's demands. The conflict would have ended there, had not two of the mercenary commanders — Spendius and Mathos — convinced the Libyan conscripts in the army to accept their leadership, convinced the Libyans that Carthage would take revenge against them for their part in the conflict once the foriegn mercenaries were paid and sent home, convinced the combined mercenary armies to revolt against Carthage, and convinced the various Libyan towns and cities to back the revolt. What had been a hotly contested "labor dispute" exploded into a full-scale revolution. Heavily outmatched in terms of troops and supplies, an unprepared Carthage fared poorly in the initial engagements of the war, especially under the inept generalship of Hanno The Great . However, as the war progressed, Hamilcar Barca was first given joint command with Hanno, and finally full command of Carthage's army. Even though he was vastly outnumbered and facing a hardened mercenary army which he himself had used to fight against the Roman Legion s, Hamilcar displayed superior military leadership, and insightful use of psychology in the conflict. Hamilcar's talents eventually won over a portion of the mercenary armies back to Carthage, and at the decisive Battle Of "The Saw" , Hamilcar exterminated the majority of the rebel army. With the aid of a Carthaginian general Hannibal (not the famous Hannibal Barca who was Hamiclar's son, but another general of that name), and reinforcements under the further command of Hanno the Great, the remnents of the mercenary revolt were finally put down. The war had repercussions for Carthage, both internally, and internationally. Internally, the victory of Hamilcar Barca greatly enhanced the prestige and power of the Barcid family, whose most famous member — Hannibal — would lead Carthage in the Second Punic War . Internationally, Rome used the "invitation" of the mercenaries that had captured Sardinia to occupy the island, and when Carthage prepared a force to pursue the remnants of the mercenaries there, Rome claimed that Carthage's military preparations were to be used against Rome, and declared war on Carthage. Carthage immediatly surrendered rather than enter conflict with Rome again, giving up all claims on Sardinia, and placing themselves in debt to Rome by another 1200 talents. BACKGROUND
Once in Sicca Veneria, the mercenaries collaborated on a list of demands and "submitted that this was the sum they should demand from the Carthaginians" Appian, ''The History of Rome: The Sicilian Wars'', 2.7 ; Diodorus, 25.6'1;
Walbank, 567.
COURSE OF THE WAR Despite the more generous settlement, two mercenaries, Spendius and Matho , organized a rebellion, based on speculation that after the foreigners left Africa, Carthage would be unwilling, or simply unable, to pay those remaining. In 240 BC Gesco and other officials were taken prisoner by the mercenary leadership and open warfare ensued. The Libyan population, discontent with Carthaginian rule, supported the rebels. Carthage still had some mercenaries quartered in Tunis, and was also able to deploy the mercenaries still in Sicily and to hire fresh troops. Initially neither side had any clear advantage, and a mercenary Siege of Utica , the largest Carthaginian city after Carthage itself, resulted in the Battle Of The Bagradas River which ended with a Carthaginian victory. The conflict escalated when the mercenary leadership tortured and killed its Carthaginian prisoners and in response the Carthaginians committed similar actions. These atrocities were intended to prevent any possibility of a negotiated settlement. Hamilcar Barca , general from the campaigns in Sicily, was given supreme command, and eventually defeated the rebels in 237 BC , but the conduct of the war was barbaric even by the standards of the time. Polybius called it a "truceless war", without any concept of rules of warfare and exceeding all other conflicts in cruelty, ending only with the total annihilation of one of the opponents. RELATIONS WITH ROME Initially, a smaller mercenary revolt occurred on Sardinia , and the rebels took control of the island. When the conflict in Africa turned in favor of Carthage, the Sardinian rebels appealed to Rome for protection. However, it was in Rome's self-interest for Carthage to achieve stability and to recover economically so it could continue paying the indemnities imposed after the First Punic War. Rome rejected the appeal, and indirectly supported its former adversary by releasing Carthaginian prisoners and prohibiting trade with the mercenaries. Nevertheless, in 238 BC - 237 BC , Rome annexed Sardinia on the pretext that the Carthaginian navy had been preying on Roman shipping; this claim was probably a baseless excuse for expanding Roman influence in the Mediterranean Sea by seizing an island located in a strategic position. Weakened by both the First Punic War and the Mercenary War, Carthage surrendered Sardinia and agreed to pay a further indemnity. The seizure of Sardinia and the outrageous extra indemnity fueled resentment in Carthage. The loss of Sardinia also encouraged Hamilcar, together with his son-in-law Hasdrubal and his son Hannibal to establish a power base in Hispania , outside Rome's Sphere Of Influence , which later became the source of wealth and manpower for Hannibal's initial campaigns in the Second Punic War . CHRONOLOGY OF THE WAR 241 BC
. 240 BC
239 BC
Diodorus, 25.3'1..
Diodorus, 25.3'2..
Nepos, 22:2.3 ; Livy, ''History of Rome'', 21.41 ]; Appian, ''History of Rome: The Sicilian Wars'' 2.10 , ''History of Rome: The Punic Wars'' 5'a ; Walbank, 671; ..
238 BC
MERCENARY WAR IN LITERATURE AND POPULAR CULTURE Salammbô is a novel by Gustave Flaubert set before and during the revolt. A number of Other Works are based on Flaubert's novel. BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES A note on the sources Finding historical sources for ''The Mercenary War'' suffers from the same problem as any history of s of Carthaginian history exist, except as fragments in translation quoted by Roman and Greek historians. The main extant account of the Mercenary War is that of Polybius , a Greek historian writing many years after the events portrayed here. While it is likely that he based much of his account on now-lost works of prior Greek and Roman historians, it is unlikely that they had an unbiased view of Carthage and its history. When reading such history it is wise to take this into account. We have the ''best'' historical reconstruction that we can derive, but we must also remember that its validity is in question. Modern Ancient
FOOTNOTES EXTERNAL LINKS – |
|
|