The battle of Sentinum that took place during the 3rd Samnite war was a pivotal battle in the history of the early republic in that it basically eliminated the last major threat to Roman expansion in Italy itself and made Rome the dominant power on the Italian peninsular-breaking the power of the Samnites, Etruscan and Umbrians in the process ( the social war withstanding.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sentinum
However, the two roman commanders took a huge risk at this battle. Not only were they outnumbered 2 to 1 (roughly 80,000 Umbrian, etruscian, Senoes gauls and Samnite forces to 40,000 Roman and Socii troops.) Rome had already suffered a defeat at Camerinum which saw 1 legion under Scipio Barbatus decimated and, faced with a huge coalition, was on the back foot. In order to even the odds, the two roman commanders, Publius Decius Mus and Fabius Maximus Rullianus sent a small detachment force to raid Etruscan land, forcing there desertion and reducing the allied army to 50,000 men.
Still, things could still have gone badly wrong. During the battle, Decimus Mus launched a foolish assault on the Gauls, who were able to outmaneuver and force back the Roman forces on his wing, and threatened to surround the entire Roman led army. Only Decimus committing " Devotio"- basically suicide by charging into the enemy-was able to rally his men long enough for Fabius' men to come to their aid, having already routed the Samnite led wing. Surrounded, the Senoes Gauls were surrounded and slaughtered, leaving 25,000 allies dead, and over 13,000 captured. The cream of the allied army had been destroyed, leaving Rome the undisputed master of Central and Southern Italy.
But what if things were reversed? What if the Romans had been surrounded and butchered? Fabius and Mus were Romes best commanders, and the army they led was Romes main field army. With all of them dead or captured, Rome would (temporarily) be undefended. Could the allies have destroyed Rome? Would the Romans be forced to make peace (true, they had been humiliated by the Samnites in the past, but not on this scale.) Would Rome swiftly recover and fight back? Would roman dominance be stopped, or merely delayed? Could Rome at this point in its history even be outright defeated at all?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sentinum
However, the two roman commanders took a huge risk at this battle. Not only were they outnumbered 2 to 1 (roughly 80,000 Umbrian, etruscian, Senoes gauls and Samnite forces to 40,000 Roman and Socii troops.) Rome had already suffered a defeat at Camerinum which saw 1 legion under Scipio Barbatus decimated and, faced with a huge coalition, was on the back foot. In order to even the odds, the two roman commanders, Publius Decius Mus and Fabius Maximus Rullianus sent a small detachment force to raid Etruscan land, forcing there desertion and reducing the allied army to 50,000 men.
Still, things could still have gone badly wrong. During the battle, Decimus Mus launched a foolish assault on the Gauls, who were able to outmaneuver and force back the Roman forces on his wing, and threatened to surround the entire Roman led army. Only Decimus committing " Devotio"- basically suicide by charging into the enemy-was able to rally his men long enough for Fabius' men to come to their aid, having already routed the Samnite led wing. Surrounded, the Senoes Gauls were surrounded and slaughtered, leaving 25,000 allies dead, and over 13,000 captured. The cream of the allied army had been destroyed, leaving Rome the undisputed master of Central and Southern Italy.
But what if things were reversed? What if the Romans had been surrounded and butchered? Fabius and Mus were Romes best commanders, and the army they led was Romes main field army. With all of them dead or captured, Rome would (temporarily) be undefended. Could the allies have destroyed Rome? Would the Romans be forced to make peace (true, they had been humiliated by the Samnites in the past, but not on this scale.) Would Rome swiftly recover and fight back? Would roman dominance be stopped, or merely delayed? Could Rome at this point in its history even be outright defeated at all?
