Battle of the Second Punic War, taking place when a Carthaginian army sailed to Sardinia in support of a Sardinian revolt against Roman rule
Rome's decisive defeat of Carthaginian forces in Sardinia extinguished the island revolt and secured Roman control during the Second Punic War.
Key Facts
- Date
- Fall of 215 BC
- Location
- Between Sestu and Decimomannu, north of Caralis, Sardinia
- Roman commander
- Praetor Titus Manlius Torquatus
- Carthaginian commander
- Hasdrubal the Bald
- Outcome
- Roman victory; Carthaginian army destroyed, fleet scattered
- Naval engagement
- Roman fleet defeated Carthaginian fleet south of Sardinia
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Second Punic War, Sardinian locals rose in revolt against Roman rule and appealed to Carthage for military support. Carthage responded by dispatching an army under Hasdrubal the Bald to the island, hoping to exploit Roman difficulties and gain a strategic foothold in Sardinia.
In the fall of 215 BC, the Carthaginian army under Hasdrubal the Bald met a Roman force of similar size commanded by praetor Titus Manlius Torquatus in battle somewhere between Sestu and Decimomannu, just north of Caralis. The engagement, known variously as the Battle of Decimomannu, Cornus, or Caralis, resulted in a decisive Roman victory on land.
The Roman forces destroyed the Carthaginian army and subsequently scattered the Carthaginian fleet in a sea engagement south of Sardinia. The twin victories ended the Sardinian revolt and firmly reasserted Roman authority over the island, preventing Carthage from opening a second front during the broader conflict of the Second Punic War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Titus Manlius Torquatus.
Side B
1 belligerent
Hasdrubal the Bald.