In this collection we look at some of the most significant battles that shaped the history of the Roman Republic. There were defeats such as at Allia River to the Celts in 390 BCE or at Cannae in 216 BCE when the Carthaginians led by Hannibal dealt the Romans a chasing loss. There were plenty of victories, too, like Julius Ceasar's first big win against the Gauls at Colmar in 58 BCE. In addition, we look at those great battles that ripped the Republic apart when civil war raged and generals battled for supremacy whose names would go down in history as amongst the greatest of all military commanders.
Marcus Antonius, better known as Mark Antony, had already enjoyed a glittering military career by the time of Philippi with a long series of successes as Caesar's right-hand man and Master of the Horse. Antony was notoriously bad at leadership in peace time and all too easily neglected politics for wild parties, but in the chaos and horror of battle he was second to none.
