Scipio Defeats Hannibal at Zama: Rome Rises
Roman legions under Scipio Africanus crush Hannibal's forces at the Battle of Zama, ending decades of terror across Italy and securing Rome as the undisputed master of the Mediterranean. This decisive victory dismantles Carthage's military power, compelling the city-state to surrender its fleet and pay massive reparations that alter the balance of power in the ancient world.
October 19, 202 BC
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 19
In 202 BC, Hannibal Barca faced defeat at the hands of Roman General Scipio Africanus in the Battle of Zama, marking a decisive end to the Second Punic War. Thi…
King Gaiseric led his Vandal forces into Carthage, seizing the city without a fight after years of relentless pressure on Roman North Africa. By capturing this …
King John succumbed to dysentery at Newark-on-Trent, ending a disastrous reign defined by the loss of French territories and the forced signing of the Magna Car…
Heidelberg University held its first lecture on October 18, 1386. The Elector Palatine founded it after a theological dispute got his scholars expelled from Par…
French forces recaptured Bordeaux in 1453, ending the Hundred Years' War. England had held the city for 300 years — longer than the war itself. Bordeaux's wine …
Bordeaux surrendered to French forces on this day, ending the Hundred Years' War. By losing its final foothold in Aquitaine, England retreated from the continen…
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