The Top5 Greatest Roman Generals of all Time.

Who were the five greatest Roman generals of all time? This is certainly a question that every fan of Roman history has been asking him or herself when reading about the extraordinary exploits of the Roman army. Rome, in its incredibly long lasting history of many centuries, had many great generals, but there were some that were so outstanding that they rank amongst the greatest Before we start, as always, I have to remind people that this is of course a subjective list and you might possibly find different lists out there where other Roman generals rank among the top five. So then let's start. Gnaeus Julius Agricola Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general and governor known for his remarkable military campaigns and administrative achievements during the late 1st century AD. Agricola's exploits primarily took place in Britain, where he played a crucial role in the Roman conquest and consolidation of this new Roman province. In 77 AD, Agricola was appointed as the governor of Britain by the Roman Emperor Vespasian. He immediately set out to expand and strengthen Roman control in the region. Agricola led several successful military campaigns against the native Brytonic tribes, most notably the Ordovices in Wales and the Brigantes in northern England. His victories allowed for the establishment of Roman fortifications and control over vast territories. Under Agricola's leadership, Roman influence in Britain expanded significantly. He pushed northwards, reaching as far as modern-day Scotland. Agricola defeated the 83 AD, securing Roman control over much of Scotland. In this time, almost the whole of current-day Britain was under Roman control. He even ordered his prefect to sail around the northern coast, thus confirming that Britain was in fact an island. He also constructed a network of forts and roads, facilitating Roman administration and cultural assimilation. Agricola's administration was marked by his efforts to introduce Roman civilization and institutions to the native Brytons. He encouraged the development of towns and cities, promoted education, and sought to integrate the local elites into Roman society. Agricola's policies aimed to create a stable and prosperous province, fostering loyalty to Rome. Despite his achievements, Agricola's ambitions were curtailed by the Roman Emperor Domitian, who recalled him to Rome in 85 AD. There are debates about the reasons for Agricola's recall, with some suggesting political motives on Domitian's part. Agricola's exploits left a lasting impact on Britain, which would remain under Roman control for more than 300 years after his death. 4. Nero Claudius Drusus Nero Claudius Drusus, often referred to as Drusus the Elder, was a Roman general and statesman who lived in the 1st century BC. He was a member of the prominent Julio-Claudian dynasty, brother of the Emperor Augustus himself, and played a significant role in expanding Roman control deep into Germania, as far as the Elbe river. In 12 BC, he was appointed as a military commander in the region, leading his legions to several victories against the Germanic tribes, including the Catti, Cerusci, and Sicambri. Drusus successfully pushed the Roman frontier as far east as the Elbe river, thus establishing a line of fortifications and strengthening Roman control. During his campaigns, Drusus faced numerous challenges, including harsh terrains, formidable enemy forces, and logistical difficulties. However, he displayed exceptional military skills, leadership, and adaptability. Drusus often employed innovative tactics and strategies, such as constructing a network of roads and fortresses to secure Roman control and maintain supply lines. Under his leadership, Roman ships even sailed along the North Sea coast. Drusus' military successes earned him considerable popularity and accolades, and he became a beloved figure among the Roman legions. He also gained the trust and respect of his troops through his fair and disciplined approach, fostering a sense of loyalty and unity within the army. In addition to his military exploits, Drusus also played a crucial role in Roman politics. He was a trusted advisor to his brother, the Emperor, and contributed to the administration and governance of the Roman Empire. Drusus was known for his diplomatic skills and negotiation abilities, often engaging in diplomacy with the Germanic tribes to secure alliances and maintain peace along the frontier. Tragically, Drusus' life was cut short in 9 BC when he fell from his horse and suffered a fatal injury. His death was mourned by the Roman Empire, and he was given a grand state funeral. Unfortunately, Drusus' conquest of Germania was largely undone when first, Varus' legions were destroyed by the treachery of Arminius, and secondly, when Drusus' no less talented son Germanicus' conquest of Germania was cut short by the Emperor Tiberius. And if you are a Rome nerd like me and chances are pretty high that you are if you are watching this video, then you might be interested in the incredible rings and other Roman accessories which the SPQR shop is building. They make legionary rings, they make rings with different themes, they even make coin replicas, statues, pendants, attributes and terracottas. And the most incredible thing is that they handcraft every single piece. That's right, this is really high quality handcrafted material. There is really no better present for yourself or someone you know who might be a Rome fan. I put the link to their shop in the video description and into the pinned comment, and with this link you can get a 10% rebate on every purchase if you type in the rebate code So go and check out their assortment, it's really quite incredible. 3. Flavius Stilico Flavius Stilico, the half vandal, was the defender of the Western Roman Empire at the beginning of the 5th century, a time when the Roman Empire was under attack from many different Germanic tribes. He stopped several incursions into Italy, defeating the feared Alaric and his Visigoths in 402 and driving them back to Illyricum. In 405, a huge federation of Germanic tribes invaded Italy again under command of Radageisus, and Stilico defeated Radageisus twice in 405 and 406. The times were desperate and so Stilico had to recruit slaves, gladiators and basically everybody who normally was not considered worthy to join the army. But his measures paid off and he stopped Radageisus, and after utterly defeating and executing Radageisus, he forced 12.000 Germanic warriors from the enemies to join the Roman army. In 406, after defeating Radageisus, Stilico planned to attack the Eastern Roman Empire and take Illyricum from the east with the help of Alaric. Alaric would be made magister militum and his Visigoths would become foederati of the Western Roman Empire. That way he strategized, Alaric's threat would be neutralized and he could then turn his attention towards defending the borders of the Western Empire. Unfortunately though, Stilico was unable to save Gaul from being pillaged by the barbarians in 407, as he possibly had to withdraw border troops from the Rhine frontier for the defense of Italy some years prior. He fell from grace and was killed in 408 AD. And so died the defender of the Western Roman Empire. As long as his military genius was alive, Rome was saved time and time again from the barbarian invaders. But when Stilico was killed, only two years later was Rome sacked and Alaric, who under Stilico might have become a powerful ally of Rome, instead became one of Rome's most powerful enemies. Thus began the crumbling of the Western Roman Empire, and the military genius of Stilico, who was able to defeat numerically larger Germanic armies with at times inexperienced slaves and gladiators, proved to be a vital figure for the survival of the West. With Stilico's death in fact also began the slow death of the Western Roman Empire that would follow Stilico only 70 years later. And please consider supporting this channel via Patreon or YouTube membership, because I really need your help in order to be able to continue this work on Late Roman History. Without your support I don't know how much longer I can continue this channel, because as you can imagine the YouTube algorithm does not exactly push a niche topic such as Late Roman History. Alternatively you can help this channel by buying my merch directly here on YouTube. I have created a merch store with some cool or funny or weird Late Roman merch which you can buy directly here via YouTube in the video description. Thank you very much. 2. Flavius Bellisarius We would think that after the fall of the Western Roman Empire the time for the great Roman generals was over, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact one of the greatest Roman generals of all time was born after the Western Empire had ceased to be, but the Eastern Roman Empire was still strong and around the year 500 Bellisarius was born, who was interestingly still a native Latin speaker. Although his early career as a general was still subpar, winning only one out of four battles in the war against Persia, he was by that time still young and inexperienced. But we can assume that he learned from his mistakes, because afterwards he would go on to become a legendary general the likes of which the Romans had not seen in hundreds of years. Thanks to his military brilliance, Bellisarius was able to completely defeat the Vandals in 533 and 534 with a quite small army of only 17.000 men against a much larger enemy. Even more impressive were his exploits in the war against the Ostrogothic Kingdom. In the time span of basically only four years he managed to utterly defeat the Ostrogoths, a much more powerful adversary than the Vandals with even less men, possibly only around 15.000. Like the Vandal Kingdom, the Ostrogothic Kingdom was incorporated again into the Roman Empire and the victory could have been complete, but Bellisarius never received enough support from the Emperor Justinian. And so the Ostrogoths would make a comeback, helped by the disastrous plague outbreak of 541 that killed millions in the Roman Empire. And thus, when Bellisarius was tasked to save Italy from the resurging Ostrogoths, receiving almost no support from the Emperor, he was not able to achieve a victory, not even with his tactical skills. But in 559, at the age of around 60, he saved Constantinople, the capital city of the Roman Empire, from an invasion of the Kutrigors. Here, Bellisarius' genius was especially visible since he defeated a numerically vastly superior foe. It is said that Bellisarius commanded only 300 veterans against thousands of enemies and yet still won. A fitting last victory for this great general who is often unrightfully neglected because he lived in a time where many historians wrongly assume that the Roman Empire was dead. 1. Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus While Flavius Bellisarius was undoubtedly a military genius, winning most of his battles against a superior enemy force, there is no other Roman general with a 100% victory rate, except for Scipio Africanus. Scipio Africanus indeed won every single one of his battles in which he was in command. He gained fame in the Second Punic War. After the heavy defeats and great losses which the legendary great enemy of Rome Hannibal had inflicted, Roman morale was at a low. After Publius Cornelius Scipio was given command in 210 BC, he led the Romans from victory to victory against the Carthaginians in this Second Punic War. He won at Carthago Nova, capturing the city in Spain for the Romans in 209 BC. In 208 BC he defeated the Carthaginians at Baicula. Then again in 206 BC at Illipa. Then he besieged the Carthaginian city of Utica in 204 BC, where after initially being forced to withdraw, he returned again and won in 203 BC, sacking several more Carthaginian cities. He again defeated the Carthaginians at the Battle of the Great Plains in the same year, but his greatest exploit came in 202 BC when he fought against the legendary Hannibal Barca himself. A huge battle was fought at Zama. Even though Scipio had the numerical disadvantage with about 30.000 Romans versus 40.000 or even 50.000 Carthaginians, he was able to achieve an utter victory against the feared Hannibal. It is assumed that half of the Carthaginian army was killed and the other half wounded. And thus had Publius Cornelius Scipio become Africanus, for he had defeated the feared Hannibal Barca himself and he had won the Second Punic War. It was his military brilliance and strategic skill which enabled the Romans to rush from victory to victory and thus become the dominant military power in the Western Mediterranean by 200 BC. Scipio Africanus will thus be forever rightfully remembered as the man who brought down mighty Hannibal and who enabled Rome to later become the Roman Empire. And please like and subscribe so that you won't miss any future videos on the fascinating era of the late Roman Empire. And please consider supporting my work on Patreon or via a YouTube membership, because the long-term sustainability of this channel really depends on your support. And I would like to give a shout-out to our new Sol Invictus supporter Archie Williams. Thank you so much Archie Williams for your generous support. It's thanks to people like you that this channel is possible. And I would also like to thank our two new Kaiser supporters ViperWolf and Ivan Iles. Thank you so much ViperWolf and Ivan Iles for your amazing support. I cannot thank you guys enough. This channel would not work without our amazing Patreon and YouTube members and I want to thank each and everyone who is supporting this channel in any form. And if you want to learn more about Flavius Tidilco, you can watch this video here in the upper right corner. But if you want to learn more about Flavius Belisarius, you can watch the other video in the lower right corner. I say thanks again to all friends of Roman History. Gratias ti biago and benevalete.