First Battle of Tapae
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| Dacian Wars |
|---|
| 1st Tapae – 2nd Tapae – Adamclisi – Sarmisegetusa |
Two battles took place at Tapae before the Dacian wars, one in 87 and one in 88.
Contents |
[edit] Background
In 86, the Dacian king Duras ordered his troops to attack south of the Danube, the Roman province of Moesia.
After this attack, the Roman emperor Domitian personally arrived in Moesia, reorganized the province into Moesia Inferior and Moesia Superior, and planed a future attack into Dacia.
[edit] The battle of 87
| Battle of Tapae | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Dacian Wars | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Combatants | |||||||
| Dacia | Roman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Decebalus | Cornelius Fuscus | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| unknown | 5 or 6 legions | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| unknown | heavy | ||||||
Domitian, started a strong offensive against Dacia in 87, ordering General Cornelius Fuscus to attack. Therefore, in the summer of 87, Fuscus along with five or six legions crosses the Danube.
They encountered the Dacian army at Tapae, where the Romans were ambushed, suffering a great defeat. Almost all of the soldiers from Legio V Alaude were killed, the Dacians captured their flags and war machines, and general Cornelius Fuscus himself was killed in battle.
After this victory, the Dacian king Diurpaneus received the name of Decebalus, meaning the brave or the most powerful.
[edit] The battle of 88
| Battle of Tapae | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Dacian Wars | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Combatants | |||||||
| Dacia | Roman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Decebalus | Tettius Iulianus | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| unknown | around 4 legions | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||
The Roman offensive continued the following year, with general Tettius Iulianus having now taking command. The Roman army entered Dacia following the same route Cornelius Fuscus did in the previous year.
The battle took place mainly in the same area, at Tapae, this time the outcome being a Roman victory. Because of the difficult road to Sarmizegetusa, the capital of Dacia, and because of several defeats suffered by Domitian in Pannonia, the Roman offensive halted and Decebalus and Domitian concluded peace.
[edit] Aftermath
Following the peace of 89, Decebalus becomes a client king of Rome, receiving money, craftsmen and war machines from the Roman Empire, to defend the empire’s borders. Some historians believe this unfavorable peace for the Romans might have been the cause for Domitian's assassination in September 96.
Decebalus, instead of using the money as Rome intended, decided to built new citadels in the mountains, in important strategic points, and to reinforce the existing ones. This was one of the reasons for the Roman attack of 101, under Emperor Trajan.
