Unless the most dense person knows nothing about Spartak. And then he will surely say at least a minimum: “Yes, yes, it was the uprising of Spartacus. The gladiators fought for freedom. ”
Man of the legend
Someone will call the football club Spartak. Theaters will remember the ballet Spartak and musicals. Literature lovers will list plays and novels. Cinema fans - films about this man.
How did he earn such fame? The movement of slaves for freedom in ancient Rome (74–71 BC) was so powerful that the revolt of Spartac, century after century, provides
food for thought. His name is a symbol of the liberation struggle.
Sold to gladiators
And where did the slave conspiracy led by Spartacus originate? He is from a family of aristocrats. Born in Thrace (present-day Bulgaria). His name is no coincidence in tune with the family of kings of the Spartokid clan.
Spartak is smart and educated. Like all men of this nation, he considered the military career to be the only worthy one. From the age of 18 - a warrior of the Roman army. She was the strongest then. The young fighter well studied her organization and manner of warfare. It came in handy for the war of Sparta.
Later, the Thracian left for his homeland, which began the war with Rome. Fought. He was captured and sold into slavery.
By the way, he was twice captured. But the first time he was able to escape. When the Romans captured him a second time, they sold the captive to a gladiatorial school in Kanui, where a conspiracy of slaves led by Spartacus arose.
A native of the elite layers was forced, for the amusement of the public, to fight in the arena with as unhappy as he was. Staying at a gladiator's school is simply a delayed death penalty.
But Spartak was strong not only physically. Thanks to fortitude, fighting stamina, he was respected by gladiators.
Conspiracy and Escape
The more slaves became in ancient Rome, the more exploitation became tougher. They ran away, burned the property of the owners, killed them. There were performances with arms in hand. But those were scattered riots.
In 74 BC e. 200 conspirators appeared in the Capuan school of gladiators. At the head is a native of Thrace.
Then Capua, where a slave conspiracy led by Spartacus arose, was no different from other cities. But soon they will start talking about her. After all, the secret plan was revealed. The participants were seized. Only 78 people were saved. They attacked the guards. They broke down the doors of the school and fled the city.
We went to Vesuvius. They set up camp on the mountain. Gladiators from other schools, slaves from plantations, shepherds, peasants, soldiers flocked to the rebels from everywhere.
First battle. First victory
Capua sent her troops to fight the fugitives. But they suffered one defeat after another. This became known in Rome. A three thousandth detachment was sent to suppress the slaves. He was led by Claudius Pulhr.
This task seemed simple to him. Only one path led to the top of the mountain. Claudius intended to block it - then the starving rebels themselves would surrender.
Spartak was smarter. He ordered the soldiers to weave ropes from wild grape vines and ladders from willow twigs. At night, the soldiers went downstairs. Captured by surprise, the detachment of the Romans was defeated.
"Slave war"
Claudius learned about the defeat in the capital. Regular troops were sent to suppress the "slave war", as they said then. At their head is the praetor Varius. He forced the rebels to retreat south. Spartak himself was not eager for battle. His army was still weaker than the enemy. He planned to reach the rich southern regions of the country. There to recruit more soldiers and only then give battle to the Romans.
But Varius, pursuing the rebels, divided his army into parts. This helped Spartak deal one after another with both enemy units.
As a result of these and other victories, the entire south of Italy was controlled by the rebel. But Spartak did not intend to settle here. He dreamed of taking his fighters to Thrace, Germany, Gaul so that they returned home. And because the army of runaway slaves begins its journey to the Alps.
The worst enemy
Only now, receiving reports on the scope of the rebellion, about 120 thousand soldiers who gathered under the banner of Spartak, the Senate realized the importance of war with them. Two large armies opposed the rebels. The consuls Gellius and Lentulus led them into battle.
Leaving rich territories did not appeal to all of Spartak. Yes, even after such a number of victories! Few believed in the defeat of the Spartacus rebellion. And the leader himself, apparently, too. 30 thousand dissatisfied fighters (under the leadership of Crixus) separated from the leader of the uprising, became a separate camp. They were overtaken by the soldiers of Hell and killed. Kriks himself died too.
Lentulus hunted for Spartacus. But he defeated his detachment, and at the same time, parts of Helium that came to his aid.
Spartacus quickly left Italy. Here he is in Cisalpine Gaul. Here he was met by the 10-thousandth army of the praetor Gaius Var. And again, fate favors the slaves.
Fatal mistake
The apogee of the war of the oppressed for its freedom. Everything was decided right now. How will Spartak behave? Will a slave rebellion fail?
The road to Transalpine Gaul, beyond the Alps, is open. And the leader suddenly turns back - to Italy! Why? There is a version that he counted on the support of Sertorius, but he was killed. Here are the reasons for the defeat of the uprising of Spartacus.
The news that the rebel army was marching on Rome caused a panic among the townspeople. They said that the commander ordered to go lightly to this throw. That is, an extra convoy is to burn, kill prisoners and slaughter pack animals.
Spartak from a simple gladiator turned into the most dangerous enemy of the great Rome. We took into account the fact that the main armies of the Romans were in Thrace and Spain. In Rome, in a hurry, they chose a new commander-in-chief - Mark Crassus.
And Spartak suddenly changed his mind to go to the capital. He still considered his army weaker than the Roman. Instead of northern Gaul, at the gates of which he was already standing, he turned to southern Sicily.
This was his mistake. Here are the causes of the defeat of the uprising of Spartacus. Many rebels took this decision poorly. 10 thousand people simply separated from the main part of the army. Crassus immediately attacked them. Destroyed two-thirds of the composition and continued the pursuit of Spartak.
And he was already on the coast and agreed with the pirates to transport troops to the island. But they deceived him. Slowly brought the ships out of the Strait of Messina.
The rebellious slaves, meanwhile, approached the southernmost part of the Brucium region - Regia. Here the strait between Italy and Sicily is the narrowest. Spartak, whom it was almost impossible to make change his decision, decided to sail on makeshift rafts. Logs and barrels tied with branches. But the storm that fell ruined the frail fleet.
Spartak saw - the battle with Crassus will have to accept. And he kept pulling. I realized that you can cut off the Spartacists from the mainland. To do this, dug a ditch 55 km long. From sea to sea. Slaves themselves will surrender when there is nothing to eat.
But the leader of the rebels did not want to passively wait. He led the army to the port of Brundisy. I thought there was a chance to break out of Italy. Powerful reinforcements came to Crassus.
Autumn 71 BC e. on the river Silarius in a fierce battle, the Romans defeated the army of Spartacus. The commander who fought along with the others was killed.
From Capua, where a conspiracy of slaves led by Spartacus arose, to the Silarius River, this is the three-year journey for the liberation of slaves. The struggle is tense but unsuccessful.
Great commander
The saga called "Spartacus, the revolt of the slaves" ended. Many found death on the battlefield. And 6 thousand soldiers who were captured were crucified on crosses. This terrible sight stretched along the entire tract - from Capua to Rome. On the famous Appian Way.
After the war of Sparta, there were no significant riots of slaves. Although bonded people never stopped their protests - in a variety of forms.
So, the slave war is lost. Yes, in it, as in any rebellion, there was a spontaneous element, and ordinary miscalculations. However, Spartak himself, despite the fact that he did not study military science, is considered a brilliant commander. For a long time he emerged victorious in a war where the enemy had the best strength. Today he is still set as an example as a military strategist.