Battle of Fano
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Fano - also known as the Battle of Fanum Fortunae - was fought in January 271 between the Roman Empire
and the Alamanni
. The Romans were led by Emperor Aurelian
, and they were victorious.
Aurelian had been defeated by the Alamanni at the Battle of Placentia
in January 271, but he had rallied his men, and started pursuing the Alamanni, who were quickly moving towards a defenceless Rome
. Finally, the Roman Army
caught and forced a fight with the Alamanni on the Metaurus River, just inland of Fano
. The crucial moment of the battle was when the Alamanni got pinned against the river, so that, when the Germanic line was forced to give way, many Alamanni fell in the river and drowned.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and the Alamanni
Alamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
. The Romans were led by Emperor Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
, and they were victorious.
Aurelian had been defeated by the Alamanni at the Battle of Placentia
Battle of Placentia
The Battle of Placentia was fought in January 271 between a Roman army led by Emperor Aurelian and the Alamanni , near modern Piacenza....
in January 271, but he had rallied his men, and started pursuing the Alamanni, who were quickly moving towards a defenceless Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Finally, the Roman Army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
caught and forced a fight with the Alamanni on the Metaurus River, just inland of Fano
Fano
Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea...
. The crucial moment of the battle was when the Alamanni got pinned against the river, so that, when the Germanic line was forced to give way, many Alamanni fell in the river and drowned.