Gaius Claudius Nero

Gaius Claudius Nero, Roman military commander during the latter half of the Second Punic War (218–201 bce). He was elected co-consul in 207 bce and later that year engineered a Roman victory at the Battle of the Metaurus (Metauro) in northeastern Italy. The battle marked a turning point in the war and effectively checked further Carthaginian ambitions in Italy.

Sent to Spain in 211 bce, he was a praetor at Tarraco (Tarragona) and along the Ebro River in Spain. There he held Hasdrubal Barca, Hannibal’s younger brother, at bay until Hasdrubal escaped by deceit. Hasdrubal had asked for a day to negotiate and then used fog as cover to leave Spain with his army. Claudius Nero then served around Capua as propraetor. Although often at odds with senior co-consul Marcus Livius Salinator, Claudius Nero had earlier served under other senior consuls in Campania, including his kinsman Marcus Claudius Marcellus. With his army based near Metapontum in southern Italy, Claudius Nero intercepted a message from scouts dispatched by Hasdrubal . Hasdrubal was probing the Po Valley in an effort to attract Hannibal and unite their forces.

Having discerned Hasdrubal’s intentions, Claudius Nero stealthily deployed his army north to the Metaurus River area, marching quickly from the extreme south to the extreme north of Italy. That rapid movement escaped the notice of Hannibal and Hasdrubal, as Claudius Nero had primarily marched his troops by night. He merged his own army with that of Livius Salinator, and both armies shared the same tents so that the invading Carthaginians would not easily discover his presence. As the Romans took the field, Hasdrubal apparently noticed tired horses and unfamiliar arms among their ranks. Having become acquainted with Roman camp routine, he was also alerted to the presence of a second consul on the field by the sound of multiple trumpet blasts.

Hasdrubal’s response was to retreat. His Celtic allies largely abandoned the field, and his primary guides also fled; both groups possibly interpreted Hasdrubal’s withdrawal as a full concession. The reduced Carthaginian forces wandered westward along the oxbows of the Metaurus River and were finally met in battle by the combined Roman army. While Livius Salinator engaged the main body of Carthaginians led by Hasdrubal, Claudius Nero boldly repositioned his force, marching the length of the field to attack Hasdrubal’s weaker right flank. Its flank turned, the Carthaginian force was routed, and Hasdrubal was killed and decapitated. After the Metaurus, Claudius Nero returned south. According to the Roman historian Livy, Claudius Nero had Hasdrubal’s head taken to Hannibal’s camp in southern Italy. Upon seeing his brother’s head, Hannibal is said to have exclaimed, “There lies the fate of Carthage.”

Although co-consul Marcus Livius Salinator improperly took much of the credit for Metaurus, Claudius Nero was dispatched to Macedonia in 205 and was tasked with convincing Philip V to give up his expansionist conflict in Greece. Little of Claudius Nero’s earlier or later career and life is known; even his birth and death dates are speculative.