WI: Scipio Africanus dies in Canne

What if an 18 year old Scipio (who would eventually become Scipio Africanus) was killed during the battle of Canne?

Unless Rome can produce another commander of his caliber, the war is likely to grind down to a peace by mutual exhaustion. When they recover, which may take decades, Rome will seek to annihilate Carthage.

This changes everything in Spain. Hasdrubal here has more opportunity to expel the Romans from Northeastern Spain, which would allow for Hannibal to finally be able to receive a steady stream of reinforcements, rather than Hasdrubal's one desperate roll of the dice abandonment of Spain.

This might be a major underrated POD we have here.

Historyman 14 said:

This might be a major underrated POD we have here.

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I just watched a documentary on the Punic Wars and it talked about Scipio escaping Canne with the skin of his teeth and thought "Huh, what if he didn't"?

There would be no conquest of Spain, no Battle of Zama, no Battle of Magnesia.

Without Scipio there will be no Gracchii. How this affects the Republic is rather up in the air. This will cause some major butterflies.

I recall reading a Poul Anderson Time Patrol short story Delinda est, in which time travelers did just that (and killed his father as well). Major butterflies...

Kevin in Indy said:

I recall reading a Poul Anderson Time Patrol short story Delinda est, in which time travelers did just that (and killed his father as well). Major butterflies...

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Hmmm... Then some one needs to warn him away. Put up a sign that says

Cave Cannas

One should not forget that Scipio was also the product of party politics.

The fact that he succeeded in being given proconsular commands very young thanks to his party's support and to demagogic ways does not mean there were not other very talented young of mature roman commanders who could have conceived his military reforms and strategy.

Scipio did not conceive the strategy of conquering Spain. Nor the strategy of waiting war in Africa (see the failure of Attilius Regulus during punic war I).

And if he had not married one if his daughters to a Sempronius Gracchus, the role for young talented réformer tribunes that had the support of the Claudii, the Mucii, the Licinii and the Fulvii was already written.