Battle of Lake Trasimene
217 BCE · Italy
The Battle of Lake Trasimene was fought in 217 BCE in Italy between Carthage vs the Roman Republic; decisive Carthaginian victory; a whole Roman army was ambushed in fog beside the lake and Flaminius killed.
Battle of Lake Trasimene: quick facts
- Date
- 217 BCE
- Location
- Italy
- Belligerents
- Carthage vs the Roman Republic
- Commanders
- Hannibal vs Gaius Flaminius
- Result
- decisive Carthaginian victory; a whole Roman army was ambushed in fog beside the lake and Flaminius killed.
- Casualties
- about 15,000 Romans killed and as many captured
- Era
- 🏺 Ancient Greece & Rome
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Lake Trasimene?
Hannibal executed the largest ambush in military history, hiding his army in the hills above Lake Trasimene and springing the trap on the Roman consul Flaminius as his legions marched along the narrow lakeside road. Dense morning fog concealed the Carthaginian forces until they struck. The entire Roman army of roughly 25,000 was killed or captured in just three hours, including the consul himself.
Did you know?
Lake Trasimene was such a complete surprise that many Roman soldiers were killed while still trying to put on their armor, and some drowned in the lake trying to escape.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Lake Trasimene on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.