
Marcus Minucius Rufus (died 2 August 216 BC) was a Consul of the Roman Republic in 221 BC and Magister Equitum during the dictatorship of Fabius Cunctator.
Biography[]
Marcus Minucius Rufus served as Consul of the Roman Republic in 221 BC, and, in 218 BC, he told the Roman Senate that Hannibal would have to be a madman to lead an army, including elephants, across the Alps to invade Italy. He instead asked the Senate to thank the gods that the Carthaginians had entered into a "death trap", and that the Carthaginian survivors would be so exhausted that they would stand no chance against Rome's legions. Moments later, however, reports arrived that Hannibal had successfully crossed the Alps, and that the Roman garrisons were in flight.
Minucius went on to oppose Fabius Cunctator's delaying tactics during the war with Hannibal in Italy, and, when left in command of an army by Fabius, he refused to adopt the same strategy and instead provoked Hannibal into a battle at the Battle of Geronium. Minucius was defeated, but Fabius saved his life, and Minucius was obliged to obey Fabius' orders as a result. However, he was killed in the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC.