The Battle of Cannae ( or ) was a major battle of the Second Punic War. It took place on 2 August 216 BC in Cannae, Apulia, in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage, under Hannibal, defeated a larger Roman army. The Romans were led by the consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro. Hannibal's victory was one the greatest tactical feats in military history. It was also one of the worst defeats in Roman history.