Twenty-two centuries ago there lived a man named Hannibal, the son of Hamilcar Barca a Carthaginian. Hamilcar was a general in the Carthaginian military in the first Punic War. After the defeat of Carthage in the first Punic War, Hamilcar made Hannibal swear "eternal enmity" to Rome.In 228 b.c. Hasdrubal, Hannibal`s brother-in-law, succeeded Hamilcar and became commander. This meant that not only was the leader of the military but also the political leader as well. In 221 b.c. Hasdrubal was assassinated and Hannibal became commander in
Carthaginian armies and the Carthaginian government in Spain. Even at a young age he knew
his responsibilities,so he kept his father's plan of military conquest and his
brother-in-law`s policy of strengthening Carthaginian power by democracy. He married
a Spanish princess and took hostages from the surrounding tribes to ensure their
loyalty to him. As a result of this he expanded the Carthaginian power toward the Ebro
river, which was the written northern boundary of Carthage by the Rome treaty of 226.
Rome attacked Saguntum, a city close to but clearly on the Carthaginian side of the border. This provoked
to take back Saguntum. The romans considered this an act of war. So in
218 b.c. Rome declared war on Carthage. This begins the second Punic War. After hearing the declaration of war Hannibal immediately starts off towards Rome. The problem was he had to go by land because Rome controlled the seas. Hannibal takes an army of thirty-five to forty thousand men, some on foot and others on horse, along with fifty war elephants across the Pyrenees and the Alps in August of 218. Bad luck falls into Hannibal's lap as early snows and landslides kill many of his men and almost all of his war elephants. While traveling through the Alps he fights battles at Arausio and Genua, easily defeating the Roman warriors, although his troops are in horrible shape. He enters
Hannibal used this strategy often because it worked so good. Even though he was killing Roman soldiers he was not destroying any cities. Finally, to get Hannibal out of Italy, the Romans sent armies led by Scipio, a great Roman general, to attack carthage in
vs. Scipio. They met at Zama, a city near Carthage. This would end up to be the final battle of the Second Punic War, and the great
would be the loser. Hannibal escaped but his army didn't. After the war Carthage had to pay Rome a very large sum of money and agree to terms that they could only wage war in Africa, even then they had to have Rome's permission. Hannibal returned to Carthage and became one of the two chief magistrates in 196. He then challenged the aristocrats of being corrupt, the aristocrats told Rome that Hannibal was planning another attack on Rome with Antiochus III of Syria. Rome, already very angered with Hannibal, deported
out of Carthage. So he traveled to Syria and was made a member of the Syrian court. He then remembered his father's words and advised Antiochus III to declare war against Rome. Antiochus III did wage war on Rome, the Syrian War, from 192 b.c. to 189 b.c. Syria was defeated and Hannibal left to become a member of the Prussian court. He then persuaded Prussia to go to war against Rome. Instead of directly attacking Rome, Prussia attacked Rome's ally Pergamum. Rome came into the fight and demanded that
be handed over to them. Instead of being humiliated Hannibal took his own life in 182 b.c. Hannibal Barca, being eternal enemies with Rome, fulfilled his father's words and while doing so became one the greatest generals of all time.