Hannibal
Hannibal of the most celebrated military leaders in history, Hannibal was the Carthaginian general who led an entire army, complete with elephants, across the Alps in order to attack the Roman Republic
60k troops Second Punic War
Carthagians were Phoenicians settling from Lebanon. At the height of their power their empire stretched from Tyre and Sidon in the East, the Strait of Gibralter, Sicily, Sandinia, Corsica and Libya.
The First Punic War lasted 23 years mostly in Sicily and had be driven out. Consequently they could not pay mercenaries, who revolted and in the confusion Rome took Sardinia
Hannibal's father was a general in the First Punic War who was incensed that he was not allowed to continue to fight. Not much is known about his early life. We know he was an aristocrat (Barca family) who took control of an army as a general at the age of about thirty.
The first were hear of Hannibal of nine and pleads with his father to take him to Spain. He uses his time observing how his prosecuted war. By 224BC his brother-in-law makes (Hastribal) him chief of the calvary.
After the First Punic War the aim is to rebuild Carthage's wealth. This was done by exploiting Spain's silver mines. After Hastribal is assassinated (224BC), Hannibal takes control of the army at the age of 25.
In 218BC the Second Punic War starts. The outbreak of hostilities starts around the Roman protectorate of Seguntun. Hannibal lays seige of the town and reduces the town to ruins.
Hannibal then starts his long march to Rome. He starts with around 80,000 troops and probably thirty elephants. He attempts to cross the Alps in the Autumn, probably at the worst time of year. After completing the crossing he has twenty six thousand. (Some were desserters, attrition, left in garrisons along the way)
Elephants were a symbol of power and a motif since Alexander the Great them in battles.
Hannibal provoked the first battle (Battle of Trebia) with the Romans who though unprepared cross a frozen river in pursuit of his troops. Hannibal's troops were waiting for them and other hidden in the undergrowth and attacked the Romans on their flank.
Another battle is at Cannae is an example Double Envelopment, where a smaller forsce who caputure the wings on the opposing army. At this battle his battle force has now been augmented with Gauls. He lines up in a crescent formation. The Romans are well used to fighting Gauls who fight well to begin with then give up. On this occasion, the Romans fight well and invert the crescent shaped line, which causes the African flanks to attack the Romans from their sides. Slaughter ensues and a hundred soliders a minute die. In the end 62,000 are dead of which 12,000 are Hannibal's.
Hannibal's fails to exploit his victory. Romans refused to come to terms and it was expected he would march on Rome. He did not, perhaps rightly as he did not have troops to win and then maintain control the city. Instead he marches south to cut Rome off from it's Etruscan and other allies. Rome appoints Fabius the Delayer who avoids an outright battle with Hannibal. Many skirmishes unsue but stalemate reults over the next fourteen years
The War concludes in 202-201BC. The Romans have appointed Scipio as their general. Scipio has learned the tactics of Hannibal and decides to attack Carthage directly. Hannibal returns home and his army is eventaully defeated at the Battle of Zama
Hannibal retires from the generalship and back in Carthage he becomes an irritant in the Carthagian Senate. Tiring of these battles he goes into exile offering his militart expertise to other countries fighting against Roman expanisionism. He ends up in Bithynia providing advice to the Bithynian king with his battles against a Roman ally. The Bithynian king is defeated and it is only a matter of time before Hannibal will fall in to Roman hands and he takes poison. Not before penning his suicide note
Let us relieve the Romans from the anxiety they have so long experienced, since they think it tries their patience too much to wait for an old man's death
Bithynia
