Sivaram N.

 

The  Second Punic War

The Carthaginian Empire was still expanding after the  First Punic War. The Romans feared Carthage so they forced a treaty upon the Carthaginians requiring that they do not expand their empire past the Ebro River. However, when the city of Segentum wished to join the Roman Empire, The Romans didn’t want to lose this chance to have friendly city deep within the Carthaginian Empire. The Carthaginian general in the Iberian Peninsula was Hannibal Barca. When Segentum began to play sneaky politics. Hannibal destroyed the city despite continual Roman warnings. When the news of the destruction of Segentum reached Rome. The Romans immediately declared war upon Carthage. Hannibal then crossed the Alps with his enormous army, and invaded Italy. His gigantic army soon conquered most of Northern Italy. His victories brought him a horde of 50,000 Gauls. Hannibal then tried to get Rome’s allied and dependent cities to join up with him, but none of the allies betrayed Rome for Carthage. Rome was worried about Hannibal in Italy. They asked Quintus Fabius Maximus to become the dictator so they could defeat Hannibal. Maximus was determined not to fight Hannibal in open warfare. He tried to harass Hannibal until he was ready. He was always very patient, and content to wait. The Romans grew tired of his constant delaying, and they removed him from power. Soon after Maximus was deposed Hannibal approached Cannae. Two inexperience Roman Generals sent an force that vastly outnumbered Hannibal’s against him. Hannibal wiped out the Roman Army with a strategy known as Hannibal’s Pincer. Hannibal’s pincer involved surrounding the enemy with flanking attacks and crushing them from all sides. Cannae was the worst defeat the Romans would ever suffer. After that battle the Romans realized that Maximus had been right, and they realized waiting Hannibal out would be the best strategy. Many of the Roman cities in southern Italy joined Hannibal. Another ally Hannibal gained was King Philip V of Macedonia. King Philip V was the ruler of Macedonia who lead the Macedonian forces in some of the Macedonian wars. After the battle of Cannae no more Roman allies betrayed. The Romans left Hannibal alone while he rampaged around the countryside. The Romans didn’t fear him when they were in their cities because he didn’t have the men or equipment to conquer any major cities either by storm or by siege. The Romans didn’t want to engage Hannibal himself. They cleverly attacked Spain, which Hannibal depended upon for supplies. They sent Publius Cornelius Scipio (Scipio Africanus) to Spain. There he conquered it very quickly and made them into two Roman Provinces. Scipio was a brilliant general, and he had no problem defeating the armies Carthage sent against him. After conquering Spain Scipio crossed to Africa and took the war to the walls of Carthage. Scipio allied himself with various tribes and peoples of Africa. Chief among these was Prince Masinissa the Numidian King. Scipio conqured much of Carthage’s territory, after his victories, Carthage had no choice but to sue for peace. Hannibal had won all of his major battles, but he had lost the war, because one of the terms of the treaty between Rome and Carthage. Demanded that Hannibal leave the Italian Peninsula. When Hannibal returned to Carthage the Carthaginians rose up in one last gambit. The armies of Hannibal met the armies of Scipio at Zama in North Africa. At Zama Scipio easily defeated Hannibal’s elephants, and he recreated Hannibal’s tactics at the battle of Cannae to defeat Hannibal. Zama was Hannibal’s first major defeat. As a result of the battle of Zama Scipio became Scipio Africanus. After the Second Punic war Carthage was reduced to a dependent state of Rome. The Second Punic war was the end of Carthage’s Military might.

Hannibal Barca

Image courtesy of The Illustrated History of the Roman Empire

Scipio Africanus

Image courtesy of The Illustrated History of the Roman Empire