The Story of Hannibal: The Nightmare of the Roman Empire - Roman History - See U in History

The ancient Romans conquered one of history's greatest empires. However, this empire was not built peacefully. Relying on their highly disciplined military system, the Romans fought wars against many kingdoms of different cultures and traditions. Many peoples of warrior cultures organized armies to fight the Latin invaders, but they failed to stand up to the Roman Republic, which seemed forever unsatisfied with the growing number of territories and cities under their rule. But Rome wasn't the only military and economic power on the rise. In North Africa, the great city of Carthage remained steady and sovereign in the control of the Mediterranean Sea trade routes. Carthage had been founded around 814 BC by Phoenician settlers, and within a short time, the city grew in strength and splendor. Over time, the Carthaginians founded other cities in Sicily and Sardinia, and ruled the territories of other peoples who inhabited the African coastal region. The control that the Carthaginians exercised over the Mediterranean Sea greatly affected the progress of the Roman conquest, and soon armed conflicts between the two powers started to happen. Such conflicts fueled several wars known as the Punic Wars. The First Punic War took place between 264 and 241 BC. It was a maritime conflict for the most part, which forced the Romans to build a large fleet of ships to confront the Carthaginian warships. During the First Punic War, land battles were fought on the island of Sicily, a rather important strategic point for the control of trade in the Mediterranean Sea. The war ended with the Roman victory at the Battle of the Aegean Islands, fought between the Roman and the Carthaginian navy fleets. The Carthaginians were expelled from Sicily and other newly conquered territories. To ensure control of their borders, the Carthaginians were forced to sign a treaty recognizing Rome's right to lead the Mediterranean trade. The peace treaty between Rome and Carthage was tainted by a never-ending distrust between the two peoples. The Roman Senate always imposed new demands on taxes and territories, something that humiliated the proud Carthaginian people. Then, the great Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca, focused his efforts on invading the Iberian Peninsula and conquering new lands for Carthage. Hamilcar had taken part in the last quarrels of the First Punic War and, after the end of the war, he participated in the Mercenary War, where he fought a rebellion of mercenaries that ravaged Carthage's allied cities. Hamilcar defeated several Iberian tribes and took control of vast territories rich in silver and tin, adding a new source of income in His name was exalted with grand esteem, something ill interpreted by the Romans. General Hamilcar looked at Rome with major contempt and instructed his eldest son never to trust the word of Roman senators and generals. Hamilcar's son was a determined and brave youngling, whose name would become known as one of history's greatest generals and military strategists. Hannibal Barca The surname Barca can be translated as Ray, quite apt for the man Hannibal would become. In some versions, it's said that at the age of nine, Hannibal participated in a ritual alongside his father. During the ritual, Hannibal dipped one of his hands in a basin with the blood of a sacrificial animal and, as he raised his fist, young Hannibal took an oath in which he said, I swear so soon, as age will permit, I will use fire and steel to arrest the destiny of Rome. During his childhood, Hannibal studied writing and philosophy with Greek teachers and learned about the great military feats of Alexander the Great while also learning military strategy from a Spartan teacher. The stories of Alexander's conquest were an inspiration for Hannibal to study battle tactics, quite unusual and risky, but which would be difficult for enemies to predict. The privileged education he had in his youth made Hannibal a man educated in different subjects, something that would be very useful in his military career, but an unexpected event changed Hannibal's life forever. Hannibal's father, Hamilcar, died abruptly in 228 BC during a battle against Iberian rebels. Some years after his death, Hannibal was chosen to take the major role of army commander. At 26, Hannibal was a cunning commander, revered by his soldiers. Many admired Hannibal's resemblance to his late father. Some veteran soldiers even exalted Hannibal by saying, He's Hamilcar in his youth. The same energy in his face, the same fire in his eyes. Hannibal extended his father's military campaigns against the Iberian tribes and defeated several enemy armies, conquering new cities and spoils for Carthage. Hannibal's reputation was already spreading among his people and reached the Roman Senate, which started to closely follow the young general's footsteps. To secure a monitoring point on the Iberian peninsula, the Romans established a diplomatic alliance with the city of Sagunto, located where the province of Valencia in Spain is today. This strategic maneuver from the Romans was taken as a major insult by the Carthaginians, since Rome was claiming territories beyond the borders established in the old peace agreement. This offense against Carthage enraged General Hannibal and he attacked the city of Sagunto. After an eight-month siege, the city was taken. The flames of war between Rome and Carthage were ignited again. Rome sent a political delegation to Carthage and demanded the return of Sagunto, along with a large sum of silver for the offense. But the Carthaginians had had enough of adding to the Roman resources. The Roman emissaries received an unexpected and bitter response. The Carthaginians chose war. After taking advantage of Hannibal's great popularity, the Carthaginian government urged the people and soldiers to start a new war against Rome. The Second Punic War began. For Hannibal, the long-dreamed-for chance to fight the Romans and honor the memory of his father had come. But he knew that Rome was not weak. A minor error could put everything to lose. Hannibal knew that the shortest way to Rome would be by crossing the Mediterranean Sea, landing with his troops in Italy. But many months were needed to build new boats. The Roman fleet was too strong to be challenged. To make matters worse, the Romans were already organizing their legions to move against Carthage. This invasion would be made by land through Spain and by sea from the island of Sicily. Hannibal then took one of the most daring decisions in history, to march against Rome across Spain and southern Gaul. Hannibal quickly assembled a large army, which included many horses, camels, and 40 war elephants that would have to be taken through uneven and unreceptive terrain. The long march began in late spring of 218 BC. Hannibal organized deployments of soldiers to protect the Iberian Peninsula during this absence, leaving Hastrubal, his younger brother, in command of the troops, Even at the head of an army of more than 90,000 warriors, Hannibal knew that this would not be enough to defeat the legions and reach Rome. Then he sent messengers to recruit Iberian and Gaul mercenaries. Despite their mutual contempt of Rome, many tribes refused to send soldiers to support Hannibal's cause. After all, if the Carthaginian general failed in his attack, the Roman response would be quick and deadly. Nevertheless, about 40,000 Gauls joined Hannibal's army as they passed through Gaul. The rumors of the attack on Rome spread quickly. When the Romans learned of the advance of such a massive army, they readily established a line of defense and marched across the Mediterranean coast in the hope of stopping Hannibal's army in his tracks. To avoid a conflict that could greatly diminish his number of men, Hannibal changed his route and climbed the valley of the Rhone River, where he got new Gaul supporters. Now Hannibal had no chance of turning back. The Romans would chase him if he tried to retreat. There was no alternative but to forward by a new route. Hannibal's determination remained unshaken, but he was about to encounter the biggest obstacles in his military campaign, the Alps. A vast mountain range so high that they spent much of the year covered with snow due to the low temperatures. Even before a massive challenge, Hannibal did not step back and started what would be one of the most famous and dangerous journeys in history. The air grew colder as the autumn days passed, and Hannibal Barca felt restless in his military camp. Hannibal knew he needed to be quick to organize his risky march into the mountains. If it took too long, winter would come, and the passages would be blocked by snow. The Romans wouldn't stand still during the winter either, and they would certainly raise another army to fight Hannibal. Time would be a decisive factor in this war. To increase the chances of survival in his army, Hannibal hired some Gauls who inhabited the mountainous region and knew the treacherous passages that would be traversed. The Gauls warned Hannibal that it was too late to make the crossing, as winter would hit the men when they were on the march, but the Carthaginian leader was willing to take the risks. And Hannibal's long and torturous march through the Alps began in 218 BC. We don't know the routes used by the Carthaginian army because the Alps are full of passages, and there are no precise historical records of which one was chosen by the Gaul guides. The weather conditions and the mountainous terrain also make the work of archaeologists looking for concrete evidence difficult. One of the most susceptible theories is that the Carthaginian army crossed the region known as the Little Saint Bernard Pass, 2,188 meters high. Nowadays, it is on the border between France and Italy. Anyway, it is a great fact that a great army composed by Carthaginian, Numidian, Libyan, Iberian, and Gaul warriors was able to cross the inhospitable terrain. Besides the soldiers, there were hundreds of combat animals and cargo to carry the army supplies, such as food and material for the camps. But there was another danger in the mountains. Although the Alpine terrain was not conducive to the proliferation of life, some hostile Gaul tribes inhabited the lower, flatter regions of the mountains. Hannibal's army fell into an ambush by one of these tribes during the march. It suffered great losses, mainly cargo animals, as the mountain barbarians wanted to steal the weapons and armor carried. They were attacked by the tribe of the Kavarez. Hannibal was able to quickly organize a line of defense and drove the enemies away, but that episode shook the morale of the Carthaginian army. Five months had passed since Hannibal had left the Iberian Peninsula for Rome, and now many of his soldiers were dying in the Alps from fatigue, cold, hunger, and disease. It was late October and snow was constantly falling on the army, and the situation was not good for Hannibal. To motivate his soldiers, Hannibal used his oratory talent and convinced his men that they were already close to the Paden Plain, a region to the west and east of Italy where the River Po passes. Motivated by the need to keep moving and the hope of quickly reaching flat ground, the soldiers continued their march, but the difficulties were still far from over. Many passages were blocked by large rocks or snow slides. Faced with this enormous challenge, Hannibal will have said one of his most famous phrases, Proving his genius, Hannibal ordered the soldiers to build great fires under the rocks and pour many liters of vinegar or wine on top. This would weaken the rocks, allowing the soldiers to break them more easily using common tools. Still on the long march, Hannibal and his army crossed an extremely difficult point in the southern Alps where much of the road is made up of steep cliffs and narrow trails. Many men and animals lost their balance and fell to their deaths amidst sharp rocks and freezing snow. After 16 endless days for the Carthaginian army, they finally reached the north of the Italian peninsula. But Hannibal and his soldiers had paid a high price for their passage through the Alps, losing almost half of their troops due to harsh weather conditions. An estimated 33,000 people died, including soldiers, horses, elephants, and pack mules. Hannibal organized a camp on the Paden Plain, where he allowed his soldiers to have a well-deserved rest. But he knew that the Romans quickly learned of his location and sent emissaries to seek new allies among the Gaul tribes of the region. Because they were closer to Rome, the Gaul tribes of the Paden Plain were forced to live under Roman rule, paying taxes and obeying the demands of their more powerful neighbors. This caused great discontent among the Gauls, and many began to join Hannibal's army. When the Romans were informed of the position of the Carthaginian army at the gates of Rome, they panicked because of the surprise. The Romans had lost track of Hannibal since he had changed his route towards the Rhone River. They believed he was still in Gaul or had returned to the Iberian Peninsula. Crossing the Alps during the winter was unimaginable. It was considered madness by most military commanders, but not for Hannibal Barca, who had now reached Italian soil. The Roman Senate quickly summoned the legions on the Iberian Peninsula and the island of Sicily. Two routes where a Carthaginian attack was expected. The Roman legion situated in the Iberian Peninsula under the command of General Cornelius Scipio was the first to arrive in Italy, using many ships to transport the legionaries as quickly as possible. The first conflict between the Carthaginians and the Romans took place in the Battle of Ticinus, a battle fought essentially between the cavalry of the two armies, which ended with a great Carthaginian victory. During the battle, Cornelius Scipio was seriously wounded and survived thanks to his son who rescued him on the battlefield. Cornelius Scipio's son had the same name as his father, but would quickly become known as Scipio Africanus. Hannibal's victory won even more Gaul supporters for his army, which now had the numbers needed for the siege against Rome. In December 218 BC, the Battle of the Trebia took place, between Hannibal's army and the Roman legions from Sicily. The battle took place near the river Trebia, where the Italian province of Emilia is now located. Like all great generals, Hannibal knew how to use the terrain to his advantage and planned an ambush against the Roman army. Hannibal had many Numidian knights, a people from North Africa who specialized in quick attacks with light cavalry. Hannibal ordered the Numidian cavalry to attack the Roman camp even before dawn. Once the legions responded to the attack, the Numidians were to retreat and lure the enemy near the river Trebia, where there would be Carthaginian troops hiding amongst the trees and bushes. Surprised and out of time to make the first meal of the day, the sleepy Romans reacted to the Numidian attack and took the bait from Hannibal. They were ambushed in a muddy terrain with little room for Roman formations. Some Roman troops tried to cross the river to reach Hannibal's camp, but the water made it difficult to move, and they became easy targets for the Carthaginian slingers and spearmen. The Roman army retreated to Hannibal's superior strategy and the survivors fled in disarray, spreading the word that they were facing an unusual and extremely dangerous enemy. News of the Carthaginian victory did not take long to reach Rome, where fear spread rapidly among the population. But the Battle of the Trebia also had a price on Hannibal. After the battle, the Carthaginian army marched in a kind of pestilent swamp, which made many soldiers sick. Even Hannibal fell victim to a terrible infection in his right eye. Reports say that Hannibal was suffering from fever and pain, and that his eye was almost blind. Hannibal removed the damaged tissue and burned it at the stake, a gesture that was seen with great admiration by his followers. There were several conflicts between the Carthaginian and Roman forces. Hannibal won the battles without suffering great loss, as in the Battle of Lake Trasimeno in the spring of 217 BC. Hannibal slowly advanced his army through Italian territory, but the Roman resistance was admirable. The war between Rome and Carthage was far from over. Hannibal Barca's invasion of the Italian peninsula had already cost many lives, but the Romans did not accept the surrender and continued to recruit new soldiers to defend Rome. Hannibal was forced to follow a route in eastern Italy to avoid rough terrain and stay away from Roman legions. After months of stalemate, the fateful Battle of Cannae took place on August 2, 216 BC, a battle so brutal and disastrous that it is sometimes dubbed the Battle of Annihilation. To defend her city and defeat all invaders, Rome assembled the largest Roman army ever seen, with over 86,000 men against Hannibal's 56,000. Even at a numerical disadvantage, Hannibal drew up a risky plan where his troops were to surround the Roman legions and attack the enemy army's flanks. The battle began with Hannibal's initiative, using his heavy cavalry to defeat the Roman cavalry without difficulty, unprotecting the flanks and rear of the legions. The Romans continued to advance, believing in their superiority in numbers and their traditional tactics. They did not realize that the Carthaginian troops were slowly forming a half-moon around them. The Romans were caught in a classic pincer formation. They were punished on all sides, with no chance of retreating as Hannibal's cavalry was in the rear. The result was a massacre. About 50,000 Romans were killed, 20,000 captured as prisoners. The Carthaginian army lost approximately 6,000 warriors, a low price for the huge victory against Rome. The Battle of Cannae was the greatest defeat in the history of the Roman Empire. Today, it is still studied by soldiers from all over the world. After that battle, nothing could stop Hannibal's advance against Rome. The Roman Senate ordered the city gates to close, but Hannibal did not seize the opportunity and decided to advance cautiously through Roman territory. He probably feared the existence of another Roman army, hiding and ready to execute an ambush. Faced with Hannibal's indecision, one of his important commanders, called Mahabal, criticized the Carthaginian general, saying, No man is blessed with all gifts of Baal. You, Hannibal, know how to win a victory, but you don't know how to use it. The Romans wasted no time and made a mass summons. They quickly created armies and whenever possible attacked Hannibal's camps, avoiding direct confrontation with the Carthaginian army. To make matters worse, Hannibal began to lose the support of the Carthaginian government, for many years had passed since Hannibal left for war. Hannibal constantly sent emissaries to Carthage asking for new reinforcements and supplies, but the fight against Rome was exhausting the city's coffers and the response was not always positive. New battles were fought and Hannibal conquered smaller cities like Capua and Toronto, but with each passing day, his military campaign was becoming unsustainable in the face of the incredible Roman ability to reorganize itself after each defeat. After almost 15 years of fighting Rome, Hannibal was called back to Carthage and withdrew from Italy in 203 BC. There are different reasons why the Carthaginian government demanded Hannibal's return. One is that the Carthaginian senate feared that if Hannibal conquered Rome, he would advance against Carthage and begin a new empire. But the most likely reason was that Carthage needed Hannibal and his combat experience to be defended, as the Roman general Scipio Africanus had landed in Africa and was attacking and plundering the cities near Carthage. Hannibal already knew the fame of Scipio Africanus. According to some sources, he had also been in the terrible Battle of Cannae, one of the few survivors of that conflict. Scipio Africanus had gained experience over time and represented a great danger, as he liked to use unexpected tactics on the battlefield and no enemy could not manipulate him. Although Hannibal and Scipio admired each other, the confrontation between the two great generals was inevitable. In 202 BC, the famous Battle of Zama was fought. One day before the battle, Hannibal and Scipio organized a formal meeting where they discussed possible terms of peace, but could not reach an agreement that would please both parties. The battle began with an attack by Hannibal using his war elephants. The elephants roared across the plain between the two armies, a sight that would frighten any living being. But Scipio was prepared and ordered his army to blow hundreds of trumpets of war. The deafening noise caused the elephants to panic and stop. Some even turned around and advanced against the lines of the Carthaginian army. Few elephants reached the Roman army, but they were eliminated when they were hit by dozens of spears thrown by the legionaries. The attack of the Carthaginian elephants was a failure, and to Hannibal's surprise, his cavalry was being dominated by the cavalry mercenaries hired by the Romans. What was now left was the brutal hand-to-hand combat by soldiers on foot. Even Hannibal's veteran soldiers couldn't override the disciplined formations of Scipio's legions. While the infantry fought, the Roman cavalry attacked the Carthaginian flanks and rear, spreading panic among the Carthaginians, who quickly dispersed. The battle was over, and the great Hannibal Barca had been defeated. Hannibal returned to Carthage, where he declared that Carthage was defenseless and that they should accept any conditions imposed by the Romans to try to preserve their autonomy and protect their citizens. Scipio made numerous demands on the Carthaginians. Among them, Carthage could not wage war against any people without Rome's prior permission, nor could they train new war elephants or build a new naval fleet. Although these terms weakened Carthage enormously, they were accepted without much resistance by the Carthaginian Senate. After more than 20 years, the Second Punic War officially ended. Hannibal was about 46 years old when the war ended. In the following years, he had a political career where he was chief magistrate. Seven years passed, and rumors began to emerge that Hannibal was coming into contact with Antiochus III the Great, king of the Seleucid Empire, who dominated almost the entire Middle East and was an enemy of Rome. The Romans demanded that Carthage deliver Hannibal for his actions, but Hannibal went into exile, living in many cities such as Tyre, Antioch, Ephesus, and Crete. Always on the move, Hannibal still could not avoid the Romans, who bribed or threatened any kingdom that dared to welcome his hated enemy. Hannibal spent his last years of life in a city called Lebissa, situated in the ancient region of northwest Asia Minor where Turkey is today. Hannibal passed away between 183 and 181 BC, at about age 63 of age. It is believed that he committed suicide by poisoning, as the Romans would have found him again and he was already tired of running away. Before he died, Hannibal would have left a letter where it said, 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. The impact that Hannibal had on Roman culture would continue to be felt for many centuries. This figure caused so much terror that it gave rise to the phrase, Hannibal is at the gates. This phrase is still used to express the anticipation of a calamity. The Romans felt a reluctant admiration for Hannibal, even building some statues of the Carthaginian general. The Second Punic War also showed the Romans that they would have to improve their war tactics. Using innovative military strategies could accelerate the process of conquering new territories. The story of Hannibal Barca has been retold in several books, films and documentaries, and his life is full of glorious moments which are still remembered with admiration. Hannibal's personality and willpower are an inspiration to many who consider him an example of leadership and rebellion against an oppressive force. It is safe to say that if Hannibal had conquered Rome, he would have changed the course of history forever.