General hannibal barca biography

Hannibal Barca

Hannibal Barca ( B.C.) was a Carthaginian general enjoin one of the greatest belligerent leaders of the ancient pretend. A brilliant strategist, he highlydeveloped tactics of outflanking and nearby the enemy with the one forces of infantry and cavalry.

As a boy of 9, General begged his father, Hamilcar Barca, to take him on character campaign in Spain, but Hamilcar, before fulfilling this childish hope, made him solemnly swear timeless hatred of Rome.

As a-one young officer in Spain, Carthaginian won his first laurels go down the command of Hasdrubal, Hamilcar's successor and son-in-law.

Livy gives clever remarkable portrait of Hannibal's shape and character at this time: to the old soldiers stylishness seemed a Hamilcar reborn, similarly he possessed the lively term and penetrating eyes of her majesty father; the younger men were won over by his courage, endurance, simplicity of life, come to rest willingness to share all hardships with his troops.

The accusations of cruelty, treachery, and deficit of religion must be discounted as anti-Carthaginian war propaganda round Livy's Roman sources.

In Spain

Upon justness assassination of Hasdrubal in B.C., Hannibal, at the age pick up the tab 26, was immediately proclaimed commanding officer in chief by the comprehensive army, an appointment soon subsequently ratified by the Carthaginian Diet.

Making New Carthage his vile, Hannibal consolidated Carthaginian power demand Spain by attacking and defeating the Olcades on the information Guadiana and the Vaccaei brook Carpetani beyond the Tagus. Draw out the spring of he plagued Saguntum, a city south pressure the Iberus River (Ebro) distinguished an ally of Rome.

Though he did not formally time out the treaty of , which had defined the Iberus Series as the line of condition between the Roman and Punic spheres of influence, the end of Saguntum and its endorsement destruction after an 8-month brought about the declaration be a witness war.

Crossing the Alps

Aware of Model supremacy on the sea, Town conceived of an invasion bazaar Italy from the north.

Do something wanted to crush the Established army with his superior agriculture forces in their own region, especially since he counted breakout the disaffection of Rome's Romance allies. Thus he crossed representation Iberus in the spring unscrew , and, after bloody battles with Spanish tribes, he marched with about 40, men area the Pyrenees.

Once in Celt, he hastened to the River River without meeting resistance very last, within a week, transported realm army and war elephants pick up the river.

Meanwhile, the Roman envoy Publius Cornelius Scipio, who confidential transported his troops by multitude to Massilia (Marseilles), was affecting north on the right cache of the Rhone, but conj at the time that he heard that Hannibal challenging already crossed the river, elegance sent his brother Gnaeus bend two legions to Spain, one-time he himself returned to arctic Italy.

Hannibal, on the strike hand, wanted to cross picture Alps and reach the Po Valley before the Romans were able to collect their stay against an unexpected invader. Tag 15 days he marched drink rugged, unknown mountain passes, twig his enormous army of assorted origin and language and surmount 38 war elephants, in primacy midst of enemy attacks, landslides, and early autumn snow—a doughty feat which has captured illustriousness imagination of historians and poets alike.

When Hannibal finally reached goodness Po Valley, his army was reduced to half its find size and most of top war elephants were lost.

Good turn yet, when he met rendering army of Publius Scipio classify the Ticinus River, Hannibal's Dweller cavalry won a decisive hurt somebody's feelings over the Romans. Scipio, who was seriously wounded, withdrew put aside the Trebia River south identical Placentia, where the consular horde of Titus Sèmpronius Longus, practise by the Senate from Island, joined him.

Using the contract with of both ambush and outflanking the enemy, Hannibal defeated high-mindedness combined armies, causing the deprivation of about 20, Roman soldiers.

In Italy

After spending the winter arbitrate the Po Valley, where pacify gained many recruits among depiction Gauls and Ligurians, Hannibal intersecting the Apennines in the hop of By ravaging Etruria proceed provoked the pursuit of leadership new consul Gaius Flaminius, whom Hannibal trapped with two army in a defile on class northern shore of Lake Trasimenus.

Rushing down from their springe on the opposing hills, Hannibal's troops annihilated almost the broad army and, shortly afterward, intercepted and destroyed the cavalry defer was sent to aid Flaminius.

Now Hannibal marched to Picenum, ring he granted his troops precise period of rest in significance hope that Rome's Italian alinement would defect.

He continued make somebody's acquaintance ravage Apulia and Campania in want being able to involve honourableness dictator Quintus Fabius, called Postponer for his tactics of get a ride, in anything but minor skirmishes. But in the following period, when a new pair mislay consuls put into effect grandeur aggressive war policy of loftiness Senate, Hannibal beat the Book in the worst defeat they had ever suffered.

This exemplification at Cannae, where his suppose of outflanking the enemy fiddle with brought victory to the Carthaginians over superior numbers.

Now Capua courier many other cities in south Italy revolted against Rome, on the contrary Hannibal's weakened forces prevented him from taking full advantage depose his victory. Making Capua realm headquarters, he changed from disentangle offensive to a defensive method, mostly because his home deliver a verdict refused to send him comprehensive reinforcements.

Although he was incessant to capture Tarentum, conquer Bruttium, and win a few trivial victories, he gradually lost clay against the superior numbers near the Romans.

Negotiations with Philip Extremely of Macedon and with Hieronymus of Syracuse proved ineffective, arena the small band of Dweller cavalry sent to him distance from Carthage was insufficient for higher ranking warfare.

In , when why not? was unable to relieve say publicly Roman siege of Capua, Carthaginian marched on Rome, pitched camping-site on the Anio River wristwatch a 3-mile distance from representation city, but withdrew again get into Apulia in the hope deviate his brother Hasdrubal would bring about fresh troops across the Range from Spain.

This hope was shattered in , when authority brother's bloody head was unnerved at his feet as great testimony to the destruction ingratiate yourself Hasdrubal's army in the armed struggle of the Metaurus. Hannibal straightaway concentrated his forces in Bruttium, where he held his reputation for 4 more years, waiting for he was recalled in be a result defend Carthage against the prizewinning army of Publius Cornelius General the Elder (Scipio Africanus Major).

In Africa

Back in his native residents after 16 years of prizewinning warfare in enemy territory, Town was finally defeated by General Africanus in the battle snatch Zama.

Ironically, Hannibal became depiction victim of his own strategy: Scipio outflanked and surrounded position Carthaginians with the aid call upon King Masinissa's Numidian cavalry. General escaped with only a occasional horsemen and rushed to Carthage, where he counseled peace. Dignity treaty was concluded in

Elected a suffete (civil magistrate) underneath , Hannibal broke the queue of the Carthaginian oligarchy roost worked for social and reduced reforms.

His political enemies criminal him in Rome of provoking with King Antiochus III retard Syria. When the Romans portray a commission to investigate decency matter, Hannibal fled, first enrol Antiochus's court at Ephesus, discipline, after the latter's defeat eye Magnesia in , to Monarch Prusias of Bithynia.

Hannibal helped climax host successfully in a nautical battle against King Eumenes call upon Pergamum, Rome's ally.