Hannibal crossing the Alps during the Second Punic War
The Second Punic War: The tactical successes and strategic failures of Hannibal Barca
Matthew Barnes
Publications in Contemporary Affairs (2009)
Abstract
The First Punic War came to an end after twenty three years of bitter fighting on both land and at sea. As the victor, Rome became the dominant Mediterranean naval power and Carthage suffered a humiliating defeat. Carthaginian expansion was checked, their influence challenged and their pride severely damaged. It is from this background that Hannibal Barca, the son of Hamilcar Barca, a First Punic War general, came to the fore. Carthage after the First Punic War was comparable to post World War One Germany, for a great power was beaten, humbled, reduced and forced to accept terms which whet the appetite for revenge. It could be argued that Carthage had been spoiling for a fight since the day of their defeat at the Battle of the Aegates Islands.
The Second Punic War began in 218 B.C under the auspices of the talented young general Hannibal, whose deeds have gone down in history marking him as one of the greatest leaders of the ancient world. His plan was bold and aggressive because it consisted of a land war in which he would take the fight to his enemy in their own back garden. His march is legendary, but it was also necessary, because although an invasion by sea was infinitely more appealing, it was not possible due to the new naval power reality post First Punic War. Hannibal’s war had to be confined to land and it was here that he showed his greatness despite being born into a maritime power. Hannibal’s aggression against the Spanish town of Saguntum in 219 B.C provided the opening for the war as the Romans considered the Carthaginian action an act of war. Barely thirty years old, Hannibal set out with any army of around 40,000 men and began a fight to the death with the Romans which brought them to their knees. He never struck the killing the blow and essentially lost the war, but in true Alexandrian fashion he was a military leader of the highest order.
The Second Punic War: The tactical successes and strategic failures of Hannibal Barca
Matthew Barnes
Publications in Contemporary Affairs (2009)
Abstract
The First Punic War came to an end after twenty three years of bitter fighting on both land and at sea. As the victor, Rome became the dominant Mediterranean naval power and Carthage suffered a humiliating defeat. Carthaginian expansion was checked, their influence challenged and their pride severely damaged. It is from this background that Hannibal Barca, the son of Hamilcar Barca, a First Punic War general, came to the fore. Carthage after the First Punic War was comparable to post World War One Germany, for a great power was beaten, humbled, reduced and forced to accept terms which whet the appetite for revenge. It could be argued that Carthage had been spoiling for a fight since the day of their defeat at the Battle of the Aegates Islands.
The Second Punic War began in 218 B.C under the auspices of the talented young general Hannibal, whose deeds have gone down in history marking him as one of the greatest leaders of the ancient world. His plan was bold and aggressive because it consisted of a land war in which he would take the fight to his enemy in their own back garden. His march is legendary, but it was also necessary, because although an invasion by sea was infinitely more appealing, it was not possible due to the new naval power reality post First Punic War. Hannibal’s war had to be confined to land and it was here that he showed his greatness despite being born into a maritime power. Hannibal’s aggression against the Spanish town of Saguntum in 219 B.C provided the opening for the war as the Romans considered the Carthaginian action an act of war. Barely thirty years old, Hannibal set out with any army of around 40,000 men and began a fight to the death with the Romans which brought them to their knees. He never struck the killing the blow and essentially lost the war, but in true Alexandrian fashion he was a military leader of the highest order.
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