The wars of Rome against Carthage occupy a significant place in the history of the Ancient World. They influenced the further development of the Mediterranean and all of Europe. Second Punic War 218-201 BC e. - the brightest of the three occurring. It is also called the Hannibal War, or the war against Hannibal. In addition to Rome and Carthage, Numidia, Pergamon, the Aetolian League, Syracuse, the Achaean League and Macedonia took part in this confrontation.
Backstory
In 242 B. C. e. A peace treaty was signed that ended the First Punic War. As a result of this agreement, Carthage lost control of the income from the possession of Sicily, the almost monopoly trade of the Carthaginians in the Western Mediterranean was severely undermined by Rome. As a result, Carthage was in a difficult economic situation, and its ruling Barkid dynasty was at a disadvantage withpolitical side - the opposition became more active. Even then it was clear that the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage would soon take place in order to destroy one of them, since there was no place for two major powers in the Mediterranean.
Rivalry for Spain
Hamilcar, commander-in-chief of the Carthaginian army, undertook campaigns to conquer the territories of Spain. Firstly, the Iberian Peninsula was very rich in natural resources, and secondly, from Spain it was possible to quickly get to Italy. Hamilcar, along with his son-in-law Hasdrubal, was active in expanding the borders of Carthage for almost 10 years, until he was killed during the siege of Helika. His colleague Hasdrubal fell victim to the Iberian barbarian in New Carthage, founded by him.
New Carthage instantly became the center of all Western Mediterranean trade, as well as the administrative center of the Punic possessions. Thus, Carthage not only compensated for its losses following the First War with Rome, but also new markets appeared, and the silver mines of Spain enriched the Barcids and deprived their political opponents of any support. Second Punic War 218-201 BC e. was only a matter of time.
Rome's unrest
Roman politicians and military leaders were greatly concerned about the growing strength of Carthage. Rome understood that now it was not too late to stop the Puns, but after a while it would be difficult. Therefore, the Romans becamelooking for a reason to start a war. During the lifetime of Hannibal's father, Hamilcar, a border was drawn between Carthage and Rome in Spain along the Iber River.
Rome makes an alliance with Sogunt. It was clearly directed against Carthage, and specifically to stop its advance further north. The beginning of the Second Punic War was approaching, Rome did not need such a strong neighbor, but it also could not openly act as an aggressor, therefore an alliance was concluded with Sogunt. It is clear that Rome did not intend to defend its ally, but the attack on him by Carthage provided a pretext for unleashing a war.
Hannibal from the Barkid dynasty
Hannibal was destined to become a symbol of the struggle against Roman rule in the Mediterranean basin, he succeeded in what no one dared to do before him. He was a talented commander and military leader, the soldiers respected him not for his high origin, but for his personal merits and leadership qualities.
From an early age, Hamilcar's father took his son on campaigns. All his conscious life he was in military camps, where from childhood he looked death in the face. Dozens, hundreds, if not thousands of people were killed before his eyes. He's already used to it. Constant training turned Hannibal into a skilled fighter, and the study of military affairs into a brilliant commander. Meanwhile, Hamilcar did everything to get closer to the Hellenistic world, so he taught the Greek alphabet to his son and accustomed him to the culture of the Greeks. Father understood that without allies Rome could not be de alt with, andaccustomed his sons to their culture, and also set up an alliance. Hannibal was to play an important role in this process. The Second Punic War was thought over by him for many years. And after the death of his father, he swore that he would destroy Rome.
Causes of war
There are three main reasons that led to the outbreak of the second war between Rome and Carthage:
1. Humiliating consequences for Carthage under the terms of the peace treaty that ended the First Punic War.
2. The rapid growth of the territories of Carthage, as well as its enrichment due to the richest possessions in Spain, which resulted in the strengthening of its military power.
3. The siege and capture of Sogunt, allied to Rome, by Carthage, which became the official reason for the outbreak of the Second Punic War. The reasons for it were more formal than real, and yet they led to one of the largest confrontations in the entire history of the Ancient World.
Start of war
After the death of Hamilcar and the assassination of Hasdrubal, Hannibal was elected commander-in-chief. Then he was only 25 years old, he was full of strength and determination to destroy Rome. In addition, he had a fairly good set of knowledge from the field of military affairs and, of course, leadership qualities.
Hannibal did not hide from anyone that he wanted to attack Sogunt, whose ally was Rome, and thereby involve the latter in the war. However, Hannibal did not attack first. He made it soSogunt attacked the Iberian tribes that were under the rule of Carthage, and only after that he moved his forces to the "aggressor". Hannibal rightly counted on the fact that Rome would not bring military assistance to Sogunt, since he himself fought against the Gauls and Illyrian pirates. The siege of Sogunt lasted 7 months, after which the fortress was taken. Rome never provided military assistance to its ally. Already after the capture of Sogunt, Rome sent an embassy to Carthage, which declared war. The Second Punic War has begun!
Military action
The war lasted for more than 15 years. During this time, fighting almost did not stop either between Rome and Carthage, or between their allies. Tens of thousands of people died. Over the years, the advantage passed from hand to hand: if in the initial period of the war luck was on the side of Hannibal, then after a while the Romans became more active, inflicting a number of major defeats on the Puns in Iberia and North Africa. At the same time, Hannibal remained on the Apennine Peninsula. In Italy, Hannibal himself achieved high results, making the entire local population tremble before his name.
The Second Punic War showed that Hannibal had no equal in open battle. This is evidenced by the battles near the Ticin and Trebbia rivers, near Lake Trasimene and, of course, the legendary battle of Cannae, which are sewn into military history with a red thread.
The fighting took place on several fronts: in Italy, Spain, Sicily, North Africa and Macedonia, but the "engine" of Carthage and itsallies were the army of Hannibal and himself. Therefore, Rome set itself the goal of "bleeding" it, blocking the path of provisions, weapons and reinforcements for waging war in Italy. Rome succeeded when he realized that Hannibal must first be exhausted without pitched battles, and then finished off. This plan was successful, but before it Rome suffered one defeat after another, especially the battle of Cannae. In this battle, Carthage had 50,000 soldiers, Rome - 90,000. The advantage was almost two times, but even with such a numerical superiority, Rome did not manage to win. During the battle, 70,000 Roman soldiers were killed, 16,000 were captured, while Hannibal lost only 6,000 people.
Reasons for the defeat of Carthage in the Second Punic War
There are a number of reasons that led to the victory of Rome. Firstly, this is the fact that the army of Carthage consisted mainly of mercenaries, who absolutely did not care who they were fighting for - they received payment for it. The mercenaries had no patriotic feelings, unlike the Romans, who defended their homeland.
Secondly, the Carthaginians themselves, located in Africa, often did not understand why they needed this war. Inside the country, the Barkids again formed a serious opposition that opposed the war with Rome. Even after the Battle of Cannae, the oligarchs of Carthage half-heartedly sent small reinforcements to Hannibal, although this help could have been much larger, and then the outcome of the war would have been very different. It's all about what they fearedstrengthening the power of Hannibal and establishing a dictatorship, which would be followed by the destruction of the oligarchy as a social class.
Thirdly, the rebellions and betrayals that lay in wait for Carthage at every turn, and the lack of real help from an ally - Macedonia.
Fourthly, this, of course, is the genius of the Roman military school, which gained rich experience during the war. At the same time, for Rome, this war was an ordeal that brought the Roman Republic to the brink of survival. The reasons for the defeat of Carthage in the Second Punic War can still be listed, but all of them will follow from these 4 main ones, which led to the defeat of one of the most powerful armies of the Ancient World.
The difference between the Second and the First Punic War
The two wars were completely different, although they have a similar name. The first was predatory on both sides, it unfolded as a result of the rivalry between Rome and Carthage for the possession of the rich island of Sicily. The second was aggressive only from Carthage, while the Roman army carried out a liberation mission.
The result of both the First and Second Wars is the victory of Rome, a huge indemnity imposed on Carthage, the establishment of borders. After the Second Punic War ended, the causes, consequences and historical significance of which are difficult to overestimate, Carthage was generally forbidden to have a fleet. He lost all overseas possessions, he was taxed exorbitantly for 50 years. In addition, he could not unleash wars without the consent of Rome.
Second Punic Warcould change the course of history if the commander-in-chief of the troops of Carthage, Hannibal, had great support within the country. He could have taken over Rome. Moreover, everything was moving towards this, as a result of the Battle of Cannae, Rome did not have a large army capable of resisting Carthage, but Hannibal, with the available forces, could not have captured well-fortified Rome. He was waiting for support from Africa and the uprising of the Italian cities against Rome, but he did not wait for either the first or the second …
