When the Roman senate had passed this decision
the defeat of Cartago seemed sure and also that the Cartagian
possessions would pass to Rome. Neither the Cartagian army nor
their fleet was able to cope with the Roman´s ones. The
Cartagian army was powerful like the Roman one but she was spread
out in whole Spain and Africa. But the Romans didn´t
calculate one factor: Hannibal. He know how to thwart the Roman
plans like no other. He massed an army of 60.000 men and had a
daring and bold plan: He wanted to cross the Alps and attack the
Roman empire where it hurts most of all: in the centre. But it was
urgent to hurry when Hannibal would be successful. He had to cross
the Alps before the autumn is his plan should work well. And it was
added that Hannibal got the Roman declaration of the war first in
July so that he had convoked his forces in great haste and now he
proceeded to cross the Alps.
It should be a real war to survive this mountains only
half. There were not waiting only martial mountain-tribes, ice and
could but also a lack of foof, the very early beginning of the
winter and the physical exhaustion of the soldiers. They
didn´t have had a pause since month and when Hannibal arrived
the other side of the Alps his army counted only 20.000 soldiers
and 6.000 horsemen. This cut down the changes to a happy result of
Hannibals plans.
But the course of the following weeks changed the
situation. At the first meetings with the Romans the Cartagian
cavalry proved to be superior to Rome´s one. After that the
men under Hannibal went on and met for the first time Gauls.
Hannibal wanted that they would join his crudade but the Gauls were
too sceptical. First another victory of Hannibal induced them to
support his war against Rome. Strengthened to 40.000 men the army
went on.
The message of the Roman defeat caused the Roman consul
Sempronius to keep his legions in the country instead of sending to
Spain. This was the first part of Hannibal´s aim: He would
bind the Roman forces in Italy. Sempronius united his army with the
one of the other consul Scipio. They were both in opinion that a
quick decision must come. Hannibal also wanted this.
In the time of the winter solstice both different
armies met on a battle field near Trebia. Sempronius wanted through
a massed attack of his legions push through the enemy´s
centre like it was Rome´s custom. So he wanted to force an
issue. But Hannibal arranged in another way as the Romans had
expected. In his plans the horsemen figured large. After the
elimination of the Roman squadrons they should attack the enemy
infantry from behind. But this could only succeed if his own
infantry would hold against the Romans. It was useful to Hannibal
that he had calculated every moment exactly and that he had capable
lower commanders what were capable to act also in an emergency. The
project succeeded and the Roman troops were strong decimated.
Infortunately the Cartagian had lost almost all their
troops in Spain which were fallen on a victim to the Roman
death-squadrons. That showed that Hannibal was the only capable
leader who Cartago had. If he would go down Cartago would loose the
war. That meant for Hannibal everything or nothing and he had
gradually advance to Middle Italy with the aim to attack the centre
of power, Rome.
Meanwhile two Roman armies had taken position near the
east coast and the west coast to cut the Cartagians the way. But
Hannibal crossed that plan out by going through the swamps of the
Middle Arno (which seemed impassable to the Romans) and could set a
trap for the legions of the consuls. And when the Romans by chasing
Hannibal marched through a narrow pass in the mountains Hannibal
attacked. The Roman troops got annihilated completly. Rome´s
result was dismally. The one army was lost, the other after the
loss of her cavalry unable of action for the next time. A
crisis-meeting in Rome convoked and decided for a way that they
didn´t had gone for a long time: It was chosen a dictator
instead of two consuls.
Hannibal marched further to the south and plundered
with his forces whole regions. The rest of the Roman legions
followed him but they didn´t interfered; too big was the
humilitation of the preceded battles. But Hannibal also had to
realize that there was also a limit for him. He still hasn´t
arrived his aim to destroy the system of the Roman federation and
so he had to hope for more battles. In the summer of 216 BC was it
ready; an army of 80.000 legionaries came to a battle field near
Cannae to be faced with the Cartagian one what had only the half,
40.000 men. In spite of it found Hannibal a way to compensate the
inferiority of his infantry to stop the spread out of the
enemy´s superiority. He pushed forward his centre of Gauls
and Spaniards crescent-shaped and placed backward to them echelond
his in Roman way trained Lybian troops. So the Romans met first the
Gauls ans Spaniards which fell back slowly. And when the Romans
followed up now the both sides of the Lybians came in action and
worked on the dense concentrated Roman crowd from two sides. The
roman attack slowed down and came to a standstill. In this moment
came the Cartagian cavalry behind the Roman´s back what had
beaten the Roman squadrons previously. The massed Romans
didn´t find any way out and were destroyed despite of their
outnumber. Only consul Varro could escape with few riders to
Calusium where he collected in the following days the stragglers,
about few thousand men. For a moment it seemed like the war would
be decided. Once Alexander the Great had smashed the power of the
Persian king in three battles. But the history didn´t happen
again. Rome didn´t think about giving up and the old
statesmen with Fabius Maximus infront were grewn to the situation.
Although Hannibal could take possession of some advanced posts in
South Italy they stayed isolated one to the other and Hannibal
couldn´t find a basic to start his attack to the Roman
central country. The Cartagian offences in Spain and in Italy
ebbed. But this events were over- shadowed from another one.
Two forces more entered to the side of the Cartagians
into the war, first prince Philipp V of Macedonia and the town
Syracus. Philipp´s support was more moral than military, but
with Syracus´ help conquered the Cartagians almost whole
Sicily. Rome had to send some legions to Sicily to prevent the
complete fall of the city. They gave Hannibal more room to move in
Italy and it seemed like he could mass his bases to one line. But
Rome had the advantage that the Cartagians fought not only in Italy
but also in Spain, so that´s why they could reconquer Sicily
and Saguntum. By this successes the Romans could take some troops
from the crisis-regions away and move to the "fire" in South Italy.
In that way succeeded the Romans to free the most important town
what Hannibal had conquered in Italy. When Capua belonged to Rome
again was this the beginning of the end.
Meanwhile the Cartagians were quarreled among to
another the Romans chose their new consul Publius Scipius (210 BC).
There would have been no better choise. When Scipio arrived Spain
he marched along the coast, came to the town Cartago Nova and
captured her. The fall of New Cartago had long-ranging
consequences: Not only most of the Spanish towns deserted to Scipio
but also the Cartagian position in Spain was caught on her
roots.
For a last time a danger showed on the own ground. The
beaten general Hasdrubal, Hanniba´s brother, moved another
time with his army over the Alps. But Hasdrubal couldn´t get
compared with Hannibal, he missed the swing and Hannibal´s
strategical genius. His army got destroyed before she could unite
with Hannibal´s one. At the same time Rome made peace with
the leader of Macedonia, Philipp V. They wanted to have a free hand
for a last military decisive punch against Cartago. Scipio,
meanwhile back from Spain, got order to attack the Cartagian in
their own homeland. In 204 BC he got the message from the king
Syphax of Numedia what told that he would finish the alliance when
Romans would dare it to come into Cartagian state-territory, but
the departure was´t postponed. So Scipio had after his
arriving big difficulties because he had relied on Syphax´s
supporting. Now Scipio had to parley with the Cartagians. He agreed
pro forma because of coming over the winter month. And when the
winter was over he finished suddenly the parleys and took by
surpise the enemy. One month later was another battle against
Syphax´s troops. He was defeated by Scipio and his empire
fell like a house of cards. The heire took Rome´s African
ally Masinissa. Cartago was totally isolated now and the leaders
wanted to wait for Hannibal´s returning from Italy. So they
sent legations to Scipio to beg for peace. Scipio didn´t
dislike, but the conditions were hard: Cartago should do without
all oversea´s relations, reduce the fleet to 20 ships and pay
5.000 talents of gold. Meanwhile Scipio was waiting of of the
Senate´s approve Hannibal came back and rejected the
conditions as too hard.
Hannibal´s force was as numerial as the Roman
one, but his cavalry was inferior and Hannibal had no illusions.
First of all he tried to negotiate with Rome when the enemy´s
troops were toward one to the another by Zanam about 200 km (125
miles) southern of Cartago. Hannibal said he would agree to the
peace when Rome would give up their conditions. Scipio refused and
so came in 208 BC the last decisive battle. The planning and layout
of the battle, the summoning of the veterans as reserve showed one
more time Hannibal´s strategiacal genius, but his instrumen
was imperfect and cracked. In the decisive moment failed his
soldiers and it ended with a totally loss. Rome the advantage on
this: The tribute got increased again to 10.000 talents of gold and
the fleet should be reduced to 10 ships. Cartago must no fight with
states outside of Africa and this only with the approve of Rome. So
ended the Second Punian war 201 BC.
With the fate of Cartago combined also the fate of the
Gauls. There were expeled for all times from North Italy with a war
with all exceeding cruelty. Rome sized Spain and there were
established the Iberian provinces. To their administration were
chosen two pretors. Rome´s directly controle has extended to
the street of Gibraltar now.