Second Punic War: summary of the clash between Rome and Carthage. The chronology, events, causes and phases of the war.
While the Romans were engaged in wars against the Gauls and the Illyrians, the Carthaginians were planning a rematch, entrusting the management of the projects to Hamilcar Barca and then to his son-in-law Hasdrubal , supported by Hannibal , who were planning the conquest of the internal areas of Spain. To create valid troops, the availability of money was essential, found from the exploitation of the silver in the mines of Sierra Morena .
The Roman government was disturbed by the successes of Hasdrubal , and therefore forced to enter into an agreement: the Treaty of the Ebro, according to which the Carthaginians should not extend their hegemonic designs beyond the river Ebro.
Upon the death of Hasdrubal , the leadership of the conquest missions was entrusted to Hannibal , head of the Punic army.
The latter gave life to a real plan, according to which the Carthaginians would have had to cross the Alps, draw up an alliance with the Gauls, the Etruscans and the Samnites to close Rome in a circle of enemies.Hannibal therefore wanted to provoke a reaction in the Romans, by attacking one of his allies: Saguntum . Rome considered this incursion a deliberately hostile act against it and therefore, after receiving the refusal to hand over Hannibal , declared war on him.
Hannibal’s victories in Italy
Hannibal, after having subjugated Sagunto, began to realize his project, marching beyond the Ebro, crossing the Alps and reaching the Po Valley. Here he obtained the alliance of the Gauls, thanks to which he was able to reorganize the army, decimated during the journey. With the Gauls, Carthage defeated Rome along the Trebbia and the Ticino. Trying to stop the Punic advance, the Romans were once again defeated on Lake Trasimeno . Hannibal continued his march through Italy through the South, hoping for a coalition of the local populations. In the meantime, a dictator was elected in Rome: Quintus Fabius Maximus, who suggested a tactic of attrition, organized through sudden attacks. His stay, however, was short; and the leadership of the battles was entrusted to two consuls: Aemilius Paulus and Terentius Varro, who suffered defeat at Cannae. The Roman casualties were very many, including Paulus and other senators. Hannibal’s officers wanted to go to the Capitoline Hill for the celebrations, but the general was against it, aiming at the total destruction of Carthage.
The situation after the battle of Cannae
Many cities of southern Italy, seeing the ability of the Carthaginians, allied themselves with Hannibal . Despite this, the latter remained too far from the Carthaginian territories and lacked the means to besiege Rome; which, on the contrary, was preparing a valiant army supported by tax increases. The primacy of available forces, therefore, was about to undergo an important conversion, since Hannibal remained far from receiving reinforcements. The Syracusans also followed the example of some populations of southern Italy, allying themselves with Carthage. The Roman Senate, however, occupied it by sending the proconsul Marcellus, who subdued it.
The Roman victory at Zama
Added to the grave conditions of Carthage was the betrayal of Philip V (Macedonian king), who did not come to its aid and was forced to negotiate peace with the Romans, receiving part of the Illyrian territory as a sign of gratitude. The Roman proconsul Publius Cornelius Scipio annihilated the Carthaginians at Metauro, including the general Hasdrubal at Maturo, instigating Hannibal to retreat. Previously Scipio wanted to transfer military operations to Africa to distance Hannibal from Italy. He allied himself with Massinissa, king of Numidia. After countless annihilations, Hannibal, after returning to his homeland, managed to put together a new army, which faced Scipio at Zama , where however it suffered a defeat, with the consequent refuge with King Antiochus III, the delivery of the Carthaginian fleet, payment of fifty years of war damages and recognition of the independence of Numidia. Furthermore, Carthage was obliged to ask Rome for permission to go to war against neighbouring populations.
