What if Hannibal won the Second Punic War?

When war broke out, the Romans won several naval victories and had no problem raiding along the coasts of Spain and Africa. Had the war continued, the Romans would simply have boxed the Carthaginians in. Hannibal would have to retake Numidia to the west and slip by Roman fleets patrolling between Spain and Africa.

How did Hannibal surprise Rome during the Second Punic War?

In 219 BC Hannibal besieged, captured and sacked the pro-Roman city of Saguntum, prompting a Roman declaration of war on Carthage in spring 218 BC. That year, Hannibal surprised the Romans by marching his army overland from Iberia, through Gaul and over the Alps to Cisalpine Gaul (modern northern Italy).

How were the Romans finally able to defeat Hannibal in the Second Punic War?

In the Second Punic War, the great Carthaginian general Hannibal invaded Italy and scored great victories at Lake Trasimene and Cannae before his eventual defeat at the hands of Rome’s Scipio Africanus in 202 B.C., which left Rome in control of the western Mediterranean and much of Spain.

What was the cause of the 2nd Punic War?

Hannibal in the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE) almost inflicted a total defeat on the Roman Republic. It will be argued that the causes of the Second Punic War were Carthage’s intrigues with the Celts, Hannibal’s rivalry with Rome in Spain, and the great Carthaginian’s general thirst for revenge on Rome.

Why did Carthage lose Second Punic War?

Hannibal’s forces were defeated on the field at the Battle of Zama by Scipio’s brilliant manipulation of the Carthaginian’s own tactics but the groundwork for this defeat was laid throughout the Second Punic War through the Carthaginian government’s refusal to support their general and his troops on campaign in Italy.

What is the main cause of the Punic Wars?

The main cause of the Punic Wars was the clash of interests between the existing Carthaginian Empire and the expanding Roman Republic. The Romans were initially interested in expansion via Sicily, part of which lay under Carthaginian control.

How did Hannibal win the Second Punic War?

Hannibal’s army and his allies had killed upwards of 175,000 Roman and Italian soldiers in just over 20 months. At this moment, Philip of Macedon agreed to open a second front against Roman interests in Illyria. By almost any reckoning, Hannibal had won the war. Rome’s power base had been reduced to central Italy and Sicily.

What happened to the Roman Empire after the Second Punic War?

After this second disaster, Rome was seized by panic and memories of the Gallic Sack of 390 BC. But still the Romans refused to surrender or even negotiate an exchange of prisoners. Instead, Fabius Maximus was elected dictator and invested with unlimited power to confront the threat to Rome.

What was Hannibal’s strategy after he left Rome?

Essentially, the very strategy Hannibal attempted (by invading) was to turn the loosely allied cities of Italy against Rome. After he had left, this strategy was played out and had no chance of working with a second attempt.

What if Hannibal had taken over Carthage?

Hannibal’s only real option would be to reinvade Spain. This is not unreasonable, but it would leave Carthage largely undefended and economically crippled by blockades and raiding. Hannibal would have to retake Numidia to the west and slip by Roman fleets patrolling between Spain and Africa.