People are legends. Ancient world

Hannibal is the son of Hamilcar Barca, one of the greatest commanders and statesmen of antiquity, the sworn enemy of Rome and the last stronghold of Carthage

The Rise of Hannibal

Hannibal - son of Hamilcar Barca, one of the greatest commanders and statesmen of antiquity, the sworn enemy of Rome and the last stronghold of Carthage, was born in 247 BC. e., was 9 years old when his father took him with him to Spain, where he sought compensation for his fatherland for the losses suffered in Sicily.

According to Polybius and other historians, Hannibal himself said that before setting off on a campaign, his father made him swear before the altar that he would be an implacable enemy of Rome all his life, and Hannibal kept this oath completely (the so-called “Hannibal’s oath”). His outstanding abilities, the extraordinary conditions of his upbringing prepared him for a worthy successor to his father, a worthy heir to his plans, genius and hatred.

Raised in a military camp, Hannibal nevertheless received a thorough education and always took care to replenish it. So, already being commander-in-chief, Hannibal learned from the Spartan Zozil Greek language and he mastered it to such an extent that he drew up state papers on it. Flexible and strong in build, Hannibal excelled in running, was a skilled fighter and a brave rider. With his moderation in food and sleep, tirelessness in campaigns, boundless courage and selfless bravery, Hannibal always set an example for his soldiers, and with his selfless care for them he acquired their ardent love and boundless devotion. He discovered his strategic talents while still in his 22nd year as chief of cavalry for his son-in-law Hasdrubal, who, after the death of Hamilcar in 229, took over the main command in Spain. Hardly anyone else was able to combine deliberation with ardor, foresight with energy and perseverance in pursuing the intended goal to such a degree.

Coin depicting Hasdrubal

A true son of his people, Hannibal was distinguished by his inventive cunning; To achieve his goals, he resorted to original and unexpected means, to various traps and tricks, and studied the character of his opponents with unprecedented care. With the help of systematic espionage, Hannibal always learned in a timely manner about the enemy's plans and even kept constant spies in Rome itself. His contemporaries tried to denigrate the character of Hannibal, he was reproached for deceit, treachery and treachery, but everything dark and cruel in his deeds should partly be attributed to his minor commanders, and partly find justification in the then concepts of international law. Hannibal's military genius was complemented by great political talents, which he discovered in the reform of the Carthaginian rulers he undertook at the end of the war. government agencies and which gave him, even in exile, unparalleled influence over the rulers of the eastern states.

Hannibal had the gift of power over people, which was expressed in the boundless obedience in which he was able to keep his troops of different tribes and languages, who never rebelled against Hannibal even in the most difficult times. Such was this man whom, after the death of Hasdrubal, who fell in 221 at the hands of an assassin, the Spanish army chose as its leader and who decided to carry out the plans of his no less brilliant father. The means for this were fully prepared.

Beginning of the Second Punic War

Without the support of the Carthaginian government, even with its secret opposition, Hamilcar created a new province in Spain, the rich mines of which gave him the opportunity to stock up on treasury, and the communities that depended on it supplied auxiliary troops and mercenaries as needed. Roman diplomats managed to achieve in 226 the conclusion of an agreement with Hasdrubal, according to which the Carthaginians were not to advance beyond the Iberus (Ebro). But southwest of Iber, in most of Spain, the Carthaginians were granted complete freedom of action. Hamilcar left his son a legacy of a full treasury and a strong army, accustomed to victories, for which the camp served as the fatherland, and patriotism was replaced by the honor of the banner and selfless devotion to its leader. Hannibal decided it was time to settle scores with Rome.

But the cowardly Carthaginian government, mired in mercantile calculations, did not at all think of being carried away by the plans of the 26-year-old young commander, and Hannibal did not dare to start a war in obvious defiance of the legitimate authorities, but tried to cause a violation of the peace on the part of the Spanish colony of Sagunta, which was under the patronage of Rome. The Saguntians limited themselves to filing a complaint with Rome. The Roman Senate sent commissioners to Spain to investigate the matter. With a harsh approach, Hannibal thought to force them to declare war, but the commissars understood what was going on, remained silent and reported to Rome about the gathering storm. Rome began to heavily arm itself.

Time passed, and Hannibal decided to act. He sent news to Carthage that the Saguntians had begun to press out the Carthaginian subjects, the torboletes, and, without waiting for an answer, he opened military operations. The impression of this step in Carthage was like a thunderclap; there was talk of handing over the daring commander-in-chief to Rome.

But is it because the Carthaginian government was afraid of the army even more than the Romans, because it realized the impossibility of making amends for what had been done, or because of its characteristic indecision, it decided not to do anything, that is, not to wage war and not prevent it from continuing. After an 8-month siege, Saguntum fell in 218.

The Roman ambassadors demanded the extradition of Hannibal in Carthage and, having received neither a satisfactory nor a negative answer from the Carthaginian Senate, declared war, which was called the Second Punic War, which many ancient historians called the “Hannibal War”.

The Roman plan for conducting military operations provided for the usual division of the army and navy between the two consuls of 218 in such cases. One of them was supposed to concentrate his troops in Sicily and, having crossed from there to Africa, begin military operations on enemy territory, in the immediate vicinity of Carthage itself. Another consul was to cross with his army to Spain and pin down Hannibal's forces there.

However, Hannibal's energetic response disrupted these calculations and delayed implementation. strategic plan Romans for several years. Hannibal's genius told him that Rome could only be fought in Italy. Having secured Africa and leaving his brother Hasdrubal in Spain with an army, in 218 he set out from New Carthage with 80,000 infantry, 12,000 horsemen and 37 war elephants. In the battles between the Ebro and the Pyrenees, Hannibal lost 20,000 people, and to hold this newly conquered country he left Hanno with 10,000 infantry and 1,000 horsemen. The route of the campaign ran along the southern coast of Spain and Gaul. From there Hannibal descended to Southern Gaul and here skillfully evaded meeting with the consul Publius Cornelius Scipio, who thought to block his path to the Rhone Valley. It became clear to the Romans that Hannibal intended to invade Italy from the north.

This caused the Romans to abandon their original campaign plan. Both consular armies were sent north to meet Hannibal.

Crossing of Hannibal's troops across the Rhone

Meanwhile Carthaginian commander approached the Alps. He had to overcome one of the difficulties of the entire campaign - to lead the army along icy steeps, narrow mountain paths, often through snow storms, which for the Carthaginians, who did not know what snow and cold were, were a particularly difficult test. According to the research of Wickham and Crater, Hannibal made this pass through Little St. Bernard. Others point to Mont Genèvre as well as Mont Cenis. The crossing of the Alps lasted thirty-three days.

At the end of October 218, Hannibal's army, after five and a half months of a difficult campaign, spent in continuous battles with the highlanders, descended into the valley of the Po River. But the losses she suffered during this time were enormous, so that upon arrival in Italy, Hannibal had only 20,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry at hand. Almost all the war elephants were killed. In Cisalpine Gaul, recently conquered by the Romans, the Carthaginian commander managed to rest his exhausted army and significantly replenish it with troops from local tribes.

War in Italy

Having occupied and destroyed Turin, Hannibal defeated the Romans near the Ticino (Ticin) River, and then completely defeated them on the Trebbia River, despite the fact that the enemy was reinforced by significant reinforcements hastily summoned from Sicily and Massilia.

After delivering the first blows to the enemies, Hannibal settled into winter quarters in Cisalpine Gaul and became concerned about strengthening his army with allied troops from Gallic and other tribes. At the opening of the campaign in 217, two enemy armies - Flaminia and Servilia - were placed on the paths of Hannibal's advance towards Rome. For strategic reasons, the Carthaginian decided not to attack either one or the other, but, bypassing the army of Flaminius from the left wing, to threaten its communications with Rome. To do this, Hannibal chose an extremely difficult, but at least the shortest route - to Parma and through the Clusium swamps, flooded at that time by the flood of the Arno River. The commander’s army walked in the water for four days, lost all the elephants, most of the horses and pack cattle, and Hannibal himself lost one eye from inflammation. When, upon leaving the swamps, the Carthaginian made a demonstration of moving towards Rome, Flaminius, leaving his position, followed Hannibal's army, but did not observe any military precautions. Taking advantage of his enemy's oversight, Hannibal staged an unprecedented ambush with an entire army at Lake Trasimene.

Coin depicting Flaminius

When the main forces of the Romans were drawn into the valley formed by the lake and the surrounding hills, from all the hills along conventional sign Carthaginian troops began to descend upon Hannibal.

The battle that unfolded looked more like a mass slaughter of the Romans than an ordinary battle. In a narrow valley, the Romans were unable to deploy their battle formations and, surrounded by the enemy, rushed about in confusion. Many threw themselves into the lake and drowned. Almost the entire army of Fliminius and he himself died in this battle.

In view of the terrible danger in which the fatherland found itself, the Romans entrusted dictatorial power to Quintus Fabius Maximus (later nicknamed the Cunctator, i.e. the Slowman). Fabius, having well understood the state of affairs, resorted to new system actions; he avoided decisive battles, but tried to tire the enemy with campaigns and difficulties in obtaining food. His slowness and caution, however, did not please the Romans, and at the end of the dictatorship of Fabius in 216 BC. e. command of the army was entrusted to two consuls: Gaius Terence Varro and Lucius Paulus Aemilius. The army subordinate to them was the largest since the founding of Rome (90 thousand infantry, 8100 cavalry and 1 thousand Syracusan riflemen).

At this time, Hannibal was in a very difficult situation: the troops were exhausted by continuous marches, suffered from a lack of everything, and no reinforcements were sent from Carthage, due to the intrigues of a party hostile to the commander. The Carthaginian was rescued from these difficulties by the rashness of Terence Varro, who attacked the conquerors at Cannae (in Apulia) in an area convenient for Hannibal’s excellent Numidian cavalry. Before this battle, the Romans had an army that consisted of 80 thousand infantry and 6 thousand horsemen. Hannibal's infantry numbered only 40 thousand soldiers, but he had a quantitative and qualitative superiority in cavalry - 14 thousand horsemen. There the Romans suffered a terrible defeat; most of their army was destroyed, and Paul Aemilius was killed.

Hannibal's victory at Cannes had a wide resonance. The communities of Southern Italy began to go over to the side of the Carthaginian commander one after another. Most of Samnium, Bruttia, and a significant part of Lucania fell from the Romans.

Hannibal's successes were also appreciated outside of Italy. The Macedonian king Philip V offered him an alliance and military assistance. In Sicily, Syracuse went over to Hannibal's side. The Romans risked losing the entire island.

Despite the victory, Hannibal could not now, as before, attempt to take possession of Rome itself, since he did not have any means for a proper siege. He had to be content with the fact that after the battle of Cannae most of the Roman allies in Italy took his side and that Capua, the second city of the republic, opened its gates to him. In this city, the commander gave temporary rest to his exhausted troops, but Hannibal’s position improved little, since the rulers of Carthage, occupied exclusively with their selfish trade interests, missed the opportunity to finally crush their ancient rivals, the Romans, and did not provide their brilliant commander with almost any support. A fatal role for Hannibal was played by the short-sighted policy of the Carthaginian government, because of which the Carthaginian army, located in enemy territory, did not have regular connections with its metropolis and was deprived of sources of replenishment of material and human reserves. For all this time, only 12 thousand infantry and 1500 cavalry were sent to Hannibal as reinforcements. Meanwhile, Rome recovered, gathered new troops, and consul Marcellus won his first victory over the Carthaginians at Nola. After a series of military operations with varying success, Capua was taken by the Romans, and Hannibal had to take a purely defensive position.

Not receiving help from his fatherland, the commander summoned his brother, Hasdrubal, from Spain, who (207) consequently moved with his troops to Italy, but could not unite with Hannibal, since the Romans took timely measures to prevent this. The consul Claudius Nero defeated Hannibal at Grumentum, and then, uniting with another consul, Livius Sampator, defeated Hasdrubal. Having learned about the fate that befell his brother (whose severed head was thrown into the Carthaginian camp), Hannibal retreated to Brutium, where for another 3 years he endured an unequal struggle with his sworn enemies.

Return to Carthage

After this time, the Carthaginian Senate summoned the commander to his defense. hometown, who was threatened by the consul Publius Cornelius Scipio, who carried the war to Africa.

Coin depicting Publius Cornelius Scipio

In 203, Hannibal left Italy, sailed to the African shores, landed at Leptis and stationed his troops at Adrumet. An attempt to enter into negotiations with the Romans was unsuccessful. Finally, at a distance of five marches from Carthage, at Zama, a decisive battle followed (202). The decisive role in the victory over Hannibal was played by the Numidian cavalry led by King Masinissa, who went over to the side of the Romans. The Carthaginians were completely defeated, and this ended the 2nd Punic War. In 201 BC. e. a peace treaty was signed. Its conditions were difficult and humiliating for the Carthaginians. They lost all their overseas possessions, including Spain. They were forbidden to wage war even with neighboring tribes without the permission of the Roman Senate. Carthage paid a huge indemnity of 10 thousand talents and gave the Romans its entire navy and war elephants.

In the subsequent period of peace, the commander Hannibal showed himself to be a statesman; occupying the position of praetor, or head of the republic, Hannibal put finances in order, ensured urgent payment of the heavy indemnity imposed by the victors, and in general, in a peaceful manner, as in war time, rose to the occasion.

Flight and death

The thought of resuming the fight with Rome, however, did not leave him, and in order to secure greater chances of success, he entered into secret relations with the Syrian king Antiochus III. Hannibal's enemies reported this to Rome, and the Romans demanded his extradition. Then the commander fled to Antiochus (195) and managed to persuade him to take up arms against Rome, hoping to persuade his compatriots to do the same. But the Carthaginian Senate decisively refused to wage war. The Syrian and Phoenician fleets were defeated by the Romans, and at the same time Cornelius Scipio defeated Antiochus at Magnesia. Antiochus III, having suffered defeat, was forced to seek peace, one of the conditions of which was the surrender of Hannibal.

The new demand of the Romans for the extradition of Hannibal forced him to flee (189). According to some sources, Hannibal at one time lived at the court of the Armenian king Artaxius, founding for him the city of Artashat on the river. Araks, then to the island. Crete, from where he went to the Bithynian king Prusius. Here he became the head of an alliance between Prusius and his neighboring rulers against the Roman ally, the Pergamon king Eumenes.

In one of the naval battles, Hannibal managed to put the Pergamon ships to flight by throwing vessels with snakes onto their decks. Hannibal's actions against the enemy were still victorious, but Prusius betrayed him and entered into relations with the Roman Senate regarding the extradition of his guest. Having learned about this, 65-year-old Hannibal, in order to get rid of shameful captivity after such a glorious life, took poison, which he constantly carried in a ring.

Thus died this man, equally brilliant as a warrior and a ruler, who, however, failed to stop the progress world history, perhaps because the ancient valor of Rome found in Carthage a selfish rival, unable to rise above the interests of the moment and seek solid foundations state life in the depths of the people, and not in the mercantile calculations of the oligarchy. In Hannibal’s own words: “It was not Rome, but the Carthaginian Senate that defeated Hannibal.” He was buried in Libissa on the European shore of the Bosphorus, far from Carthage, which was destined to outlive its great commander by only 37 years.

Ancient historians about the personality of Hannibal

There is a single lifetime depiction of Hannibal, his profile on a Carthage coin minted in 221 at the time of his election as military leader.

The only coin with the image of Hannibal

A brief biography of Hannibal was compiled by the Roman historian Cornelius Nepos (1st century BC). In the works of Polybius, Titus Livy, Appian, who described the events of the 2nd Punic War, Roman patriotism was combined with admiration for the greatest enemy of Rome, who “fought sixteen years in Italy against Rome, never once withdrew troops from the battlefield” (Polybius, book . 19). Titus Livy (book XXI; 4, 3 ff.) said that Hannibal “endured heat and cold equally patiently; he determined the measure of food and drink by natural need, and not by pleasure; chose the time for wakefulness and sleep, without distinguishing day from night; many often saw him, wrapped in a military cloak, sleeping on the ground among the soldiers standing at posts and on guard. He was far ahead of the horsemen and infantrymen, the first to enter the battle, the last to leave the battle.” According to Cornelius Nepos, Hannibal was fluent in Greek and Latin languages and wrote several books in Greek.

The works of historians preserve a semi-legendary story about the meeting between Hannibal and Scipio, who arrived in Ephesus in 193 as part of the Roman embassy to Antiochus III. Once during a conversation, Scipio asked Hannibal who he considered the greatest commander. The great commander named Alexander the Great, Pyrrhus the king of Epirus and himself in third place after them, adding then that if he managed to defeat the Romans, he would consider himself superior to Alexander, Pyrrhus, and all other generals.

History of Ru

In 247 BC. In the family of the talented Carthaginian military leader and statesman Hamilcar Barca, a son was born, known throughout the world as Hannibal Barca.

Like any educated aristocrat, Hamilcar took his son's education seriously, trying to ensure that he received a Greek-style education, the purpose of which was to make a person a comprehensively developed personality. Therefore, Hannibal, together with his brothers, was engaged in best schools city, diligently mastering such disciplines as oratory, reading, arithmetic, and music.

Even in his youth, Hannibal had the opportunity, as they say, to “smell gunpowder,” because, while paying tribute ancient tradition, he accompanied his father on numerous campaigns. Thus, Hannibal took part in the campaign against Spain during the First Punic War (264-241 BC). Like grown men, he fought with Roman soldiers, defending Carthage's right to possess the lands of fertile Sicily and its dominance in the Mediterranean Sea. Most likely, it was at this time that Hannibal first began to hate Rome, and even swore to his father that his life would be devoted to the fight against the hated state.

However, military campaigns did not prevent Hannibal from receiving an education; subsequently he continued to take care of replenishing his intellectual baggage. For example, having already become commander-in-chief, Hannibal, thanks to the Spartan Zosilus, managed to master the Greek language so well that he used it when drawing up state papers. The commander was distinguished by his flexibility and strength of physique, achieved excellent results in running and art hand-to-hand combat, was an excellent rider. His moderate needs for food and rest, tirelessness in campaigns, boundless courage and selfless bravery have always been an example for soldiers. Hannibal showed his talent as a strategist at the age of 22 as the chief of cavalry under Hasdrubal, who in 229 after the death of Hamilcar became the main military leader in Spain. Hannibal's character intricately intertwined ardor with the ability to think through an action to the smallest detail, foresight with energy and the ability to persistently pursue the intended goal.

In addition, Hannibal was characterized by ingenuity and even cunning. To achieve his goal, he used original and unexpected means, various traps and tricks, carefully studying the character of his opponent. Not disdaining systematic espionage, Hannibal always received timely information about the enemy’s plans and even managed to keep constant spies in Rome.

Hannibal knew how to subjugate people, which reflected the boundless obedience to his will of troops of different tribes and languages, who never rebelled against Hannibal. Such a man was a brilliant commander, who after the death of Hasdrubal became the leader of the Spanish army and decided to implement the plans of his no less talented father. Moreover, he had all the necessary means to achieve this goal.

In the absence of support from the government of Carthage, Hamilcar outlined the boundaries of a new province in Spain, thanks to the rich mines of which he was able not only to replenish the treasury, but also, using the reserves of subject communities, to increase the number of auxiliary troops and mercenaries to the extent necessary. Roman diplomats in 226 concluded a treaty with Hasdrubal prohibiting the Carthaginians from advancing beyond the Iberus. However, to the southwest of Iber, in the main part of Spanish territory, the Carthaginians were given complete freedom of action. From his father, Hannibal inherited a full treasury and a strong army, accustomed to victories, whose soldiers truly valued the honor of the banner and were selflessly devoted to their leader. The moment has come to settle scores with Rome.

However, the government of Carthage was not at all attracted by the plans of the young commander, and Hannibal did not want to start a war against the will of the legitimate rulers, and then he tried to provoke the Spanish colony of Sagunta, which was patronized by Rome, to violate the peace. But the Saguntians limited themselves to sending a complaint to Rome. To find out all the details of the matter, the Roman Senate sent commissioners to Spain. Hannibal was sure that a harsh treatment would force the Romans to declare war, but the commissioners, having guessed his intentions, chose to remain silent, informing Rome about the impending storm. The Romans began to heavily arm themselves.

And after some time, Hannibal decided to act. He wrote to the government of Carthage about the oppression of Carthaginian subjects by the Saguntians, and, not considering it necessary to wait for an answer, began military action. The authorities of Carthage were shocked by the audacity of this decision; there was talk about the possible extradition of Hannibal to Rome.

However, perhaps because the Carthaginian government feared its own army more than the Roman soldiers, or due to the understanding of the impossibility of correcting what had been done, or perhaps because of ordinary indecision, they decided not to take any action, i.e. both not to encourage the war, and not to try to continue it. And after 8 months of siege, Saguntum was taken in 218.

The Roman ambassadors demanded that Hannibal be extradited, but without waiting for any response from the Carthaginian Senate, they announced the start of a war, which became known as the Second Punic War.

Hannibal understood that it was best to fight against Rome directly in Italy. He took care of the safety of Africa, and also left an army in Spain under the command of his brother Hasdrubal, after which in 218 Hannibal set out from New Carthage with an army of 12,000 horsemen, 80,000 infantry and 37 war elephants. His path went through South coast Spain and Gaul. Hannibal's army then descended into southern Gaul, where the waiting consul Publius Cornelius Scipio failed to prevent Hannibal's army from passing into the Rhone Valley. The Romans realized that Hannibal intended to get into Italy from the north. In this regard, the Romans abandoned the originally planned division of army and navy forces between the consuls, and both consular armies went to the north of Italy to meet Hannibal.

At this time, the army of the Carthaginian commander approached the Alps. The Carthaginians had to overcome one of the most difficult stages of the campaign - crossing icy steep slopes, narrow mountain paths, often making their way through snow storms, which became a particularly difficult test for the Carthaginians, who had absolutely no idea about snow and cold. It took Hannibal's army thirty-three days to cross the Alps.

Battle of Zama

In October 218, Hannibal's army, after five and a half months of a difficult campaign, spent in continuous battles with the highlanders, descended into the valley of the Po River. However, the losses that Hannibal's army suffered during this period were so enormous that only 20,000 infantry and 6,000 horsemen came to Italy with Hannibal. Almost all the war elephants died on the way. In Cisalpine Gaul, which the Romans had recently conquered, the Carthaginian commander gave rest to his exhausted army, significantly replenishing its ranks thanks to detachments of local tribes.
After occupying and destroying Turin, Hannibal defeated the Romans at the Battle of the Ticino River, after which he inflicted an even more serious defeat on the Trebbia River.

After the first victories, Hannibal's troops defeated winter camps in Cisalpine Gaul, simultaneously strengthening themselves due to the arrival of new fighters from the Gallic tribes. With the onset of spring 217, the Romans advanced two armies, whose task was to block the road to Rome. However, Hannibal decided to simply avoid a collision with them, bypassing the army of Flaminius from the left flank, and at the same time complicating the possibility of its communication with Rome. The commander decided to lead his army along the shortest route in the direction of Parma, through the Clusium swamps, which were also flooded by floods on the Arno River. Hannibal's army marched through the swamp for several days, losing all its war elephants and most of its horses. Having overcome the swamps, Hannibal's army began a false maneuver, imitating preparations for the siege of Rome. Having bought into this trick, Flaminius left his occupied positions and hastily organized the pursuit of Hannibal, neglecting proper military guards. Taking advantage of this oversight by Flaminius, Hannibal staged a brilliant ambush at Lake Trasimene, entrenching an entire army there.

Hannibal, who occupied the surrounding heights, was waiting for the Romans in the narrow valley of the lake. When the Romans entered the valley, Hannibal's fighters attacked them from all sides, inflicting a humiliating defeat on the Romans, who were unable to organize an organized response and were taken by surprise. The Roman army was completely defeated, and Flaminius himself died in the battle.

Never before had Rome been exposed to such danger as arose as a result of the defeat of the army of Flaminius. Dictatorship in Rome went to Quintus Fabius Maximus (aka Cunctator, i.e. Slowman). Roman dictator suggests avoidance tactics major battles, designed to completely exhaust the enemy, already exhausted by campaigns, causing him insoluble supply difficulties. This tactic was criticized, and after the end of Fabius's reign in 216 BC. power and command passed to the consuls: Gaius Terence Varro and Lucius Paulus Aemilius. At this moment, Rome had 90 thousand infantry, 8100 cavalry and 1000 Syracusan riflemen at its disposal.

Meanwhile, many months and years of campaigns had a negative impact on Hannibal's army. in the best possible way. The soldiers were on the verge of exhaustion, and no reinforcements were sent from Carthage. So Hannibal’s political opponents decided to undermine his authority. However, the Carthaginians, stuck in Italy, continued to have good luck. Hannibal, unwittingly, was helped by the Romans. Terence Varro, who attacked the Carthaginians at Cannae, did not take into account the features of the terrain, which was convenient for the operations of Hannibal’s excellent Numidian cavalry. Before the battle, the Roman troops numbered 80,000 infantry and 6,000 horse. The Carthaginian infantry was twice as inferior to the Roman infantry, but in the cavalry the superiority was more than twofold: Hannibal fielded 14 thousand horsemen against the Roman 6 thousand. The Romans suffered a new terrible defeat - defeat and shame.
Hannibal's victory at the Battle of Cannae had wide political resonance. Many communities in southern Italy began to come over to his side. The provinces of Samnia and Bruttia, as well as a significant part of Lucania, actually left the Roman state.

The victory at Cannes strengthened Carthage’s position in the international arena - it changed the geopolitical balance of power in the world. Roman hegemony was truly shaken. Hannibal received allied offers from the Macedonian king Philip V, as well as from the rulers of Sicily - Syracuse went over to the side of Carthage. Rome's loss of Sicily was practically a fait accompli.

However, the victory still did not allow Hannibal to march on Rome, because his army did not have the means to properly conduct a siege. He could only be content with the defection of many Roman allies to his side and the opening of the gates of Capua, the second city of the republic, to the Carthaginians. It was here that Hannibal allowed his exhausted soldiers to rest a little, but the position of Hannibal himself remained virtually unchanged, since the Carthaginian government, concerned exclusively with its own selfish interests, missed the opportunity to finally deal with its ancient rivals, the Romans, still hardly supporting its commander. The short-sightedness of the Carthaginian government, which was not concerned about the fate of the Carthaginian army located in enemy territory, deprived of regular communication with the metropolis and a source of replenishment of material and human reserves, fatally affected the fate of Hannibal. During this entire period, only 12 thousand infantry and 1,500 cavalry were sent to reinforce Hannibal’s army. Meanwhile, Rome managed to recover and gather new troops, after which, at the Battle of Nola, consul Marcellus managed to win his first victory over the Carthaginians. After a series of battles, the Romans took Capua, and Hannibal was forced to take a defensive position.

Without waiting for reinforcements from his fatherland, Hannibal turned to his brother Hasdurbal, who, having left Spain, went with an army to Italy in 207, but he was unable to unite with Hannibal, because the Romans took appropriate measures to prevent this. After defeating Hannibal at the Battle of Grumentum, the troops of the consul Claudius Nero united with the army of another consul, Livius Sampator, together defeating Hasdrubal. Having received his brother's severed head as a parcel, Hannibal decided to retreat to Brutium, where he held out for another 3 years.

After this period, the government of Carthage summoned a commander to defend his home city, which was approached by an army led by the consul Publius Cornelius Scipio, who had transferred military operations to Africa.

In 203, Hannibal, having left Italy, crossed to Africa, landing at Leptis, his army was stationed at Adrumet. An attempt at peace negotiations with the Romans was unsuccessful. Finally, in 202, the decisive battle of Zama took place. A significant role in the defeat of Hannibal's army belonged to the Numidian cavalry under the command of King Masinissa, who went over to the side of the Romans. The Carthaginian army was defeated, thus putting an end to the 2nd Punic War. And already in 201 BC. the warring parties signed a peace treaty, the terms of which were a heavy and humiliating burden for the Carthaginians. Carthage had to give up all its overseas possessions, including Spain. In addition, the Carthaginians were not allowed to begin military operations even against neighboring tribes without receiving the approval of the Roman Senate. Carthage was also obliged to pay an indemnity of 10,000 talents and give Rome all its warships and war elephants.

In peacetime, Hannibal showed his talents in the field government controlled; While holding the position of praetor, Hannibal managed to streamline finances, ensuring the urgent payment of heavy indemnities, and in general, both during the war and during the period of peace, he was at his best.

However, Hannibal did not give up hope of resuming the fight with Rome and, in order to increase the chances of success, sought to enlist the support of the Syrian king Antiochus III. Having learned about this, Hannibal's enemies reported his actions to Rome, after which the Romans demanded that Carthage hand over Hannibal. This forced the commander to seek refuge with Antiochus. Subsequently, he even persuaded him to start a war against Rome, hoping that his compatriots would join this fight. However, the Carthaginian government decisively refused to participate in the war.
As a result, the Romans defeated the Syrian and Phoenician fleets, at the same time Cornelius Scipio defeated Antiochus at Magnesia. After the defeat, Antiochus III had to seek peace, and not the last point in this agreement was the extradition of Hannibal.

Another Roman demand to hand over Hannibal forced him to flee in 189. Some historians believe that for some time Hannibal was patronized by the Armenian king Artaxius, whom the Carthaginian commander helped in founding the city of Artashat on the river. Araks. Afterwards Hannibal came to the island. Crete, and then ended up with the Bithynian king Prusius. Here he led the alliance of Prusius and his neighboring rulers, created to fight the Roman ally, the Pergamon king Eumenes.

Historians describe naval battle, in which Hannibal managed to put the ships of the Pergamians to flight by throwing snakes onto the decks of their ships. Despite the fact that luck was again on Hannibal’s side, Prusius betrayed him by agreeing with the Roman Senate to extradite his guest. When 65-year-old Hannibal became aware of this, in order to avoid shameful capture, he decided to take the poison that was always with him, poured into the ring.
Thus ended the life of the great commander who fell victim political intrigues, who during his lifetime liked to repeat that “Hannibal was defeated not by Rome, but by the Carthaginian Senate.”

Literature:
Korablev I. Sh. Hannibal. - M.: Nauka, 1976.
Lancel S. Hannibal. - M.: Young Guard, 2002.
Huss W. Hannibal. - 1986.

Abram Petrovich Hannibal(, Abyssinia -, Suida, Rozhdestvensky district, Russian Empire) - Russian military engineer, chief general, great-grandfather of A. S. Pushkin. Ibrahim was the son of a black African prince - a vassal of the Turkish Sultan. In 1703 he was captured and sent to the Sultan's palace in Constantinople. In 1704, the Russian ambassador Savva Raguzinsky brought him to Moscow, where a year later he was baptized. Since Peter I was the godfather, in Orthodoxy Ibrahim received the patronymic Petrovich. Since 1756 - chief military engineer of the Russian army, in 1759 he received the rank of general-in-chief. In 1762 he retired. In Hannibal’s second marriage, Osip Abramovich Hannibal was born, A.S. Pushkin’s maternal grandfather. A.S. Pushkin dedicated the unfinished novel “Arap of Peter the Great” to his great-grandfather.

Origin

There is still a lot that remains unclear in the biography of Hannibal. The son of a sovereign prince (“neger” of noble origin, according to his notes youngest son Petra) Ibrahim (Abram) was probably born in (or) in Africa. The traditional version, coming from the German biography of Hannibal, familiar to Pushkin, compiled by his son-in-law Rotkirch, connected the homeland of Peter the Great's Arab with the north of Ethiopia (Abyssinia).

Recent research by Sorbonne graduate Benin Slavist Dieudonné Gnammankou, author of the book "Abram Hannibal" from the ZhZL series, who developed Nabokov's idea, identifies his homeland as the city of Logon-Birni on the border of modern Cameroon and Chad, where the Logon Sultanate of the Kotoko people, who are descendants of the Sao civilization, was located .

Video on the topic

Biography

Ibrahim, who was 7 years old at that time, and his brother were kidnapped and brought to Constantinople, from where in 1705 Savva Raguzinsky brought the brothers as a gift to Peter I, who loved all sorts of rarities and curiosities, and had previously kept “Araps”. According to alternative version(Blagoy, Tumiyants, etc.), Abram Petrovich was purchased by Peter the Great around 1698 in Europe and brought to Russia.

Meanwhile, Hannibal met Christina-Regina von Schöberg in Pernov ( Christina Regina von Sjöberg), had children with her and married her in 1736 while his wife was alive, presenting a court order punishing adultery as evidence of divorce. In 1743, Evdokia, who had been released on bail, became pregnant again, after which she submitted a petition to the consistory, in which she admitted her past betrayal and herself asked to divorce her from her husband. However, the litigation with Evdokia ended only in 1753; the marriage was dissolved on September 9, 1753, the wife was exiled to the Tikhvin Vvedensky Monastery in 1754, and penance and a fine were imposed on Hannibal, however, recognizing the second marriage as legal and finding guilty the military court, which made a decision on the case of adultery without consideration by the Synod .

Hannibal had eleven children, but four sons (Ivan, Peter, Osip, Isaac) and three daughters (Elizabeth, Anna, Sophia) survived to adulthood; Of these, Ivan took part in a naval expedition, took Navarin, distinguished himself at Chesma, by decree of Catherine II he carried out the construction of the city of Kherson (1779), and died as general-in-chief in 1801. Nadezhda, the daughter of Hannibal's other son, Osip, was the mother of Alexander Pushkin, who mentions his descent from Hannibal in the poems: "To Yuryev", "To Yazykov" and "My Genealogy".

In cinema and literature

• The life of Hannibal (with a number of literary assumptions) is told in the unfinished work of A. S. Pushkin - “The Blackamoor of Peter the Great"
• Based on this work, a film was made - “The Tale of How Tsar Peter Married a Blackamoor”, the plot of which has little to do with historical reality. As Hannibal -

War of Rome with Hannibal. Map

Hannibal's invasion of Italy

Hannibal's genius told him that Rome could only be fought in Italy. Leaving his brother, Hasdrubal, with an army in Spain, he set out from New Carthage in 218 with 90,000 infantry and 12,000 horsemen. In the battles between the Ebro and the Pyrenees, Hannibal lost 20,000 soldiers, and to hold this newly conquered region he left Hanno with 10,000 infantry and 1,000 horsemen. Having reinforced the army of Hasdrubal with another 10,000 soldiers, Hannibal with 50,000 infantry and 9,000 cavalry crossed the Pyrenees, descended into Southern Gaul and here skillfully evaded meeting with the consul Publius Cornelius Scipio, who was going to block his road to the Rhone Valley. Hannibal then made his famous 15-day trek through the Alps with the help of the Cisalpine Gauls.

At the end of October 218, Hannibal's army, after five and a half months of a difficult campaign, spent in continuous battles with the highlanders, descended into the valley of the Pada (Po) River. Its losses were so great that Hannibal had only 20 thousand infantry and 6 thousand cavalry left. This did not stop him from moving forward. Hannibal soon defeated the Romans on the Ticinus River, and then routed them on the Trebbia River, although the enemy was strengthened by significant reinforcements called from Sicily and Massilia. Betting on winter quarters in Cisalpine Gaul, Hannibal reinforced his army there with auxiliary detachments from Gallic tribes. At the beginning of the campaign of 217, two enemy armies - Flaminia and Servilia - blocked Hannibal's path to Rome. Hannibal decided not to attack them, but, bypassing the army of Flaminius on the left, to threaten its communications with Rome. To do this, Hannibal chose a very difficult, but at least the shortest route - to Parma and through the Clusium swamps, flooded at that time by the flood of the Arno River. For four days his army marched in the water and lost all the elephants, most of the horses and pack cattle. Hannibal himself lost one eye from inflammation. Coming out of the swamps, Hannibal pretended that he wanted to rush to Rome. Flaminius followed the Carthaginians without observing military precautions. Taking advantage of the enemy's inability, Hannibal arranged an unprecedented ambush for him with an entire army at Lake Trasimene. In a bloody battle on its shore, he inflicted a complete defeat on the Romans, and Flaminius himself died. In view of the dire danger, the Romans handed over the dictatorship to Fabius Verrucose (later called Cunctator – Procrastinator). Experienced Fabius resorted to new tactics: he avoided decisive battles, and tried to wear down the enemy with campaigns and the difficulty of food supplies.

Battle of Cannes

The slowness and caution of Fabius Cunctator did not please the Romans, and at the end of his dictatorship, command passed to two consuls: Terence Varro and Aemilius Paullus. Their army was the largest since the founding of Rome (90 tons of infantry, 8,100 cavalry and 1 tons of Syracusan riflemen). Hannibal was in a difficult position; His troops were exhausted by continuous campaigns, suffered from a lack of everything, and no reinforcements were sent from Carthage. Hannibal was saved from these difficulties by the rashness of Terence Varro, who (216) attacked the Carthaginians at Cannae (in Apulia), in an area convenient for the operation of their excellent Numidian cavalry. Here the Romans suffered a new, terrible defeat; Most of their army was killed, and the consul Aemilius Paulus was also killed.

Rome's war with Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae

Despite the victory, Hannibal could not now march on Rome, since he did not have the means for a siege. But after the battle of Cannae, most of the Roman allies in Italy took his side, and Capua, the second city of Italy, opened its gates to him. At Capua, Hannibal gave temporary rest to his weary troops; but the rulers of Carthage, occupied exclusively with selfish trade interests, missed the opportunity to finally crush their original rivals, the Romans, and did not provide their brilliant commander with almost any support. During all this time, only 12 thousand infantry and 1.5 thousand cavalry were sent to Hannibal as reinforcements. Rome, meanwhile, gathered new troops, and consul Marcellus won his first victory over the Carthaginians at Nola. After a series of military actions with varying success, Capua was taken by the Romans, and Hannibal was forced to go on the defensive. Not receiving help from his fatherland, Hannibal summoned his brother Gazdrubal from Spain, who (207) moved with troops to Italy, but was unable to unite with Hannibal. The consul Claudius Nero defeated Hannibal at Grumentum and then, uniting with another consul, Livius Salinator, defeated Hasdrubal at Metaurus. Having learned of the death of his brother (Gazdrubal's severed head was thrown into the Carthaginian camp), Hannibal retreated to Bruttium, where he endured an unequal struggle with the Romans for another three years. After this time, the Carthaginian Senate summoned Hannibal to the defense of his native city, which was threatened by the consul Cornelius Scipio, who had carried the war to Africa. In 203, Hannibal left Italy and sailed to the African shores. An attempt to negotiate with Scipio was unsuccessful. Five marches from Carthage, at Zama, a decisive battle ensued (202). The Carthaginians were completely defeated, and this ended the Second Punic War.

Hannibal's departure from Carthage and his death

Meanwhile, Rome used the first years after the peace with Carthage to strengthen its rule over Italy, to completely conquer the Spanish peninsula, Sardinia, Corsica, domination over which put the entire West under its control Mediterranean Sea; while he, interfering in the discord between the Greeks and the Macedonians, prepared the expansion of his possessions in the East, the Carthaginians were not inactive; They tried to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the war through reforms and putting finances in order, and partly succeeded in this, although the matter was greatly complicated by party discord in Carthage and attacks by external enemies. We meet Hannibal here again. The sad outcome of the war placed the control of Carthage in the hands of aristocrats who wanted peace and were loyal to the Romans; but the patriotic party, based on the people and grouped around the family of Hamilcar Barca, remained powerful as long as Hannibal was at its head. He was made suffet and chairman of the Council of the Sta. Just as before, when commanding an army, Hannibal sought to restore the power of his homeland, so now, devoting himself to the internal affairs of the state, he tried to improve the condition of his homeland through reforms. Hannibal transformed the Council of the Hundred, put the state economy in order: he managed to overthrow the dishonest, self-interested oligarchy and found democratic institutions, under the protection of which order was established in the state. Hannibal managed affairs fairly, strictly observed the laws, increased state revenues, introduced frugality in expenses, and, thanks to this, Carthage was able to pay indemnities to the Romans on a timely basis without burdening the citizens with excessive taxes. Finances under the control of Hannibal came to such a good position that ten years after the conclusion of peace, the Carthaginians could offer the Romans immediate payment of the rest of the indemnity. But the Romans rejected this proposal, because for them keeping Carthage in constant dependence on themselves was more important than immediately receiving money.

Hannibal's reforms reduced the influence of the aristocracy on state affairs and its income from government posts; she was indignant that the defeated enemy set limits to her greed and lust for power. To take revenge on Hannibal, she did not disdain the most shameful means. She accused Hannibal of using the power of the commander-in-chief for his personal benefit; this accusation was found to be false; then the aristocrats began to accuse Hannibal before the Roman Senate of secret relations with the enemies of Rome, of planning to take advantage of the war being prepared by the Romans with Antiochus; they argued that when the Roman legions left for Syria, Hannibal would make a landing in Italy and resume the war. With these accusations, which could be based on some truth, the oligarchs, who wanted only material well-being and the preservation of Carthage’s independence in internal affairs under the auspices of Rome, achieved their goal. In vain did Scipio say that it was humiliating for the Roman people to listen to denunciations and interfere in the internal affairs of Carthage; The Senate sent three ambassadors to Africa to sort out Masinissa's quarrel with the Carthaginians over the border region and to complain to the Carthaginian government about Hannibal's hostile plans to Rome. Hannibal soon saw that the Romans would seek his extradition, and saved his homeland from the shame of handing over its greatest citizen to the vengeance of irreconcilable enemies. Hannibal secretly left Carthage, thinking in the east to resume the war against Rome, to which he had sworn eternal hatred when he was still a child. He sailed to Tire, and from there to Ephesus, where Antiochus III was then preparing for war with the Romans. At home, Hannibal was sentenced to death in absentia as a traitor, his property was confiscated, his house was destroyed.

Antiochus kindly received the famous exile, and Hannibal did his best to achieve the goal he had been striving for all his life. If Antiochus had followed the prudent advice of Hannibal and if the Carthaginian oligarchs had not found out and revealed to the Romans his relations with the Carthaginian patriots, then the Syrian war, supported by the Carthaginian landings, could have taken a turn dangerous for the Romans.

Hannibal persuaded Antiochus to start a war against Rome, hoping to persuade his compatriots to do the same. But the Carthaginian Senate decisively refused war. The Syrian and Phoenician fleets were defeated by the Romans, and Cornelius Scipio defeated Antiochus near Magnesia. The new demand of the Romans for the extradition of Hannibal forced him to flee (189) to the Bithynian king Prusius. Here Hannibal became the head of an alliance between Prusius and his neighboring rulers against the Roman ally, the Pergamon king Eumenes. Hannibal's actions against the enemy were still victorious, but Prusius betrayed him and entered into relations with the Roman Senate regarding the extradition of his guest. Having learned about this, 65-year-old Hannibal, in order to get rid of shameful captivity after such a glorious life, took poison, which he constantly carried in a ring. Thus died this man, equally brilliant as a warrior and a ruler, who, however, failed to change the course of world history. The valor of Rome found in Carthage a selfish rival, incapable of rising above the interests of the moment and looking for solid foundations of state life in the depths of the people, and not in the mercantile calculations of the oligarchy. In the words of Hannibal himself: “it was not Rome, but the Carthaginian Senate that defeated Hannibal.”

Years of life: 247 BC - 183 BC

State: Carthage

Field of activity: Warlord

Greatest Achievement: The first person in history to cross the Alps. He won a number of high-profile victories over the Roman Empire.

Story ancient world replete with various heroes - geniuses and madmen, generals and emperors. Almost each of them left his mark on the history of the state - his homeland or the place where he lived or fought. However, it is worth recognizing that very few names have come down to us in the meaning they had in ancient times. Time distorts reality. But the name Hannibal Barca, or simply Hannibal, has survived to this day in the meaning attached to this man. Who was this great commander ancient Carthage? For what merits was he called one of the greatest of his kind?

early years

The future sworn enemy of Rome was born in 247 BC. Exact date The birth of the hero is unknown - in those days many documents were lost, and it was often impossible to restore them. However, the boy was destined to become a military man - his father was a Carthaginian military leader and statesman. The family was of aristocratic origin, so young Hannibal, under the supervision of his father, studied according to the Greek model in order to become a well-rounded person. Subjects included music, public speaking, arithmetic, grammar, and reading.

At the age of nine, the boy first went on a military campaign with his father - the path lay in Spain. It was then that Hamilcar Barca forced his son to swear an oath at the altar supreme gods that all his life he would be an implacable enemy of Rome. Moreover, he saw in his heir (besides Hannibal, there were two sons and three daughters growing up in the family - the fate and life of the latter are unknown) as the continuer of his work, that is, the leader of the Carthaginian army. By participating in battles along with other fighters, Hannibal gained the necessary experience. At the same time, he continued his studies - the Spartan Sosil taught him the Greek language, which Hannibal mastered perfectly.

Military career

After the death of his father in one of the battles, his son-in-law, Hasdrubal, became the leader, who also did not stay in this post - he was killed by his own servant. Now the road to power was open - Hannibal became commander-in-chief of the Carthaginian army. Already under his predecessors, Carthage's possessions were expanded (largely at the expense of the Iberian and Iberian Peninsulas). He continued to advance on the Roman positions.

His character amazingly combined such qualities as composure and ardor of actions, ingenuity and foresight. In addition, he had the gift of convincing people (and in military affairs this detail is important). Also, all the commander’s actions were as fast as a flash of lightning. Hence the nickname – Barka, which means “lightning”. Moreover, both father and son had it - Hannibal borrowed many from his parent useful qualities leader of the Carthaginian army.

After the successful Spanish campaign, it was time to change geographical position army - to transfer it to Italy (after all, it is better to fight the enemy on its territory). Hannibal began to actively prepare for a new campaign against an old enemy -.

Leaving in key positions in Spain and North Africa part of the army under the leadership of his brother, Barca himself went through Gaul to the shores of Italy. His path lay through the Roman province of Massalia (modern Marseille), where the Carthaginian was stopped by part of the Roman army. General Scipio understood that the Carthaginian army was heading towards the capital through the north (since the south and the sea were blocked). The Romans decided to move towards Carthage.

Even before the legendary other talented military leader crossed the Alps. Hannibal spent a month on them. Heavy weather, narrow paths, steep cliffs - the Carthaginian army, led by Hannibal, desperately marched forward towards its cherished goal - Rome. But the losses were significant - almost all the war elephants found their death in the mountains, many thousands of soldiers remained forever on the Alpine slopes.

Having lost a huge number of people, Hannibal could not immediately attack the Romans. In the province of Cisalpine Gaul (the territory between the Alps and the Apennines), the Carthaginian soldiers were able to rest a little, and Hannibal was able to replenish his army with local tribes.

Having rested and gained strength, the army again moved towards Rome. The army of the republic was already waiting uninvited guests. However, luck was on Hannibal's side - victories ensured further advance towards Rome. The city was in mortal danger.

The Roman dictator Quintus Maximus proposed tactics of exhaustive combat, which were harshly criticized in the Senate. However, this proposal was not without meaning - Hannibal’s army simply ran out of steam over the long months of transitions and campaigns, as well as military battles.

No reinforcements were expected from Carthage. But even with this state of the army, Hannibal was able to win one of his main battles - at Cannae, thanks to which some Italian southern tribes and Roman provinces joined Carthage.

Note that the reputation of the Roman army as invincible was completely destroyed. The main loss of this battle also occurred - Sicily left Rome, namely, fertile lands which Hannibal has long been attracted to.

Weakening of Carthage's troops

But luck could not always accompany the Carthaginians. Still, it was not possible to take Rome - either there were not enough resources, or Hannibal understood that the city was well fortified. The Carthaginian government was not going to help its commander by sending him a new militia. Meanwhile, the Roman army had already recovered from its defeats. Hannibal tried to call his brother from Spain for help, but the Romans took this into account. Hasdrubal was defeated. Hannibal received his severed head as a gift from Rome.

Meanwhile to maritime boundaries The Roman army was approaching Carthage. Hannibal was urgently recalled home to protect his native walls. In 202, the Battle of Zama took place, in which Carthage suffered a crushing defeat. A peace treaty was signed on conditions humiliating for Carthage - he renounced all overseas colonies, not a single one military action should not begin without the approval of the Senate. In addition, payments were imposed. Hannibal was not going to give up so easily. He turned to the Syrian king Antiochus for help to gather an army and strike again. But, unfortunately, the government of Carthage was not going to fight anymore. Having learned about Hannibal's actions, Rome demanded his extradition. The commander himself fled to Syria.

At the Battle of Magnesia, Antiochus was defeated and sued for peace. It was given on one condition - Syria would hand over Hannibal to Rome. He himself managed to escape again. For some time he hid in Armenia, then in Crete. His last refuge was the palace of the Bithynian king Prusias (the territory of modern Turkey). Rome, having learned of Hannibal's whereabouts, demanded extradition again. Prusius did not want a war with a more powerful rival. Hannibal, having learned about this, decided not to tempt fate and took the poison that was always with him in his ring. This happened in 183 BC. Now Rome had nothing to fear.