Hannibal
General
"We will either find a way, or make one."โ A saying often attributed to Hannibal, reflecting his audacity and determination.
Biography
Hannibal Barca was born into a prominent Carthaginian family and reportedly swore as a child never to be a friend of Rome. His father, Hamilcar, had fought in the First Punic War and nurtured a deep hatred of Roman power.
When the Second Punic War broke out, Hannibal took the offensive. In a daring move, he led a multi-ethnic army from Spain over the Alps into Italy, an undertaking that cost him many men and animals but shocked the Roman Republic.
In Italy he won a string of victories, the most famous being the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, where his double-envelopment tactic destroyed a much larger Roman army. Despite these successes, he lacked sufficient reinforcements and political support from Carthage to finish Rome off.
Eventually Rome recovered, took the war to Carthaginian territories, and under Scipio Africanus forced Hannibal to return home, where he was defeated at Zama in 202 BC. After the war, Hannibal became a reforming statesman in Carthage, then spent his later years in exile, moving between eastern courts and continuing to oppose Roman interests until his death.