Evaluation of Hannibal as a General
When Hannibal left Italy in 203 BC "he had filled Italy…with monuments
of his tremendous campaigns"[1]. In this essay I will consider
Hannibal's legacy and what aspects of his personality created these
'monuments.' After research,[2] I have set out some criteria of a
great general and in this essay I will attempt to establish to what
extent Hannibal fulfils these criteria. According to Lazenby, to do
what Hannibal did required "great strategic skill, tactical ingenuity
and sheer force of personality"[3]. I will consider where these
characteristics came from and how he used these characteristics to his
advantage in the Second Punic War.
After Hasdrubal was assassinated Hannibal became general of the
Carthaginian army in Spain. He had had an interesting upbringing as
the son of a popular war hero, Hamilcar. Hamilcar "led the boy
[Hannibal] to the altar and made him solemnly swear…that as soon as he
was old enough he would become an enemy of Rome"[4]. There was some
debate as to whether Hannibal should become commander at this young
age. However "the troops received him [Hannibal] with ominous
enthusiasm, the soldiers feeling that in the person of this young man
Hamilcar himself was restored to them…the same vigour in his look, the
same fire in his eyes"[5]. Indeed one of Hannibal's flaws was,
according to Caven, "his all consuming ambition to excel in all that
his father had taught him…the terrible game of war, the only
worthwhile occupation for a Barca"[6].
This 'game of war' was all about knowing how to be a good general, and
how to defeat the Romans. In my opinion a good general mus...
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[1] Titus Livius (Livy) XXX: 28
[2] An Encyclopaedia Britannica article entitled The Conduct and
Theory of War
[3] Lazenby, page 256
[4] Livy XXI: 1
[5] Livy XXI: 2
[6] Caven, page 86
[7] Polybius III: 17
* However, it was never Hannibal's plan to cross the Alps. This aspect
of the journey occurred because of Scipio's blocking of the normal
route.
[8] An Encyclopaedia Britannica article entitled The Conduct and
Theory of War
[9] Polybius III: 67
[10] Polybius III: 70
[11] Polybius III: 70
[12] Pamela Bradley, page 138
[13] Polybius III: 78
[14] Polybius III: 80
[15] Polybius III: 80
[16] Polybius III: 48
[17] Polybius III: 17
[18] Livy XXII: 51
[19] Poybius XV: 12
Julius Caesar, an important figure in Roman history, lived during the end of the Roman Republic. His actions would shape the world around him forever. He was an important figure because he grew the Roman Empire, he brought about the end of the Roman Republic , and was able to grow his status within his lifetime and become dictator for life.
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Trapp, James. The art of war: a new translation. New York: Chartwell Books, 2012. Print.
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