Hannibal was a Punic Carthaginian military commander, reputed to be one of the greatest in history and even a better tactician. Hannibal lived in a time of great friction in the Mediterranean where the Roman Republic dominated Macedon, Syracuse and the Seleucid Empire. He was a notable member of the Barca family, a noble family well known for being staunch antagonists of the Roman Republic. His father Hamilcar was a leading commander in the First Punic War, his brother-in-laws were Hasdrubal the Fair who preferred diplomacy to war and the Numidian king Naravas, and both his brothers, Mago (commanded Hannibal’s forces and made decisive pushes) and Hasdrubal (defended Carthaginian cities in Hispania as Hannibal left for Italy in 218 BC) assisted immensely in the campaign against the Romans . Unlike many other African warlords, not only did Hannibal and his forces protect their home territory but he was also the only African commander to invade Europe in turn. In other words, he did not only defend his town or lie in wait for further oppression but rather counter-attacked and took the fight to the oppressors.
Hannibal is, perhaps, most notable for moving from Iberia over the Pyrenees, across the Alps and into northern Italy with an estimated army of 38,000 soldiers and war elephants braving the harsh climate and terrain, the guerilla tactics of the native tribes and commanding an extremely lingual-diverse army. He was a distinguished tactician, able to determine his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, and coordinate his battles accordingly. He also wasn’t above making allies when the time called for it, winning over many allies of Rome in the process during his 15-year invasion before a Roman counter-invasion of North Africa forced ...
... middle of paper ...
...hen it came to tactics shone through and etched his name in the history books as one of, if not the greatest African commanders to ever strategize war. His distinguished and pioneered tactics were utilized and analyzed centuries after his demise and are still a major topic of debate up till date.
Works Cited
Davis, Paul K. Masters of the Battlefield: Great Commanders From the Classical Age to the Napoleonic Era. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), 47.
Peddie, John. Hannibal’s War. (Sutton Publishing, 1997), 136.
Ibid. 327
The Science of War: Strategies, Tactics, and Logistics. Edited by Robert Curley. (The Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2012), 79.
Billau, Daneta & Graczyk, Donald A. Hannibal: The Father of Strategy Reconsidered. Routledge, 2011, 325.
Ibid. 82
Hoyos, Dexter. Companion to the Punic Wars. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011), 256.
Atkinson argues that the North African campaign was a "pivot point in American history, the place where the United States began to act like a great power militarily, diplomatically, strategically, and tactically" (3). More importantly, he believes that World War II was the "greatest story of the twentieth century, like all great stories, it was bottomless, [and that] no comprehensive understanding of the victory of May 1945 is possible without understanding the earlier campaigns in Africa and Italy" (655). He supports this argument well in over 500 pages of material.
Mazrui, Ali A. "The Re-Invention of Africa: Edward Said, V. Y. Mudimbe, and Beyond." Research in African Literatures 36, no. 3 (Autumn 2005): 68-82.
Gaius Gracchus’s political career began before he received his office as a tribune. He was born to a powerful family under his parents, Tiberius Gracchus major and Cornelia Africana. Tiberius gained fame during his successful suppressions of the rebellions in Hispania as a praetor. Once returning to Rome with a triumph, he adopted to the leadership position of consul in 177 and again in 163. This social background formed many ideas for Gaius at an early age, which he would act upon later. Scipio Africanus, whom defeated Hannibal in the Second Punic War, bore the child to Cornelia Africana. Even though she was of the elite class of families, the Gracchi family was plebian (Boatwright, Gargola, Lenski, and Talbert 2013: 86). These influential bloodlines created a stepping stone for Gaius when he sought out the tribune position. However, if it were not for his brother, Tiberius, his political career and many of h...
Although a genius on the battlefield, where he used surprise and maneuver to overcome the relatively small size of his force, I do not believe that Hannibal was an ethical leader. He did not always exhibit the essential intellectual traits of critical thinking, nor did he always enforce ethical standards. To clarify, Hannibal’s vision was for independence for territories. But based on some of his actions, the concept of ‘freedom for all’ was not a part of that vision. Hannibal exhibited the trait of intellectual hypocrisy; he didn’t hold himself to the same standards that he fought for when he was faced the ethical dilemma of feeding, equipping, and paying his troops for their service; or selling Roman captives into slavery. In an effort to take care of his men, he succumbed to the latter, after the failed attempt to negotiate a ransom with Rome. And so, Roman captives were sold to a local slave trader (Commire & Klezmer, 1994). Perhaps, he fell prey to ethical relativism, using this ethical trap as a way to justify the inconsistency between his thoughts and his actions. Or maybe he didn’t care; but we’ll never know. What we do know is that this lack of intellectual integrity is opposite of the behavior that is required of an ethical leader (CF03SG, 2013, p. 7). Most assuredly, his actions confused his team of warriors, and affected their view of his professional character, especially since non-Roman captives had been released to their respective countries.
Arnold’s nickname soon became “America’s Hannibal” due to his braveness through the troops’ march in the wilderness. During the battle of Quebec, Benedict Arnold was shot in the leg with a musket ball and was noted in the continental army for his intense braveness (Cr...
Hannibal, the eldest son of Hamilcar Barch was born in Carthage in 247 B.C. At the age of ten Hannibal followed his father to Spain, a region that his father had begun to conquer. Hannibal was elect commander of the Carthaginian army in 221 B.C., at the young age of 26 after his father’s death in 229 B.C. and the death of his brother-in-law in 221 B.C. (“Hannibal”). Prior to his father’s death Hannibal is said to have sworn to his father eternal hatred toward the Roman Empire (Lendering, 2008). Once in command Hannibal decided to expand the control of Carthage and its empire.
Knox, E.L. "The Punic Wars." Hannibal Crosses the Alps. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.
Julius Caesar was a fierce warrior conducting many operations against his enemies in Northern Italy, North Africa, Spain where
...rned the essential plans that a leader would need to lead him troops. He also had the morale and spirits to keep the troops ready to fight for the freedom they wanted, as well as his ability to command such troops in placement and tactics.
There was yet another Hannibal led victory at Lake Trasumenus, where he made a series predictions and judgements to enable him to drop an ambush on a large Roman army resulting in a significant defeat of the Romans. Hannibal seemed to always be a step ahead of his Roman counterparts as he proceeded to capture Northern Italy. It was then that the Roman army commander, Fabius Maximus thought he had Hannibal and his troops entrapped by guarding the way out of Italy. Hannibal would prove superior yet again by outwitting him, using herds of cattle as decoy to escape entrapment. “He ordered his light-armed troops in the night to drive up the mountain side a herd of cattle, with lighted fagots tied to their horns.” (Morey,
for historians and generals, and he is remembered as one of the most brilliant strategist
... Their existence proves that Africans were capable of managing their own affairs and creating noteworthy civilizations long before Europeans appeared on that continent. They left a legacy that continues to influence the lives of Blacks in Africa and abroad today. BIBLIOGRAPHY Koslow, Philip.
Hannibal Barca was born in 247 B.C. in the city of Carthage, which was located in modern Tunis, or the northern tip of Africa. His father, Hamilcar Barca, was a great Carthaginian general of the army who fought in the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage, which the latter lost. At a very young age, Hamilcar made Hannibal promise “eternal hatred towards Rome” (Lendering, 1). At around age nine, Hannibal accompanied his father on an expedition to gain a hold in Spain. During this time was when Hannibal probably gained most of his military knowledge that helped him greatly later in life. When Hannibal’s father and older brother died in 229 and 226, Hannibal was elected commander-in-chief of the Carthaginian army. About ten years later, Hannibal, acting on his promise to his father, attacked the city of Sagantum in Spain, which was controlled by the Romans. This attack led to the start of the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome.
Looking at Caesar, he is highly successful in his military battles due to his great organisation skills and strategic planning. Caesar values organisation since he receives hourly reports on how matters are abroad (Act I Scene 4 lines 34-36) and keeps detailed accounts of his battles. His logical thought also makes him so successful:
Hannibal, a Carthaginian general and one of the greatest generals that ever lived was renown for his strategies and courageousness, such as crossing the Alps and using the "bottleneck strategy" at Lake Trasemene. He used strategies that a lot of generals at this time, especially Roman generals, would never think of and in doing this he almost destroyed the Roman republic.