Hannibal started the second punic war by invading the town of Saguntuni north of the river Iber to purposefully provoke the Romans
1. The First Punic War forced Rome to become a naval power to enable it to defeat Carthage. It also extended Rome's territory and influence beyond the Italian Peninsula to Spain and the western Mediterranean islands.2. The Second Punic War established Rome's total dominance of the western Mediterranean. Its aftermath saw Rome move to the east to punish Macedonia for supporting Carthage, which involved it in Greece. and the Hellenistic east.3. The Third Punic War saw the total elimination of Carthage as a threat and competitor, allowing Rome to progressively consolidate its position in Spain, Gaul and North Africa, and to further its influence into Asia and Egypt.
Carthage and Rome, originally cooperated but fell out over control of Sicily. Rome wo this conflict. The rivalry for control of the Western Mediterranean continued into a second war decisively won by Rome which imposed reparations on Carthage designed to cripple it for fifty years. Carthage paid off the indemnity and Rome disposed of its rival permanently after the third war.
Rome struggled with Carthage for hegemony in the eastern Mediterranean . Rome prevailed .
Hannibal began the Second Punic War with a successful siege against the Roman city of Saguntum which barred his way to the Alps. He lost three quarters of his army crossing the Alps, and he had no siege equipment with which to take the city of Rome. As long as Rome was secure behind the Servian Wall and refused to surrender, Hannibal was not able to win. He had twenty thousand of the finest soldiers from the Mediterranean area, but their expertise was in mobilitity on the battlefield, and not in siege warfare. For fifteen years they defeated a succession of Roman commanders, and only Fabius Maximus had some measure of success against Hannibal. A Carthaginian relief army led by Hasdrubal (Hannibal's brother-in-law) and equipped with a siege train crossed the Alps and almost managed to link up with Hannibal's army, but it was intercepted and destroyed by a Roman army. Hasdrubal's head was cut off and launched into Hannibal's encampment. At the moment he saw the severed head of Hasdrubal, it is believed that Hannibal saw the fate of Carthage. The Roman warning of "Hannibal is at the gates" inspired more terror than it indicated actual danger. Without siege engines Hannibal could not take Rome, despite all of his spectacular victories in the field. Another reason Carthage lost the second punic war was its inability to control the seas. The ability to land troops on the Italian peninsula would have been a tactic to reduce food & supplies to Roman cities. When the Roman General Scipio invaded northern africa, Hannibal was forced to withdraw from Italy to defend Carthage. In 202 BC Scipio met Hannibal at ZAMA and desivily defeated Hannibal's army. With the war concluded Carthage was forced to pay a huge indemnity, cede Spain and her African territories and drastically reduce its fleet.
There was actually only one great general from Carthage, and that was Hannibal Barca who led Carthage in the second Punic war. The first Punic war saw the leadership of Hannibal's father towards the end of the conflict. The Barcas were a military family, with a brother or brother-in-law, Hasdrubal, being active in Spain.
Hannibal started the second punic war by invading the town of Saguntuni north of the river Iber to purposefully provoke the Romans
1. The First Punic War forced Rome to become a naval power to enable it to defeat Carthage. It also extended Rome's territory and influence beyond the Italian Peninsula to Spain and the western Mediterranean islands.2. The Second Punic War established Rome's total dominance of the western Mediterranean. Its aftermath saw Rome move to the east to punish Macedonia for supporting Carthage, which involved it in Greece. and the Hellenistic east.3. The Third Punic War saw the total elimination of Carthage as a threat and competitor, allowing Rome to progressively consolidate its position in Spain, Gaul and North Africa, and to further its influence into Asia and Egypt.
The Romans were afraid of the Carthaginians, so, they set an army to Sicily in 264 B.C. The Carthaginians saw this as an act of war, because they considered Sicily part of their empire.
Carthage and Rome, originally cooperated but fell out over control of Sicily. Rome wo this conflict. The rivalry for control of the Western Mediterranean continued into a second war decisively won by Rome which imposed reparations on Carthage designed to cripple it for fifty years. Carthage paid off the indemnity and Rome disposed of its rival permanently after the third war.
Rome struggled with Carthage for hegemony in the eastern Mediterranean . Rome prevailed .
They were three separate wars about 50 years apart - a struggle for supremacy in the Western Mediterranean The first 264-241 BCE saw land power Rome develop a navy to beat the hitherto superior Carthaginian fleet. The second war 218-201 BCE saw Rome defeat Carthage on land and impose crippling 50-year indemnity of it to neutralise it. The third 149-146 BCE saw Rome, facing a resurgent Carthage, go for a final solution by destroying the city and selling its people into slavery.
Hannibal began the Second Punic War with a successful siege against the Roman city of Saguntum which barred his way to the Alps. He lost three quarters of his army crossing the Alps, and he had no siege equipment with which to take the city of Rome. As long as Rome was secure behind the Servian Wall and refused to surrender, Hannibal was not able to win. He had twenty thousand of the finest soldiers from the Mediterranean area, but their expertise was in mobilitity on the battlefield, and not in siege warfare. For fifteen years they defeated a succession of Roman commanders, and only Fabius Maximus had some measure of success against Hannibal. A Carthaginian relief army led by Hasdrubal (Hannibal's brother-in-law) and equipped with a siege train crossed the Alps and almost managed to link up with Hannibal's army, but it was intercepted and destroyed by a Roman army. Hasdrubal's head was cut off and launched into Hannibal's encampment. At the moment he saw the severed head of Hasdrubal, it is believed that Hannibal saw the fate of Carthage. The Roman warning of "Hannibal is at the gates" inspired more terror than it indicated actual danger. Without siege engines Hannibal could not take Rome, despite all of his spectacular victories in the field. Another reason Carthage lost the second punic war was its inability to control the seas. The ability to land troops on the Italian peninsula would have been a tactic to reduce food & supplies to Roman cities. When the Roman General Scipio invaded northern africa, Hannibal was forced to withdraw from Italy to defend Carthage. In 202 BC Scipio met Hannibal at ZAMA and desivily defeated Hannibal's army. With the war concluded Carthage was forced to pay a huge indemnity, cede Spain and her African territories and drastically reduce its fleet.
The Punic wars occured from the clash of interest between Rome and Carthage. The original question reads Why did the first punic war happen? The details of the events leading to this major and significant war are as follows: A. About 264 BC BCE a small band of former mercenary soldiers became a band of rebels and saw the city of Messana which was on the Sicilian coast nearest to Italy. This group sought to exploit the town and use its resources to their advantage. They took control of the town. B. The people there appealed to Carthage for help. This appeal, complicated by the presnce of Syracuse on Sicily, was not workable. C. These people then asked Rome for help. Based on a similar experience themselves with other rebel bands, the Romans came to the aid of the inhabitants, now victims of these mercenary pirates. D. Rome could not resist the temptation of securing a foothold in Sicily. Rome deemed Carthage not prepared to interfer with Rome's plans on this island, and from this point came the ensuing problem of Carthage and Rome. War was the next step and thus the beginning of the First Punic War.
Rome had gained control of the Italian peninsula, and Carthage had a trading empire around the western Mediterranean Sea.Originally allies, they fell into dispute over control of Sicily.This then escalated into an outright contest for dominance of the western Mediterranean, with two more wars, both won by Rome, which resulted in Rome's total dominance and the destruction of Carthage.
Rome, an emerging land power, and Carthage a naval power, found it mutually convenient to be in alliance and so dominate the western Mediterranean. They came into conflict by getting sucked into a local dispute in Sicily on different sides. Rome, having dominated Italy, was interested in extending into Sicily. Carthage, a trading empire, saw advantages in controlling Sicily. Their alliance ended and a hundred-year war began.
The principals were Carthage and Rome. Rome won all three wars, and totally destroyed Carthage, making it the dominant power in the Western Mediterranean. In addition, as Macedonia had sided with Carthage, Rome set out to punish it, and so became involved with the Greek east, leading to its progressive inclusion of the Hellenistic kingdoms (the remnants of Alexander's empire) into the Roman Empire.