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Why hannibal is a great leader essay
Hannibal rome battle
First punic war hannibal
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Hannibal a fierce determine warrior, general and leader who demonstrated bold, aggressive military leader during the Second Punic War 218 BCE through 201 BCE against the most power rising adversary the Roman Empire. Hannibal was born in Carthage to a family of great wealth. He was reared by a military father, whose ambition was to defeat and conquer the Roman Empire. Although, his father plans never became a reality of defeating the enemy, His investment was in his son Hannibal to bring the powerful Roman Empire to a devastating end. During the First Punic War Rome, Rome successfully defeated the Carthage. The conflict was chiefly due to who would control the important trade waterways of the Mediterranean Sea.
As a result, Hannibal?s
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He demonstrated great military leadership in the worst of conditions at the worst of time and continues on his quest for victory. A great leader, Hannibal never allowed his frustrations to poison his men or his mission. He exhibited military mastery in the many fighting conflicts against Rome. Unmistakably, Hannibal bold move showed the world that the Roman Army was flawed and could be defeated. Nevertheless, Hannibal?s one and only defeat at Cannae does not detract from his greatness or his formidable strength. He was the greatest General with a distinguished military record of fighting against a powerful opponent. All great leaders have their moments of glory in time and soon fade away. Hannibal celebrated many shining moments as well moments of doubt and frustrations. As all great leaders do he continued to be an example for his men. To demonstrate anything less than strength would have been a disaster. Today, Hannibal?s military genius and tactics are utilized as a frame of reference for the armed forces. The penned accomplishments of Hannibal?s military genius, leaderships, strategist, and his ability to be an organizer have cemented his station in history as the greatest military leader of the ancient world (Luttwak,
... believe that he was an ethical leader. I have also discussed the personal relevance of Hannibal’s leadership to my leadership; and I have discussed how his actions have impacted me.
Soon the second Punic War began because Carthage was infuriated with their treatment and torments from the Empire of Rome. This war was even worse than the first, and it shook Rome to its core. The first World War began with an accumulation of many causes, but one of the more influential problems was land hunger or imperialism. When Germany lost, it had the same treatment from the world that Carthage got from Rome. In the same case, the Second World War began because of the humiliation given to Germany with the peace treaty.
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.
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.
As what happens so often, history is written by the side who wins and in the case of the Punic Wars and Carthage itself most of the information available today comes from Roman sources and authors whose knowledge has been passed down through the ages. According to legend Carthage was initially settled as a Phoenician trading colony (the word “Punic” is Latin for Phoenician) in 813 B.C by the Phoenician Queen Elissa (Mark). From Carthage’s prime location as a trade port its power and prestige grew rather quickly and its expansion brought the city into conflict with another growing ambitious city state called Rome.
The Carthaginians and Romans fought in three different wars over the course of 118 years. Romans fought the Carthaginians to ruin their hold on a chain of islands that would let them control the Western Mediterranean. The Romans wanted to have control. They then fought over land in Italy, particularly Sicily. In the third conflict, Carthaginians tried to save their city and land from being taken over completely by Romans. In these wars, they mainly fought over trade routes in the Mediterranean. Each wanted power and more territorial possession.
Gaius Julius Caesar, born 100 B.C.E. in Rome to the impoverished patrician Julian Clan, knew controversy at an early age. Nephew to Populare Gaius Marius, he was earmarked by the Optimate dictator Sulla for prosciption after his refusal to divorce his Populare wife, Cinna. Fleeing Rome, and not returning until after Sulla’s resignation in 78 B.C.E, upon his return he gained a position as a pontificate, an important Roman priesthood. Slowly but surely throughout his lifetime he worked his way up the political ladder, eventually becoming Consul, and finally Dictator Perpeteus – Dictator for life. One of the most influential political and military leaders of all time, Caesar was also a highly intelligent man and an exceptional orator. However, acquiring this absolute power was no mean feat, and Caesar had well equipped himself through previous expeditions with all the resources necessary to gain power in Ancient Rome.
The war started because of conflicting interests between the two, especially the expanding Roman Republic. At the end of the war, thousands of lives were lost, Rome ascended into power, conquering Carthage and becoming the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. During one point of the Second War, or the Hannibalic War, Carthage nearly brought Rome to her knees. With reinforcement from their Gallic allies, Carthage defeated the Roman army in the Battles of Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae. Had Rome not defeated Carthage, the history Western civilization would be drastically altered, shaping a very different world than the one we live in today. It is said “All roads lead to Rome”. There is a lot of truth to this quote because Rome, with all its power and glory, paved the road for our modern society; it allowed Christianity to spread and flourish, the basis for democracy, and served as melting pot of cultures and customs.Rome can be considered one of the greatest influences on Western civilization, leaving us with priceless gifts that we will always
The first Punic War started with a request by the locals in Messana for the Romans to aid them in defeating the Carthaginians. Messana was at the southern tip of Italy and would be a great asset to the already superior naval fleet of Carthage. Rome saw this to be a good opportunity to halt the expansion of the Carthaginian Empire and to stop the possible attack on Italy (which was controlled by Rome). Despite this fact the Roman council debated on whether to attack on these premises or not, but eventually it was decided that they would wage war on the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians were then told that they must halt their invasion or war would be waged. They did not stop and Rome declared war.
... powerful man in history. Julius Ceasar assassination proved to be the biggest loss of the Roman empire. However, his reigned was to be important to many Romans. His footsteps were their path of power and prosperity.
Hannibal's first battle took place when he was only nine. He went on an expedition with his father, Hamilcar Barca, to conquer Spain. From the beginning Carthage’s push into Spain, Hannibal vowed eternal hatred for Rome; Hannibal became Commander in Chief of Carthage’s army when he was 26 after his father was assassinated. His conquest of the Roman town of Sagunto in Spain led to a new declaration of war by Rome; which started the second Punic War and Hannibal’s promise to visit Roman injustice back on Rome a hundred fold. For Carthage to take the town of Sagunto was completely within the rights of the Carthage and the treaty but Rome at the time was getting too big and becoming very imperialistic. All Rome could see was that they had to have all of the Mediterranean and the only thing that stood in their way was a single General and his men. The way in which the Romans were unconsciously straying from "mos maiorum" to manipulate the course of events was disturbing. Though these actions were not entirely the "evil" work of Rome. Hannibal from his earliest memories could recall nothing but hatred for Rome. Hannibal’s Father had instilled a horrifically self-destructive desire within Hannibal to see the fall of Rome.
even today for his campaign, the hatred Hannibal felt for Rome was clearly seen on the
The Second Punic war, beginning in 218 BC, was the second major war between the Roman Empire and the Carthage. Around the same time, the Roman Empire deployed troops to the Northeastern peninsula of Spain to keep reinforcements, from the Carthaginian South, from getting to Hannibal’s armies in Italy to assist them. In A Histor...
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 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.