The Carthaginian general, Hannibal, lived in the second century before Christ and was one of the greatest military commanders in history. He fought against the Roman Empire and almost defeated them in the battle of Cannae, but all of this nearly didn’t happen due to adverse weather conditions in the Alps.
From Carthage over Spain to Italy
Hannibal was born in 247 BC in Carthage, in today’s Tunisia. As a child he followed his father to Spain and continued his legacy by fighting his way through the Iberian Peninsula. Hannibal was well known for his great leadership and strategic abilities. He was able to win battles even when the opponent outnumbered his army. One of his smartest moves, crossing the Alps, nearly resulted in a disaster.
To leapfrog a Roman attack Hannibal decided to move forward and surprise his enemy by crossing the Alps. In 218 BC he started his hike in the Rhone Valley towards the Po Valley. The journey was dangerous and tricky. Sneaky guides and opposition attacks prevented an easy crossing. On the top of that, historical accounts report of large amounts of snow, avalanches and rock falls. Hannibal was forced to stay on the top of the Alps for three days in the cold and without appropriate equipment. Altogether the trip lasts for sixteen days and many casualties were counted.
Elephants in the snow
Hannibal’s army contained 50.000 soldiers, 9.000 horsemen and 38 war elephants. The elephants had serious difficulties getting through the snow, just Hannibal’s animal survived. When they arrived in the Po Valley Hannibal’s army was depleted, but had to fight against the Roman Empire. Only the surprising help from the Celts made a next battle possible. The result was a win.
The following campaign, including a win in the battle of Cannae, brought the Roman Empire on the edge of defeat, but Hannibal decided to stay back. Which afterwards being diagnosed as his biggest mistake and introduced the downfall of the Carthaginian advantage. It results in a loss in the battle of Zama and the final defeat of Hannibal in 202 BC. Until his death in 183 BC Hannibal was on the run and lived most of his remaining live in exile.
Hannibal was able to fight his way through ugly weather conditions in the Alps, which nearly forced him into his knees, but still wasn’t able to beat the Roman Empire.
Weather always mattered and still matters. Don’t have Morecast yet? Download it here.