Hannibal spends the years following his tremendous victory at Cannae concentrating on breaking the southern region of Campania from Rome. The Campania region is rife with coastal cities that, should they fall, would provide a direct link to Carthage via the Mediterranean Sea. Plus Campania is full of potential allies who don’t care much for the Romans. So Hannibal and his 40,000 man army swarm the region to claim it on behalf of Carthage.

All goes according to plan as Capua, the region’s largest and wealthiest city, flips to Hannibal in the fall of 216 BC. Losing Capua stings the Romans and adds to the already considerable political and economic pressure Hannibal weighs on them.

As an aside, Capua is famous for its gladiatorial school. This is where Spartacus will one day be trained in the art of combat before going on to lead one of history’s most famous slave rebellions.

But Hannibal’s wins begin to stall in the region as the Roman’s, who are just as eager to keep Campania in its clutches deploy several legions into the region. They avoid attacking Hannibal (showcasing Rome’s wariness to test him in battle). But the numerically superior Romans harass Hannibal’s fringe units, and his flanks. Rome’s latest strategy is to stretch Hannibal too thin and chip away at his forces when he isn’t around. This serves a dual purpose of eating away his army one meal at a time while also giving Rome’s newly recruited soldiers much needed combat experience.

Rome also sends its armies into the region to help garrison the coastal cities. They will not allow Hannibal a chance to secure a port from which he can receive supplies and reinforcements from the sea.

The Romans also begin executing diplomacy to undermine Hannibal’s efforts to marshal allies in the region. It’s important to note that Campania is ripe with political tension and terse rivalries among its non-Roman populations. Many cities in the region, for example, abhor the Capuans. Unfortunately for Hannibal, Capua’s defection actually turns the other cities in the region back into the arms of Rome. And Roman diplomats waste no time convincing the other cities to remain loyal and help Rome take Capua back.

With Capua still in his his grip, Hannibal moves toward the coast so he can finally establish a port. He chooses the the city of Neapolis (modern day Naples). Hannibal launches an aggressive attack on the city, determined to turn it into the harbor he desperately needs. But to his surprise the city holds its own and Hannibal gives up the siege. It’s a rare defeat and a strategic setback for the Carthaginian. Frustrated but still determined, he marches his army away from the coast to to the city of Nola.

Near the end of 216 Hannibal’s men surround the city of Nola. But Rome manages to get there first. Marcus Claudius Marcellus commands the Roman units tasked with repelling Hannibal from the city gates. With the Romans camped inside, Hannibal has no choice but to besiege the city. Hannibal’s men try to lure Marcellus into the open field but Marcellus doesn’t take the bait. However, in a stroke of genius, Marcellus unleashes a surprise attack on the Carthaginians as they were marching back to camp. They smash into the retreating Carthaginians, catching them flat-footed. Hannibal, perhaps for the first time in his life is taken completely by surprise. The Romans inflict heavy losses and before Hannibal can reform his men the Romans flee behind protection of Nola.

The battle of Nola hands Carthage a rare defeat. Nearly 2,500 Carthaginians are killed. Marcellus becomes the first Roman Commander to score a victory over Hannibal. His reputation soars and the Romans hail Marcellus as a hero and savior. Romans everywhere rejoice in the good news which they haven’t had since Hannibal invaded 2.5 years earlier.

Hannibal’s reputation almost becomes a burden more than a blessing. He’s long been considered invincible so to under perform, even a hair, sends powerful ripples of doubt through Italy. And it gives some of his own potential allies pause.

Hannibal is forced to retreat from Nola. He will make several more attempts to conquer the city but he will never take it.

Throughout 215 to 214 BC Hannibal struggles to unite the Campanians to his cause. He attacks more cities. Some fall, others hold out. The tugging between Hannibal and Rome terrorizes the Campanians who pay dearly for choosing the wrong side.

By 214 BC problems mount for Hannibal. The ongoing sieges around Campania are spreading his army too thin. The Romans far outnumber him. They avoid any direct confrontation with him but they assault his troops when Hannibal isn’t present. The Romans slowly recapture many of the cities they had lost. Their resolve is brutal and ferocious. Each time a city falls back into Roman hands they either kill or enslave the panicked citizens caught professing loyalty to Carthage. The message is clear, betray Rome at your peril.

Also, unlike Rome, Hannibal does not compel his new allies to feed men to his armies. This attempt at tolerance hinders Hannibal’s war effort as his allies frequently dispatch few, if any, men to his campaign. This number dwindles even more as Hannibal’s allies begin doubting his chances of total victory.

Hannibal soon learns that he cannot be everywhere at once. And his hard fought momentum diminishes when he can no longer draw the Romans into battle. There too many Romans active in Italy and there is not enough Hannibal to wipe them out.

212 BC becomes a pivotal year in shaping the war’s outcome. This is the year when Rome tightens its siege around Syracuse. When the city capitulates the following year it hands Carthage a devastating setback and makes life more difficult for Hannibal. When Syracuse falls those Roman armies sail back home, reinforcing the armies camped against Hannibal with considerable numbers.

At this time Rome has roughly 27 legions in the field. More than 200,000 solders according to Livy. There are more troops active in Italy now than there ever will be during the peak of the Roman Empire. It demonstrates how much Rome fears the invaders and the lengths they felt were needed to go to stop one man. Despite being outnumbered by as much as 4 to 1 it’s quite remarkable that Hannibal manages to keep solid footing in Italy for the next decade.

Hannibal never successfully takes a coastal city in Campania. As a result he cannot receive help from Carthage. With no direct access to the sea Italy starts to look like a prison.

Even worse, the Romans initiate a new campaign to bring Capua back into the fold. They put the city under a tremendous siege. when Hannibal arrives he sees that the Romans camped around the city are heavily protected. Hannibal tries to attack the Romans but he’s repulsed.

Word reaches Hannibal of another Roman force nearby hoping to lure Hannibal from Capua. Hannibal accepts the challenge and thunders to the enemy camp where he proceeds to annihilate this Roman force. Hannibal kills around 16,000 troops at what becomes the battle of Herdonia. Livy the ancient historian states that at this point it’s nothing short of baffling and insane for any Roman commander to dare meet Hannibal in battle.

But when Hannibal returns to Capua he can offer no solution to drive away the Roman siege. So in a wild ploy he takes a few thousand cavalry and gallops to the city of Rome.

Hannibal’s ride to the gates of Rome sounds magnificent on paper but in reality it’s little more than a desperate attempt to pry the Romans from Capua. Still, what a sight it must be for those Roman living in the city to peer out into the countryside and see in person the man himself galloping around Capitol. The men supposedly cower and cry out in fear. Women flee inside local places of worship and beg the gods for help. But the gods need not heed their prayers as there is not much Hannibal can do.

Rome is well fortified. Upon seeing Hannibal Rome’s political quickly arrive at the logical conclusion that this is a stunt. It should come to no surprise to Hannibal that Rome does not recall its forces from Capua. Hannibal’s ruse fails, and he rides back to Capua having gained nothing but giving a good fright to some of the Roman citizens.

In 211 BC Capua surrenders to Rome. The city held strong for five years but Hannibal could do nothing to relieve it from the larger Roman forces. Roman soldiers burst into the city streets and bring down a terrible slaughter. Rome does not treat the betrayal of its neighbor kindly. Hundreds of Capuans are executed without trial. Rome puts the rest of the population in chains and casts them into the slave market.

Hannibal’s worthless promise to protect his allies leaves a bloody taste in the mouths of those who risked everything to commit to him. Now it’s Hannibal whose hard fought alliances begin to waver.

The loss of Capua, and the failure to capture Nola and Neapolis force Hannibal to abandon the region of Campania entirely. From now on he finds himself contained to the boot and heal of Italy. He will never venture into the upper regions again. Hannibal will keep fighting where he can but hard fortune continues to blight the General.

In 212 BC Hannibal divides his army and sends a force to capture the coastal city of Tarentum (modern day Taranto) to make up for his failure to conquer Neapolis years earlier. Hannibal’s men fight well and scale the city, capturing most of it (minus the citadel at its center). Tarentum thus morphs into another very prominent ally of Carthage.

But when Syracuse fell in 211 the Roman armies called back head directly to Tarentum. As with Capua, Rome is determined to take it back. They appoint Fabius Maximus (the famous delayer) to command the operation. However this time he does not delay. He executes a brilliant siege of Tarentum. The Romans far outnumber the Carthaginians and before long Roman soldiers sack the metropolis and wipe out the Carthaginians inside.

Hannibal must confront the grim reality that he has lost two of his most important allies in Capua and Tarentum in the same year. The citizens who support Carthage face terrible punitive measures. This tears at the loyalty of his allies as once again, Hannibal wasn’t there to protect them as he promised.

Hannibal’s legendary mystique begins to diminish.

By 209 BC his prospects in Italy are waning fast. And yet due to his impeccable brilliance as a leader and commander he will maintain his presence on the peninsula for another 6 years. And in spite of his withering campaign Hannibal still retains his ability to annihilate any Roman foolish enough to do battle against him.

In 208 BC after years of chipping away at Hannibal, two experienced Roman consuls decide they’re ready to put an end to the war. They combine their armies and challenge Hannibal near the town of Venusia (modern day Venosa in Southern Italy). Hannibal uses the land around him to lay a clever trap and once again, the Romans stumble blindly into it. Hannibal defeats the Romans so easily he shows surprise when he learns one of the consuls is Marcellus, the man who beat him at Nola years prior. The victory serves a reminder to all Romans in the field that Hannibal, while down, is still very dangerous.

It’s been 10 years since Hannibal crossed the Alps and launched his war on Rome. And one decade later he still boasts an undefeated record against Rome’s best generals on the battlefield. But one man awaits his turn, eager to challenge that feat. There is a Roman more acquainted with Hannibal than he wishes. Who has watched and learned from Hannibal’s chief victories. This Roman has experienced great personal tragedy as a consequence of the invader. He desires revenge beyond all else. His age has relegated him to the sidelines of this story so far but now at the age of 25 he’s about to rise up and declare himself Rome’s savior. He pledges to do to Hannibal what no other Roman Commander has until now.

His name is Publius Scipio “Africanus.”

Continued in Part 10…

Timeline

216 BC – Capua falls to Hannibal

216 BC – Hannibal suffers rare defeat at the battle of Nola

212 BC – Romes besieges Capua

212 BC – Hannibal fails to take Neapolis (Naples)

212 BC – Hannibal wipes out Roman force at the battle of Herdonia

212 BC – Hannibal rides to Rome

211 BC – Capua falls to Rome

211 BC – Tarentum (Taranto) falls to Rome

208 BC – Hannibal defeats combined Roman forces near Venusia

If you want to learn more about Hannibal Barca and the 2nd Punic War then please read Hannibal Crosses the Alps: The Invasion of Italy and the Punic Wars by John Prevas

Want more history? Check out my other blog posts right here!