The Grand Strategy: A Study on Hannibal’s Stratagem During the Second Punic War

In this paper I sought to determine whether or not Hannibal Barca had a grand strategy to deal with the Romans during the Second Punic War. If Hannibal did have a strategy, I would try to determine what his strategy was and if it was actually feasible. I approached this question by looking into the background leading up to the Second Punic War, the primary sources explanation of Hannibal’s strategy during the Second Punic War, the logistical feasibility of the plan, and Hannibal’s movements throughout Italy during the war. In conclusion I decided that Hannibal did have a Grand strategy and that it was to alienate the Italian allied city-states from Rome in order to gain the logistical supplies and manpower to bring down Rome. In the end the reason that Hannibal lost the second Punic War is because he misunderstood the relationship that existed between the allied Italian states and Rome. This question is important because it sheds new light on the relations between Rome and its allied states. It also brings new questions to the foreground to try and explain what exactly was the relationship between Rome and its allies during this period