History of Wars Summary 16 - The Second Punic War Part 2: The Fall of Saguntum and the Start of the War

Saguntum was a city in eastern Iberia that had a friendly relationship with Rome. Hannibal deemed that Saguntum was encroaching on Carthage's sphere of influence and attacked the city in 219 BC. Saguntum resisted for a long time but eventually fell. Rome considered this a violation of the treaty and demanded that Carthage punish Hannibal. However, Carthage accepted Hannibal's actions, and negotiations broke down. In 218 BC, Rome declared war on Carthage, and the Second Punic War began. Rome intended to send troops to Iberia and North Africa, but Hannibal moved first. He led over 50,000 troops and war elephants across the Pyrenees into Gaul. Hannibal's objective was to enter Italy directly, threaten Rome, and draw Rome's Italian allies to his side.