Why did Hannibal invade Italy?

Answer 1

It was said that Hannibal wanted to take revenge for Rome seizing the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, which had been Carthaginian possessions, taking advantage of Carthage having to deal with a rebellion of her mercenaries after the Fist Punic War.

Answer 2

Hannibal invaded Italy in the second Punic War to destroy the power of Rome. He hated the Romans after swearing on the alter of Baal as a child. Livy's History of Rome 21.1.4 tell us that his father Hamilcar led him to the alter and made him swear that he would be the enemy of the roman people.

After the 1st Punic War Rome put the Peace Treaty of Lutatius in place which severely restricted Carthage and left the political state with insufficient funds, leading to the mercenary wars, during which Rome went even further and took Corsica and Sardinia from Carthage. Obviously the Carthagenians had to fight back or keep getting walked all over by the Romans. Hannibal rose up and took Saguntum (a roman ally) after 8 months and Rome declared war. Hannibal had a break and planned his invasion, and took his army over the Alps into Italy. Hannibal wanted to destroy Rome by debasing its allies in Italy and had to invade it by land as the Romans had disallowed the Carthagenians to rebuild their Naval fleet after the 1st Punic War. Most his Army died crossing the alps so he got more troops from the local tribes he passed through that also hated Rome as they had been recently conquered. He rebuilt his army back to its original size this way, but if the winter had not been so hard and most of his troops had of survived, he may have gone on to invade Rome with a huge military source. As it was he did pretty well, till he was called back to Carthage and beaten by the Roman Scipio Africanus.

Answer 3

Hannibal Barca never laid siege to the city of Rome itself but sought to exhaust Roman resources by pillaging the Italian countryside in the hopes of persevering over Rome which would have led to a Carthaginian hegemony throughout the Mediterranean .

Answer 4

The ancient Greek scholar Polybius said that Hannibal wanted revenge for Rome seizing Sardinia and Corsica soon after she won the First Punic War against Carthage, taking advantage that Carthage was busy dealing with a rebellion of her mercenary soldiers. He also said that Hannibal, his father made his swear that as long as he lived he would never be a friend of Rome.

Answer 5

Hannibal wanted to take the Romans by surprise.

Answer 6

Hannibal assaulted Northern Italy during the Second Punic War. His objective was to force Rome's hand into recognizing that the Cartheginians had the right to the hegemony of Saguntum.

Answer 7

cuz he felt like it!

Answer 8

he wanted to roll over the Messina and so did Rome and thats why