In 219 B.C., Hannibal of Carthage led an attack on Saguntum, a city that was allied with Rome, the attack started the Second Punic War. Hannibal had a massive army cross the Pyrenees and Alps into central Italy. He had a long string of victories, the most notable coming at Cannae in 216 B.C. Through the attack he gained much of Southern Italy, but canceled the attack on Rome itself. This caused the Carthaginians to launch an invasion on North Africa. In 203 B.C., Hannibal then abandoned Italy to defend North Africa, and then he suffered a devastating defeat at Zama the next year. Then the treaty that concluded the Second Punic War put an end to Carthage’s status, but Hannibal still continued to try to destroy Rome until he died in 183 B.C.
