Hannibal

By Ernle Bradford

A brilliant general who was determined to expand the empire of Carthage by defeating his foes in Europe, Hannibal gave the Romans a taxing test before he was eventually overcome.

Assisted by his brother Hasdrubal, Hannibal rose to command the people of Carthage in 221 BC. 

Drawing on the accounts of Livy and Polybius, Ernle Bradford documents the Punic War between Carthage and Rome.

After gaining support of the Gauls he and famously made his way over the Alps with 37 elephants and attacked Italy, winning important battles at Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae, where the Roman forces lost over 50,000 men.

His attacks on Rome led to much strife around the Roman world, as Hannibal had dared to upset the natural order. He was finally defeated in Africa at Zama by Scipio Africanus, who had learned how to beat Hannibal from his opponent's own military organisation.

Years after his tyranny, Roman children would be scared into submission by their mothers warning them that 'Hannibal ad portum', 'Hannibal is at the gates!'.

It is testament to the determination and power of Rome that they were able to defend themselves against Hannibal; afterwards they flourished for two centuries without as stern a test.

Two thousand years on, Hannibal stands as one of the greatest generals in the history of warfare. His tactics on the field of battle are still subjects of study in today's military academies. 

Ernle Bradford has given us a complete biography, exploring the strategies of his greatest triumphs and showing us Hannibal the soldier, the general, the statesman and the private man. 

Within his portrait stands the memory of a charismatic leader whose actions, two centuries after he marched through Europe and dared to take on the Roman Empire, still resonate in a world of drone warfare.

Ernle Bradford (1922-1986) was an historian who wrote books on naval battles and historical figures. Among his subjects were Lord Nelson, the Mary Rose, Christopher Columbus, Julius Caesar and Hannibal. He also documented his own voyages on the Mediterranean Sea.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Endeavour Media
• Release date: May 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386485872

Ernle Bradford

Ernle Bradford was born in 1922 and died in 1986. He was a noted British historian specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval topics. Bradford was an enthusiastic sailor himself and spent almost thirty years sailing the Mediterranean, where many of his books are set. He served in the Royal Navy during World War II, finishing as the first lieutenant of a destroyer. Bradford lived in Malta for a number of years. He did occasional broadcast work for the BBC, was a magazine editor, and wrote many books, including Hannibal, Paul the Traveller, Julius Caesar: The Pursuit of Power, Christopher Columbus, and The Mighty Hood.