Hannibal was a Carthaginian. Carthage was a nation that existed in northern africa from 814b.c. to 146b.c. It also had some colonies in southern spian. Hannibal was the Carthaginian General who started the second punic war. His goal was to march up from southern spian through southern France(then called Gaul) across tha Alps and Appenines mountian ranges and then descend into Italy where the growing empire of Rome lay. The purpose of this attack would be to defeat the Roman armies on their own soil and then finally capture the capitol itself. He managed to get past the Alps with comparatively few loses, but when he crossed the Appenines he lost thousands of troops to frost bite and fever. He himself even lost the sight of his right eye do to a long bout with fever. After finally getting to the plains of Italy he defeated the Romans in several great battles. The most famous of these was the battle of lake Trasimene. After more than ten years of war in the Italian plains he was finally forced to return to arfrica do to a Roman counter invasion by Gaius Claudius Nero. After his return to Carthage he was appointed General to defeat the roman army that threatened to attack Carthage. However, instead of defeating the Romans he was defeated in a suprise attack the Romans made on him at Zama.
