When Hasdrubal was unable to keep Hispania, he abandoned that area and moved his troops to Italy to support Hannibal's campaign there. Like Hannibal had before him, Hasdrubal brought his army across the Alps. Knowing that those reinforcements could change the tide of the war, the Romans developed a plan to prevent Hasdrubal from reaching Hannibal. Using some of his soldiers as a distraction, Gaius Claudius Nero brought the remainder of his troops up behind Hasdrubal's troops, trapping them between two opposing fronts in a battle known as the Battle of the Metaurus River. The Romans were able to defeat the Carthaginian forces and kill Hasdrubal. They then took Hasdrubal's head and threw it into Hannibal's camp, which caused Hannibal to retreat. Hasdrubal's abandonment of Hispania allowed Scipio, the Roman commander who had been in charge of the war in Hispania, to invade Carthage. Hannibal left Italy to return to...
[ View Full Essay]