He had no other choice. In 220 BC Rome and Karthago were the two most powerful states in the Mediterranean competing with each other in economic and cultural terms.
The opening situation was clear: One of them had to leave the map.

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Now let us see what happened:
Hannibal wins the Battle of Cannae on 02.08. 216 with his army of 50.000 men against Consul Terentius Varro and his army of 79.000 men. Initial Roman success of the front line is followed by Karthagian embrace of the Roman wings, the final attack on the Roman troops from the back nearly wipes out the entire Roman army.
Due to this victory Hannibal threatens the Roman position in Italy and manages to conquer various Roman strongholds in southern Italy. Supported by Philip V. of Macedonia and Syracuse he could unleash the general war against Rome. The geographic extension of this war however dilutes the Karthagian military power.

After Cannae Karthago was too strong to be acceptable for Rome, it had become a threat for the Roman Empire. In 204 BC the Roman Senate agrees to the plan to wipe out Karthago, in 202 BC Roman General Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major (235-183) beats Hannibal in the Battle of Zama on African ground.
The rest is history. Hannibal finally takes refuge and exile at the court of King Prusias of Bithynia and poisons himself after Prusias was asked by Rome to deliver his prominent guest and only hours before a Roman legion going after him could take him prisoner.
Unbeaten by Rome he died in 182 BC.

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