Hasdrubal the Fair

Hasdrubal the Fair
Governor of Iberia
Hasdrubal bust in Cartagena, Spain
Carthaginian General of Iberian Peninsula
Reign228 BC–221 BC
PredecessorHamilcar Barca
SuccessorHannibal
BornCirca 270 BC
Carthage
Died221 BC
Qart Hadasht

Hasdrubal the Fair ,(ʿAzrobaʿl; c. 270–221 BC) was a Carthaginian military leader and politician, governor in Iberia after Hamilcar Barca's death, and founder of Cartagena.

Life

Hasdrubal was a Carthaginian general who followed Hamilcar Barca, his father-in-law, in campaigns after the First Punic War. He helped make the Numidian tribes in North Africa loyal to Carthage and later continued Hamilcar’s conquests in Spain after his death in 228 BC. Unlike Hamilcar, Hasdrubal preferred using diplomacy instead of war, taking hostages to keep peace and making treaties with local tribes. He founded the city of Qart Hadasht (later called Carthago Nova by the Romans) as the center of Carthaginian power in Spain. Hasdrubal also made a treaty with Rome, setting the River Ebro as the border between their lands to avoid early conflict.

References

  1. ↑ "Hasdrubal - MSN Encarta". fr.ca.encarta.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-27. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
  2. ↑ Histories. Biblioteca Clásica Gredos 38 y 43 (in Spanish). Polybius.
  3. ↑ History of Rome. Libro de Bolsillo Alianza Editorial 1595 1–2 (in Spanish). pp. Titus Livius.
  4. ↑ Diodorus, Siculus [from old catalog (1814). The historical library of Diodorus the Sicilian, in fifteen books. New York Public Library. London, Printed by W. M'Dowall for J. Davis. p. 529.
  5. ↑ Huss, Werner (1985). Geschichte der Karthager (in German). C.H.Beck. p. 566. ISBN 978-3-406-30654-9.