264–241 BC ( 23 Years)
In theory, Carthage could have easily won the Punic War. The Carthaginians had full naval dominance over the Romans at the time, and if they put this advantage to use and went all out on mainland Italy by conducting naval invasions, they might have been able to achieve a quick victory. But in our timeline, this didn’t happen. Carthage was slow and unprepared as Rome took the initiative immediately. Swift and decisive action is not in Carthage’s nature.
Final assault on Carthage. Punic War. Imaginary representation in 1885
Jones Brothers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
14 Years into the war, when Rome was besieging one of the last bastions of Carthaginian Sicily, the Roman navy attempted to blockade the Carthaginian fort, and the Carthaginian Navy, in their greatest victory of the war, smashed Rome’s fleet. But even then, Carthage was going bankrupt by now, since it had been 14 years.
The Carthaginian Senate wouldn’t support Hamilcar’s advances in Sicily, so instead of attacking the rest of Sicily, Carthage waited, while Rome rebuilt its fleet. Carthage had one last attempt to resupply the fort, but it was intercepted by Rome, and the plans were halted. So, the Carthaginian Senate decided to surrender for a peace deal; they had to give up Sicily and pay incredible amounts of war reparations.
Muir, Ramsay; Treharne, R. F.; Fullard, Harold (1969). Muir’s Historical Atlas. London: George Philip and Son.Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Yes, Carthage was going bankrupt, but so was Rome. Rome had already lost around 18% of their men in the conflict, and building fleet after fleet isn’t cheap. So, Carthage establishes naval supremacy again, while Hamilcar starts raiding and fighting in Sicily, and even goes on to raid Southern Italian cities. Militarily, Hamilcar isn’t taking back all of Sicily easily, but if he keeps it up in this alternate timeline, perhaps after a few more Roman fleets are destroyed, Carthage might push through. Broke, tired, and pushed back, Rome asks for a peace deal. Since both sides are in various hardships, the treaty can’t be that hard on Rome.
So Carthage establishes pre-war territories, reasserting dominance over Sicily, and some war reparations.
The post-war world is different. More than 20 years of conflict have left both sides exhausted. For Carthage, relying on a mercenary army that they can’t pay would lead to internal conflicts. My guess is that Rome takes immediate action and takes advantage of the revolts, using them to end Carthage once and for all.
In conclusion, even though Carthage barely won the First Punic War in this new timeline, their demise is met by one way or another.
Thanks for reading…