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How did Hamilcar Barca and Hasdrubal expand Carthaginian power in Spain?

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Historical map of the western Mediterranean region during the Punic Wars, showing Carthaginian territory in orange and Roman territory in green around 270 BCE. Hannibal's route from Spain, across the Alps, and into Italy between 219 and 202 BCE is marked with a red line. Key battle sites with years are labeled throughout Spain, Italy, Sicily, and North Africa. — Punic Wars The Punic wars led to the destruction of Carthage.

Following the First Punic War, Hamilcar Barca sought to restore Carthaginian power by establishing a new dominion in Spain. Between 237 and 228 BCE, he utilized an unrestricted foreign command to acquire territory, aiming to secure new wealth and create a strategic base of operations against Rome to compensate for the loss of Sicily.1

This expansion was continued by his son-in-law, Hasdrubal, who further consolidated Carthaginian influence in the region. Their efforts were so successful that Rome eventually felt compelled to intervene, establishing a treaty with Hasdrubal that restricted Carthaginian expansion to the south of the Ebro River.1

While Hamilcar and Hasdrubal successfully built this Spanish empire, their work eventually set the stage for the Second Punic War, as the growing Punic presence and subsequent conflicts—such as the siege of Sagunto—heightened tensions with the Roman Republic.1