<P> Hannibal spent the first two years of his command seeking to complete his father's ambition while simultaneously putting down several potential revolts that resulted in part from the death of Hasdrubal, which menaced the Carthaginian possessions already conquered thus far . He attacked the tribe known as the Olcades and captured their chief town of Althaea . A number of the neighbouring tribes were astonished at the vigour and rapacity of this attack, as a result of which they submitted to the Carthaginians . He received tribute from all of these recently subjugated tribes, and marched his army back to Cartagena, where he rewarded his troops with gifts and promised more gifts in the future . During the next two years, Hannibal successfully reduced all of Iberia south of the Ebro to subjection, excepting the city of Saguntum, which, under the aegis of Rome, was outside of his immediate plans . Catalonia and Saguntum were now the only areas of the peninsula not in Hannibal's possession . </P> <P> Hannibal was informed of Roman politics, and saw that this was the opportune time to attack . He had Gallic spies in every corner of the Roman Republic, even within the inner circles of the Senate itself . The Romans had spent the years since the end of the First Punic War (264 - 241 BC) tightening their grip on the peninsula by taking important geographical positions in the peninsula in addition to extending Rome's grip on Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia . </P> <P> In addition to this, the Romans had been at war with the Padane Gauls off and on for more than a century . The Boii had waged war upon the Romans in 238 BC, a war that lasted until 236 BC . In 225 BC, the natives of northern Italy, seeing that Rome was again moving aggressively to colonize their territory, progressed to the attack, but were defeated . The Romans were determined to drive their borders right up to the Alps . In 224 BC, the Boii submitted to Roman hegemony, and the next year the Anari also submitted to the Romans . In 223 BC, the Romans engaged in another battle with the Gauls, this time the Insubres . The Romans at first sustained significant losses against the Insubres while they were attempting to cross a ford near the junction of the Po and the Adda . After encamping in this country for some days without taking any decisive action, the Roman consul on the spot decided to negotiate a settlement with the Insubres . Under the terms of this freshly negotiated truce, the Romans marched out with full honours into the territory of their allies, the Cenomani . However, once they were safe within the territory of the Cenomani, the Romans again marched their army into the territory of the Insubres and were victorious . </P> <P> In 222 BC, the Celts sent an embassy to the Roman Senate, pleading for peace . Seeing an opportunity for a triumph for themselves, the consuls (Marcus Claudius and Gnaeus Cornelius) vigorously rejected the embassy, and the Gauls prepared for war with the Romans . They hired 30,000 mercenaries from beyond the Alps and awaited the arrival of the Romans . When the campaigning season began, the consular legions were marched into the Insubres territory again . A vigorous combat took place near Mediolanum, which resulted in the leaders of the Gallic revolt turning themselves over to the Romans . With this victory, the Padane Gauls were unhappily subdued, and ripe for revolt . </P>

Who took an army of elephants across the alps