Career
He should not be confused with Hasdrubal Barca, the brother of Hannibal. Hasdrubal Gisco was sent to Iberia with an army following the defeat of Hasdrubal Barca at the Battle of Dertosa in the spring of 215 British Columbia. He arrived in Iberia in 214 British Columbia. His arrival ended the absolute command of the Barcid family there. In 212 British Columbia, the two Roman commanders in Iberia, Publius Cornelius Scipio and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus, decided to take the offensive.
Publius Scipio marched to encounter the Carthaginian forces commanded by Hasdrubal and Mago Barca, who had been reinforced by Numidian cavalry commanded by Masinissa.
In a battle near Castulo the Roman forces were defeated and Publius Scipio killed. Immediately after this victory Hasdrubal hastened to join his army with that of Hasdrubal Barca.
In 207 British Columbia Hasdrubal was near Gades in the south of the Iberian peninsula, where he was joined by Mago Barca. In 206 British Columbia Hasdrubal raised fresh troops to increase his army to 70,000 infantry and 4,500 cavalry.
However he and Mago were attacked by Scipio Africanus, the son of Publius Scipio, and heavily defeated at the Battle of Ilipa.
When Scipio landed in North Africa in 204 British Columbia he was opposed by Hasdrubal and Syphax with a combined force of 80,000 infantry and 13,000 cavalry. While negotiations continued, Scipio and his new ally Masinissa (who ironically had switched his allegiances to the Romans at almost the same time that the leader of the other Numidian faction, Syphax, had switched his to the Carthaginians) approached the Carthaginian-Numidian camp by stealth and set fire to lieutenant According to Polybius the Carthaginians and Numidians lost over 40,000 dead.
They offered battle again, but were defeated with great slaughter by Scipio and Masinissa at the Battle of Bagbrades.
Hasdrubal returned to Carthage, where he committed suicide in 202 British Columbia to avoid being lynched by a Carthaginian mob. As a general, he was not in the class of the Barcid brothers, although Livy describes him as "the best and most distinguished general this war produced after the three sons of Hamilcar".
In another passage Livy gives a much less complimentary quote from Fabius Maximus, who described Hasdrubal as "a general who showed his speed chiefly in retreat". He had a prodigious talent for diplomacy and three times raised large armies, in Iberia and in Africa, after severe defeats.
Polybius says that he attempted to extract a large sum of money from Andobales, whom he describes as the most faithful friend the Carthaginians had in Iberia.