Hannibal Barca, the Carthaginian general, defeated the Romans at the Trebia River in 218 B.C. during the Second Punic War.
This battle was part of the Second Punic War (218 BCE - 202 BCE), during which Hannibal invaded Italy with his army and war elephants. In the broad context of the Second Punic War, Hannibal's military campaign against Rome included a series of tactical victories, such as Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and the catastrophic Roman defeat at Cannae.
The Carthaginians, under Hannibal's leadership, posed a significant threat to Rome until the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio, later known as Scipio Africanus, forced Hannibal back to defend Carthage, leading to the Carthaginians' ultimate defeat at the Battle of Zama in 202 BCE.