Scipio Africanus was an esteemed Roman military general. He emerged victorious in many crucial battles, such as the Battle of Zama, in which he defeated Hannibal, and was thus known as one of the greatest military commanders of all time. He was born in Rome in 236 BC and was raised in a family of aristocrats. He was raised as a proper statesman and received military training early in his life. His father, Publius Scipio, was elected as one of the consuls of the court in 218 BC. He died in a battle at the Spanish coast in 212 BC. Scipio Jr. was also part of the battle and had even saved his father’s life once. When nobody came ahead to command the army following his father’s death, Scipio took charge. After a long and hard war, he ended up avenging his father and uncle by killing Hannibal. He commanded the Roman armies at the Battle of Zama, which brought an end to the Second Punic War. He was made a military commander before he was even a consul. Back then, he was still in his 20s, which was too young an age to be a military commander or a consul. In 199 BC, he was made Princeps Senatus, the head of the senate. He embarked on a self-imposed exile and died in 183 BC.