Rome declared war on Carthage in 218 BCE, beginning the Second Punic War. Hannibal immediately put in motion a bold and risky plan. He marched his army from Spain across southern Gaul, crossed the Alps, and fell on Italy like a thunderbolt. In the next two years, he won brilliant victories at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene. Shocked by their defeats, the Romans appointed a Dictator, Fabius Maximus. Nicknamed the Delayer, Fabius avoided battle with Hannibal until the Romans had regained their strength and confidence.