Masinissa, a brilliant Numidian cavalry commander crucial to Carthage's early successes, was not driven by ideology. After Scipio decisively defeated the last Carthaginian army in Spain, Masinissa pragmatically switched his allegiance to the Romans, recognizing they now held the momentum and offered a better path to power.

Scipio consciously fostered rumors of divine parentage and inspiration from gods like Jupiter. This carefully crafted, Alexander the Great-style persona built immense charisma and instilled confidence in his followers, convincing them his plans were divinely ordained and destined for success.

The Roman war in Spain was less about territorial conquest and more a strategic effort to stop reinforcements from reaching Hannibal in Italy. By engaging Carthaginian forces under Hasdrubal, the Scipio brothers tied down critical enemy armies and resources, preventing Hannibal from receiving the support needed to win.

The Carthaginian plan to unite their two armies in Italy failed because the Romans captured a message from Hasdrubal to Hannibal revealing their rendezvous point. This critical intelligence enabled the consul Nero to force-march his army north, surprise Hasdrubal with overwhelming force, and win the decisive Battle of the Metaurus.

While battles like Cannae are famous, the Roman victory at Iberra in 215 BC was arguably more critical. By stopping Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal from reinforcing him in Italy just after Rome's greatest defeat, the Scipio brothers prevented a likely Carthaginian victory and changed the course of the war.

A sudden, favorable change in wind allowing supply barges to reach Orléans was perceived as a divine sign. This event instantly convinced the skeptical commander, the Bastard of Orléans, of Joan's legitimacy. It demonstrates how a single symbolic "victory" can dramatically shift morale and consolidate leadership more effectively than strategic plans.

The English believed their string of improbable victories against a larger, richer France proved God's favor. They viewed their claim to the French throne not as aggression but as a divinely sanctioned right, using battlefield success as theological proof that their cause was just.

Her primary miracle, the relief of Orléans, was a stunning military success, not a supernatural event. By attributing it to God's will, she created a powerful narrative of divine favor that shattered English morale and galvanized French forces, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The historian Polybius described the Roman sack of New Carthage, noting the practice of killing indiscriminately—including cutting dogs in half—was a deliberate policy. This was not random brutality but a calculated psychological tactic to inspire terror and ensure swift surrenders in future conflicts.