The Iberian Wars were a series of military campaigns waged against the various tribes native to Iberia by the Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca. They lasted from 213 BC to 208 BC and resulted in complete Carthaginian control of Iberia. The wars paved the way for Carthage's eventual expansion into the continent of Europe itself and served as a base for these invasions. The war culminated in the climactic siege of Tarraco in which Hannibal besieged a large Iberian garrison and fought off an even larger relief force.