The First Punic War spanned from 264 B.C. until 241 BC This Punic War took place between Rome and Carthage, giving Rome the victory.
Causes
The focus where the First Punic War began was Messina, lit by Hiero II of Syracuse, who in 275-274 B.C. had usurped the domain of the city, commanded by the Mamertines , Oscan soldiers who took this name from Mamer , Italic god of war, who asked the Carthaginians and Romans for help.
Events
From 264 to 260 a.C.
Before the landing of the Roman expeditionary force, Syracuse and Carthage joined forces :Hiero joins the Romans in 263 B.C., which in 261 B.C. they manage to conquer the western part of the island, up to Akragás (Agrigento).
Roman Generals :The military tribune C. Claudio. Caudex; M. Valerio Máximo Mesala-M. Crassus Otacilio; L. Postu-mio Megelo-Q. Mamilio Vitulo; L. Valerio Flaco-T. Otacilio.
Carthaginian Generals :Hanno, son of Hannibal; Hannibal son of Giscón:Amílcar, subchief Bodo.
Hiero of Syracuse
The Romans defeated the Carthaginians at sea, in the battle of Mila , with a squadron of 20 triremes and 100 quinqueremes built by one of the consuls in 260 BC. Cornelio Escipión Asina, taking a Carthaginian ship as a model. The other consul for this year, C. Duilio, was given command of the army. Scipio being taken prisoner, Duilio took command, who defeated the Carthaginians.
- Segesta taken by Duilio.
- Hamilcar defeat the Sicilians near Panormo (Palermo).
From the victory of Mila to the departure of the Romans from Africa (260*255 B.C.)
260 – 258 BC
Carthaginian Generals :Hanno and Hamilcar in Sicily.
Roman Generals :L. Cornelius Scipio; A. Atilio Cayatino-C.
Scipio incorporated Corsica to later attack the Carthaginians in Sardinia. Later he defeated Hanno , who died in battle.
258 BC :Once again the Carthaginians were defeated:Hannibal he fled to Carthage and was killed there by his fellow citizens, while Hanno defeated the Romans.
257 BC
Carthaginian Generals :Amilcar.
Roman Generals :Cornelio Biasio-C. Atilio Regulus.
In this year the naval battle of Tíndaris took place in which Atilio Régulo won.
256 BC :This year. after the sea battle of Ecnomus , a Roman army lands for the first time in Africa.
255 BC :In the Battle of Tunis , the Romans are defeated by the Carthaginians, with contingents of Greek mercenaries commanded by Xanthippus, a Spartan mercenary. Among the prisoners was Regulus. Later, the catastrophe of the Roman fleet took place near Camarina, on the southern coast of Sicily, where 284 ships out of 364 were lost.
From the departure of the Romans from Africa to their victory in the Egatas Islands (255-241 BC)
Carthaginian Generals :Amilcar.
Roman Generals :L. Cornelius Scipio-A
254 BC most of the north coast of Sicily, a part of the interior of the country and some towns on the south coast fall into the hands of Rome.
251 BC Carthaginian Generals:Hasdrubal; Roman Generals:Furius Pacillus.
The Battle of Panormo takes place, in which Rome wins.
Hasdrubal was sentenced to death in absentia . He was later impaled.
250 BC :Roman generals:C. Atilio Régulo-L. Manlius Vulsus.
Carthaginian Generals:Hannibal, son of Hannibal-Alexon. Achaean mercenary:Hannibal. Hamilcar's son.
249 BC :Roman generals:Claudio Pulcro-L. June Pulo.
Carthaginian Generals:Aderbal. Cartalon.
The Carthaginians win the naval battle of Drépano . After several years of agitating ground war of positions against the Carthaginian Amílcar Barca, successor of Asdrúbal.
241 BC :The Romans win the naval battle of the Egatas Islands .
And peace is concluded. signing a definitive treaty that Polybius collects (III. 27. 2-6). For her, Carthage renounced Sicily, which will become the first Roman province.
The Italian Confederation after the First Punic War
Rome had managed to colonize the territory from Lazio to Piceno, to the Adriatic coast, south of Etruria and north of Campania.
In the interior of this territory they were located:
- Allied non-Roman cities, such as Tibur and Praeneste.
- Federated cities:Gabies, Aricia, Capena.
- The Romans enrolled in the tribes formed a kind of aristocracy, with ius sufragii , ius honorum , ius connubii , and commercial law .
- Others were the vanquished, surrendered by arms (dediticii ), to whom Rome granted civil rights:but refused to grant them political rights (civis sine suffragio ).
- The policy that followed with the cities of Etruscan or Greek origin, foreign by language, was that of the deditio .
- A new distinction was that of Latinos (latini ) and allies (foederati ).
- As regards the cities of Lazio; they were inhabited by proletarii coming from Rome. The Latins were deprived of the ius connubii with Rome.
- The other subject Italic cities that were not municipalities, Roman colonies or Latin cities were linked to Rome by alliance pacts (foedera ) in various forms and treatments. Thus, Naples enjoyed a more privileged situation than Taranto.