Chapter 3
Pax Etruria
July 302 BC.
The battered remnants of the retreating Auxilia arrive at the gates of Tarquinia.
General Mercator bivouacs the exhausted troops outside the city walls before proceeding inside towards the Senate chambers. There are no cheering crowds awaiting his arrival. The streets of the capital lie empty, the people cowering in their homes in fear. Dark times have fallen upon the Republic.
Upon entering the Senate chambers, Mercator finds the Senate already gathered and embroiled in a heated debate. A deadlock hangs between two opposing groups arguing over the best course of action in the aftermath of the recent catastrophic defeats to the northern barbarian hordes.
The first group is led by prominent Populist Senators including Proconsul
Spurius Vitellius Valens and his close political ally,
Tiberius Julius Gracchus.
Former Consul Valens and his close ally, Gracchus
They argue that Consul Mercator has failed to defend the Republic, which has now been effectively overwhelmed by Gallic invaders. They are also keen to remind the other Senators that it was Mercator himself who chose to replace the previously successful General
Quintus Octavius Ignatius and take personal command of the Auxilia, a decision which they argue has only contributed to the current crisis. Not only was everything north of the capital now under siege, but the Republic’s resources and manpower had been exhausted in the recent struggles and defeat was inevitable. Valens, Gracchus and their allies call for Mercator to be stripped of command and for the Republic’s immediate surrender to the Gauls in the hope that the beleaguered citizens of the northern townships might be spared.
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These demands are being furiously rejected by the opposing Senators, primarily led by Senator
Mamercus Ulpius Nasica.
Mercator is defended by his supporter Nasica
A trusted lieutenant of Mercator, Nasica is a
novus homo; a man born outside the established elite of aristocratic Etruscan families. Despite his humble origins he has become a close ally of Mercator and thanks to the Consul’s influence he has risen through the ranks to attain the office of Praetor.
A charismatic and eloquent orator, Nasica leads the opposing group of Senators in arguing for the Republic’s full support of the Consul who, he argues, can yet lead Etruria to victory in these dark times. In direct opposition to Valens and Gracchus, Nasica calls for emergency powers to be placed upon the Consul and for him to be declared
Dictator of the Republic. Such extraordinary measures had never before been undertaken in Etruscan history, and the fierce debate continued to rage as the Senate sought agreement upon a decision.
Mercator’s timely arrival brings some much-needed consensus to the dispute. He addresses the gathered Senators in bold tones, arguing that the Allobroges had themselves suffered catastrophic losses during their last battle (several thousand) and that one more engagement would surely break them. The Menapii further north were only a few thousand strong and could also be realistically dealt with. The Consul reminds the Senate that no settlements had yet fallen to the Gauls and the situation could still be recovered. With these confident words, the Senators begin to throw their support behind Mercator. An agreement is finally reached when Mercator swears not to undertake the Dictatorship and to formally relinquish his Consulship when it expires in 5 months time.
Having gained the support of the Senate, Mercator puts the gears of war back into motion. He depletes the last of the Republic’s meagre reserves into the Auxilia and musters his forces to once again march north to engage the Gauls.
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Dawn, 18th August 302 BC. The Auxilia has arrived at Volaterrae and is deployed on the plains outside the city walls, facing off against the Allobroges horde. The beleaguered Etruscan defenders manning the ramparts of the town look on and cheer as the Consul leads his men charging into battle. It is all over in less than an hour. The Gauls, their numbers thinned from previous battles and the subsequent, gruelling siege of Volaterrae, are quickly broken by the determined Republican forces and driven from the field in disarray.
Mercator defeats the Allobroges at Volaterrae
Volaterrae was now relieved and with the Allobroges defeated, Mercator prepared to march on the Menapii besieging Bononia. The Senate rejoices in the victory, and deciding that the victory is a good omen, they agree to immediately dispatch colonists to the north-western region of Liguria to establish Etruscan settlements there.
By early October, Mercator had smashed the Menapii that were skulking in Bononia and relieved the final Gallic siege of Etruscan settlements. But before the crisis could be declared over, yet another mighty horde from the Quadi tribe crossed the Alps and marched against the Auxilia in Bononia.
Many feared that this would be the final straw to break the back of the Republic, but General Mercator leads a tactically brilliant defence which sees over half the Quadi dead (9,900 in total). Immediately after the battle, word arrived from the Senate that the Etruscan settlements in Liguria had been successfully established. When Mercator wiped out the last of the Quadi soon after, his victory was complete. The Republic had been saved!
While Etruscan settlements expand into western Liguria, Mercator wins a great victory over the Quadi...
...And with the Quadi annihilated, the Republic finally breathes a collective sigh of relief
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Conclusion
The barbarian invasions of 304-302 BC would become known as the
Great Crisis. The Republic of Etruria had been brought to the brink of annihilation, yet thanks to the valiant determination of General Mercator, the Etruscans had been rallied to drive off the barbarian hordes and emerge stronger than ever (taking into account the recent expansion into Liguria). Manpower reserves were still flat-lined and it would take many years to fully recover, but on the positive side an abundance of slaves had been seized from the invading tribes which would contribute greatly to the economy.
Further effects of the Great Crisis included the redemption of Mercator, whose leadership skills had been called into question by Valens and Gracchus in the Senate, but who now found himself extremely popular with the army and the people alike. Following his gallant defence of the realm he would henceforth become known as
Mercator Audax – ‘the Valiant’.
But the Crisis had also ignited greater conflict within the Senate itself. The fierce debate between Nasica, Mercator and their Populist antagonists back in July had drawn a permanent line in the sand within the Etruscan Senate. Two opposing groups of Senators had begun to form, each representing an entirely opposing outlook on the evolution of the Republic, and the deepening divide between these two groups would come to dominate the actions of Etruria in years to come.
For now though, the Republic began to enjoy a rare glimmer of peace. With his term at an end, Consul Mercator made his final act to invest in major fortifications at Bononia to help ensure that another crisis might never again occur.
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January 301 BC -
Numerius Vitellius Vitalis of the Religious faction is elected consul. An intelligent and crafty statesman, Numerius is cousin to former Consul Tertius Vitellius Vitalis. His mandate is to begin the rebuilding process following the Great Crisis.
New Consul Numerius of the Religious faction
A terrible number of citizens and soldiers had died during the recent barbarian invasions, and it was of paramount importance that the Republic be given time to recover. With Etruria’s manpower at an all-time low, another Italian war now would be disastrous.
The strategic situation on the peninsula was precariously balanced.
STRATEGIC SITUATION 301 BC:
The world at large, 301 BC. Carthage dominates the western Mediterranean.
A closer look at Italy shows the Etrurian/Samnite/Lucani Alliance holding a strong tactical position surrounding Rome.
The Republic had formed strong and proven alliances with both the Samnites and the Lucani to the south, and between them they held a strong tactical position in Italy. However, since being sacked by the Semnones in 307 BC Rome had re-established its alliance with the Kingdom of Picentis and together they formed a dangerous adversary. The great Picenti General Decius Domitius Dives, who fought against the Etrurians and Samnites in the Second Samnite War, would himself ascend to the throne of Picentis later in the year.
The great General Domitius becomes the new King of Picentis
As for the Republic of Etruria, it had geographically doubled in size since the last war with Rome but its new physical size was deceptive – it still lacked any large population zones and thus experienced lower overall manpower than the southern Italian states. Crucially, it was still vulnerable to rampaging barbarian tribes from Gaul and Germania.
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Thankfully, Numerius’s term as Consul remains uneventful as the Republic quietly rebuilds and consolidates. His final act in office is to appoint General Mercator as a Censor of the Republic in honour of his continued glorious service to the state.
In
January 299 BC,
Tiberius Claudius Martialis of the Mercantile faction becomes the new Consul. Martialis is a popular and well-spoken Senator who holds great influence in Tarquinia’s Forum thanks to his many vested business interests in the city.
Martialis becomes Consul for 299-298 BC.
Martialis is an experienced and skilled administrator and utilises his influence in the merchant quarter to great effect, running the economy with great efficiency and generating record profits for the treasury. In turn, he uses the profits to expand the Forum in Tarquinia to enable even more trade to take place there.
With the economy running smoothly, Martialis begins to turn his attention to domestic and foreign affairs. In the few short years since the end of the Great Crisis, the opposing political groups within the Senate had become formalised into a discordant status-quo entrenched within the hierarchy of the Republic. Martialis is an active member of the group that has become known as
Mars Imperito, which is dominated by militarist expansionists including
Mamercus Ulpius Nasica and
Mercator Audax. They share a common belief that since defeating the barbarian invaders during the Great Crisis the Republic was now ready to conquer and reclaim its ancient borders of the
Etruscan golden age during the 6th century BC. They are opposed by the predominantly Populist group now known as
Pax Etruria which includes
Spurius Vitellius Valens and
Tiberius Julius Gracchus, bitter rivals of Mercator and his protégée Nasica. Their belief was that further wars would be calamitous to the fragile Republic and that a peaceful colonial expansion towards the northern Alps would be in Etruria’s best interests. Not every Senator was affiliated with these groups, since the groups themselves were based more on a ‘shared belief system’ rather than a formal membership like that employed by the Religious, Military, Civic and Populist factions. Nevertheless, the impasse between
Pax Etruria and
Mars Imperito was escalating as Senators vied to keep the Republic at peace or drive it to war, respectively.
A staunch advocate of
Mars Imperito, Claudius Martialis firmly believed that the only way the Republic could survive was if it somehow managed to annex one or more of the heavily populated cities that lay to the south, thus providing a richer source of manpower for Etruria’s understrength army. Etruria had come close to capturing the great city of Perugia in the Second Samnite War but narrowly failed to do so. For advocates of
Mars Imperito the problem is a catch-22 situation. Etruria needs greater manpower, which means capturing large population zones is a major priority, but it lacks the manpower necessary to confidently prosecute a war with its southern neighbours in Rome and Picentis.
Martialis’s solution lay with the Greek Republic of
Massilia to the west. Massilia had an army as large as anything in Italy - 11,000 men in total - and had the ear of other, larger Greek states to the east. However, relations between the two Republics had never been close and were decidedly less than cordial since Etruria’s recent decision to establish Etruscan settlers right up to the Massilian border throughout Liguria. Despite the cultural and religious differences between the two Republics, Martialis was keen to explore the possibility of an alliance with Massilia. His initial address on this issue was met with hostility in the Senate, particularly by the Religious and Populist senators who either distained an alliance with Greeks or feared the momentum to war that such an alliance might bring. Massilia had only recently become embroiled in a proxy war between Diadochi squabblers in the east and Etruria couldn’t afford to be dragged in to a war just yet.
Massilia now shares a border with Etruria but the Etruscan Senate is reluctant to enter talks of an alliance
Nevertheless, Martialis was not to be deterred and began making secret ‘donations’ from the state treasury to prominent Massilian senators in the hope of eventually gaining the support needed to enact an alliance when the time was right.
He was convinced that with Massilia’s support, Etruria could confidently engage in a new campaign against Rome and its allies. However, with his term at an end, his plan would have to be postponed for now.
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297 BC -
Tiberius Julius Gracchus, the charismatic Populist senator and close political ally of Proconsul Valens, is himself elected consul.
Populist and Pax Etruria advocate Gracchus becomes the new Consul
He gains the Consulship on the back of the Etruscan people who, troubled at the rumours of another war looming, back the Populists to look to their interests and maintain the peace.
Gracchus’s reign is quiet and entirely uneventful as he successfully maintains the peace.
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295 BC - Populist leader
Spurius Vitellius Valens is re-elected for a second term as Consul, capitalising on the well-received period of calm enjoyed during Gracchus’s reign to gain election through promising to continue the peace.
Valens becomes the first Etruscan Senator in recent history to gain a second term as Consul.
Valens focuses his second term on construction, building a series of temples throughout the recently settled lands near the Alps in the belief that the sight of these great buildings would awe the savage Gallic natives into following the Roman gods, and subsequently imitating the culture of the Etruscans.
Valens and his fellow
Pax Etruria advocates (including his predecessor Gracchus) believed, in contrast to Proconsul Martialis and his fellow
Mars Imperito associates, that the future of the Republic lay in developing internally – by civilising the Gauls of Liguria and Bononia, developing their infrastructure and perhaps eventually even extending settlements to the far side of the Alps.
On 5th April, Valens officially declared the Pax Etruria policies a success, announcing that the Republic had fully recovered from its appalling losses during the Great Crisis. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Valens then announced that the army was to be expanded to 9,000 to help protect the Republic from future barbarian raiders.
After 7 years, the Republic has finally recovered from the Great Crisis of 304-302 BC
Valens’s internal policies seemed to be reaping further dividends, as the native population in Bononia were quick to abandon their heathen gods and follow the Roman religion.
Valens maintained an otherwise uneventful term.
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293 BC -
Spurius Horatius Gorgonius was then elected for his own second term as Consul after a flat election contest with none of the candidates gathering large numbers of votes. Gorgonius, a committed
Mars Imperito advocate, emerges the victor but because he failed to achieve a significant majority of support, he is unable to implement significant changes while in office. His attempts to rally the Senate to another war against Rome consequently fail to gather enough support to be carried out.
Gorgonius is fortunate to become the new Consul.
The only notable incident of his Consulship occurred when he oversaw the full conversion of the Gauls of Bononia to Etruscan cultural values. The region now became accepted into the Republic as a full territory with citizenship status.
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Conclusion
Since the emergence of the two opposing political groups in the aftermath of the Great Crisis,
Pax Etruria had largely dominated Etruscan politics on the back of widespread public support for a sustained period of peace.
But all this was about to change...
*WritAAR note – some of the details of this chapter (particularly the emerging discord between Pax Etruria and Mars Imperito) might seem unnecessary but I hope will prove to be increasingly relevant in future updates...