The First Punic War and the Splitting of the Republic (489-492)
“If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.” - Gaius Julius Caesar
Gaius Atilius Regulus assumed the consulship in 489 as the Republic had finally recovered its strength from the Pyrrhic War and the famine of the Metellan years. Its armies were strong, its people rich, and its coffers full. Regulus, beating out the twice favorite Lucius Julius Libo for the Consulship, felt he had much to prove [1]. As leader of the religious minded faction in the Senate, many Romans viewed him as pliable and weak. They were wrong.
The Senate, anxious to again spread Rome’s influence, impressed on Regulus their desire for war with Carthage. Regulus happily obliged.
Legio I Italica was positioned in Etruria, and prepared for a campaign on the islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Corsica and Sardinia.
Legio II Sabina, in Massena on police duty, was prepared to advance into Carthaginian Sicily. Just before the new year, Rome’s ambassadors delivered a declaration of war to Carthage, but even before Roman diplomats had set sail, the Republic's legionnaires were on the move.
Modern, dramatized depiction of the Senate debating war with Carthage.
In January of 490
Legio I defeated the small Carthaginian garrison on Corsica and invested the island’s capital. Meanwhile,
Legio II had reached Panoramas, and detached half its forces under the new
Legio III Victrix to besiege Acragas. The next month saw the defeat of the Roman navy in an indecisive engagement at
Ilva Insula, where the Roman fleet retreated in good order. In April of 490, a revolt by Greek settlers in Messana forced Legio III to break off from Acragas to stop the rebels. Still, by October, Corsica and much of Central Sicily were controlled by Roman forces, with only major cities still resisting in those areas.
The Battle of Corsica made Roman occupation of Corsica and Sardinia a fait accompli.
The battle at Ilva Insula proved that Carthaginian dominance of the seas would not be easy to break.
Before the turn of the year, word also reached the Roman Senate that Numidia had capitulated to Carthage, ceding much of its remaining territory in the Spring. As 490 turned into 491, Regulus had every reason to be confident. In April, the surrender of Panoramos, Acragas and Alalia, only bolstered that confidence. Yet clouds were gathering on the horizon. Poor omens had discontented the people, helping to lead to a major revolt in Corsica which had to be put down. But, to the Romans at the time, nothing seemed particularly far amiss. By the fall, Roman forces were well dug in in Northern Sardinia and Lilybaeum, the last major city in Carthaginian hands on Sicily, was under siege. Further, Rome had the resources to organize a fourth legion,
Legio IV Gallica, which was tasked with keeping the peace in restive Southern Italy and was assigned to the command of Lucius Postumius Megellus, an ambitious, military minded man who had served as Civic Quaestor from 478-492.
The surrender of major Carthaginian cities made the Romans overconfident.
But in October the first in a series of events which would nearly ruin the Republic began to unfold. Harvests again failed across Southern Italy, driven by poor weather and the disruption of trade routes brought about by the war with Carthage. Megellus, either to solve crisis, or to better position himself for future office, began overruling the civilian governors’ attempts to maintain order, and by the end of the year had set himself up as something of a despot in the south, where he was requisitioning grain from the large estates in the region and distributing it to starving city dwellers. The Senate increasingly alarmed by his behavior, especially since many of the estates effect were their own, attempted to remove him from command, demanding that he leave his army in place and return to Rome. When Megellus demurred on an answer, the Senate rashly sent guards to arrest him. Megellus no doubt recognizing that his fate was no death or rebellion chose the latter course. In May of 492 the Republic split asunder [2][3].
Famine would prove a major difficulty to the Roman war effort.
An approximation of the borders of Rome and Carthage at the outbreak of the civil war. The chaos in the opening months of the conflict makes it impossible to determine the exact delineations of Senatorial and Megellan support. Areas in white are rough concentrations of rebel support, while pink shows regions occupied, but not annexed, by the Republic.
[1]: Libo’s poor luck would continue after being appointed governor of Apulia, which along with Campania served as the base for Megellus’s rebellion.
[2]: Here I accidentally appointed a disloyal general. Within a year he had decided to make an attempt on power, at quite an inconvenient time. I considered reloading, but figured this would be an interesting twist to the narrative.
[3]
Legio IV Gallica's role in the revolt would lead to its name and number being retired permanently from service in the Republic.
State Officials for this Chapter:
Consul: Marcus Atilius Regulus (489-)
Army Quaestor: Publius Sempronius Sophus (487-)
Navy Quaestor: Aulus Manlius Torquatus (487-491), Rumarius Fabius Pictor (491-)
Aedile: Appius Claudius Rufus (486-490), Gaius Suplicius Paterculus (490-)
Praetor: Tiberius Coruncanius (486-491), Lucius Manlius Vuls (491-)
Pontifex Maximus: Marcus Fabius Licinus (486-491), Gaius Atilius Bulbus (491-)
Censor Prima: Quintus Fabius Gurges (474-482), Publius Cornelius Rufinus (482-
Censor Seconda: Tiberius Coruncanius (474-482), Publius Decius Mus (482-
Governors:
Apulia: Marcus Fabius Buteo (487-491), Lucius Julius Libo (491-)
Campania: Quintus Valerius Falto (486-490), Gaius Sempronius Blasus (490-)
Etruria: Quintus Caedicus (486-490), Marcus Fulvius Flaccus (490-)
Gallia Cisalpina: Gaius Aquillius Florus (48
Sicilia: Manius Pomporius Matho (48
Generals and Admirals:
Legio I Italica (474-:
Gaius Fabricius Luscinus (480-)
Legio II Sabina (474-:
Gaius Dulius (482-)
Legio III Victrix (490-:
Marcus Sempronius Tuditanus (490-)
Legio IV Gallica (491-492)
Lucius Postumius Megellus (491-492)
Classis I Apollinaris (476-:
Manlius Valerius Maximus (476-
Well things just got interesting! It'll be a juggling act trying to make sure rebellions don't break my occupation of Sicily and Corsica while dealing with the civil war. If I can occupy those territories uninterrupted for 10 years, I get the option to annex them, which will be key. Pardon any extra typos or roughness for this update, I wrote it quickly as I have been travelling the past week.
