Enmity between peoples is the tradition of millenia.The less successful, but more belligerent attack the more successful. Sometimes they succeed, therefore countries without the Atlantic barrier to armies, should create a military. The most successful countries create military that is powerful, that inspires fear in their enemies, and therefore have peace. That includes domestic peace, when the military that can destroy anything in its path, is subservient to civilian government.

Early Expansion

Map of republican Rome and creative ways how to use ancient masonry

            Rome was the preeminent city in Latium, but that still did not prevent attacks from neighbours, it just spurred them on. One expansive tribe was called Volsci, and they were giving Roman armies hard time. Rome had a good general, Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus, the cognomen, or nickname was from the time when he was as a young man the first scaling the wall of the town of Corioli. Under his leadership, the Romans inflicted a number of defeats on the Volsci. 

                  Coriolanus was a popular general, but a lousy politician. He tried to use his popularity to stem the tide of plebeian democratic reforms. As a result, he was haled to court by the tribunes of the plebs and accused of having sticky fingers with public funds. He was sentenced to exile. Coriolanus went directly to the enemies of Rome, to the Volsci, and offered to general their armies, and from then on, Romans had no luck on the battlefield. Finally, the Volscian army came to Rome. Despair overwhelmed the city.

          And that was again the time, when women took charge. They congregated in the home of Veturia, Coriolanus’ mother, and his wife, Virgilia. The women went to the enemy camp, without the knowledge of the Senate and the army – they would be forbidden , so as not to furnish hostages for the Volsci – and went directly to Coriolanus’ tent. There his mother held a long discourse laying a huge amount of guilt on her traitorous son, the way only mother can do. His wife and children just cried. The result was that Coriolanus gathered the enemy army and withdrew, opening himself to prosecution now in the Volsci town of Antium. He was assassinated before the trial ended.

             This was not the end of the regional wars and jockeying for power over Latium. The tribes of Volsci and Aequi were expanding from the Apennines, and threatening the other Latin cities and tribes, which forced them (grinding teeth)  into closer alliance with Rome and ended with absorption of those communities by Rome. However, these were still nothing more than regional, or rather ‘district’ wars. For instance, Rome was also constantly threatened and fought with the Etruscans, mainly with their closest city, Veii, which was only 20 km away from Rome.

Remains of the so called Servian
 Walls from 4th cent. BC,
close to the main railway station Termini

            The story of Cincinnatus originated then.  Because of the dual nature of the highest leadership, the Romans had an uneasy feeling that there might come a time, when a leadership of one person who had people on the hop, might be needed. That is why they had on the legal back burner the office of Dictator, who had power over everybody. This office was enacted only for 6 months duration, and then the dictator had to step down.

           Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (curly haired) was a persistent opponent of democratic reforms, and his son, Caeso Quinctius, was no better, even preventing the Tribunes of the Plebs from calling assembly, which resulted in capital charge against Caeso, and his flight from the city. His father paid enormous fine, and had to sell most of his property, and could keep only one small farm.

            In 457 BC, the Aequi wiped out a Roman army, with only a few people escaping and bringing the news to the Senate. The Senate nominated Cincinnatus a Dictator and a delegation went across the Tiber to tell him, and ask him to help Rome. They found Cincinnatus plowing the field, and asked him to put on his toga, to hear what the Senate decided – all was quite homely, Cincinnatus called his wife to bring him his toga from the cottage – then put it on, and was hailed as Dictator. In his impoverished state he knew that if he did not sow seeds, his family might starve, but did not hesitate.

           Cincinnatus called an assembly and issued order that all able bodied men are drafted, and had to assemble on Campus Martius. Then he instructed the Master of the Horse (the Dictator’s deputy) to take the cavalry and they squeezed the Aequi from two sides and beat the stuffing out of them. Aequi surrendered. His supreme power was 16 days in duration, because right after that Cincinnatus resigned and returned to his farm to continue his labours.

The original she-wolf  resides in the Capitoline Museum
Probably where she always resided. My friend Broňa
poses with her.

            Conflicts with Veii, conflicts with Aequi and Volsci and others and of course the internal struggle between plebeians and patricians were occupying Romans in such a way, that it is a wonder they had time to sow and reap and bring up families. Gaius Furrius Camillus destroyed Veii after a long siege, and in difference to the usual merciful Roman way with defeated enemies, the Veientes were expelled from the city and Rome took it over with its territory. Camillus was rewarded as usual, that is, he was accused of arrogance and sentenced to exile. All this squabbling came to an abrupt end, when Gallic raiders started to come from the north.