Roman Assignments
The First Punic War: 264-241 BC
The First Punic War broke out in 264 BC; it was concentrated entirely on the island of Sicily. Rome beseiged many of the Carthaginian cities on Sicily, and when Carthage attempted to raise the seige with its navy, the Romans utterly destroyed that navy. For the first time since the rise of the Carthaginian empire, they had lost power over the sea-ways.
The war ended with no particular side winning over the other. In 241 BC, the Carthaginians and Romans signed a treaty in which Carthage had to give up Sicily, which it didn't miss, and to pay an indemnity to cover Roman costs for the war, which it could well afford. But Carthage soon faced rebellion among its mercenary troops and Rome, in 238 BC, took advantage of the confusion by seizing the island of Corsica. The Romans greatly feared the Carthaginians and wanted build as large a buffer zone as possible between them and the Carthaginians. By gaining Sicily, the Romans had expelled the Carthaginians from their back yard; they now wanted them out of their front yard, that is, the islands of Corsica and Sardinia west of the Italian peninsula.
The Carthaginians were furious at this action; even Roman historians believed it was a rash and unethical act. The Carthaginians began to shore up their presence in Europe. They sent first the general Hamilcar and then his son-in-law, Hasdrubal, to Spain to build colonies and an army. Both Hamilcar and Hasdrubal made allies among the native Iberians, and their armies, recruited from Iberians, grew ominous as Carthaginian power and influence crept up the Iberian peninsula.
Great Roman Civil War 53 - 45 B.C.
The First Triumvirate was composed of Julius Caesar, Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) and Marcus Licinius Crassus. When Crassus died after the battle of Carrhae civil war broke out between Caesar and Pompey for control of Rome. In 49 the senate, backing Pompey, ordered Caesar to disband his army and give up his province of Gaul. Instead of giving up, Caesar crossed the Rubicon river setting off a civil war. After a five year struggle accross many battlefields, Caesar defeated his enemies and was sole ruler of Rome.
Battle of Briton
The Romans never did actually invaded Ireland although this had been seriously considered by Agricola as recorded on more than one occasion by Tacitus. Agricola belived that Ireland could be "reduced with a single legion with a fair-sized force of auxiliaries" and this would have fallen perfectly in line with his proposed strategy of holding Britain by completely surrounding her with armies. However all he did manage to do was send a small force of Auxilia, in 81 AD, to help an exiled Irish King regain his throne. The divided and divisive nature of Ireland made this the more expedient foreign policy" of Rome, that is, intervening with a small force to help an exile regain his throne or help one kingship rise up and dominate the others in the hopes of ensuring good relations. This strategy was prone to backfire though, as when their puppet fell the new High King often retaliated by launching raids, especially for slaves, against the west coast of Briton.
For the Irish had, despite the flimsy nature of their hide covered Curraghs, become adept as sea raiders and harried the whole coast of Briton and Alba. Their depradations as slave raiders were an annoying nuisance in earlier times but later in the fourth and fifth centuries famine, plague, and violent political upheaval was transforming Irish society. The raiders, now often displaced tribes, were settling in growing numbers in what we now know as Wales, Cornwall and western Scotland.
The following scenarios are a hypothetical Roman invasion of Ireland. Tired of constant raiding and piracy, or to instill stability to slow the migration to Briton, the Romans finally decide to launch an invasion of Ireland, striking for the the Hill of Tara, the traditional seat of the Ard Ri, or High King.
next