History of the Early Roman Republic
The days of Consul Kan’ Sharuminar
280BC - 263BC
Following the reformation of the Roman Senate, in which a single Consul would be voted in for life, Kan Sharuminar came to power. At this time the Republic was just a mere few cities - the rest of Italy was controlled by independent city states, and to the south was Greek cities, with whom Rome was at war with.
Therefore, most of Sharuminar’s Consularship was spent in military campaigns to bring Rome’s influence across the peninsula. Together with the general’s Tillus and Captainus, several of the independent cities were captured in the name of the Republic, before it came into direct conflict with the Greek cities in 273 BC. Here, General Pyrrhus wiped out the main Roman Southern Army, killing Tillus in the process. The Senate’s response to the shocking defeat was to gather all available forces, and destroy Pyrrhus before he could threaten Republic lands.
The Second Battle of Tarentum then, is seen as the defining battle in the Republic’s early history. Losing an entire army - as well as Rome’s greatest general - threatened to tear apart the early gains. It was no exaggeration to say that Thrawnus had the weight of Rome on his shoulders as he waged war on Pyrrhus. With the advantage of superior numbers and vengeful Roman soldiers, he won the day, and broke the back of the Greek military in Italy. From here, all he and his troops had to do was march forth and take the cities. Only at Croton did they meet a Greek Army of equal numbers, though they were easily wiped out.
In the north, Generals Captainus and Killyouall successfully pushed forward to claim several new provinces for the Republic, though with most of Rome’s resources being deployed in the south. They managed to hold the region from several barbarian attacks, and were later joined by a promising (though brutal) young general named PrinceScampey - a commander destined for infamy.
Consular Kan however, after seeing the bulk of Italy unified under his rule, ended his life after one too many victory celebrations. It was rumoured that his final act was a glorious drinking competition to the death with Senator Subius. Alas, for he lost!
The days of Consul Kan’ Sharuminar II
263BC - 239BC
The great years of the Second Council saw the power of Rome expand further than ever before. It saw war on all fronts, and some of the greatest campaigns seen since Alexander the Great.
PrinceScampey the Merciless
It began in Gaul. General Captainus had already secured the northern frontiers of Italy for Rome, providing an initial ‘buffer zone’ against the Republic’s most feared adversaries. His part was over - a decorated officer of Rome, he settled down in the new provinces to live out his days. He was replaced by General PrinceScampey, who was already renowned for his ruthlessness against foreign barbarians.
It was only when the Gallic war began in 258 BC that his ruthlessness was shown. He brutally put down any signs of resistance and totally crushed any Gallic army that dared oppose him. His reputation was secured in 255 BC, when he captured the city of Mediolanium and razed it to the ground, killing all within. He was not finished however, and crossed the western Alps, bringing the war into Gaul itself!
His march was virtually unopposed, leading to the fall of Massilia and south-eastern Gaul. His ease of passage was revealed to be due to a surprise Gallic attack in northern Italy, where an army crossed the Alps in the north. They were countered by Captainus - brought out of retirement for one last command - and utterly destroyed. Gaul was now ready to fall. It was not to be.
PrinceScampey’s reputation and brutality had begun to turn against him. After eight years of hard fighting he had lost much of his original fighters, and was forced to use mercenaries hired from across northern Italy and southern Gaul. He was quite happy to use these units as ‘suicide troops,’ sending them into battle to be slaughtered by their fellow countrymen while the Roman troops prepared for a more deliberate attack. Such tactics finally caught up with him in 250BC, when his hired troops secretly negotiated with their Gallic brothers at Croxis. At the height of the battle to capture the city, both they and the enemy turned on the General, killing him on the streets. While mourned in Rome, some still say that the Senate were all too happy to have the ambitious General out of the picture, for fear of his overall plans regarding Rome.
The loss of PrinceScampey also caused mass dissent in southern Gaul, forcing an end to any immediate campaigns in the region. With the fear of the General gone, Republic troops were forced to remain in garrison duty to prevent any uprisings. Additionally, Rome and the Senate had begun to focus their attention south…
The Carthaginian Betrayal
The situation in the south was fairly tense between Rome, Carthage and Greece. A brief attempt at securing peace with the Greek civilizations failed with the collapse of the Tripartite Act with the Macedons and Illyrians, though the former remained friendly to Rome. Greece and Carthage went to war over Sicily in 262BC , a situation Rome was keen to take advantage of.
In 247 BC then, an alliance was formed between Carthage, Macedon and the Republic against the Greek cities. Generals Clericus II and Tillus II were both sent to represent the Republic forces as they marched into Sicily and captured the eastern provinces. For Carthage, who had been fighting Greece for fifteen years over control of Sicily, this was an outrage. Their armies marched on the Republic forces, and the alliance was shattered.
With Greek forces out of Sicily, and the Macedons engaging them on the peninsula, the Republic was free to sign a peace treaty and focus primarily on Carthage. As Clericus launched an aggressive war to capture Sicily entirely, the Senator StevieJey came up with an ambitious plan to take the war to Carthage itself, and achieve total dominance in the western Mediterranean.
The plan was simple in design, though not in execution. A large army, under the command of General Tillus, was to land in Africa itself and sack several important Carthaginian cities. It was an ambitious undertaking that, had it failed, would have left Sicily and southern Italy vulnerable to counterattack, particularly given the Republic’s weak navy compared to the Carthaginians. As such, the plan was opposed by many in the Senate - most vocal in the form of Raisin Branius - before it was suddenly quietened by the Consul. Many assumed he had simply urged StevieJey to break off his arguments for the benefit of peace in the Republic.
It was quite the opposite, as he had secretly granted Tillus II several dozen units and essentially the entirety of the Republic’s Navy for the ‘raid on Carthage,’ as StevieJey had named it. It proved to be among the most important decisions in the early Republic history as, not only was it successful - between 242 and 239 BC Tillus destroyed several major Carthaginian cities including the capital - but it caused Senator StevieJey’s popularity to soar.
This latter point is what caused a major upheaval in the Senate’s political system as, in 239 BC, Kan Sharuminar II died of old age. Forty years of the House of Sharuminar being in supreme power came to an end as, riding on the back of the popularity of the Carthage campaign, StevieJey was voted into the supreme office of Rome.
The days of Consul StevieJey
239BC Onwards
In 239 BC, the Republic was involved in far more wars along larger frontiers than it was at the beginning of Sharuminar II’s Consularship. However, it’s military was essentially the same size and followed the same doctrines as it had for the past half a century. StevieJey was determined to change this, and to militarise the Republic across it’s vast territories. He was not without opposition.
Raisin Branius, leader of a large opposition group (and a candidate for the current Consul position StevieJey now enjoyed) loudly opposed any form of expansion of the Republic’s military, particularly given StevieJey’s open desire to create a legacy for his House, regardless of the cost. On the other hand, increased threats from Gaul, Carthage, Greece and the Sarmatians made one thing clear - Rome would need to increase it’s abilities as a military power if it wished to survive another forty years. It had now entered the Mediterranean stage as a power to be reckoned with…
Major Historical Figures of Rome
Dates denote period when person was active, not lifespan
Kan Sharuminar
Consul of Rome, 280-263 BC. Regarded as the man who gave Rome purpose. Unified the bulk of Italy under the Republic rule.
Tillus
General of Rome 280-273 BC. Renowned for his conquest of Southern Italy and defeat at the First Battle of Tarentum at the hands of Phyrrus - probably the most important battle in early Republic history.
Thrawnus
General of Rome, 273-266 BC. Took over command of Tillus’ forces and destroyed the General Phyrrus at the Second Battle of Tarentum.
Kan Sharuminar II
Consular of Rome, 263-239 BC. Known for totally uniting Italy and advancing Roman power across the western Mediterranean, however is generally regarded as a weak leader, leaving most of the decisions to the leading Generals and Senators of the era. The greatest example of this is allowing General PrinceScampey to run free, and voicing little opinion over Senator StevieJey’s plans to invade Carthage.
Captainus
General of Rome, 280-233BC. Led the Armies of the North while much of the Senate’s attention was focused south against Greece. Is credited as unifying Northern Italy before settling into retirement there. Briefly brought out of retirement in 253BC to destroy a Gallic army crossing the Alps, then began an academy for training new generals.
The lack of commanders in the north meant that, when a second Gallic war began, Captainus was once again called upon to bring order to the region. It was through his long-term experience, as well as his protégé General Nodikus, that nearly the entire civilization was brought under the Republic’s rule. His death to an untimely illness was mourned, but he was honoured as a great Roman citizen and leader.
PrinceScampey
General of Rome, 266-250BC. The ‘Bane of Gaul,’ and infamous hero of the Gallic wars. Took over command of the Armies of the North from Captainus, and remodelled it after his own ‘pure Roman’ doctrines. Ordered the Massacre of Mediolanium and conquered south-eastern Gaul. Through this he is believed to have crippled Gaul for its future conquest.
Clericus II
General of Rome, 252-238BC. Along with Tillus II, was in charge of the Sicilian campaign and conquered most of the island from the Greeks and then the Carthaginians. In a final campaign he seized Malta from Carthage.
Tillus II
General of Rome, 252-239BC. Although known for assisting Clericus in what become known as the ‘Southern Alliance,’ Tillus is most known for leading the assault on the Carthage homelands in Africa and sacking Carthago in 239BC. Following this, he retired to Sicily to begin an academy in military training.
StevieJey
Senator of Rome, 243BC onwards. Author of the ‘Raid of Carthage,’ an ambitious campaign on the Carthaginian homeland. Its victory saw the senator rise to the position of Consular in 239BC following the death of Kan Sharuminar II, and the beginning of the House of StevieJey as a major political power. His more authoritarian response to the threats facing the Republic has proven a major conflict in the Senate
Raisin Branius
Senator of Rome, 242 onwards. Chief political opponent of Consular StevieJey, and is well loved by the Roman people as a man who will openly voice any concerns they may have for their freedoms.
