Chronology of the samnite wars
The Samnite wars were fought between the Roman republic and the tribes of Samnium. The Samnites who lived in central Italy was a well organized fighting force and was the most difficult Rome neighbor to subdue. This war extended to over half a century and ended in the Roman republic domination over the Samnites. The samnite war was fought in three wars:
The first samnite wars.
This war started when the plain dwellers of Campania asked for Rome assistance to mitigate against frequent attacks by their highland neighbors. This was the shortest war of the samnite wars, and gave the Romans a decisive victory. This war fought in two battles; the battle of Mount Gaurus, and the battle of Vesuvius.
The second Samnite war.
This was the longest of the samnite wars. The second samnite war lasted for 25 years. A few years after the start of this war, the Roman army was captured in a defile known as the Caudine Forks. This was a great humiliation to the Roman republic resulting in new hostilities. This was a war of attrition that the Samnites suffered a lot. Four battles occurred during this war. The samnites won the battle of Caudine forks and the battle of Lautulae, whereas, the Romans won the battles of Bovianum and Ciuna.
The third Samnite War.
In the third of the samnite wars, the Samnites made a treaty with the Gauls and the Etruscans to defeat Rome. The war started on a disastrous note for the Roman army as they were handed a devastating blow in the battle of Camerinum. To avoid humiliation, the Roman army raised four legions to offset the threats posed by the Samnites and their allies.
The might of the Roman army gave them a decisive victory in a colossal battle at Sentinum. In the final battle, that took place in Apalonia, the Samnites campsite was looted, and many of their soldiers killed. After the third samnite war, the Semnites threw in the towel and accepted a peace deal from the Romans.
The Samnite wars gave the Roman republic the match needed space to expand and fertile lands to practice agriculture such as the fertile lands of Campania. The addition of Campania was to add considerable wealth and power to the Roman republic. The Samnite wars brought about the much needed control over Italy to the Romans.
One of the most unforgettable historical tales that we’ve stumbled upon in our history classes is Rome’s rise in power, particularly during the Roman Republican Era – how, from being a small kingdom in Italy, it expanded, by wisely using its military supremacy and other resources, to literally own the whole Mediterranean world.
Unlike the fate of the Macedonian phalanx during the Macedonian Wars (which happened years after the Samnite War), the Samnites were able to make Rome withdraw at some point and have actually won some of their battles.