Early Roman Republic, Roman Conquest of Italy (505-264 BC), Samnite and Latin Wars: Second Latin War (341-338 BC)

Concerned by the prospect of Roman control extending to the south, the Latin cities broke into open revolt.  Eager to get rid of Roman rule, Capua joined the revolt and other Campanian cities followed. On the upper Liris the Volscians felt they had been given another chance to recover their liberty. Hearing of this alliance the Romans launched a combined attack on them in concert with the Samnites.

In 340 BC the Latins entered Samnium; the Roman-Samnite army moved to Lake Fucine, then entered the Campanian territory and attacked the Latins and Campanians near Mount Vesuvius. In the battle that followed, the consul ⁰¹Decius Mus charged into battle and was immediately killed on the front lines of the enemy. The other consul ⁰³Manlius Torquatus then led his forces into victory against the Latin army.

In 339 BC at the Battle of Trifanum near the mouth of the Liris River, the victory by Manlius (3) ended the Campanian phase of the Latin War. In 339 BC the consul ⁰²Publilius Philo celebrated a triumph over the Latins. In 338 BC the consul ⁰⁴Furius Camillus (fl.338-325 BC) defeated the northern Latin towns of Pedum and Tibur, while the other consul Maenius (fl.338-314 BC) inflicted the final defeat on the Latins at the Battle of Antium at the Astura against the combined Latin armies of Antium, Lanuvium, Aricia and Velitrae.

Rome now dominated a significant part of Latium, southern Etruria and northern Campania, which was to be controlled by a complex network of alliances, grants of Roman citizenship and programmes of colonization. The Latin League was disbanded and the Latin states now looked to Rome for leadership. Several of the towns (e.g. Aricia, Lanuvium, Nomentum and Pedum) were forcibly incorporated into the Roman state. A few towns (e.g. Tibur and Praeneste) were left as independent states. Several large tracts of territory (especially Capua and its satellites) were incorporated into the Roman state and peoples were made cives sine suffragio (‘citizens without the vote’, or part citizens). Antium was made a Roman colony.In 336 BC the Romans attacked the Sidicini around Teanum, a town on the main road (probably built during the Etruscan expansion in the sixth century BC) between Rome and Neopolis, and granted them an alliance. In 334 BC a Latin colony was sent to Cales, between Teanum and the Volturnus. In 332 BC Acerrae, beyond the Volturnus and northeast of Naples, was granted civitas sine suffragio; and two new tribes, Maecia and Scaptia were created in Latium. Around 330 BC the Romans entered into alliance with Fabrateria and Frusino positioned along the west bank of the Trerus. In 329 BC Tarracina, commanding the coast road, was sent to a Latin colony.