What was the main reason for the growth of roman territory in the 300s BC?

Answer 1

The main reason for the growth of Roman territories in the second half of the 4th century BC and the early 3rd century BC was three wars with the Samnites, a substantial people who leaved to the southeast of Rome. The cause of the first war was Rome's decision to defend the Campanian city of Capua (near Naples) against a threatened siege by the Samnites. In exchange for help, Capua offered to give the city and her territories to Rome. The reason for the second wars seems to have been an aggressive policy of the Romans who declared war. It looks like Rome wanted to defeat the Samnites to secure her new territories in Campania. The third war was a rebellion by the Samnites who also sought help with alliances with peoples in central Italy. Their defeat and that of their allies led to Rome controlling much of Italy.

In the 4th century BC Rome expanded into central Italy and the mountains of southern Italy except for those of Calabria (the toe of Italy) as a result of the Three Samnite Wars (343-341 BC, 326-304 BC and 298-290 BC). During and after the second of these wars the Romans made alliances with peoples in central Italy (the Marsi, Marrucini, Paeligni, Frentani and Vestini) to the north of Samnium (land of the Samnites) and with some cities in northern Apulia, to its east to encircle the Samnites. In the third of these wars, Rome defeated an alliance between the Samnites, the Umbrian, the Senone Gauls and some Etruscan city-states. All these people (except for the Samnites) lived in central Italy and this victory completed Rome's gaining control of central Italy. When the Samnites lost the war, they came under Roman control. The Lucanians, who lived to the south of Samnium, decided to ally with Rome as well.

Rome annexed a trip of territory in central Italy to the south of the Umbrians and the Senone Gauls to improve control over them. She also created Roman and Latin colonies (settlements) in strategic points to create a presence there and to control these points. However, Rome did not annex the defeated peoples or the small peoples who were not a match for her. Instead, she turned them into allies. They remained autonomous in exchange of proving soldiers for Rome at their own expense. The system worked because Rome supported the ruling classes of these peoples and because they could share the spoils of war, which could be considerable. This system has been described of inviting the robbed peoples to join the gang of robbers for the text robberies). At this point Rome's pool of military manpower became massive and in the whole of the Mediterranean only the Carthaginians managed to match it.