Life and Loyalty in Livy

OK, so I seem to be getting ahead of myself. I commented yesterday on how Rome's allies seemed to be inhumanly loyal given the severe pressure on them from the imminence of Hannibal. Syracuse, which Rome may or may not have directly asked for help, sent them gold and 1,000 light infantry, courtesy of Hiero. But otherwise the theme of book XXIII seems to be the disloyalty of the Campanians, and other Italian allies.

Capua goes over to the Carthaginians - this really ought to have been the end for Rome - Capua shuld have served as a rallying point for other Italian allies and should have spelt the end for Naples and the south as Roman protectorates. Bruttium (the left hand toe) also deserted Rome.

Obviously Livy portrays this as cowardly, disloyal and 'Punic' in its treachery. But what did the Italian states really owe Rome? They had been mostly subjected by force and were utterly disenfranchised from the Roman political process. A Capuan request that Campania would assist Rome after Cannae if one consul was Campanian was rejected. The Romans were being ruthless about their guarded franchise. They even refused to ransom the prisoners from Cannae, but rather freed a number of slaves and arm them.

I'd argue that it was the Roman refusal to give in and their ability to mobilise popular and aristocratic forces that was key, but this is also balanced against their control over their allies. Even after Capua fell, much of southern Italy, Samnium and Etruria stayed loyal. Madness.