The battle of Vesuvius was fought in 339 BC, during the Latin War between the Roman Republic and the Latin peoples of ancient Italy. It took place near Vesuvius, and saw the victory of the Roman army, commanded by P. Decius Mus and T. Manlius Imperiosus, over the Latin one. Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC - 330s BC - 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC Years: 344 BC 343 BC 342 BC 341 BC 340 BC - 339 BC - 338 BC 337 BC... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century) The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) was the republican government of the city of Rome and its territories from 510 BC until the establishment of the Roman Empire, which sometimes placed at 44 BC the year of Caesar... The word Latin has more than one meaning. ... Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio) is a volcano east of Naples, Italy, located at 40°49′N 14°26′ E. It is the only active volcano on the European mainland, although it is not currently erupting. ...

The war begun because the Latin peoples wanted to state their independence from Rome. An embassy was sent to Roman Senate to ask for the formation of a single republic between Rome and Latium, with both parties on the same level. Since Rome had been, in the previous years, the leader of the Latin league, it refused to put the Latin people on her same level and to host Latin peoples in the Roman Senate. The war begun. The Romans had been fighting with the Latin and Campanian peoples against the Samnites in the First Samnite War; when the Romans withdrew from the war, the Latins kept fighting besides the Campanians, while Rome joined the Samnites to attack the Latins. Only the Laurentes in Latium and the equites of Campania adhered to the Romans, who on their part found support among the Paeligni. The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... Samnite warriors Samnium (Oscan Safinim) was a region of the southern Apennines in Italy that was home to the Samnites, a group of Sabellic tribes that controlled the area from about 600 BC to about 290 BC. Samnium was delimited by Latium in the north, by Lucania in the south... The Samnite Wars were three wars between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium. ...

The Latins entered Samnium; The Roman-Samnite army moved to Fucine lake, then, avoiding Latium, entered the Campanian territory and attacked the Latins and Campanian near mount Vesuvius. Here, the Roman, under consuls Decius Mus and Titus Manlius Imperiosus, defeated the Latins. According to Roman sources, Manlius restated army discipline by killing his own rebelling son, while Decius sacrificed his own life to the gods for the Roman victory.

Manlius defeated one year later the Latins at the battle of Trifarnum. The Latins, forced to leave Campania, moved to Latium, where they put up a long but, eventually, unsuccessful resistance against the Roman forces. The defeated Latine peoples where obliged to recognize Rome prevanlence; some of the Latine towns where romanized, some others became patially Roman, adopting Roman magistratures, and some other became Roman colonies.

References

• William C. Morey, Outlines of Roman History, New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: American Book Company (1901) (through Forum Romanum)
• Theodor Mommsen, History of Rome (theough Classic Literature)