The Samnites were inhabitants of Samnium, a neighboring area of Latium, and they resisted fiercely when Rome began conquering all the states of Italy. The name later referred to a type of gladiator in Roman arenas, presumably because of his Samnite armor and weapons.

It was a collection of states - the growing Roman Empire, and the other separate states which Rome was trying to dominate and eventually took over in the early 1st Century BCE. The states were Etruria, Liguria, Latinum, Samnium, Picenum, Apulia, Campania, Lucania, Calabria

Rome expanded into central and southern Italy though the Three Samnite Wars (343-341 B.C., 326-304 B.C. and 298-290 B.C.) against the Samnites, a large group which lived on the mountains to the south of Rome.

Rome fought the first of these wars aided by her allies from the other Latin cities which had formed the Latin league. This war was ended after two years because Rome faced a rebellion by the Latin League backed by the Campanian city of Capua (near Naples) and the Volsci of southern Latium (land of the Latins) who were traditional enemies of Rome. This led to the Latin War (340-338 B.C.), which Rome Won. Many of the Latin cities were incorporated into the Roman Republic and their inhabitants were given full Roman citizenship (civitas optima iure). The Volsci and Capuans were also incorporated, but with citizenship without the right to vote (civitas sine suffragio). This Rome ceased to be a city-state and became a multi-ethnic commonwealth. Her military strength increased.

Rome won the second war against the Samnites, during which she also defeated some Etruscan cities. When the war ended, the Romans dealt with the Aequi (who lived quite near Rome) having helped the Samnites by destroying their territory. This terrified five small Sabellians peoples (the Maruccini Marsi, Paeligni, Frentani and Vestini) who lived to the north of Samnium (land of the Samnites) and had made an alliance with the Samnites at the beginning of the war. They rushed to make alliances with Rome. This further increased Rome's power.

The Third Samnite War saw an alliance between the Samnites, some Etruscan cities the Umbrians and the Senone Gauls, Gauls, who lived to the north of Rome and the mentioned Sabellian peoples. Rome managed to isolate and defeat the Etruscans and the Umbrians. Then they won a key battle against the Gauls and the Samnites. After this hey carried out campaigns in Samnium and won the war. Thus time the Samnites were defeated for good and were forced to become Roman allies. The Lucanians, who were a substantial people who lived to the south of Samnium, decided to ally with Rome. At this point the Romans were in control of central Italy and part of southern Italy.

Rome did not actually conquer Italy (except for the North). It gained control over it by establishing alliances with the Italic peoples. This was not pre-planned. It was a development which was the result of the three Samnite Wars (343-341 BC, 326-304 BC, 298-290 BC) and the Pyrrhic war (280-275 BC).

The Samnites were a large people of central-southern Italy (present day Molise and the mountains of Campania). They were a considerable military force. The first war was fought in Campania, just north of Naples. The Campanian city of Capua asked Rome for help against a Samnite attack . In the second war, Rome adopted a policy of trying to encircle Samnium (the land of the Samnites). She made alliances with some cities in Apulia, east of Samnium. She defeated five small peoples (the Marsi, Paeligni, Marrucini,Frentani and Vestini) in central Italy just north of Samnium (in present day Abruzzo). After the war, Rome consolidated its control of this area by making alliances with these people who, due to Rome's strength, joined voluntarily. This strengthened Rome's position against the Samnites.

In the third Samnite war Rome defeated an alliance between the Samnites, the Etruscans, the Umbrians (in present day Umbria) and the Senone Gauls who lived in the present day Marche. These defeated people, except for the Etruscans, were then made to become allies. The Lucianans who lived to the south of Samnium (in present day Basilicata) became Roman allies because they had been attacked by the Samnites. Thus, the result of the wars was that Rome gained control of central Italy and the mountains of the south.

The rest of southern Italy came under Roman control as a result of the Pyrrhic war. Pyrrhus was a Greek king. He landed with a large army and wanted to conquer southern Italy. Though he won victories, he could not match the size of the Roman army and gave up. Following this Rome took control in this area as well, again by establishing alliances.

The Romans invaded part of the lands the Gauls of northern Italy because, they attacked Roman and Etruscan territories. In one occasion they got quite close to Rome. In this case there was a conquest.

The Roman did not conquer Etruria (in present day Tuscany) or forced the Etruscans into an alliance. This was they were able to control this region without these means.