What were the Romans fighting for in the Punic wars?

Answer 1

Rome did not fight Carthage in order to dominate the western basin of the Mediterranean. Rome found herself dominating this part of the Mediterranean as a result of her victories. However, this was the outcome, rather than the purpose of Rome fighting the Punic Wars.

The First Punic War broke out because of tensions in eastern Sicily. The Romans intervened to help some mercenaries which had seized the city of Messana (Messina) and who had been attacked by Syracuse, the most powerful of the Greek city-states in eastern and southern Sicily. Rome defeated Syracuse and forced her to become an ally. At this point Carthage, which was worried about the security of her possessions in western Sicily, mobilized for war. The situation developed into a contest over the control of Sicily. Rome won, seized the Carthaginian possessions in the west and maintained alliances with the Greeks in the east and south. Immediately after the war Rome took advantage of Carthage having to deal with a revolt by her mercenaries to seize Sardinia and Corsica, which were Carthaginian possessions. However, that this did not amount to a domination of the western Mediterranean. Control of these islands was not sufficient for domination and, more importantly, Rome was not interested in dominating the western Mediterranean. Rome's horizon and that time did not stretch beyond Italy. Her interest in Sardinia and Corsica was their proximity to the Italian mainland and their relevance for the security of Italy. The fact that Rome was not interested in the western Mediterranean is also indicated by the fact that she did not object to Carthage building up a power base in Spain and that she ended up paying a heavy price for this (see below).

The Second Punic War was about Rome's survival. It was an invasion of Italy by Hannibal, a Carthaginian military commander who wanted revenge for the theft of Sardinia and Corsica. His father, Hamilcar, had conquered southern Spain and turned it into a domain of his family (the Barcas). Southern Spain was Hannibal's power base and the springboard for his invasion of Italy. He routed the armies of Rome and her Italian allies four times and caused great panic in Rome, which seemed doomed. However, he then got bogged down in the south of Italy and his campaign eventually came to a dead end. Meanwhile, a second Roman expedition is Spain defeated the Carthaginians there and Rome took over the Carthaginian possessions in southern Spain, thus cutting Hannibal off his source of reinforcements and depriving Carthage of an important source of wealth (the silver mines). The Romans then started a successful campaign in Africa (Tunisia), Carthage's homeland, which was aimed at bringing the war to an end.

The Third Punic War was fought because a war faction which wanted the destruction of Carthage won the day in the politics of Rome. This faction argued that Carthage was aiming at becoming a big military power again and that her continued prosperity was a threat to Rome's security. This threat had to be eliminated through destruction.

Answer 2

The Punic wars pitted the city-state of Carthage against the Roman Republic. Rome fought Carthage in order to dominate the western Mediterranean Sea, and later, when Hannibal was the Carthage opponent, to save itself from a devastating defeat. The last Punic War was not much of a war at all. Its purpose was to simply annihilate Carthage as a future trading and military state.

Answer 3

The Romans and the Carthaginians fought these wars over the control of trade in the western Mediterranean Sea.

Answer 4

The Punic wars were basically about power and dominance in the Mediterranean area.

Answer 5

The western Mediterranean Sea

Answer 6

Sicily.