Why did the Romans invade Turkey?

Answer 1

There was no Switzerland as a country when Romans invaded the territory... remember, the Roman Empire existed from some hundred years B.C. to about 476 A.D. or something... and Switzerland was founded 1291 A.D.

Romans just wanted to expand their territory... and as they had inner political problems it seemed nice to say the Helvetians (an ancient German tribe) were bloody killers and had to be extinguished... but there is a link, of course... Switzerland's official name in latin is confoederatio helvetica (Swiss or helvetic confederation) pointing to the cultural roots (in some parts) of its nowadays territory.

Answer 2

The Roman province that covered most of present day Austria was called Noricum. Noricum was annexed to the Roman Empire in 16 BC because the local Celts had joined their next door neighbours (the Pannonians) in an attack near Italy.

Answer 3

At the time of Rome's expansion into the peninsula where Turkey is now, this peninsula was not a united state. It was divided into ten different kingdoms. Rome expanded into western turkey because the two kingdoms in this part of Turkey were bequeathed to her by their kings. Rome's expansion into eastern Turkey was the result of the king of Pontus (in northeastern Turkey) wanting to expand into central and western Turkey at the expense of kingdoms allied with Rome and provoking Rome into war.

In his will King Attalus III of Pergamon bequeathed the Kingdom of Pergamon (in western Turkey) to the Romans, who were allies of this kingdom, in 133 BC because he had no children. The Romans called this area of Turkey Asia. King Nicomedes IV of Bithynia also bequeathed this Kingdom of Bithynia (in northwestern Turkey) in his will to the Romans, who were also allies of this kingdom, in 74 BC. He did so to protect his kingdom from attacks by the kingdom of Pontus (in northeastern Turkey). When the forces of Pontus attacked his kingdom with the help of Nicomedes' brother, he was forced to flee to Italy. The Romans intervened and restored him to his throne.

Whilst the west of Turkey was bequeathed to Rome, Rome expanded further into Turkey as a result of the Three Mithridatic Wars.

King Mithridates VI of Pontus wanted to expand his kingdom (in northeastern Turkey) into Cappadocia, in central Turkey. He got tangled in a dispute with Bithynia over Cappadocia. Rome was called to arbitrate. Mithridates found a ploy to wage war. He occupied Cappadocia and Bithynia, undertook a systematic killing of Romans in Bithynia and established a presence in Greece, which was under the Romans. This led to the First Mithridatic War (89-85 BC). The Romans pushed the forces of Pontus out of Greece and were having the upper hand in western Turkey. Mithridates sued for peace. The Second Mithridatic was brief (83-81 BC) was started by the Roman legate in Asia who attacked Pontus because it was getting armed and was preparing for war. It was ended by the head of the Roman Republic, who ordered the resumption of peace. The Third Mithridatic War (75-63 BC) started with Mithridates' invasion of the Kingdom of Bithynia following the bequest of this kingdom by king Nicomedes IV (see above). After losing in Bithynia Mithridates allied with Tigranes II, the king of Armenia. The war moved to eastern Turkey and Armenia. The Romans won. Pontus was annexed and merged with Bithynia to form the Roman province of Bithynia et Pontus. Armenia was turned into a client kingdom and so were the kingdoms in central Turkey.