Why didn't Rome's allies in Italy defect to join hannibal?

Question

I would like to know who and why
just give me the facts

Answer 1

Not only did Rome's allies not want to join Hannibal, they had fought long hard wars called the social wars to get closer to Rome. "Socium" means ally. The cities and towns "allied" to Rome wanted to be admitted to the same rights as Roman citizens and to be covered by the same code of Roman laws. Before the coming of Hannibal, Rome had wanted to prevent them. Rule of Roman law was so much prized that even before the Romans had gained the "allies" under their rule, the plebians revolted until they had gotton the senatorial class to inscribe just what was the law on ten tables of brass.

Answer 2

For the same reason GW Bush's "coalition of willing" wasn't greeted as liberators. The Carthaginians were descendants of Phoenicians, and therefore "of the east". Rome's allies were either native Italian tribes like the Marsi, or Greek colonies like the Bruttians, and therefore "of the west" This east west conflict has been going since long before Christianity and Islam. It goes back to Xerxes and Leonidas. The west and the east have distrusted each other for millennium.

Answer 3

It has something to do with the first Punic war, most Romans hated and distrusted the Carthaginians. The animosity was so great, that after the 3rd Punic war, Rome was purported to salt the earth around Carthage so nothing would grow.

The "salting" of the earth is actually a myth, salt was a commodity and was used to pay workers. We get the word salary today from the roman word salarium (salt money)

Answer 4

Because you keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. It would have been easier for all of them to unite and defeat Hannibal and then fight one another. And the whole east vs west fighting goes back even further then Xerxes and Leonidas like some one had mentioned. It goes back to the first war in human history, everyone wanted more land an it's resources.

Answer 5

fact he would not accept them he considerd them to be cowards because they did not fight him in defence of rome
thats 1 fact its a start

Answer 6

Those that did, and there were some, were not allies, were they?