Before the Romans had arrived in Sicily however, the Mamertines had managed to expel the Carthaginian commander, who was subsequently executed, and invited the leader of the Roman relief force, Appius Claudius, into the city. Carthage then laid siege to Messene, and Hiero, sighting the opportunity to oust the Mamertines from Sicily, allied himself with Carthage and established his troops on the opposite side of Messene, thereby trapping the Mamertines. The Roman consul Appius Claudius, who was still in southern Italy, crossed the straight by night and landed in Messene.
Claudius defeated the Carthaginian garrison but Messene was again attacked shortly after by Hiero II, King of Syracuse, in alliance with Carthage. The Romans were victorious over Hiero who was forced to become a tributary of Rome (263BC).
Carthage however, continued the war and were preparing to invade Italy when her naval fleet was annihilated by the Romans at the Battle of Mylae in 260BC. Four years later the Roman general Atilius Regulus landed his legiong in North Africa, but was eventually defeated at Tunes mainy due to the leadership of the Spartan general Xanthippus, whom the Carthaginians had appointed as their commander.
In the ensuing naval battles around the coast of Sicily, the Romans lost two fleets to Carthage (254 and 249 BC), but in 251 they had captured Palermo in the northwest and defeated a substantial Carthaginian force. Rome spent the next ten years driving out the last of the enemy defences, largely due to the leadership of the Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca (father of the legendary Hannibal).
In 241BC Rome won the decisive victory in a great naval battle near the Aegates Islands, west of Sicily. This prompted Carthage to surrender and Rome enforced harsh reparations, igniting the anger of the Carthaginians who would not easily forget the humiliation.
