The Roman–Sabine wars were a series of wars during the early expansion of the Roman kingdom in central Italy against their northern neighbours, the Sabines. It is commonly accepted that the events predating The Roman Republic (which was established in 509 BC) are semi-legendary in nature. The most famous and perhaps the first of these conflicts is associated with the abduction of the Sabine women. After the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus, the city lacked women. To address this, Romulus organized the abduction of women from the neighboring Sabine tribe during a festival. This event is often depicted in art and literature as the "Rape of the Sabine Women," although the term "abduction" is more accurate in the context of the legend. The Sabines, understandably angered by the abduction of their women, retaliated by declaring war on Rome. Their king, Titus Tatius, led the Sabine army against the Romans. This marked the first Roman-Sabine conflict.
The conflict came to a head when the abducted Sabine women, who had by then become wives and mothers in Rome, intervened to prevent further bloodshed. They persuaded their Sabine fathers and husbands to make peace with the Romans. The two peoples eventually agreed to unite and form a single community, marking the legendary end of the Roman-Sabine wars. The Sabine king, Titus Tatius, shared rule with Romulus for a time before his death. But eventually the war continued under Rome's third king Tullus Hostilius by claiming that a number of Roman merchants had been seized by the Sabines at a market near the temple of Feronia, and on the Sabine side, that some of the Sabines were being detained at Rome. The Sabines sought and obtained the help of some volunteers from Veii, although the government of Veii did not come to their aid, holding faith to the peace treaty previously made with Romulus. These wars would continue until possibly coming to an end when Roman army led by the consul Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus pursued the Sabines, and ravaged greater bounty from the Sabine lands. There was no major engagement between the opposing armies, however the war seems to have abated at this time.
