But Verona, like all other regions of the country, was subject to rampant violence and war-a condition that had endured throughout Italy for centuries.
Since the Etruscan occupation of Italy in the tenth century B.C., the region had suffered from periodic epidemics of violence. Territorial battles between Romans, Etruscans, Gauls, Carthaginians, and a host of others occurred regularly through the founding of Rome in 753 B.c., until the Holy Roman Empire established its dominance after the Second Punic War in 201 B.C. The Roman Empire maintained control of Italy through 400 A.D., when it split into two distinct realms of authority. The governmental faction established its capital in Constantinople and regarded the emperor as its supreme authority. The spiritual faction (often called "Christendom"), centered in Rome, was ruled by the pope. The result of the split was a long-standing and savage power struggle that bred deep-seated hatred between sides. In the absence of a united, central power, city-states emerged and added to the competitive and hostile atmosphere. Territories competed for resources, and political leaders clashed with religious leaders over control and influence.
By the fourteenth century, the division between supporters of the emperor and supporters of the pope was firmly established.
