A few years earlier, Italy had been gripped by the Social War between Rome and its Italian allies,
They served tea and crumpets.
[snip] The Social War (from Latin bellum sociale, properly ‘war of the allies’), also called the Italian War or the Marsic War, was fought from 91 to 87 BC between the Roman Republic and several of its autonomous allies (socii) in Italy. The Italian allies wanted Roman citizenship, not only for the status and influence that came with it, but also for the right to vote in Roman elections and laws. They believed that they should be treated equally to the Romans, given that they had formed cultural and linguistic connections with the Roman civilization, and had been their loyal allies for over two centuries. The Romans strongly opposed their demands, and refused to grant them citizenship, thus leaving the socii with fewer rights and privileges. [/snip]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_War_(91%E2%80%9387_BC)