In 288 BC the Mamertines -- a group of Italian mercenaries originally hired by Agathocles of Syracuse to attack Carthage – treacherously seized the city of Messina in the northeastern tip of Sicily, killing all the men and taking the women as their wives. From here, they ravaged the countryside and collided with the expanding regional empire of the independent city of Syracuse. Hiero II, who had succeeded Agathocles as Tyrant of Syracuse, defeated the Mamertines near Mylae on the Longanus River. Before the Syracusans could take Messina, however, the Carthaginians placed a garrison in the city to prevent Syracuse from gaining control of Messina's excellent harbor and control of the straights of Messina between Sicily and Italy.

The Mamertines, however, were not entirely satisfied with an alliance with Carthage. Despite the Carthaginians having prevented Hiero from taking the city, the Mamertines did not like that the Punic merchants were preventing them from returning to their piratical depravations. Thus the Mamertines felt an alliance with Rome would be of greater benefit. The Romans were fellow Italians who allowed a considerable degree of independence to their allied cities and tribes.

Rome knew that accepting would cause war with Carthage and that rejecting the proposed alliance would allow an opening foothold on Sicily to slip away. The Senate was divided between those led by the Claudii who felt the future of Rome was to the south and those who feared that continued war would see the erosion of the power of the old aristocratic families. There was the additional problem that the Roman garrison in Rhegium had previously taken over that city, an act the Mamertines had imitated, and that Rome had brutally crushed the mutiny and did not wish to encourage such acts to reoccur. Rome would, therefore, lack the moral high ground. The Senate, unable to reach a decision, turned the matter over to the Assembly – constitutionally correct but allowing greater influence by special interests. The decision was for war.

Appius Claudius, the Roman commander, did not want to wait for the necessary transport to be assembled to move his entire command of two legions because that would mean sacrificing surprise. He therefore sent a small advanced force which quickly took control of Messina without violence. The Carthaginian garrison was allowed to leave unmolested, but Carthage later crucified the garrison commander, Hanno, for not putting up a fight.

At the end of the first Punic War Messina was a free city allied with Rome. In Roman times Messina, then known as Messana, had an important lighthouse due to the importance of the narrow straights for trade. Messana was the base of Sextus Pompeius, during his war against Octavian.