For the first time Italy was united into one state under the sovereignty of the Roman community.

What political prerogatives the Roman community on this occasion withdrew from all the other Italian communities and took into its own sole keeping, or in other words, what conception in state-law is to be associated with this sovereignty of Rome, we are nowhere expressly informed, and--a significant circumstance, indicating prudent calculation--there does not even exist any generally current expression for that conception.( 24) The only privileges that demonstrably belonged to it were the rights of making war, of concluding treaties, and of coining money.

No Italian community could declare war against any foreign state, or even negotiate with it, or coin money for circulation.

On the other hand every declaration of war made by the Roman people and every state-treaty resolved upon by it were binding in law on all the other Italian communities, and the silver money of Rome was legally current throughout all Italy.

It is probable that the formulated prerogatives of the leading community extended no further.