History of Taranto if the Romans entered Taranto, the Greeks would have lost their independence. The second faction in Taranto were the aristocrats, led by Agis; they had lost their power when Taranto had become a democracy, and did not oppose surrendering to Rome as it would increase their own influence in the city, by reducing the power of the democrats. However, the aristocrats did not want to surrender openly to Rome and become unpopular with the population. At that time, Taranto had the most powerful naval forces in Italy, and hastened to come to an agreement with Rome that stated that Roman
History of Taranto Persano was put under trial for incompetence and cowardice, and his easy days in Taranto was indicated as part of his bad behaviour. During World War I, Taranto was a base for Regia Marina warships. On 2 August 1916, , a , sank after alleged sabotage. On the night of 11 November 1940, during World War II, the Italian ships, which were at anchor in "Mar Grande" and "Mar Piccolo", were severely damaged by British naval forces in what became known as the Battle of Taranto. British forces landed near the port on September 9, 1943 as part of the