Republics in Ancient India, c. 1500 B.C.–500 B.C. c9.s5.127

c9.s5.127

Apart from the reasons given in the sources we suggest that Ajātasattu might be expected to have been hostile to the Vajjians, as they had occupied what had been the Videhan kingdom. He might have been interested in Videha because his mother was a Videhan princess.¹ All the accounts suggest that he was an ambitious empire-builder and his campaign against the Vajjians was probably carried out chiefly for territorial gain. We are reminded of the conflict of the Samnites, Etruscans and Gauls with the rising power of Rome.