The Monarchy in Rome, summary: from the origins of Rome with Romulus to the tyranny of Tarquin the Proud, innovations and history of the 7 kings of Rome.
The monarchic period of Rome lasted about 2 and a half centuries. The city of Rome transformed itself, in these two centuries, from a colony of Alba to a hegemonic city of a vast area between the left bank of the Tiber , the coast up to Circeo and the hinterland, where the main Latin and Sabine cities were located.
Romulus and Remus had chosen the right place for the new city: a bridge, a ford, a sea-river port, a crossroads of roads from east to west and from north to south, making the area a center of economic and social traffic. Rome therefore became a center of interest also for Greek and Carthaginian merchants. But whoever arrived in Rome, ceased to be Alban, Sabine, Etruscan, Latin and became first and foremost Roman.
Foundation of Rome
Rome was founded as a Latin city on the left bank of the Tiber, probably as a colony of Alba, from which came the twins Romulus and Remus, sons of Rhea Silvia, daughter of Numitor, king of Alba. Tradition indicates April 21, 753 BC as the day of the birth of Rome. The city was founded by Romulus on the Palatine. There were disagreements with his brother Remus, who lost his life.
The first inhabitants were Albanians. Romulus tried to attract exiles and fugitives from nearby villages to enlarge the city. Others arrived thinking of making their fortune in the new city.
Rape of the Sabine Women
The population was unbalanced: there were more men than women. This gave rise to conflicts with the neighboring populations of Sabine lineage due to the Romans’ attempts to take possession of their women. During a religious festival the Romans kidnapped about 600 Sabine women.
The 7 Kings of Rome
Romulus
Romulus ruled Rome for 38 years and died during a storm: according to some he was assumed into heaven and was identified with the god Quirinus, according to other scholars it was the Roman nobles who killed him.
Numa Pompilius
Numa Pompilius was the second king of Rome and reigned for 42 years, all of them in peace.
His work in the religious field was remarkable:
- He established the priestly colleges: flamines, pontifices, salii and vestal virgins.
- He reformed the calendar by making the solar year correspond to the lunar year, establishing that it lasted 12 months instead of the 10 in use until then.
According to tradition, Numa was advised by the nymph Egeria, goddess of springs.
Tullus Ostilio
Tullus Hostilius was the third king of Rome, from Hostis which means enemy: Tullus was in fact a warrior king. During his 32 years of reign, he built the Curia Hostilia , seat of the Senate, repelled an attack by Alba, and then conquered the city. The Albanians were deported to Rome and settled on the Celio. During this war the episode of the fight between the Horatii and the Curiatii occurred. .
Marzio too
Ancus Marcius was the fourth king of Rome. He was of Sabine origin, the name Ancus is Sabine while Marcius is a plebeian name. He reigned 25 years during which he founded Ostia at the mouth of the Tiber, about 30 km from Rome.
He fought against the Latins, who were defeated at Medullia and deported to Rome in the Murcia Valley, between the Palatine and Aventine , where the Circus Maximus would later be built. With the death of Ancus Marcius, the Alban-Sabine period, which had lasted about 140 years, ended and the Etruscan period began.
Tarquinius Priscus
Tarquinius Priscus was the son of Demaratus, a Greek nobleman who had moved to Tarquinia and married a local woman. and a woman from Tarquinia. The two had two sons: Arruns and Lucumon. The latter changed his name to a Latin one: Lucius Tarquinius. Lucius became a friend of Ancus Marcius, who appointed him guardian of his children.
Upon the death of the old king, he was succeeded by Lucius Tarquinius, who reigned for 38 years. He fought against the Sabines and the Latins. He built a new stone wall. He created a complex system of canals to remove water from the valley between the Capitoline Hill and the Palatine: the Cloaca Maxima, which still exists today. He gave new impetus to urban planning: he opened new roads and paved the squares, and built the Circus Maximus. In 579 Tarquinius was assassinated by people linked to the environment of the sons of Ancus Marcius.
Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius reigned for 44 years. He was educated in Rome in the royal palace and married a daughter of Tarquinius Priscus. Servius Tullius divided the Roman population according to territory, regardless of ethnic or birth criteria, citizenship depended directly on the place of residence, which decreed that many immigrants, merchants, Etruscan farmers or others could become faithful Roman citizens. A land registry was then established to evaluate landed property and assign citizens to a class and establish the relative tributum. The Roman people were divided into five classes of citizens and soldiers based on the census.
Tarquin the Proud
Tarquinius Superbus established a tyrannical regime that lasted 25 years, removed power from the Senate and forced the plebs to forced labor for construction and killed all his opponents. But the people rose up when Sextus, son of Tarquinius, raped the wife of Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, Lucretia, who then killed herself. The nobles and the people rose up and took control of Rome . Tarquinius Superbus, who was leading the siege of Ardea (40 km from Rome), quickly returned to Rome but found the gates of the city closed: Tarquinius ended his days in Cumae where he died in 495.
