Download Pfingsten-4-Seven Kings of Rome

Max Pfingsten – The Seven Kings of Rome
This lesson covers the legendary kings of Rome. The historical reality of these kings is
challenged, and the central myths of their reign are explored.
The Kings of Rome
When we think of Rome, we tend to think of the Roman Empire, a sprawling collection of nations
and peoples ruled by a single emperor. Or we might think of the Roman Republic, with its
separation of powers and system of checks and balances, ruled by vying aristocratic families. Yet
in 753 BCE, Rome was just a new city-state, and like so many city-states of its time, Rome was
ruled by a monarchy. This monarchy persisted for more than two centuries until the establishment
of the republic in 510 BCE.
Unfortunately, we don't have many details of this monarchy at our disposal. Rome's city records
were destroyed during the sack of Rome in 390. Later generations of Romans pieced together a
history of their early monarchy from legend and myth. The resulting account is rather short on
detail and of questionable accuracy. Romans of the later republic were not big fans of kings and
may have attempted to weave republican ideals into their history. As a result, we're not even sure
if the kings they list even existed, let alone did the things the Roman historians claim. However,
we can piece together a rough history of these legendary kings of Rome and at least see how the
Roman monarchy eventually gave way to the novel Roman Republic.
Roman Monarchy
According to Roman legend, the first king of Rome was Romulus, who founded the city and gave
it its name. We're not sure if Romulus was a real person or just a figure of legend, but he certainly
seems to have been a rather enlightened leader for his time. Romulus did not establish an
absolute monarchy in which the king controlled every aspect of the state. Nor did he set up a
dynastic monarchy in which princes succeeded their fathers to the throne. Instead, Romulus set
up a sort of limited monarchy in which the power of the king is checked by other government
bodies. He established a council of founding fathers known as the Senate. The Senate was mostly
advisory in function. The only real power Romulus granted the Senate was the power to elect
future kings. He probably got this idea from the Etruscans, who used a similar system to elect
their own kings.
This still left a lot of authority in the hands of the king. In modern terms, the king was all three
branches of government in one. He was the legislative branch, coming up with new laws. He was
the executive branch, enforcing the laws of the state, managing state property and commanding
the Roman army. He was the judicial branch, sitting in judgment of all civil and criminal cases.
The king also served a religious function. He served as the intermediary between the gods and the
people of Rome and had administrative control over the state's religion. So while it may be
tempting to see a system of checks and balances in the relationship between the Senate and the
king, the Senate, at first at least, only exercised real authority during the brief periods between the
death of the last king and the election of a new one.
The Duly Elected Kings of Rome
Following Romulus, Roman historians record the election of four more kings of Rome. They
attributed the creation of many Roman traditions and sacraments to these duly elected kings.
Though I shall list the dates of their reign, you should know that few historians take these dates
very seriously.
The first was Numa Pompilius, who supposedly ruled from 715 BCE to 674 BCE. Numa is
Max Pfingsten – The Seven Kings of Rome
credited with
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Reforming the Roman calendar to include the months of January and February
Establishing the traditional Roman guild system
Relocating the Vestal Virgins from Alba Longa to Rome
Introducing several Roman religious rituals
Upon Numa's death, the Senate elected Tullus Hostilius, who reigned from 673 BCE to 642
BCE. Historians are pretty sure Tullus actually existed, but beyond that we know very little. The
Romans gave him credit for
• Conquering many of Rome's Latin neighbors, including the old Latin capital of Alba Longa
• Building the first Senate House, the Curia Hostilia
Next came Ancus Marcius, who reigned from 641 BCE to 617 BCE. Marcius was the grandson
of Numa, suggesting that though the Roman crown was not hereditary, certain families still tried
to make it so. Marcius' contributions to Roman history are almost entirely on the field of battle.
He conquered many neighboring Latin cities and relocated their residents to Rome, making them
new Roman citizens. He also founded the Roman port city of Ostia.
The last of the duly elected Roman kings was Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, AKA Tarquin the
Elder, who ruled from 616 BCE to 579 BCE. According to our Roman sources, Lucius
Tarquinius was not a Roman at all but rather an Etruscan nobleman who emigrated to Rome. The
king at the time, Ancus Marius, was so impressed with Lucius that he appointed him the caretaker
of his sons. Thus elevated, Lucius made a bid for the throne upon Marius' death and won the
support of the Senate. The Romans considered Lucius Tarquinius one of their greatest kings.
Abroad, he flexed his military muscles in campaigns against Latins, Sabines and Etruscans. At
home, he added several important civic structures to Rome, including the Circus Maximus - the
great Roman racetrack - and the Cloaca Maxima, Rome's impressive sewer system.
Rome's Last Two Kings
The death of Tarquinius Priscus marked the end of the legitimate kingship in Rome. Tarquinius
Priscus was not succeeded by an elected king but rather by his son-in-law, Servius Tullius, who
ruled from 578 BCE to 535 BCE. Despite his unusual path to power, Servius was remembered
fondly by the Romans, who attributed many important parts of their society to him. Servius
supposedly tried to decrease the power of the aristocracy and grant greater power to the common
people. He came up with a new class system that extended the vote to a much larger portion of
the Roman population, and changed voting rights to align with people's place of residence rather
than their lineage. He also replaced the aristocratic comitia curiata with the more inclusive
comitia centuriata.
Yet, Servius still took efforts to maintain the authority of the aristocracy by making sure that the
few votes of the rich could always outweigh the many votes of the poor. These reforms had a
military aspect as well, since the divisions of classes determined a person's military obligation to
the state.
The last king of Rome was Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, also known as Tarquin the Proud, who
ruled from 534 BCE to 509 BCE. This Tarquin was the grandson of Tarquin the Elder, the last
legitimate king of Rome. Tarquin the Proud's reign was marked by some great victories, some
horrible failures and some good old-fashioned cruelty. Tarquin arranged for the murder of his
Max Pfingsten – The Seven Kings of Rome
predecessor, Servius Tullius. As the old king lay dying on the street, Tarquin immediately seized
power and killed off many important senators, making enemies of the Senatorial class.
Following his ascension to the throne, Tarquin united the remaining Latin towns under Roman
rule and began a very successful campaign against the Volsci and the Sabines, pillaging many of
their cities and making him increasingly wealthy.
This wealth allowed him to win public support through festivals and circuses. When the money
ran out, Tarquin set out to conquer the wealthy Rutuli, but the campaign went poorly. With no
more money to appease the commoners and the aristocracy enraged, Tarquin found himself on
shaky ground. In the middle of this delicate situation, Tarquin's son Sextus raped an important
Roman noblewoman named Lucretia. Dishonored, Lucretia killed herself. With this, the Tarquins
had gone too far. The Rape of Lucretia became a rallying cry for commoner and noble alike.
Tarquin was thrown out of town by Lucretia's widowed husband, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus,
and Lucius Junius Brutus, whose descendant would later overthrow Julius Caesar.
Lesson Summary
To review, Rome was a monarchy from 753 BCE to 510 BCE. We have no reliable sources about
this period, and the kings of Rome are as much legends as they are historical figures. Later
writers in republican Rome attributed many of their most sacred rights and traditions to these
early Roman kings. This may reflect historical reality, but more likely it was an attempt to weave
republican ideals into the distant past. Whatever the case, the kings of Rome played an important
role in Roman history, if only in the imaginations of the Romans.