Olivia Young
Semester 1 PBA
Ms. Mullervy
Period F
1 December 2016
The Formation of the Early Roman Republic
Before the Roman Republic was formed, Rome was a traditional monarchy under the rule of an Etruscan king named Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, also known as “Tarquin the Proud” (Heaton). He ruled the kingdom strongly, but was disliked by the Roman people for two main reasons. First, the ruler of Rome had always consulted with the members of the Senate, who were elected by the Romans. King Lucius Tarquinis Superbus rarely followed this tradition, and instead ignored the Senators, which made the Roman people feel as though they had no influence in their own governing (Lendering). Secondly and more importantly, the Romans felt animosity towards …show more content…
Various noblemen discussed and questioned if their wives were being virtuous while they were absent, and, upon investigating this question, discovered that the Roman noblewoman Lucretia was in fact the only woman who had remained faithful to her husband (Lendering). Witnessing her virtue, the king’s son, Sextus, developed feelings for Lucretia. The prince brought her with him, against her will, back to Rome, where he raped her (Lendering). Distraught, Lucretia sent a message to her husband, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, who arrived to meet her, accompanied by his friends (Lendering). She described to them what had been done to her and then, before the men could even comprehend what she was about to do, committed suicide by stabbing herself in the chest with a knife (Lendering). At the instant that she died, Junius Brutus, one of Collatinus’s friends and a distant relative of the king, proclaimed in a rage that he would overthrow the Roman monarchy at all costs (Lendering). Supposedly, Brutus reached out to Collatinus afterwards to establish the Roman Republic and overthrow Tarquinius alongside him, but Brutus ended up heading the affair (Lendering). This was predominantly because Brutus had more resentment towards the royal family and a greater desire to become a king himself, as he was more closely related to “Tarquin …show more content…
Afterwards, Rome would never have a true monarchial government again, as it now had established a republic, which is defined as “a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf” (“The Roman Republic”). However, in the following years, and for most of the 5th century BC, the new country’s government struggled with internal issues that had yet to be resolved. Once there was no longer a royal family in control, the Roman government was led predominantly by “great” families made up of wealthy citizens, known as patricians or aristocrats, who held both religious and political offices (Wasson). The Roman consuls, the two highest positions in the government, were continuously held by these patricians (Heaton). Under the rule of these elite aristocrats were plebeians, the decidedly lower class Roman citizens who composed the majority of Rome’s army (Heaton). In addition to restructuring the government, Rome’s military changed and grew in strength during this time period (Wasson). Throughout the duration of the republic, from 509 BC to 27 BC, the Roman army acquired many of the territories that would later form the early Roman empire
Semester 1 PBA
Ms. Mullervy
Period F
1 December 2016
The Formation of the Early Roman Republic
Before the Roman Republic was formed, Rome was a traditional monarchy under the rule of an Etruscan king named Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, also known as “Tarquin the Proud” (Heaton). He ruled the kingdom strongly, but was disliked by the Roman people for two main reasons. First, the ruler of Rome had always consulted with the members of the Senate, who were elected by the Romans. King Lucius Tarquinis Superbus rarely followed this tradition, and instead ignored the Senators, which made the Roman people feel as though they had no influence in their own governing (Lendering). Secondly and more importantly, the Romans felt animosity towards …show more content…
Various noblemen discussed and questioned if their wives were being virtuous while they were absent, and, upon investigating this question, discovered that the Roman noblewoman Lucretia was in fact the only woman who had remained faithful to her husband (Lendering). Witnessing her virtue, the king’s son, Sextus, developed feelings for Lucretia. The prince brought her with him, against her will, back to Rome, where he raped her (Lendering). Distraught, Lucretia sent a message to her husband, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, who arrived to meet her, accompanied by his friends (Lendering). She described to them what had been done to her and then, before the men could even comprehend what she was about to do, committed suicide by stabbing herself in the chest with a knife (Lendering). At the instant that she died, Junius Brutus, one of Collatinus’s friends and a distant relative of the king, proclaimed in a rage that he would overthrow the Roman monarchy at all costs (Lendering). Supposedly, Brutus reached out to Collatinus afterwards to establish the Roman Republic and overthrow Tarquinius alongside him, but Brutus ended up heading the affair (Lendering). This was predominantly because Brutus had more resentment towards the royal family and a greater desire to become a king himself, as he was more closely related to “Tarquin …show more content…
Afterwards, Rome would never have a true monarchial government again, as it now had established a republic, which is defined as “a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf” (“The Roman Republic”). However, in the following years, and for most of the 5th century BC, the new country’s government struggled with internal issues that had yet to be resolved. Once there was no longer a royal family in control, the Roman government was led predominantly by “great” families made up of wealthy citizens, known as patricians or aristocrats, who held both religious and political offices (Wasson). The Roman consuls, the two highest positions in the government, were continuously held by these patricians (Heaton). Under the rule of these elite aristocrats were plebeians, the decidedly lower class Roman citizens who composed the majority of Rome’s army (Heaton). In addition to restructuring the government, Rome’s military changed and grew in strength during this time period (Wasson). Throughout the duration of the republic, from 509 BC to 27 BC, the Roman army acquired many of the territories that would later form the early Roman empire