And then the revolutions started. Sometimes they were quiet and polite (Canada), sometimes violent (USA)

under St.Crisogono

Arch of Constantine/Colosseum

The Birth of the Roman Republic. (509 BC)

            Among those who pretended to be happy with Tarquinius was a certain Lucius Junius Brutus, a patrician, but as his cognomen, or nickname, Brutus suggests, pretty dumb. That is at least how he presented himself to Tarquinius Superbus, not wanting to be among the exiles or dead foes of the king. In consequence, Tarquinius and his spoiled sons did not fear him and left him alone.

            Under the mask of a stupid man, Brutus watched for an opportunity. Tarquinius had sons, all three of them in his mould. To quell the unrest in the city, the king sent Roman troops to war against the near city of Ardea.  A direct attack did not work out, and Romans had to besiege the city, and boredom crept upon the troops. One evening the king’s sons and other officers were drinking, and started to talk about their wives. It is never a good thing for drunken men to talk about their wives, especially not in a competitive spirit. The competitiveness concerned mainly the wives’ virtue. The men, including the king’s sons were convinced that while they exert themselves besieging Ardea, their wives are busy with household chores, and sighing with unshed tears when thinking about their brave husbands.

Under St. Crisogono

            Wagers were struck; the men jumped on horses and sped to Rome to see, whose wife is more virtuous and diligent. They went from one household to another, and the picture was the same all over – the wives were partying and not sighing at all. Except when the disappointed losers entered the household of Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. His wife Lucretia was sitting in the hall of the house in the middle of her maids, spinning wool and no party anywhere to be seen.

Forum Romanum/Temple of Saturn

Commemorative tablets

       Lucretia was a pretty young wife and Sextus Tarquinius, one of the king’s sons fell in love with her. Or at least in lust.  He returned to Collatinus’ house another evening, and Lucretia did not think anything of it – gave him supper and a place to sleep. In the middle of the night he came to her bedroom and raped her. Then he left. Lucretia sent for her husband Collatinus and her father Lucretius and told them what happened. She killed herself in their presence, even though they tried to convince her that she did nothing wrong. Before she plunged the knife into her breast, she asked her father and her husband to avenge her. With them was the ‘dumb’ Brutus, who set everything in motion and it seems that he had a plan worked out already. With the knife stained with Lucretia’s blood, Brutus made the rounds of leading patricians and plebeians and led a party to the army at Ardea.

            The army marched back, and when the king and his sons wanted to enter Rome, the gates were closed against them. The republic was born.

            This is a legend, same as the lives of the previous kings (it is not probable that only 6 kings ruled for app. 250 years), however, something pretty nasty must have happened, which seeped through the centuries and the proof is the enduring hatred which Romans had even in historical times for the title of the king.

Ancient material in medieval wall

            When the Romans kicked the king and his brood out, they realized that they need government. However, how to have it and not to get somebody powerful, who will get into the kingship game again? Brutus had it all mapped out. Everybody was amazed at the rhetorical skills of a guy, who previously mostly communicated in a series of grunts. Two leading executive officers of the state were to be elected from the patricians for one year only, called consuls. Not only that – one consul could veto the order of the other consul. The Senate, 100 strong, was extended to 200 men, patricians only. Elections were by plebeians and patricians.

            Anyone looking at the constitution of the fledgling republic, res publica, or ‘public matter’ could safely predict, that troubles lie ahead. While everybody was celebrating, Tarquinius was crawling from one king to another in neighbouring cities asking for help against his subjects, and his best argument was pointing out the danger of extremely bad example that the Roman Senate and people provided for their own subjects.

            He received support from Etruscans, especially from the king of Clusium, Porsenna. Romans had to endure a series of attacks that inspired a number of heroic deeds, like the legend of Horatius Cocles defending the Sublicius Bridge against overwhelming odds covering the retreat of his comrades, or the story of Mucius Scaevola. When Porsenna and his Etruscans besieged the city, Mucius entered the enemy camp and attempted to kill Porsenna. He was unsuccessful, however, and was arrested by the guards. When he was brought before Porsenna, Mucius showed no fear and spoke in such a manly way to his enemy that Porsenna was impressed. To show his contempt for pain and torture, Mucius voluntarily placed his right hand in a fire and let it burn without showing the slightest trace of weakness. Even more impressed with this feat, Porsenna released Mucius. From that moment on, Mucius and his descendants were nicknamed Scaevola ('leftie').

           Women as well had a place in the stories of early republic.  It seems that the Romans were not as successful in repelling the Etruscan attacks as the legends would have us to believe, otherwise they would not have sued for peace and given hostages. The hostages were teenage boys and girls from leading families, among them the intrepid girl Cloelia, who lead a breakout from the Etruscan camp, swimming across the Tiber.  Later, her statue was erected on the Roman Forum.

Via Fori Imperiali on Sunday-no traffic

            Eventually, Porsenna told the disappointed monarch Tarquinius, that it’s a no go, that Rome simply does not want him. Any wars after this against Rome were strictly for the normal reasons of that time: loot and prestige. This was a normal state of affairs in the 5^th century BC Italy, because so many different tribes resided close to each other. The tribes of Volsci, Aequi, Etruscans and others, none of them being the proverbial peace doves.