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The Roman Kingdom (REGNVM ROMANVM) - 753 - 509 BC

The Ancient Quarters of Rome and their stages, by Samuel Ball Platner. Click to see bigger version. 

Kings
 * 753–716 BC || Romulus ||
 * 715–673 BC || Numa Pompilius ||
 * 673–642 BC || Tullus Hostilius ||
 * 640–616 BC || Ancus Marcius ||
 * 616–579 BC || L. Tarquinius Priscus ||
 * 578–535 BC || Servius Tullius ||
 * 535–509 BC || Tarquinius Superbus ||

Introduction

The **Roman Kingdom** ( [|Latin] : // REGNVM ROMANVM // ) was the period of the [|ancient Roman civilization] characterized by a [|monarchical] form of [|government] of the city of [|Rome] and its territories. Little is certain about the history of the kingdom, as nearly no written records from that time survive, and the histories about it that were written during the [|Republic] and [|Empire] are largely based on legends. However, the history of the Roman Kingdom began with the city's [|founding], traditionally dated to 753 BC with settlements around the [|Palatine Hill] along the river [|Tiber] in [|Central Italy] , and ended with the overthrow of the kings and the establishment of the Republic in about 509 BC.

Origin

The site of the founding of the Roman Kingdom and eventual [|Republic] and [|Empire] had a [|ford] where the Tiber could be crossed. The Palatine Hill and hills surrounding it presented easily defensible positions in the wide fertile plain surrounding them. All of these features contributed to the success of the city. The traditional account of Roman history, which has come down to us through [|Livy], [|Plutarch] , [|Dionysius of Halicarnassus] , and others, is that in Rome's first centuries it was ruled by a succession of seven kings. The traditional chronology, as codified by [|Varro], allots 243 years for their reigns, an average of almost 35 years, which, since the work of [|Barthold Georg Niebuhr] , has been generally discounted by modern scholarship. The [|Gauls] destroyed much of Rome's historical records when they sacked the city after the [|Battle of the Allia] in 390 BC (Varronian, according to [|Polybius] the battle occurred in 387/6) and what was left was eventually lost to time or theft. With no contemporary records of the kingdom existing, all accounts of the kings must be carefully questioned. [|[1]]

Monarchy The kings, excluding [|Romulus], who according to legend held office by virtue of being the city's founder, were all elected by the people of Rome to serve for life, with none of the kings relying on military force to gain or keep the throne. The insignia of the kings of Rome were twelve [|lictors] wielding the [|fasces] bearing axes, the right to sit upon a [|Curule chair], the purple [|Toga Picta] , red shoes, and a white [|diadem] around the head. Of all these insignia, the most important was the purple toga.

Chief Executive

The king was invested with the supreme military, executive, and judicial authority through the use of [|imperium]. The imperium of the king was held for life and protected him from ever being brought to trial for his actions. As being the sole owner of imperium in Rome at the time, the king possessed ultimate [|executive power] and unchecked military authority as the [|commander-in-chief] of all Rome's [|legions]. Also, the laws that kept citizens safe from magistrates' misuse of imperium did not exist during the monarchical period. Another power of the king was the power to either appoint or nominate all officials to offices. The king would appoint a [|//tribunus celerum//] to serve as both the tribune of Ramnes tribe in Rome and as the commander of the king's personal bodyguard, the [|Celeres]. The king was required to appoint the tribune upon entering office and the tribune left office upon the king's death. The tribune was second in rank to the king and also possessed the power to convene the [|Curiate Assembly] and lay legislation before it. Another officer appointed by the king was the [|//praefectus urbi//], who acted as the warden of the city. When the king was absent from the city, the prefect held all of the king's powers and abilities, even to the point of being bestowed with imperium while inside the city. The king even received the right to be the only person to appoint patricians to the Senate.

Chief Priest

What is known for certain is that the king alone possessed the right to the [|auspice] on behalf of Rome as its chief [|augur], and no public business could be performed without the will of the gods made known through auspices. The people knew the king as a mediator between them and the gods (cf. Latin //pontifex//, "bridge-builder", in this sense, between men and the gods) and thus viewed the king with religious awe. This made the king the head of the [|national religion] and its chief executive. Having the power to control the [|Roman calendar], he conducted all religious ceremonies and appointed lower religious offices and officers. It is said that Romulus himself instituted the augurs and was believed to have been the best augur of all. Likewise, King [|Numa Pompilius] instituted the [|pontiffs] and through them developed the foundations of the religious dogma of Rome.

Chief Legislator

Under the kings, the Senate and Curiate Assembly had very little power and authority; they were not independent bodies in that they didn't possess the right to meet together and discuss questions of state at their own will. They could only be called together by the king and could only discuss the matters the king laid before them. While the Curiate Assembly did have the power to pass laws that had been submitted by the king, the Senate was effectively an honorary council. It could advise the king on his action but by no means could prevent him from acting. The only thing that the king could not do without the approval of the Senate and Curiate Assembly was to declare war against a foreign nation.

Chief Judge

The king's imperium both granted him military powers and qualified him to pronounce legal judgment in all cases as the chief justice of Rome. Though he could assign pontiffs to act as minor judges in some cases, he had supreme authority in all cases brought before him, both civil and criminal. This made the king supreme in times of both war and peace. While some writers believed there was no appeal from the king's decisions, others believed that a proposal for appeal could be brought before the king by any [|patrician] during a meeting of the [|Curiate Assembly]. To assist the king, a council advised him during all trials, but this council had no power to control his decisions. Also, two criminal detectives (Quaestores Parridici) were appointed by him as well as a two-man criminal court (Duumviri Perduellionis) which oversaw cases of [|treason]. According to [|Livy], [|Lucius Tarquinius Superbus] , the seventh and final king of Rome, judged capital criminal cases without the advice of counsellors, thereby creating fear amongst those who might think to oppose him.

Election of the kings

Whenever a king died, Rome entered a period of //interregnum//. Supreme power of the state would devolve to the Senate, which was responsible for finding a new king. The Senate would assemble and appoint one of its own members—the [|interrex] —to serve for a period of five days with the sole purpose of nominating the next king of Rome. After the five-day period, the interrex would appoint (with the Senate's consent) another Senator for another five-day term. This process would continue until a new king was elected. Once the interrex found a suitable nominee to the kingship, he would bring the nominee before the Senate and the Senate would review him. If the Senate passed the nominee, the interrex would convene the Curiate Assembly and preside over it during the election of the King. Once proposed to the Curiate Assembly, the people of Rome could either accept or reject him. If accepted, the king-elect did not immediately enter office. Two other acts still had to take place before he was invested with the full regal authority and power. First, it was necessary to obtain the divine will of the gods respecting his appointment by means of the [|auspices], since the king would serve as high priest of Rome. This ceremony was performed by an [|augur], who conducted the king-elect to the citadel where he was placed on a stone seat as the people waited below. If found worthy of the kingship, the augur announced that the gods had given favorable tokens, thus confirming the king’s priestly character. The second act which had to be performed was the conferral of the [|imperium] upon the king. The Curiate Assembly’s previous vote only determined who was to be king, and had not by that act bestowed the necessary power of the king upon him. Accordingly, the king himself proposed to the Curiate Assembly a law granting him imperium, and the Curiate Assembly by voting in favor of the law would grant it. In theory, the people of Rome elected their leader, but the Senate had most of the control over the process.

Senate

According to legend [|Romulus] established the [|Senate] after he founded Rome by personally selecting the most noble men (wealthy men with legitimate wives and children) to serve as a council for the city. As such, the Senate was the King’s advisory council as the [|Council of State]. The Senate was composed of 300 Senators, with 100 Senators representing each of the three ancient tribes of Rome: the Ramnes ( [|Latins] ), Tities ( [|Sabines] ), and Luceres ( [|Etruscans] ) tribes. Within each tribe, a Senator was selected from each of the tribe's ten [|curiae]. The king had the sole authority to appoint the Senators, but this selection was done in accordance with ancient custom. Under the monarchy, the Senate possessed very little power and authority as the king held most of the political power of the state and could exercise those powers without the Senate's consent. The chief function of the Senate was to serve as the king’s council and be his legislative coordinator. Once legislation proposed by the king passed the Comitia Curiata, the Senate could either veto it or accept it as law. The king was, by custom, to seek the advice of the Senate on major issues. However, it was left to him to decide what issues, if any, were brought before them and he was free to accept or reject their advice as he saw fit. Only the king possessed the power to convene the Senate, except during the [|interregnum], during which the Senate possessed the authority to convene itself.

Sources: - Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Chronology of the World. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. p. 69. - Livy, Ab urbe condita, - "Roman Kingdom." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. .