The Third Samnite War

-After the Second Samnite War, central Italy was dominated by Rome.
   -The Samnites and Etruscans were subdued, but still pissed off.
-298 BC- the Samnites began to resist further Roman expansion into Samnium.
   -The Romans tried to offer a peace treaty, but the Samnites declined and instead declared war again!
      -However, obviously the Samnites were pretty weakened at this point, and the Samnite army fled to Etruria where they gathered an allied army to fight against Rome.
         -The Romans decided to engage, and won a pretty sloppy battle.
-295 BC- The Samnite and Etruscan armies re-formed, this time joining up with the Umbrians, a hill tribe north of Rome.
   -Also, the Gauls entered the mix as mercenaries for the Etruscans.
-The Etruscans, Umbrians, and Samnites were confident that they could beat Rome, so they planned a 2-pronged attack, but instead they just decided on just one big final blowout.
   -The Battle of Sentinum- 295 BC- the biggest battle in Italy EVER at this point.
      -Rome won!  The war would continue with the Samnites for another 5 years, but basically this battle was the deciding factor.
         -The final battle was actually fought in Aquilonia in 293 BC.
-The only other powerful force on the peninsula after the Third Samnite War was Magna Graecia in southern Italy, which were more like a loose confederacy as opposed to a legit nation.

The Second Samnite War

-After the Latin War (338 BC), Romans enjoyed 10 years of peace.
   -The Romans began to expand influence and domination of territory, believing that they could take over the entire Italian peninsula!
   -The Samnites were Rome's most powerful immediate threat.  Once the Samnites were conquered, the Romans would be able to conquer the rest of the peninsula.
      -However, the people didn't want to just attack the Samnites for no reason, as the Romans weren't barbarians.  They wanted to find a reason to provoke the Samnites into attacking.
-The Romans tried to start a war by setting up colonies in Samnite territories.
   -The Samnites were fighting with Magna Graecia, but were also looking to expand into Campania.
      -The Greek city of Neapolis (present day Naples) wanted help and security from invasion, so they petitioned Rome for help.
         -The Romans agreed, and this kicked off the Second Samnite War in 326 BC!
-Early on, Romans had the momentum, and won most of the battles.
   -However, they suffered a really humiliating defeat at the Caudine Forks, in which Roman consuls and equites were captured.
      -After this there was a five year lull in hostilities, until the Romans attacked again in 315 BC!
         -However, they were defeated at the Battle of Lautalae.
   -Rome was looking pretty bad at this point, and both the Etruscans and the Campania region were just about ready to be dominated by the Samnites.
      -Another crucial city that was ready to fall to the Samnites was Tarentum, a major Greek city on the heel of the Italian peninsula.
      -However, what gave the Romans an advantage was its newly improved maniple system, which had been streamlined, and also they had began building roads (which would eventually become the Appian Way, named after Appius Claudius Caecus, a wealthy Roman politician) to help move troops around.
         -At the time, the only roads that existed were just some shitty ones that only went to Etruscan cities.  The Romans wanted to build a road that could quickly take them from Rome to both Campania and Samnium (through boggy territory).
-Defeating the Samnites proved arduous for the Romans because the Samnites never stayed put, and weren't concentrated into cities (which would make them easier targets for attack).
-311 BC- the Etruscans get in on the action against the Romans!
   -Now Rome was fighting on two fronts, but the Etruscans had pretty weak armies and so they surrendured in 308 BC.
   -The Samnites also started to lose important battles, and surrendered in 304 BC, losing a bunch of territory while being forced to accept the 13 colonies that the Romans had founded in and around Samnium.
   -In the north, the Romans meanwhile pushed deep into Etruscan territory.
-At this point, only Magna Graecia in the south remained untouched by Roman domination.

A Phalanx With Joints

-4 general phases of the Roman army:
   -1st phase- around the time of Romulus- a horde of dudes charging into hand-to-hand combat.
   -2nd phase- mid-500s- began to utilize Greek-style phalanx tactics, used this until the Samnite Wars when they noticed that it definitely had some flaws.
   -3rd phase- changed from phalanx to the maniple system, which started during the Second Samnite War around 315 BC.
   -4th phase- around 100 BC- ushered in by Gaius Marius- the legion!
-The phalanx- single line of 8-16 men, usually made up of rows in a big square or rectangular mass.
   -It was a badass formation that the Romans used for hundreds of years, but proved to be problematic when fighting the Samnites.
      -Samnite territory was really hilly and uneven, difficult to maintain a phalanx formation effectively.
         -Also, the Samnites had light infantry and cavalry, plus they knew how the lay of the land well and could easily outflank the phalanx.
-As a result of the obsolescence of the phalanx, the Romans invented the maniple system.
   -Implemented during the Second Samnite War to improve the phalanx formation.
   -Much more flexible.
   -Commanded by 2 senior centurions and 2 junior centurions.
-Romans also had light infantry- rich enough to fight, but too poor to afford lots of equipment.
   -Between 1000-1200 in a legion, usually the first to charge into battle to mask the Roman phalanxes.  After the first strike, they would retreat to behind the phalanx.
   -On the wings of the army were the cavalry (2nd component of the Roman army), who would fight off the enemy cavalry, and then if their cavalry won, they would attack the enemy infantry.
      -The cavalry was traditionally made up of rich Romans- the equites, who would soon outsource this job to their allies since the Romans sucked on horseback.
-Allies- the third component of the Roman legion.
   -Made up of Roman subjugated peoples, led by Roman officers- usually light or heavy Roman infantry.
      -Over time it began to be led by their own officers.
      -Required to provide an equal number of infantry and twice the number of cavalry that the Romans provided.  These allies were usually located between maniples and their cavalry on the battlefield.
-In total, the Roman army was about 8,000-10,000 men.
   -4200 Roman legionnaires, 4200 allies, 1000 cavalry.
      -Followed by thousands of slaves, servants, workers, etc.
-Soldiers were usually armed with 2 spears and a sword.
   -1 spear for throwing- this spear would bend once it hit an enemy person or shield, which would encumber the enemy and also make it useless for them to pick it up and use again.
   -Swords were double edged and pointy, and could be used for either piercing or slashing.  This sword is similar to what would eventually become the infamous Roman gladius.
-Roman legions were so disciplined that this was arguably their biggest advantage- sometimes their army was actually much smaller than an enemy's.
   -It was like a cold, inhuman machine- they were never intimidated, and they almost never fled.
      -This isn't because the Romans were robots, but because they were harshly disciplined by their commanding officers
         -Punishments ranged from humiliation to public executions, but there were also lots of rewards!

The Latin War

-Romans had driven the Samnites out of Campania, but didn't want to invade Samnium yet.
   -Meanwhile, the Latins seemed to be ready to take advantage of Rome's weakened state.
-During this time also a law was passed saying that one consul MUST be a pleb- also, 10 years must pass before someone holds the same office twice.
-Also, the Latins were dominated by Rome, and enjoyed some of the benefits reserved only for citizens of Rome.
   -At this time, the Latins demanded that at least one consul must come from a Latin community.
      -Because of this, in 338 BC the Romans declared war on the Latins for their insolence!
-Consuls: Titus Manlius Torquatus and Publius Decius
-The Latins and Romans were actually pretty evenly matched- similar army sizes, weapons, tactics, technology, armor, etc.
   -The Romans won the first major battle, and then began to lay siege to each enemy Latin city.
      -The Samnites even briefly allied with the Romans against the Latins during this time.
         -When the Romans took over, however, they were sweet to the newly conquered Latins, which kept them happy.  Unfortunately,they quickly learned that if they did end up causing any problems, the Romans would simply exterminate the troublemakers.

The First Samnite War

-Finally plebs got more power after a pleb was elected consul for the first time!
   -Around this time the office of military tribune was also disbanded.
-The Samnites- a semi-nomadic tribe in central Italy, east of Rome.
   -4th century BC, the Samnites and other hill tribes started to expand out of the hills and onto the plains and coastline of central Italy.
      -Began to encroach on Magna Graecia and lands southeast of Rome (Campania).
      -Magna Graecia called upon the Greek state of Epirus, across the Adriatic Sea.
         -Led by Alexander of Epirus (uncle of Pyrrhus of Epirus AND Alexander the Great!), quickly fought off the Samnites.
-Meanwhile, the Samnites also invaded the lands of the powerful city of Capua.
   -Capua tried to appeal to Rome to come and save them.
      -The Romans told them to fuck off because they had a peace treaty with the Samnites, as they had a common enemy (the Gauls).
         -So, the Capuans decided to surrender to Rome and forfeit the city and its lands to Roman rule in order to save themselves.
            -The Romans took the Capuans up on their offer, and then told the Samnites to fuck off, which, of course, pissed off the Samnites, so they became more aggressive in raiding Campania.
               -Rome then declared war on the Samnites!
-The First Samnite War- 343 BC.
   -Rome was led by two consuls, Aulus Cornelius Cossus and Marcus Malerius Corvus.
      -Corvus would be remembered as a true Roman hero.  Before he was elected as consul at 23 (!) he was a war hero (!!).
         -He was sent to fight the Samnites in Campania.
         -Cossus was sent to fight in Samnium (land of the Samnites).
-Corvus fought the Samnites and beat them, but then realized that they were actually a really formidable opponent.
-Cossus got fucked in Samnium, but was still able to achieve victory (but this was considered lucky on his part).
-Soon, however, the Roman soldiers stationed near Capua unexpectedly decided to revolt and march on Rome.
   -Corvus was elected as dictator and went out to quell the rebellion.  He was actually able to get the rebels to stand down, then rode back to Rome with the soldiers of both armies and worked out a solution so that everyone was happy.
      -He also made sure that the rebels weren't punished.
-The Romans then established peace again with the Samnites.
   -However, the Campanian towns weren't happy with this, so they formed an alliance with each other and attacked the Samnites.
      -The Samnites appealed to the Romans to get the Campanians to stop.
         -The Campanians didn't listen, so this pissed off the Samnites, who suspected that the Romans were just fighting a proxy war.
            -The Campanians then got sick of fighting against the Samnites, and began eyeing Rome itself as worthy of invasion.

The Morning After

-According to legend, Rome was all fucked up after the Gallic invasion.
   -Rome's neighbors decided to take advantage of the situation by constantly attacking.
   -Marcus Furius Camillus was still overall the leader during this time, either as dictator or military tribune (unclear).
-Marcus Manlius Capitolanus was a patrician and jealous of Camillus.
   -Manlius had been a leader of the people during the Gallic siege, but Camiluus had received all of the credit for saving the day because he drove off the Senones.  So, he decided to gain some attention by becoming a champion of the plebs.
      -Debt was a huge problem for the plebs as the city was being rebuilt.
         -Manlius spoke out against this, and often repaid debts from out of his own pocket.
            -Patricians hated him, seeing him as a potential leader of a future revolution.  So, they arrested him on trumped-up charges of treason and had him executed.
-After much political struggle, the plebs were finally able to get one of their own elected as consul in 367 BC, although this is questioned by modern historians.
-343 BC- a law was finally instated that decreed that one consul MUST be a pleb at all times.

Barbarians at the Gate

According to legend, after the victory over the Veii, the Romans controlled the land north of the Tiber and began to populate it with their own citizens.
   -The rich Etruscan soil alleviated Rome's problem with famine.
   -Became a commercial hub in central Italy.
      -Controlled the salt trade, which brought them great wealth.
-What about the Gauls?
   -First of all, this name isn't entirely accurate.  "Gauls" is/was a term used for all the barbarian tribes who lived in and around the Alps during this time.  There was no unity among these tribes, and they fought against each other all the time.
-The Senones- the infamous Gallic tribe that sacked Rome, led by a dude named Brennus.
   -The official story is that Brennus attacked the Etruscan city of Clusium, which begged Rome for help.
      -Rome was cautious, since Clusium used to be an enemy, but soon realized that the Senones were major threat to the entire peninsula.
         -Roman envoys led Clusium's army into battle, so because Rome had gotten involved, Brennus decided to fuck up the Etruscans AND Rome.
      -Modern historians find this official version of the story unlikely, and there is evidence to suggest that Brennus had temporarily allied with Syracuse to distract Rome while Syracuse dominated Sicily and amassed their power.
         -This was especially important because the Romans were allies of a Sicilian city called Messana.
-390 BC- According to Roman records, this was when Rome was sacked.
   -The Romans gathered an army of 12,000 - 25,000 men.
   -The Senones, on the other hand, were a horde of huge, ugly, long-haired, loud, painted, crazy dudes.
      -This scared the Romans (who had probably never fought an army like this before), and many of them fled as their phalanxes were massacred.
         -The Senones moved onto Rome and found the city undefended.
            -The people had either fled the city or were hiding in its citadel.  So, while they raided the city, the Senones laid siege to the citadel, and the Romans inside began to die of disease and starvation.
               -Finally, the Romans had had enough, and paid off the Gauls to leave.  However, the story that the Gauls left and then were chased out of Italy by the Romans is probably fiction (see below).
-Anyway, Rome was now in ruins.
   -All of the historical records were destroyed.
   -Rome was severely weakened, obviously.
   -According to legend, after the exiled dictator, Marcus Furius Camillus chased off the Senones, he was able to restore morale to the Romans, and was hailed as the "Second Founder of Rome" (AKA a second Romulus).

A Trojan War

-According to legend, during this time the Romans continued to fight with the Voltians, and were also in a cold war with Veii.
   -Veii would hire Rome's enemies to fight against Rome.
-Veii was a part of the Etruscan League, with 12 other cities.
   -The Etruscan League was not exactly a military or political empire, but was just more like a loose confederation with economic and cultural ties.
      -This failure to unite under one banner would fuck them up though, as the Gauls in the north were migrating and would eventually attack!
   -The third problem for the Etruscans was in Syracuse (in Sicily), which was a rising power and had decided to cut off their trade with the Carthaginian Empire.
      -Syracuse's master plan was to conquer all of the Italian peninsula.
-Rome and Veii were both too powerful and too close together to co-exist peacefully.
   -Both wanted to control the salt beds at the mouth of the Tiber River.
   -Veii also wanted trade with Magna Graecia, but this was cut off when Rome finally defeated the Voltians and fortified the area.
-Around 400 BC, Rome decided to take out Veii once and for all, and besieged the city.
   -The Roman army was now being paid by the government to compensate for the fact that they couldn't go home after fighting to farm or whatever, as the siege would take some time.
      -This siege actually lasted for years, and the Romans began to become demoralized.
         -As a result of this, Marcus Furius Camillus was elected as dictator of Rome.
            -He knew that a direct assault on the city would be impossible, so he formed another plan.
               -Veii had an extensive, fully-developed sewer system, so the Romans dug a tunnel into the sewers.  This allowed for them to sneak into the city and open the gates for the main army, which allowed for them to take the city!  The Veii men were slaughtered, and the women and children enslaved.
-Camillus was now the celebrated conquering hero, but he was soon exiled due to bad policy decisions and public concern that he would crown himself king.
-This was the beginning of the end of Etruscan dominance of the Italian peninsula.
-Meanwhile, Gauls began marauding in the north.
   -Etruscan cities were too independent and disorganized to unite into a coherent army to fight off both the Gauls and the Romans.

Decades of Gloom

-According to legend, after the Decemvirate drama passed, Rome still had a lot of problems between 450-400 BC.
   -Patricians and plebs still hated each other.
   -The population of the city was growing, but there wasn't enough food or land for everyone.
      -Famine and crop failure were common.
   -The military was breaking down and Rome began to lose territory to their enemies.
   -Plebs were still pissed about the law blocking them from marrying patricians.
      -This also blocked them from high offices, such as the consulship or Pontifex Maximus.
      -However, eventually the plebs finally won the right to marry, and by 366 BC a pleb was finally named consul.
         -Also during that time, military tribunes elected by plebs were given power similar to that of consuls.
-Consuls were also in charge of the census every year- this determined the number and status of various populations, which influenced the voting block.
   -Eventually, the office of the censor was created to undertake the census.
-Around 439 BC, after Cincinatus retired, Rome became involved in a clash with Veii.
   -The Etruscan city of Fidenae, under control of Rome, also decided to revolt.
   -Veii backed Fidenae, and there was a battle to recapture the city, which went on for years.
      -The Romans wanted the city because it was on the Tiber River, and was good for trade.
         -They finally recaptured the city in 425 BC.

The Roman Washington

-The story of Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus.
   -Most likely fiction.
   -According to legend, Cincinnatus was born around 519 BC.
   -He was one of the first citizens of Rome to live his life under a republican government.
   -Contrary to popular opinion, Cincinnatus was not a champion of the masses- he was a patrician, and an opponent of the tribunes and reforms.
   -Had a son named Caeso.
   -There was lots of civil unrest during this time due to the corruption of the patricians and government, and anytime there were protests or demonstrations, the mobs would be attacked by bands of young patricians (one of them being Caeso).
      -Caeso was eventually caught, and was brought to trial because of all of his asshole-ish behavior.
         -Cincinnatus defended his son and tried to get the charges dropped, but before this could happen Caeso escaped jail and fled north.
            -This bankrupted Cincinnatus, who had to pay a bunch of penalties for his son leaving and shit.  By the end, he was left with only a small plot of land.
   -460 BC- Cincinnatus was somehow elected consul, and hated the tribunes and plebs.
      -After he finished being consul, he was soon called upon to be dictator!
         -A Roman legion was isolated and under siege fighting the Aequians outside the city, and Cincinnatus quickly raised an army and rescued the legion.  After this, he came back to Rome and stepped down as dictator.
   -He later was elected dictator again in 439 BC to deal with internal strife in Rome.
   -Exemplified Roman virtue and shit.

The 12 Tables

-According to legend, around 451 BC the Romans codified the 12 Tables of Law.
-40 years between the establishment of the Tribune office and the 12 Tables of Law, there was lots of internal tension.
   -The Romans had stuck together due to battles with neighbors (Veii to the north, Volscians and Aequians in the east), but the plebs began to suspect that the the patricians were exaggerating the threat of Rome's enemies in order to aboid addressing issues of corruption.
      -Of course, the patricians just accused the plebs of being unpatriotic and only looking for political gain among their peers.
   -473 BC - a law was proposed that stated that tribunes were to be elected by the tribal assembly, and not by the Comitae Centuriata.
   -462 BC- it was decided that the laws of Rome should be written down and posted for all Romans to see, but this was put off by about 10 years.
      -Political change was exacerbated by news that there had been much political change and reforms in Athens (due to the introduction of democracy).
   -454 BC- coinage is introduced as a means of currency in Rome.
   -451 BC- the Decemvirate was formed- 10 dudes (patricians) elected to write up the laws.
      -What was actually on the bronze tablets that made up the 12 Tables of Law has been lost to history.
      -However, after the Decemvirate finished writing the laws, they actually didn't want to disband or give up power!  
         -Eventually, of course, they went too far, which pissed off the army, causing them to abandon the city in protest, and the Decemvirate finally resigned their positions and got the army to return.
   -The plebs were still pissed off about the laws, however, because one law stated that the patricians and plebs couldn't marry,which cut off the plebs from attaining any real power.

Trials and Tribulations

-509 BC (according to legend): Rome is transformed from a kingdom to a real republic.
-After Veii was defeated in their war against Rome, Tarquin the Proud went to the Etruscan city of Clusium and became buddies with the king, Lars Porsena.
   -Tarquin used propaganda to manipulate the elite, scaring them with the alleged danger democracy posed in overthrowing the status quo.
      -This convinced Porsena to attack Rome.
         -Roman legend says that Porsena was defeated, but modern historical analysis suggests that perhaps this all really did happen and that Porsena was successful in taking Rome!
            -Roman legend says that Porsena laid siege to Rome, but couldn't take the city, so a peace treaty was signed.
            -Non-Roman legends, however, say that Porsena took Rome and set up a puppet government.  This seems most likely because Clusium was much stronger than Rome at the time.
-Why did Porsena really invade Rome?  This is unclear, as Tarquin the Proud pleading for Porsena to get involved in probably fiction.
   -It is more likely that around 500 BC there was some population upheaval in central Italy, and the Etruscans became estranged with Magna Graecia in the south.
      -Trade routes were disrupted by the Volsci (or Volscians), a central Italian hill tribe.
         -Porsena wantd to establish stability in the region and preserve the trade routes, so he invaded Rome to set up control and then left his son in charge of the region after he defeated Rome.
-Anyway, Rome was now weakened and disoriented, and the Latin barbarians used this opportunity to try and fill the power vacuum.
   -Rome, however, got it together quickly and re-established Roman influence in the region.
-Also during this time, Rome established the office of Dictator.
   -Appointed during times of emergency to get shit done faster and bypass all the bureaucratic crap, and lasted for 6 months.
-The Romans used this dictator option to fight the Latins.
   -Alvias Postumius had absolute power as a dictator, and once he carried out his term he stepped down and restored the old government.
      -The fact that they had to create this office instead of just having a monarchy showed how much monarchy was reviled in the city.
-Meanwhile, during this time of peace the plebs were agitating for more rights.
   -They finally got them when they went on strike.
      -Rome was being attacked by various enemies, so the Senate called for soldiers.
         -The plebs refused to fight, so the Senate appointed Manlius Valerius as dictator, who surprisingly didn't fuck with the plebs and instead promised them that once the battles were over, he would address the issue of debt relief and other problems that plagued the plebsl.
            -Once the battles were over, though, of course Roman senators blocked progress, and Valerius resigned.
               -The plebs were pissed, so they marched out of town, set up camp, and refused to come back home until their demands were met.
                  -All of this freaked out the patricians, so they set up a new office for the plebs- the Tribunate.
-The Office of the Tribunate- 2 plebs were elected as tribunes.
   -they could free plebs who had been imprisoned by patricians at any time, and eventually were given the power to veto laws passed by the Senate.
   -Tribunes also were free from harm- if any tribune was assaulted, the plebs had the right to kill the assaulter.
   -Tribunes were elected by an assembly called the Comitia Tributa.

The Public Thing

-The Romans had established a small amount of territory, wanted to spread their territory into eastern Italy.
   -They also still had the Etruscans to deal with in the North.
-According to legend, the last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud, was overthrown in 509 BC.
   -We don't really know what happened during this time because the Gauls sacked Rome in 389 BC and destroyed all the records.
-By the time of the Republic, the Roman population had grown to about 130,000.
   -2 groups- the patricians and the plebeians.
      -Patricians were descendants of the original 100 senators.
         -Usually rich, but not always.
      -Plebeians couldn't trace their lineage to the original 100 senators.
         -Usually poor, but not always.
-Starting out, the Republic was really just an oligarchy of the Roman elite.  However, as some plebs grew more and more wealthy, they demanded more government representation.
   -Women, slaves, and immigrants, however, had no power.
   -Majority of the people were just farmers.
      -The land was owned, of course, by the elites, who also controlled the import/export trade, so they benefited the most from these farms.
      -The farms produced crops for food and trade.
-Consuls- 2 of them, ruled annually so they couldn't get too powerful.
   -Originally called praetors.
   -They had almost absolute power, just like the kings before them.
   -Consuls could also veto each other.
   -The first 2 consuls were Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus.
      -Collatinus was cousin to the Tarquin family, so in order to calm people down he stepped down and was replaced by Publius Valerius.
-Not everyone was happy with the consul system.  Some elites who lived well under the kings plotted a counter-revolution.
   -A collection of young nobles, including 2 sons of Lucius Junius Brutus, conspired with envoys of now-exiled Tarquin the Proud to retake the city.
      -However, they were exposed by a slave, and all the conspirators were arrested.
-Meanwhile, Tarquin the Proud tried to appeal to Veii to attack Rome, as he tried to convince them that this Republic-ism could spread to Veii and other cities in the region.
   -It worked, and Veii attacked, but they lost, although they did manage to kill the consul Lucius Junius Brutus.
-Publius Valerius now ruled alone, but he assured everyone that he wasn't going to be a tyrant.
   -He made 2 new laws:
      -Any man who tried to crown himself king could at anytime be killed by anyone else.
      -Any decision made by the magistrates could be appealed to by the People's Assembly.
      -He also called for an election to fill the second consul spot.
         -Marcus Horatius Pulvius was elected after some other dude who was originally elected died of old age.
-At this time, patricians were still weary of the masses and their revolution capabilities, and the plebs felt like the elites still being in control wasn't that much different from being ruled over by kings.

7 Kings of Rome - Part 2 (Tarquin the Elder - Tarquin the Proud)

-Tarquin Dynasty
   -Tarquin Priscus (Tarquin the Elder) - 5th king
      -Decent, but manipulative.
      -From Tarchna (also known as Tarquinia), Etruria (west coast of Italy).
      -Half Etruscan, half Greek.
      -Became a wealthy businessman, but opportunity was limited due to his mixed racial heritage.
      -He moved to Rome, brought a lot of money, and put this money into public works and charity to establish himself as a major player.
         -Became friendly with Ancus Marcius, the 4th king.  He became the legal guardian of the king's two sons with Marcius died.
            -Tarquin the Elder then sent the two boys off on a hunting trip when the king died and then lobbied the Senate to hold elections for the new king.   He was successfully elected.
      -As king, the first thing he did was expand the Senate to 300 people.
         -This allowed him more power since he was granting more power to these new senators, and they in turn supported him.
      -He also started fighting with his Latin neighbors.
         -Built a hippodrome for celebrations after battles- the Circus Maximus.
         -After the Latins were subdued, the Sabines decided to fight with Rome.  The Etruscans joined in as well, but were unsuccessful in defeating the Romans.
            -After these victories, Rome built triumphs in celebration.
      -Tarquin the Elder then adopted Servius Tullius, a boy said to have had a ring of fire surrounding his head, or surrounded by good omens or something.
         -However, the sons of Ancus Marcius were pissed off for getting shafted, and began to conspire to assassinate the king.  However, when they actually tried to do this, during the confusion, Queen Tanaquil was able to retain power by convincing a gathering crowd that the now dead king wasn't actually dead, and that Servius Tulls acting as king until Tarquin recovered.
            -Unfortunately, Tarquin the Elder was indeed dead.
-Servius Tullius - 6th king, enthroned in 579 BC.
   -Adopted son of Tarquin the Elder.
   -He successfully acted as king, and exiled the sons of Ancus Marcius.
   -Soon, Veii began attacking Rome, but the Romans successfully defended themselves.
      -Servius Tullius was considered a hero by the people!
   -He was the last good king, and did a lot of stuff that would have a lasting impression on the Roman government and culture.
      -He divided the land-owning Romans into 5 main classes, divided by wealth so they could see what kind of resources were available in case of war:
         -1st:  richest class, provided helms, shields, bronze breastplates, greaves, swords, spears
         -2nd: same as #1, but no breastplates.
         -3rd: same as #1, but no breastplates or greaves
         -4th: only spears and javelins
         -5th: slings and stones
         -Also were the equites, who were the richest of the rich and had to provide horses.
         -Everyone else in Roman lands were exempt.
         -The legions were made up of men between the ages of 18-40.
      -Class division also served as the basis for the new Roman electoral college.  
         -Romulus' Comitae Curiata was replaced by Servius Tullius' Comitae Centuriata.
            -Classes were divided into centuries, which voted as blocks:
               -1st class: 80 centuries
               -2nd class: 20 centuries
               -3rd class: 20 centuries
               -4th class: 20 centuries
               -5th class: 30 centuries
               -Equites: 12 centuries
               -Common folk: 1 century (ha)
                  -The common folk only having 1 century kind of made sense, however, since the wealthy were responsible for providing the military and financial resources.
   -Servius Tullius married his daughters to Tarquin the Elder's two sons, but this wasn't enough for one of the sons, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
      -Lucius' brother was married to Tullia, who hated him because he had no drive or ambition, and thus she had a crush on Lucius.
         -Lucius and Tullia made a plan to kill their unwanted spouses in order to be with each other and ultimately take the crown for themselves!
            -So, they spread negative rumors about Servius Tullius, and when the king was away they used this negative publicity to enthrone Lucius, who proclaimed himself king!
               -Servius Tullius returned and a fight broke out between the two factions, and Tullius was killed.
-Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin the Proud) - 7th king, enthroned in 535 BC.
   -Usurper to the throne of Servius Tullius.
   -He was a complete tyrant- vain, arrogant, pompous.
   -He wasted resources, consolidated power, and was just a complete dick.
   -Eventually, Sextus, his son, was invited to a dinner party hosted by Collatinus, a local noble.  There he met Lucrecia, Collatinus' wife.
      -Later, Sextus raped Lucrecia while Collatinus was off fighting in a battle.
         -Collatinus returned to his home with his companion, Lucius Junius Brutus, to find that his wife had killed herself out of shape.
            -Collatinus and Brutus swore revenge!
               -Collatinus raised an army outside of Rome among the Roman troops who hated Tarquin the Proud.
                  -Tarquin the Proud heard about this, and rode out to meet the army in battle, but they had already left their camp and moved onto Rome!   Thus, Tarquin the Proud was exiled and Rome was liberated.
                     -The Comitae Centuriata banned kings from EVER ruling Rome again, and made it so that Rome would have 2 leaders from then on, starting with Collatinus and Brutus, who were elected as the first dual consuls in 509 BC.

7 Kings of Rome - Part 1

(pending)

Youthful Indiscretions

Continuing the legend: Romulus needed a bigger population in Rome to ensure it's survival...it was too weak.
   -The people who came to Rome sucked, though.  They were fugitives, ex-slaves, criminals, loan sharks, etc.
   -So, Romulus organized an army dividing the able-bodied men into soldiers and everyone else into civilians.
      -Only rich citizens could enlist since the soldiers had to equip themselves.  The richest got to be cavalry since they had horses.
-Romulus created a council of 100 members to help him govern.
   -Descendants of these men would eventually make up Rome's patrician class.
-Rome was now ready to defend and govern itself, but unfortunately all of the new people who came in were dudes- no women!!
   -They tried to go around and get wives from neighboring communities, but were refused since the Romans were so sketchy.
      -Romulus plotted to steal the women instead.
         -So, the Romans held a huge festival for Neptune and invited all of their neighbors.  When Romulus gave the signal, the Romans captured the women and everyone else ran off.  The women were scared, but Romulus calmed them down.
      -The communities tried to attack to get their women back, but the Romans drove them off.
         -The Sabines (one of the local tribes) however, used cunning to sneak into the city and  take over a citadel.  Romulus tried to fight them off, but was unsuccessful.  
            -The Sabine women finally intervened, pointing out that they already had had kids with the Romans and shit.  So, the Sabines decided to make peace.
-Romulus decided to rule the area jointly with Tatius, the Sabine king.
   -The population was mostly composed of Etruscans, but of course also included Romans and Sabines.
      -A senate was formed in Rome to help govern, and 100 Sabines were added to it.
-Romulus then founded a citizens' assembly (the Comitae Curiata).
   -Each tribe was divided into 10 curiae, making 30 curiae total.
      -Each curia was named after a Sabine wife.
   -The Comitae Curiata was in charge of electing certain magistrates, passing legislation, etc.  The kings (Romulus and Tatius) still reigned supreme, but the Senate and Comitae Curiata were also still involved in the governing process.
-The Roman army now had about 6000 warriors.
-This situation lasted for about 5 years, until King Tatius went to the city of Lavinium and was killed by a mob.
   -Romulus didn't do anything, as he was probably happy to be the sole ruler again.
      -However, Romulus as the sole ruler pissed off the Sabines.
-For the next 40 years, Rome continued to govern itself and fight with its neighbors (usually Etruscans).
-Romulus' death is also mysterious...it was said that he was carried away by a mighty wind during a strong storm.
   -Who the fuck knows what actually happened, but if this legend has any basis in reality then it's possible that while the people supported Romulus, the Senate hated him, so maybe they secretly had him killed?

In the Beginning

- According to legend:
   -At the end of the Trojan War, Aeneas escaped the city of of Troy with some other dudes and fled to North Africa.
   -He hooked up with the Carthaginian queen, Dido, and then left.   Before she killed herself, she cursed both her people and any of Aeneas' future children to eternal enmity.
   -Then he went to the west coast of Italy, in the region of Latium, near the ancient city of Laurentum.
      -They were met with hostility by the locals barbarians, the Latins, who tried to drive them off.
         -However, the Latin king (ha), Latinus, offered to make peace instead.
            -He offered his daughter, Lavinia, to Aeneas.
               -This pissed off Turnus, a prince of the Rutuli (a neighboring barbarian tribe) because Lavinia had already been promised to him!
                  -The Rutuli was probably not the actual name of this tribe if this story is true, and they were probably either Etruscans or Ligurians.
                  -So, the Rutuli attacked, but were defeated by Aeneas and the Latins.  However, in the attack, Latinus was killed, so Aeneas then took over the tribe.
                     -Because of this, the Trojans and the Latins began to intermarry.
                  -The Rutuli were pissed off even more at this situation now, so they went to the Etruscans for help.
                     -The Etruscans attacked, but just like the Rutuli, they were repelled by Aeneas and his Trojan/Latin warriors.
                        -As a result, the Tiber River was established as the boundary between the Latins and the Etruscans.
-So who the hell were the Etruscans?
   -Origin is debatable, but evidence suggests that they actually came from Asia Minor!
   -They were the dominant confederacy of the Italian peninsula.
   -They were actually organized into an organized collection of villages, whereas the Latins were just a barbarian tribe.
   -They were artists and craftsmen, and had established trade lines that went all the way into Greece.
      -One trade line went from the region of Etruria (an ancient region of Central Italy) to Magna Graecia (Greek colonies in southern Italy).
         -This trade line went through where the city of Rome would eventually be founded.
-So who the hell were the Latins?
   -Simple herdsmen.
   -Evidence suggests that they were descended from Balkan migrants.
   -They had no arts or crafts, and their culture had a mix of Etruscan and Greek elements, but they were still quite primitive in this respect.
   -They were a warrior people, good at organization and warfare.
   -Worshiped the ancient Greek pantheon of gods.
-When Aeneas died, he was replaced by his son, Ascanius.
   -During this time, the population was growing, so Ascanius set out east to expand the Latin territory.
      -He founded the city, Alba Longa (close to modern-day Rome) as his seat of power.
-Some time passed, and the Latin kingdom grew more powerful and secure.
-Kingship passed from father to son.
-Shit gets interesting when eventually one king, Numitor, had a brother, Amulius, who also wanted to be king.
   -Amulius usurped the throne and drove Numitor out of Alba Longa.
      -Numitor's sons were executed, and his daughter, Rhea Silvia, was forced to become a vestal virgin so she couldn't have children that could usurp Amulius.
         -Unfortunately, after taking the vows Rhea Silvia was raped.
            -She gave birth to twin boys, claiming that the father was Mars (Ares).
               -No one cared, and she was thrown in prison.
               -The twins were supposed to be drowned in the Tiber River, but the river was flooded so they just left the boys nearby the river (?).
                  -Of course, the boys survived, and were nursed back to healthy by a she-wolf.
                     -A herdsman saw this and rescued the boys, taking them back home with him.   He raised them with his wife, and named the twins Romulus and Remus.
-Romulus and Remus eventually grew up, and turned into D&D heroes.
   -They liked to fight and rob brigands.
      -One time some brigands captured Remus and took him to a local lord.
         -This "local lord" was none other than Numitor!
            -The brigands claimed that Romulus and Remus were thieves who had been stealing cattle.
               -Numitor remembered the story he had heard about the twin sons that had been born to Rhea Silvia, and suspected that Romulus and Remus were his grandsons.
                  -The herdsman heard about this too, and told Romulus the whole story about how they had been discovered.
                     -Romulus, Remus, the herdsman, and Numitor all hatched a plan to return Numitor to the throne!
                        -They organized a small army, attacked Amulius, and restored Numitor to the throne in Alba Longa.
-Romulus and Remus then set off to found a new city, one that was located at the same place where they had been left to drown.
   -Whether this story is actually true or not, Rome's location was most likely picked because it lay on a trade route, had naturally hilly defenses, and also was near a river.    
   -2 versions of the story at this point:
      -Version 1: trouble happened when the question came up about who would be the senior leader.  The brothers decided to leave it up to the gods, and both went up to the top of a different hill to await a sign.  Romulus went to the top of the Palatine, Remus to the Aventine.  Eventually, 6 vultures landed in front of Remus, but then 12 landed in front of Romulus.  A fight then broke out because Remus claimed that the vultures landed on him first, so he should be the senior leader; Remus claimed that he had 12 vultures, so he should be the senior leader.  So, Romulus decided to just kill Remus and put an end to it.
      -Version 2:  Remus mocked Romulus by jumping over the partially completed city walls.  This pissed off Romulus because he saw it as disrespectful, so he killed Remus.
      -Either way, Romulus became the first king of Rome in April 21, 753 BC.
-Is all of this true?
   -Probably not.  However, we don't know because Rome was sacked in 386 BC and all of the records were destroyed.
      -However, archaeology kind of supports that the founding date is at least close to being correct.
      -Also, the conflict between the Latins and the Etruscans also seems to be correct as well.
      -This legend includes several tropes commonly found in other cultures origin stories, including divine twins, infant exposure to the elements in which the infant miraculously survives, virgin birth, historical origins lying in a pre-existing epic civilization and hero, etc.