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.