Ancient Rome—Early Republic
(510 B.C. to 275 B.C.)
Establishment of Republic — Conquest of Italy
SUMMARY
|
|
Coriolanus yields to the entreaty of his wife and mother
|
The early years of the republic lasted from the overthrow of
Tarquin Superbus in 510 B.C. to the conquest of southern Italy
in 275 B.C. During this time, Rome fought wars against the Etruscans, Gauls,
Latins, and Samnites, eventually bringing all of Italy, from the Arno River north of Tuscany to the Grecian dominated
southern coast, into an alliance with Rome at its
head. It is from this vigorous period that many of Rome's romantic legends and
hero stories spring. The city of
Rome was at this time still largely uninfluenced by eastern decadence and the
corruptions of wealth; and the Republican virtues of
courage, patriotism, and piety were at their peak. The most important historian of
this era, is
Livy, and most of his writings pertaining to this period are still
extant.
The Roman republican government was composed of a group of three hundred
senators. Each year, two consuls were selected,
usually from among the senators, to administer the state and lead the army in times
of war. By selecting two consuls and limiting
their service to a single year, the Romans hoped to avoid the emergence of a single
powerful tyrant.
Junius Brutus and
Publicola were early consuls and heroes of the republic. Their
courageous leadership helped
foster unity during the first rocky years, and both made great personal sacrifices
for the good of the state. During these first few
critical years, Rome's enemies allied themselves with the exiled
Tarquin Superbus and marched against Rome, with the object of restoring
him to the throne.
Horatius and
Mucius Scaevola were both heroes of the war against
Lars Porsena, an Etruscan general who was allied with Tarquin.
After many years of struggle, the Tarquin's family was finally defeated at the
Battle of Regillus.
Once the threat from Tarquin was resolved, Rome was still surrounded by enemies. Rome was a cosmopolitan town, with
citizens from throughout Italy, but its primary population and language was Latin, and by the time of the republic
Rome was the foremost city in Latium. It had not yet, however, established
dominance over the surrounding tribes of Etruscans, Volscians, and Aequilians.
Coriolanus and Cincinnatus were both patrician heroes of early wars against
these enemies during the first century of the republic. The second century produced
Camillus, an even greater hero. In addition to conquering Rome's perennial enemy, Veii,
he reorganized the army into its famous legions and was instrumental in rebuilding Rome after it was
Gallic Invasion of Italy in 390 B.C.
The Gauls were a tribe of war-like barbarians from the north, who threatened Rome for the next three centuries. Their
first encounter at the disastrous Battle of Allia, which resulted in the sack of the city, was long
remembered as the worst defeat in Roman history. The year 390 B.C. marked that last time that
the city of Rome was invaded by barbarians for 800 years.
In addition to the on-going wars with its Italian neighbors, Rome needed to
resolve several internal disturbances that threatened it during the early
years. From the beginning of the Republic, there was continual strife between
the patrician class, who held all of the political power, and the
plebeians, who were far more numerous, but without a hand in government.
The trouble between them was resolved after a peaceful "walk-out" by the
plebeians during one of Rome's wars. The patricians, lead by
Menenius, submitted to the idea of establishing a
tribune to represent the interests of the plebeians. Eventually,
there were six tribunes, elected from among the plebeians, who had the power to
veto all legislations proposed by the patrician senate.
In 452 BC, ten Decemvirs were selected to write and promulgate the laws
of Rome. Their leader was Appius Claudius, but he abused his power and tried to enslave
Virginia, resulting in the overthrow of the Decemvirs. However, the laws of Rome written on the twelve
tablets did become the foundation of Roman jurisprudence.
By time the republic was 200 years old, its armies had acquired a reputation for bravery and discipline
thanks to the notable deeds of such heroes as Marcus Curtius, Valerius Corvus,
Decius Mus, and Manlius Torquatus. The latter were heroes of the Latin and
Samnite Wars,which dominated the period 340 to 290 B.C.
Caius Pontius was a Samnite general who trapped the Roman army but did not use his victory wisely
and was eventually defeated. Fabius was the hero of the Battle of Sentium, which
was a decisive victory for the Romans over the Samnites and brought the Samnite wars, which had lasted for
nearly fifty years, to a close.
The last unsubdued region of Italy was the southern coast, called Magna
Graecia, (Greater Greece) because it was populated with Greek colonies. In 280
B.C. the city of Tarentine brought in
Pyrrhus, the most famous general of the age, to oppose the
Romans. Though he met with early success,
at the Battles of Heraclea and Asculum, his fortune turned for the worse at the
Battles of Beneventum and the Pyrrhic Wars in Italy ended in victory for Rome.
As Rome dominated more and more of Italy, its own security was greatly enhanced, and
it began a series of building projects including roads and aqueducts.
Appius Claudius, an important peacetime administrator, was responsible for much of
this planning, and the famous Roman road, Via Appia, bears his name. In addition to roads, Appius
Claudius initiated the building of Rome's first aqueduct, and several important public buildings.
By the time Rome conquered all of Italy, it was at its height of civic rectitude, and public morality.
Enemies who had attempted to gain the influence of various senators found all of their bribes returned.
Enemies who encountered the army found a disciplined and relentless foe. The city of Rome was prosperous,
but had not given in to the luxurious vices.
TIMELINE
| Year |
Event |
| 510 | The last king of Rome, Tarquin Superbus, is expelled; Roman republic is founded. |
| 510-496 |
Wars against Tarquin and his allies. |
| 508 | —Horatius repels the army of Lars Porsena at theBattle of Sublican Bridge. |
| 496 |
—Final defeat of Tarquin at the Battle of Lake Regillus. |
| 494 |
Office of the tribune is established to protect plebian rights. |
| 491 | Coriolanus is sent into exile but returns with an army to threaten Rome. |
| 458 | Cincinnatus rescues a Roman army caught in a trap. |
| 451 | Decimvirs create ten tablets; Virginia is killed to keep her out of the hands of a tyrant. |
| 443 |
Censorship established. |
| 396 | Romans under Camillus conquer Veii, their great Etruscan foe. |
| 390 |
Battle of Allia, Gauls invade and sack Rome. |
| 343-341 |
First Samnite War—Etruria and Campania annexed to Rome. |
| 326-304 |
Second Samnite War—Roman humiliation at Battle of Caudine Forks. |
| 312 |
Via Appia—famous Roman road started. |
| 312 |
Aqueduct building project started. |
| 298-290 |
Third Samnite War—Roman victory at the Battle of Sentium. |
| 280-275 |
Pyrrhic Wars in southern Italy—First encounter between Greek and Roman armies. |
| 269 |
First Roman coins minted. |
| Years |
War |
Outcome |
| 753–391 BC | Rise of Rome | The rise of Rome from a small Latin city to the dominant power in Italy. |
| 389–121 BC | Gallic Invasion of Italy | Early Gallic invasions into Northern Italy |
| 342–298 BC | Samnite Wars | Rome vies with Samnites for control of Italy |
| 282–275 BC | Pyrrhic Wars in Italy | The Greek colonies in southern Italy resist Roman domination. |
CHARACTERS
| Character | Dates |
Short Biography |
|---|
| Lars Porsena | fl. 508 BC |
Etruscan king, and supporter of the Tarquins who raised an army to march against Rome. |
| Junius Brutus | died 509 BC |
First Consul of Rome; executed sons for plotting against the republic. |
| Publicola | died 508 BC |
Consul of Rome during the wars with Porsena. |
| Horatius | 535–509 BC |
Hero who held the Sublican Bridge against Porsena's entire army. |
| Mucius Scaevola | 535–509 BC |
Hero who burned his right hand to defy Porsena. |
| Menenius | fl. 503 BC |
Roman noble who negotiated with the plebeians after their walk-out during a war. |
| Coriolanus | 500–450 BC |
Hero, provoked to turn traitor. Convinced by his mother to spare Rome from destruction. |
| Cincinnatus | 519–439 BC |
Called to be dictator when Roman army was trapped. Saved them, and then returned to his farm. |
| Appius Claudius | died 452 BC |
Evil law giver who usurped power, then attempted to enslave Virginia. |
| Virginia | died 451 BC |
Heroine slain by her father to rescue her from slavery and dishonor. |
| Camillus | 446–365 BC |
Great military leader; conquered Veii, saved Rome from Gauls, organized legions. |
| Marcus Manlius | died 384 BC |
Defended the capitol from the Gauls. |
| Brennus | died 390 BC |
Leader of the Gauls who sacked Rome in 390 B.C. |
| Marcus Curtius | died 362 BC |
Rode horse into a large chasm in Roman market-place. |
| Valerius Corvus | 370–270 BC |
Defeated a gigantic Gaul in one-on-one combat; lived to be 100. |
| fl. |
|
| Manlius Torquatus | died 384 BC |
Consul who slew his son for a minor disobedience. |
| Fabius | died 291 BC |
Hero of the Battle of Sentinum, against the Gauls and Samnites. |
| Caius Pontius | fl. 321 BC |
Samnite general who captured the Romans at Caudium Pass. |
| Appius Claudius | 340–273 BC |
Built first auqeduct, public buildings, and "Appian Way", the great Roman road to Capua. |
| Pyrrhus | 318–272 BC |
Renowned general, won victories in Macedon, Italy, and Greece, but failed to follow up wins. |
