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Brutus & the Founding of the RepublicContents
SummaryLucius Junius Brutus is often credited with displacing the monarchy and founding the republic in the Roman Empire. In the following, I will highlight the details of the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the displaced monarch, the reasons he and his family were expelled from the empire, the founding of the republic, and the significance and legacy of Brutus and his actions. The history of Lucius Junius Brutus, and all other early historical Roman figures is somewhat hazy. During the Gaul’s attack of Rome in the fourth century BCE, most of the historical Roman documents are believed to have been destroyed, leaving history up to scholars and historians at a later date. That said, the majority of the information in this paper is based on the writings of Titus Livy (59 BCE – 17 CE) and Marcus Terentius Varro (116 BCE – 27 BCE). Although these two scholars are widely believed to be historically accurate, many of the finer details are still debated to this day. Historical AccuracyThe history of Lucius Junius Brutus, and all other early historical Roman figures is somewhat hazy. During the Gaul’s attack of Rome in the fourth century BCE, most of the Roman historical documents are believed to have been destroyed, leaving history up to scholars and historians at a later date. That said, the majority of the information in this paper is based on the writings of Titus Livy (59 BCE – 17 CE) and Marcus Terentius Varro (116 BCE – 27 BCE). Although these two scholars are widely believed to be historically accurate, many of the finer details are still debated to this day. BRUTUS BUST IMG http://www.vroma.org/images/mcmanus_images/bronzehead.jpg The Reign of Lucius Tarquinius SuperbusLucius Tarquinius Superbus, or Lucius Tarquinius “the proud one”, was the seventh and final king of Rome. The eventual overthrow of Lucius Tarquinius marked not only the end of the monarchy in Rome, but also the end of the Etruscan rule, dating back to 753 BCE when Romulus founded Rome. Lucius Tarquinius seized power after Tullia, his wife, suggested that he murder and overthrow his father; he obliged willingly. Lucius Tarquinius is often considered one of the worst of the seven kings, but he did accomplish several things worth mentioning. The Roman Empire, then approximately 800 square kilometers, was expanded slightly under his rule, adding several towns through both diplomacy and military conquest. The Cloaca Maxima, or sewer system, of Rome was constructed under Lucius’ rule, as was Jupiter’s temple on the Capitoline hill. TEMPLE IMAGE http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/images/0238123-CapitolineTemple.jpg Despite his modest architectural achievements, Tarquinius was hated for good reason. Under his reign, it is reported that a number of senators, including Lucius Junius Brutus’ father and brother, were put to death because they were believed to pose a threat to the monarchy. Brutus himself managed to escape death by feigning stupidity, making himself out to seem as harmless as possible. Towards the end of his reign, Tarquinius was well aware of the growing opposition in the senate, so he decided to take action. He gathered two hundred of his most loyal supporters and made them all senators, thusly tripling the size of the senate. The term for these men was “conscripti”, meaning “the enrolled ones”. Of course, it didn’t take long for the pre-existing senators to realize what he was attempting to do, and this, among many other things, led to his overthrow. Reasons for ExpulsionThe events leading up to the overthrow of the Tarquins can be attributed to two major parties: The senate as a whole, and Lucius Junius Brutus. Like many other royal families, the Tarquins abused their power to no end. Ultimately, their selfishness and disregard for all of the citizens (and aristocrats, for that matter) of Rome led to their banishment from the empire to Etruria, in northern Italy. The senate had plenty of reasons to be unhappy with the leadership of Lucius Tarquinius. Historically, the senate was the convention of the heads of every major aristocratic house in Rome. The purpose of this group was to give the king advice, or point out the possible repercussions of one of his actions. In other words, it was a representative democracy, but only one person made the decisions. Despite a few disputes, this process worked for the most part until the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. The surname “Superbus” means “the proud one”, or “the haughty one”, and was given to him by members of the senate as a result of his unwillingness to take advice. Not long after the birth of the nickname “superbus”, the king decided it was time to quiet the voice of opposition in the senate, having every member who so much as spoke out against one of his choices assassinated. Before long, the state of the senate worsened dramatically, and nearly every senator had turned on Tarquinius, so he decided to stop trying to hide his actions, and added the conscripti (the aforementioned 200 senators added to support the king). This was enough to put the senators on edge, but the revolution was really sparked by Brutus. As is stated above, both Brutus’ father and brother were killed by the assassins of Tarquinius. Although he was obviously infuriated, Brutus was not stupid, so he decided to pretend he had no idea what was going on so that his uncle, Lucius Tarquinius, wouldn’t kill him as well. The word Brutus came to mean foolish in Latin as a result of his actions. He was prepared to lay low and out of harms way for a long time, until one day the king decided to send Brutus along with his cousins, the kings sons Arruns and Sextus, to see the oracle of Delphi. It is said that Sextus asked the oracle who of them would become the next king, and the oracle responded that whoever kissed their mother next would gain the throne after Lucius’ death. While returning to Rome, the two brothers drew straws to see who would kiss their mother, and thusly gain the throne. While they were doing that, the thought game to Brutus that mother might actually mean the earth, or the mother of all living things, as he put it. He pretended to trip and fall, and upon landing kissed the earth. From that day forward, Brutus was instilled with a new confidence, knowing that one day he would become the next king of Rome. That day came before too long, in 309 BCE during the siege of Ardea. Sextus was leading the siege, when, one night, several of the noblemen he was with decided to return home unexpectedly to check if their wives had remained faithful to them. After returning, the men learned that none of their wives, except for a man named Collatinus’, had been truthful to them. When Sextus learned of Collatinus’ wife, he immediately fell in love with the idea of her honesty and truthfulness. Ironically, the way he demonstrated his love for Lucretia was raping her, and erasing the purity that he had fallen in love with. Lucretia, a distant cousin of Brutus (and Sextus, for that matter) was so overcome by her own guilt that she called her entire family together to tell them what had happened. After telling them that she had been raped by the son of the king, and explaining that she felt she had dishonored her whole family, she stabbed herself with a dagger, taking her own life. Some people believe that story to be romantic (it was depicted in a play years later in that way), saying that this probably wasn’t the event that caused the revolt, but it is believed that it occurred nonetheless. It is said that after Lucretia commit suicide, Brutus grabbed the dagger she had killed herself with and held it up, calling out to all witnesses for the removal of the royal family. The Tarquins were cast out of Rome, only to return under penalty of death. The Tarquins didn’t take long to attempt to regain power. After just under two years in exile in Etruria, they made an alliance with the Etruscans. The deal was made so that after the Etruscans helped the Tarquin family reclaim Rome, the alliance would last, granting the Etruscans a powerful ally to the south. In 307 BCE, the Etruscan army marched alongside Lucius Tarquinius and his sons, Sextus, Arruns, and Titus. The Romans successfully defended their kingdom, ensuring that the Republic would live on. Unfortunately, Brutus and Arruns met in single combat during that battle, and Brutus lost his life defending against the return of the monarchy. Founding of the Early Roman RepublicAt this point, the details begin to grow hazy once again. Some believe that Brutus and Collatinus (the widowed husband of Lucretia), as senators, seized consulship and led the senate as a new form of government. Others believe that these two were elected by people to lead over the senate, although the first seems more likely. Brutus believed he would be king one day, as was prophesized, so there was more than likely a power struggle rather than a willing slip into a democratic system. Either way, all sources state that the government changed to a republic after the expulsion of Lucius Tarquinius. One year after the birth of the republic, Collatinus stepped down, withdrew all of his assets, and moved away from Rome. It is stated by the scholar Livy that Brutus called for Collatinus Tarquinius to renounce his name in order to abolish the legacy of the Tarquins in Rome. Collatinus wasn’t comfortable with the idea, so he withdrew, but the strange thing is that Brutus was actually more closely related to the tyrannical monarch family than Collatinus was. This is the evidence of the supposed power struggle leading to Collatinus’ withdrawal. FAMILY TREE IMAGE http://www.livius.org/a/1/romanempire/brutus_tree.gif After Collatinus left, in 308 BCE, Publius Valerius was elected by the Roman people and the senate to take his place as consul. Although many considered it nothing more than a story created to strengthen the image of Brutus and the Republic, some believe that Brutus killed his own sons, Titus and Tiberius, to protect the Roman democracy. Less than a year later, in 309 BCE, Brutus fell to Arruns in the battle against the Etruscans, leaving Valerius as the sole consul of Rome. He attempted to leave it that way, holding all of the power for his own, but the senate refused to accept it, forcing a new colleague on him. Many scholars believe that Valerius, not Brutus, is responsible for the Republic. Brutus is credited for the initial idea, but was in office for such a short time that some found it hard to believe that he could possibly have accomplished as much as he’s reported to have accomplished. Valerius is commonly credited with creating the law granting a right to appeal, and the law against monarchies in Rome. This goes against the story that only a day after the expulsion of the Tarquins, Brutus made every senator state an oath that the monarchy would never return, and that they would do everything in their power to maintain the Republic. Legacy, Influence, & Historical SignificanceAlthough Lucius Junius Brutus died defending Rome only two years after he had helped to gain it back from the monarch, his legacy and influence were undeniable. No matter which scholar was correct, and no matter who truly made which law, Brutus was responsible for the end of the monarchy. It is well established that the Tarquin family was hated by all of Rome, and that Brutus was the one who forced them to leave. Whether he directly or indirectly created the Republic, the Republic was one of the most important (if not the most important) aspects of Rome. For nearly four hundred and sixty years, the Republic flourished in Rome. Interestingly enough, Marcus Junius Brutus, a direct descendent of Lucius Junius Brutus, is believed to have led the assassination of Julius Caesar, saying “six semper tyrannis”, meaning “always this way with tyrants”. Inspired by the actions and beliefs of his ancestor, Marcus Junius attempted to once again keep monarchy (or dictatorship) out of Rome. Regardless of whether the laws were created by Brutus, Valerius, or some other person years later, they would never have existed without the actions of Brutus. Rome is commonly credited as being one of the first true democracies, something which inspired the United States government and many other governments the world over. Without the actions of Brutus, the world would be a very different place today.
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Bibliography
Images #1: First page/with summary/introduction, (Vroma.org, 12/27/07) "Bronze bust of Lucius Junius Brutus." #2: After the comment about architectural achievements in the first section, (HorizonsUnlimited.com, 12/26/07) "The Capitoline temple, constructed under the leadership of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus." #3: Third section, somewhere between Collatinus' introduction and relation between collatinus/brutus/Tarquins (Livius.org, 12/26/07) "The Tarquinius family tree, including Collatinus, Lucretia, Lucius Superbus, and Brutus." #4: In the second section, after the mention of the banishment to Etruria (Brittanica Online, 1/1/08) "A map of Italy during the fifth century B.C.E., shows the borders of Rome and the Etruscan empire."
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