Before Rome became an empire,much less a republic,the city was under the rule of Etruscan kings.This is the story of how Rome became a republic in 509 B.C.E.
One day, a Roman and two Etruscan princes competing to rule Rome, journeyed to Greece to see the oracle of Delphi. Once they arrived, they asked the oracle who would rule Rome, to which she answered who first kisses their mother will be the king of Rome. Hearing this,the Roman,named Lucius Junius Brutus deliberately tripped, so his lips touched the ground, and when the three men returned to Rome, Brutus led a revolt and became the first leader of the Roman republic.
The Republic of Rome
In the time 616 to 509 B.C.E., when the Etruscans ruled Rome, the Romans were divided into two classes; the patricians and the plebeians. Patricians were upper-class citizens, while plebeians were peasants. Patrician comes from the Latin word, pater, meaning “father.” Plebeian comes from the Latin word, plebs, meaning “the common people.” 5% of Rome’s population were patricians, and 95% were plebeians.
Later on, the group of patricians stopped agreeing with the Etruscan rule. In 509 B.C.E., patricians led by Lucius Junius Brutus, drove out the Etruscan king, and created a republic. The patricians then made sure the Senate of Rome had all the power. The Senate was a group of 300 patricians, chosen among themselves. In elections, only patricians could participate, as they were of the higher class.
Unfortunately, the patricians kept changing laws to their advantage, as they were not written down. The plebeians had to fight for what they wanted, and began to demand more political rights. The constant struggle between the patricians and the plebeians is known as the Conflict of the Orders. In 494 B.C.E., when Rome had 20-40 thousand people, the plebeians left the city, in a rage, and made camp on a hill nearby. Once the plebeians were gone, Rome was left in a crisis.Work in the city and food production at the farms reached a halt. The patricians had little choice but to give in and give the plebeians more political rights.
The plebeians gained some important rights. Even still, they had less power than the patricians. It took 200 years for them to get political equality. Their first demand was that the laws were written down. The patricians agreed, and the laws were published on tablets known as the Twelve Tablets. There were two patricians, called consuls, that had complete control of Rome. The plebeians demanded that one of the two consuls be a plebeian. Later on, the plebeians got the ability to pass laws for all Roman citizens. After 200 years, the plebeians had finally earned equality with the patricians.