Historiae Romanorum

Romulus

The first king of Rome  (753-715 BC)

After murdering his brother Remus, Romulus continued with the build Rome as its sole ruler.  Romulus continued his fortification of the city, and duly performed the sacrifices for the gods to inaugurate his new city.

Being very small at this time, the city was situated on only one of the seven hills, the Palatine.  Still, Romulus had a great deal to do as king.  The citizens consisted party of the rabble of shepherds, whom the twins had led in their battles with the neighboring thieves.  To increase the size of the town, however, Romulus opened his city to the the poor, the homeless, as well as criminals seeking asylum for their crimes.

Romulus, therefore, set about giving laws to his unruly people.  In order to enforce these laws, the new king also set about increasing his own authority.  At all times in public, he surrounded himself with twelve lictors.  These men carried fasces, an axe surrounded by a bundle of rods.

Romulus also set about creating a social caste for his people in order to establish order.  He created a hundred senators, called 'fathers' (patres), who were to help him rule.  These patres and their families became the patrician class of Rome.

Rome was developing into a fine city.  Romulus realized that his city would only last for one generation, however.  His citizenry was formed primarily from shepherds and thieves.  There were virtually no women in his entire town.  He therefore set about trying to convince neighboring cities to grant the right of intermarriage between their towns.  Fearing that Rome might continue to gain strength, every town turned down Rome's proposals.

Since asking did not work, Romulus then decided he must steal women for his new city.  He set about organizing a lavish festival in honor of Neptune.  All the neighboring towns were invited to attend.  The majority of those in attendance were Sabine.  While the Sabines were enjoying the Roman hospitality, the Roman men burst through the crowd  and stole all of the girls.  The most attractive of whom had already been reserved for the patricians.  Shocked, the rest of the Sabines fled from the city.

The Sabines did nothing at first to regain their daughters.  The citizens of other towns who had lost their daughters grew impatient for action, and set about invading Roman territory.  Romulus soon made quick work of all the small ragtag armies.  In honor of his victories, he created the temple of Jupiter Feretrius (Jupiter the Slayer).  At this site he laid the spoils of his conquest, the armor of a king killed by his own hand.  He then decreed that the armor of any king killed in battle should be placed there.

The Sabines at last had gathered an army to retrieve their daughters.  They had taken their time, creating a very formidable force.  They took command of the Roman citadel by the treachery of the commander's daughter, whom they repaid by crushing her to death under their shields.  The Romans then attempted to retake their fortress.  Before the fighting ensued in earnest, the daughters of the Sabines ran out onto the field and pleaded for the fighting to end.  By now, they had born the Romans children and had grown to love their new husbands.

Instead of fighting, the two sides joined and became one people, with Rome as the capital.  Romulus now would rule jointly with Tatius, the king of the Sabines.  Tatius was soon killed, however, by several ambassadors from Lavinium (the town founded by Aeneas).  Romulus did not appear too upset, and he was probably glad to be rid of his co-ruler.  He did nothing to avenge Tatius' death, and in fact he renewed the treaty with Lavinium.

The rest of Romulus' rule was characterized by constant warfare with the neighboring cities, mainly the Etruscan cities of Veii and Fidenae.  After The army was fiercely loyal to their king, who fought beside them and led them to victory and the resulting plunder.  The patricians, however, had become tired of war. 

In the 37th year of his reign, Romulus was preparing for yet another war.  While he was on the Campus Martius (the field of Mars) reviewing his troops, a huge storm came.  The thunder and a thick fog robbed the men of their senses.  When the storm finally cleared, Romulus was gone.  The patricians, who had been nearest the king, quickly claimed that he had been taken up to heaven to dwell among the gods.  Eager to believe such a grand story, the army cheered wildly.  Having murdered the first king of Rome, the patricians then set about determining who would be the second.

Source(s):

1. Livy.  Ab Urbe Condita.

This page was last updated on July 21, 2004.