The Rise of the Roman Republic

II. The Etruscans and Rome (750-509 BCE) Early Romans and their different neighbors Who were the Etruscans? The influence of the Etruscans The origin of the patron-client system First Roman political system rooted in Etruscan precedents Other developments grounded in Etruscan culture and history

Map of the Roman Empire

The Rise of the Republic When the last Etruscan king was thrown out of Rome in 509 B.C.E., Roman leaders decided to begin a very new form of government - a republic.  In a republic, citizens elect leaders to run their government.  In Rome, the leaders chosen to replace the king were called consuls.  These consuls were elected by a group of ordinary citizens known as an assembly, and the consuls were given advice by a group of rich people known as the Senate.  Although the citizens elected their own representatives, the Roman Republic was not a democracy because not every citizen had equal power. Citizens were divided into two classes, patricians and plebeians. A Roman was born into their class.

The Patricians created a Republic The Senate was a council originally made up of three hundred members, chosen among the leaders of the people, former judges, etc. The Consuls (advisors), two in number, presided over the Senate and the Comitia. They introduced bills and commanded the army in war. In Rome they ruled a month each; in the army they commanded a day each.

Roman Government

The Patricians Patricians (puh TRISH uhns) The Upper-class citizens of the Roman Republic. They came from a small group of wealthy landowners and help important military and religious offices.

The Plebeians Plebeians (plih BEE uhns) The lower-class citizens of the Roman Republic. These people were mostly peasants, laborers, craftspeople and shopkeepers. Plebeians made up about 95% of Rome’s population. They could not be priests or government officials but were forced to serve in the army.

Basic Roman Government As citizens, both Patricians and Plebeians had the right to vote.  However, only Patricians had the right to hold any political, military or religious offices.  All power was in the hands of the Patricians.

Conflict of Orders Some Plebeians were quite wealthy.  They believed that they should have the same rights as the Patricians. But the Patrician government did nothing to end this cruel practice. The struggle between the Plebeians and the Patricians became known as the Conflict of Orders.

Council of Plebeians By 494 B.C.E., the Plebeians had suffered long enough. They left  Rome. They refused to come back until the Patricians met there demands of equality. The Plebeians created their own assembly, which was known as the Tribunes of the Plebeians. They also elected their own leaders to protect their rights, who were called tribunes.

The Plebeians gain Political Equality The Patricians had no choice but to let the Plebeians keep their tribunes. The Plebeians were granted the power to veto, the ability to vote against any unjust law passed by the Senate.

The Twelve Tables

The Twelve Tables The Plebeians believed that Patrician judges took advantage of this fact to rule unfairly against plebeians. So, finally in 450 B.C.E. the laws were engraved on 12 bronze tablets called the Twelve Tables. The tablets were then displayed in the Forum, so all citizens could see the rights given to them, though few could actually read them.

Gaining Equality During the 300’s B.C.E., the Plebeians gained more and more rights.  Plebeians could now become priests in the Roman religion. Eventually Plebeians could even become members of the Senate. But the Plebeians and Patricians still held their meetings in different places. The laws passed by the Patrician senate applied to everyone. However, the laws passed by the Plebian assembly applied only to Plebeians.

Equality for Plebeians The Plebeians demanded that the laws passed by their assembly apply to all citizens. Once again, the Plebeians forced the issues by leaving Rome. This time the Patricians gave in and in 287 B.C.E. agreed to meet the demands of the Plebeians.  Plebeians and Patricians were finally equal under Roman laws.

Constitution Rome set an example of a government ruled by a written constitution (set of basic laws). Rome’s republican form of government inspired future ages in Europe and America.