In 509 BC, the people of Rome brought an end to monarchy. The final king, Tarquin the Proud, was expelled in a revolt sparked by a noblewoman's tragedy. According to the historian Livy, the suicide of Lucretia became the defining event that moved Romans to create a new form of government: the 'Res Publica,' or public affair. Led by Lucius Junius Brutus, they vowed no single man would ever hold absolute power again. The king was replaced by two elected consuls who served single-year terms and could each veto the other's decisions, while the Senate acted as a permanent council of elder statesmen. The Roman fear of kingship became so profound that the word for king, 'rex', remained a potent political insult for the next five centuries.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire
How Rome grew from a Republic into a vast empire, and why its western half fell in 476 while the east endured until 1453.
Chapter 1
The End of Kings
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Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Roman Republic begin?
The Roman Republic was traditionally established in 509 BC. The Roman people expelled their last king, Tarquin the Proud, and created a new system of government led by two annually elected consuls and a Senate to prevent any single person from holding absolute power.
Why is 476 AD considered the end of the Western Roman Empire?
The year 476 AD marks the deposition of the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, by the Germanic general Odoacer. Instead of naming a successor, Odoacer sent the imperial regalia to the Eastern Emperor in Constantinople, effectively ending the separate line of Western emperors.
Did the Roman Empire completely end in 476 AD?
No, only the Western Roman Empire ended in 476 AD. The Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, continued to thrive with its capital at Constantinople. This eastern half preserved Roman law and traditions for nearly another thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453.
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