Maivissutolaguerrasullasuagentehannosempreunavisioneromantica (those who have never experienced war always have a romantic vision of it)

- Pindar (ancient Greek pastoral poet)

Why did the senators react so violently to the term dictator? Dictator, as the name suggests; It is the official who holds the highest power in the republic. In a narrow sense, an individual who obtains the supreme power of the state by relying entirely on the election process of the Senate is called a "dictator." Broadly speaking, a dictator can openly and completely control the political, military, economic, cultural and other social spheres of the entire republic, completely or greatly restrict the freedom of speech, assembly, association, belief and other freedoms of every citizen, and monopolize all state powers.

Of course, electing a dictator isn't entirely bad; Because of his authority, the dictator can more easily concentrate the human and material resources of the entire republic, accomplish the goals he sees fit, and implement the policies he sees fit. Such policies may be motivated by their own personal ends, or they may have unique and long-term significance. For example, this time to solve the war crisis of the republic.

However, those who are familiar with the history of Rome know; The Romans rejected the existence of such dictators, even disgusted them. This is entirely due to the particular history of the Romans; You know, hundreds of years ago, Rome was a kingdom with kings!

The date of the founding of the Roman city is uncertain, and the Romans traditionally believe that it was in 1753 BC; Although it is possible that some people have lived there for a long time. Traditionally, the Romans attributed the founding of the city of Rome to the hero Romulus. He and his twin brother Remus are descendants of the hero Aeneas. Aeneas was the son of Venus, known in Roman mythology, who came to Italy after the Greeks captured the city of Troy.

The Roman Republic historian Titus Levi described the myth as follows: The twin brothers' grandfather was Numito, the king of the Alba kingdom in the Alban Mountains in southeastern Rome. The king's evil brother Amulius expelled the king from the country and made the king's only daughter, Leia Silvia, a virgin to prevent her from having children (virgins are not allowed to have children) in order to prevent the king's descendants from taking revenge. However, Rhea Silvia disobeyed him, fell in love with Marce, the god of war, and gave birth to twins.

When the twins were abandoned on the banks of the Tiber River, a she-wolf nursed them, and was later discovered by a shepherd, whose wife raised them. When they grew up, the twin brothers became rebel leaders. After Remus was captured and brought to King Amulius, Romulus led his men to rescue him and kill Amulius. At this time, the twin brothers' lives were revealed, and their maternal grandfather, Numito, was restored to the throne.

The brothers left their grandfather and founded their own city in the place where they were discovered by the shepherds. When deciding who would be the ruler of the city, the oracle told them to decide by the birds they saw that ported success. Remus stood on Mount Aventine and saw 6 vultures, and Romulus stood on Mount Palatine and saw 12 vultures. The latter numbers were luckier, but Remus was the first to see the signs. As a result, a quarrel broke out between the brothers, and Romulus eventually killed Remus and became king of the new city. He ruled for a long time, and after his death was accepted into the gods, becoming the revered god of war, Quirinus.

As Rome developed into a city, establishing its own politics and culture, the Romans emulated their neighboring Etruscan civilization. Early Roman politics was a time of kingship, in which the king held absolute power. He was the Grand Legislator, the head of the army, the High Priest of the gods, and his power was curtailed only by the Senate and the Citizens' Assembly. The Senate is the Council of Elders and is made up of the heads of different clans. In accordance with the Constitution and traditions, the Senate has the power to pass or reject the appointment of the king and to adjudicate the king's legislation and proceedings. The Citizens' Assembly consisted of all the male citizens of Rome and was divided into 30 groups according to kinship; It granted the monarch the power to exercise, which was finally duly approved by the Senate.

As Rome's power and influence grew, wealth began to concentrate in the hands of a few. The aristocracy was the wealthiest member of society as a whole, they controlled most of the trade, administration, and military, and only they were able to enter the Senate or be appointed and elected officials. Civilians, mainly small farmers, labourers and craftsmen, make up the majority of the population and have little opportunity to have a voice in government.

After Romulus (reigned 37 years), six other kings are traditionally recorded: Numa Pompilius (reigned 43 years), Toulouse Hostilius (reigned 32 years), Ancus Mathius (reigned 44 years), and L. Tarquinius Priscus (reigned 38 years), Servius Turius (reigned 44 years) and L. Tarquinius Huppebos (reigned 25 years).

During the royal era, Rome greatly expanded its control over the surrounding territories. The clear purpose of establishing a royal government was to provide stability and security, and the conquest of the surrounding territories served this purpose. The Romans did not seem particularly greedy for territory and wealth; Their conquests were mainly aimed at guarding against threats to their own security from the surrounding peoples. As the territory expanded, the Romans attracted the attention of the powerful Etruscans in the north.

In the middle of the 6th century BC, the Etruscans seized power in Rome. For a time, the Etruscan king ruled the city-state, which made the Romans resentful. Finally, after King Tarvin of Etruscan raped the wife of a nobleman, Lucretia, the Romans revolted and overthrew him in 509 BC. While the rape of Lucretia and the overthrow of Tarven by Junius Brutus may be a rehearsal story, the overthrow of the Tarveen regime undoubtedly marked the decline of the Etruscan regime and civilization.

Instead of electing a Latin monarch, the Romans abandoned the monarchy altogether and established a republic, heralding the beginning of the period of greatest expansion of Roman power. Rome was ruled by the four great families and the Senate who overthrew the Etruscan regime. The consuls do not hold the supreme power, but are elected every four years by the members of the four major families. The consuls exercised the powers of the republic together with the high priests, procurators, state officials, administrators, and treasurers; However, the exercise of power must be subject to the consent and approval of the Senate.

The six officials even dressed like kings, wearing purple robes and sitting on ivory thrones traditionally used by kings. However, their power was very strictly limited: they only ruled for four years, after which they served in the Senate; They are in power of six, and any one official can effectively block the opponent's actions or decisions with a simple veto. In this way, the Roman Republic tended to be conservative and cautious, as the consuls did not have many opportunities to be aggressive and creative.

The effective power was concentrated in the hands of the nobles represented by the four major families, which caused the resentment of the common people. Serious conflicts often arose between the two classes, manifested in the aristocracy's insistence on seizing power, while the plebeians persevered in their pursuit of social and political equality. At that time, the common people produced food and provided labor, which allowed the Roman economy to grow, and they were also the source of the Roman army. It can be said that without the commoners, the nobility could not survive.

The first written law, the Twelve Bronze Tables, promulgated in 450 B.C., sought to quell the struggle between the two classes. In 445 BC, commoners gained the right to marry nobles; In 367 BC, commoners gained the power to be elected consuls and subsequently to enter the Senate. In 300 BC, commoners were allowed to participate in rituals of all ranks, which gave them equal status to the nobility in religious matters.

These reforms were carried out without war or bloodshed, and although they did not fundamentally settle the struggle between the two classes, they avoided a civil war. Therefore, there are still a considerable number of commoner-born senators in the current Senate; The rise of the House of Augustus also depended on the republican aristocracy, which relaxed its repression of commoners and nascent nobility.

The Romans were adept at administering conquered territories, and they used a policy that combined enlightenment with dictatorship. They usually do not destroy conquered cities, but give them some power. Some cities, especially those near Rome, were granted Roman citizenship in their entirety. Still others were granted autonomy, while others formed alliances. However, all cities had to pay taxes and send troops to Rome.

In addition, Roman soldiers were stationed in partially conquered places, and their military expenses were paid locally. In these places, Rome was reaped, and the soldiers acquired valuable belongings and became permanent military residents of the land. In this way, Rome maintained a permanent military base in each of the regions conquered. To consolidate these bases, the Romans embarked on ambitious road construction works.

The roads they built were of high quality, straight as a line, even straight through the mountains, ensuring that soldiers and supplies could be transported quickly to the rebels. By implementing a policy of combining power and citizenship in the conquered territories (or promising them citizenship in the future), and establishing a channel that ensured a swift and severe response to the rebel areas, the Romans created a lasting republic of peace on the Italian peninsula!

It is precisely because of the development of peace and stability over the centuries of the Republic, as well as the bad memories of royal power and dictatorship; Therefore, the Romans, whether nobles or commoners, frantically resisted the birth of the dictator in their hearts. Even though the nobles who made the laws of Rome at that time took into account the possible future crisis of the republic, they left the power to elect dictators to their descendants; However, the patriarchs were still reluctant to make such a decision. Moreover, all the patriarchs frantically rejected this practice.

At this time, each of the patriarchs was fiercely refuting Marius in his own words; They are all expressing their strong dissatisfaction in their own ways. Even Marius's two brothers-in-law and father-in-law were extremely dissatisfied with Marius's unrealistic and irresponsible words; Because the senators may mistakenly think that this is the ambition of the Maxentius family, and that Marius is only serving the Maxentius family.

In short, Marius's queen provoked the anger of the senators; He also returned to his seat under the angry shouts of the angry senators, and did not speak. Marcus, acting as consul, began to reassure the agitated senators, assuring that it was only a momentary gaffe by Marius; The republic will never elect any dictator. This was the consensus of all the Romans, and it was hoped that the senators would forgive Marius for his ignorance.

At last, the meeting room of the Senate was quiet again after a great uproar; But no one noticed the strange smile that Marius had on when he returned to his seat.