Tullus Hostilius, the Third King of Rome
All good things come to an end, and so did Numa Pompilius’ prosperous reign. According to tradition, Pompilius died in 672 B.C., mourned by a grateful nation. So, it was time to elect a new king. Who would the lucky one be? The late king’s friend and fellow Sabine, Numa Marcius, or the warlike Latin, who chaffed during the long years of peace, Tullus Hostilius?
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Tullus Hostilius, The Third King of Rome
As we already discussed, when a king died, the Senate appointed an Interrex responsible for nominating a successor. In this case, two prominent candidates vied for the honor.
Numa Marcius was the first Pontifex Maximus in Roman history, appointed by his namesake, King Numa Pompilius. Presumably, he desired to continue Pompilius’ legacy of peace.
Tullus Hostilius had different ideas, though. The grandson of Hostus Hostilius, the Latin warrior who died fighting the Sabines during Romulus’ reign, Tullus believed the previous ruler’s peaceful manner had weakened Rome. He might also have had an axe to grind against the guy whose kin slew his heroic grandfather.
Eventually, Hostilius was chosen for the job, placing Rome on a collision course with its neighbors. Losing his bid for the kingship, Numa Marcius is said to have starved himself to death.
Rome’s Neighbours
The early Kingdom of Rome was but a strip of land surrounding the capital. Beyond it lay the settlements of their close cousins: the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans. Keep in mind that most of the significant urban centers were within walking distance from each other.
To the east and south, the towns of the Latin League reigned supreme. The 30 Latin towns congregated under the leadership of Alba Longa, the city of origin of the founders of most of these towns, including Rome—Romulus and Romus descended from the Alban royal family.
To the west and northwest, just across the Tiber River, the Etruscan cities ruled the land, Veii being one of their major settlements in the area.
To the northeast, the hills beyond the Anio River hosted the Sabines. The grandmothers of most Romans living during the reign of Tullus Hostilius hailed from these parts.
Despite the decades of peaceful coexistence between Rome and its neighbors and the fact that most of these people were close relatives of the Romans, the new king was openly hostile toward all of them. You might say Tullus Hostilius was an insecure, murderous psychopath, and why wouldn’t he be one? Most autocrats and dictator-wannabees usually are.
War with Alba Longa
Hostilius itched for war, so I can only imagine his joy when the Albans offered him a pretext.
A group of Romans accused a bunch of Albans of robbing them. Conversely, the Albans claimed they were the victims of the Romans. As a result, the emissaries of the two sides arranged a meeting to resolve the conflict.
When the Alban legation arrived in Rome, Hostilius welcomed them warmly and then kept them busy so they couldn’t formulate their demands. However, when the Roman delegation arrived, they addressed the issue head-on, demanding reparations. Taken by surprise, the Albans refused out of hand.
According to the customs of the day, Hostilius now had a legitimate pretext for war since the Albans were the first to refuse a “reasonable” solution to their dispute.
Left with no other choice, the Alban king, Gaius Cluilius, marched his army to Rome and dug an impressive trench around it. The resulting structure was called the Cluilian Trench for decades to come.
Unfortunately for the Albans, their king died shortly afterward for reasons lost to time—probably due to an illness of sorts. While they were busy electing General Mettius Fufetius as wartime dictator of Alba Longa, Hostilius crossed the Cluilian Trench, bypassed the Alban army, and marched the legion to their foes’ capital.
Naturally, the Albans packed their gear and pursued. They eventually caught up with the Romans, and the two armies prepared for battle. Then, things took an unexpected turn.
Horatii and Curiatii
Remember when I said that Rome and their rivals’ settlements were within walking distance? It meant that while the Romans and their Latin cousins were fighting, the Etruscans or the Sabines could easily invade from the west or north, falling behind the warring armies. It is one of the reasons why Rome and Alba Longa couldn’t afford to send their armies on long expeditions and leave their respective cities undefended.
Also, keep in mind that these were citizen armies. If they destroyed each other in protracted fighting, there weren’t enough people left back home to replenish the ranks.
Painfully aware of their precarious military position, Fufetius asked Hostilius to parlay before they engaged each other. The two men agreed to decide the victor through a duel between champions instead of a full-blown battle.
The Romans selected three brothers to act as their champions, the Horatii. Consequently, the Albans sent the three Curiatii brothers.
In view of the two armies, the Horatii and Curiatii began the fight. Initially, the Curiatii seemed to come out on top. Two of the Horatii lay dead, but all of the three Curiatii were injured.
The surviving Roman, Publius Horatius, turned and ran, with the Alban brothers in pursuit. However, due to their injuries, the Curiatii ran at different speeds, and at some point, a wide gap grew between them.
It was when Publius turned to face them and engaged the injured men one by one. He dispatched his soon-to-be brother-in-law last to the cheers of the Roman army. Ah, yes, Camilla of the Horatii was engaged to one of the Curiatii boys. More on this in a moment.
Having lost the contest of champions, the Alban dictator accepted Rome’s overlordship, turning Alba Longa into a vassal of Rome. Before returning to Rome, Hostilius instructed Fufetius to prepare for war against the Etruscans.
Publius Horatius and His Sister
Once the victorious legion returned to Rome, the exploits of Publius Horatius swept across the city. His sister, Camilla, wasn’t too excited about her future husband being slain by her own brother. Understandably, she cried and wailed as any grieving widow would do. Publius, however, was another of those psychotic heroes Rome loved to love. He killed his sister on the spot in front of the celebrating Roman crowd.
This behavior was a bit too much for the authorities, so Publius was condemned to death. Yet, King Tullus Hostilius, a legal expert himself, advised Publius to appeal to the People’s Assembly. Unsurprisingly, the bloodthirsty Roman populace was more than happy to pardon their hero. All he did was murder his sister for no reason whatsoever. Lovely family!
To be fair, Publius and his father were required to erect a wooden beam at the foot of the Oppian Hill and pass under it in penitence. The so-called Sister’s Beam (Sororium Tigillum) stood for years to come. Conversely, the spoils of war were hung in a place called Pila Horatia.
I recounted the tale of Publius Horatius to shed light on the Romans’s bloody mindset and highlight the first instance of a citizen appealing to the people. Despite the outcome of this particular case, the possibility of appealing the decision of a court seems like a rather enlightened practice.
Second War with Veii and Fidenae
To clarify from the onset, it is remembered as the Second War with Veii and Fidenae because Romulus had already fought with the very same towns once.
As a result of the previous war under Romulus, Fidenae hosted a significant group of Roman colonists. It seems, though, that after a couple of generations, they felt like Fidenates rather than Romans.
Unhappy with his new status as a Roman vassal, Mettius Fufetius schemed with Rome’s archrival, the Etruscan city of Veii. They convinced the Fidenates to rebel and join the Veientes in their struggle against Rome.
Unaware of Fufetius’ dealings, Hostilius summoned the Albans to war as soon as the Veientes and Fidenates raised their armies.
The armies faced each other near the confluence of the Anio and Tiber Rivers, just north of Rome. When the battle began, Fufetius led his Alban troops away from the field, leaving the outnumbered Romans to their fate. It seemed like the end for Hostilius and his aggressive reign. Yet, sometimes, things come down to sheer luck.
To prevent panic among his troops, the Roman king announced loudly that the Albans were executing an outflanking maneuver on his orders. Being the descendants of Roman colonists, the Fidenates understood Hostilius’ words—worried by the Albans’ plans, they retreated from the battle.
As a result, the Romans faced the army of Veii on equal terms and managed to route them.
The Fate of Alba Longa
Outraged by the Albans’ betrayal, Tullus Hostilius meted out his bloody revenge.
First, because Mettius Fufetius seemed thorned between the two cities, Rome and Veii, Hostilius had him executed gruesomely. The Alban dictator’s legs and arms were tied to two chariots that ran in opposite directions. You can imagine the rest.
Then, Hostilius had Alba Longa raized except for its temples. However, he was unexpectedly gracious toward its citizens. The entire Alban population was transported to Rome, where they were awarded Roman citizenship. Most of them settled on the Caelian Hill. Thus, Rome instantly doubled its size.
A larger population meant a larger army. Hostilius wasted no time in increasing the number of Roman cavalry and infantry.
Moreover, the leading Alban families became Roman patricians, with many members joining the Roman Senate. These were the Curiatii, Cloelii, Geganii, Julii, Servilii, and Qunctii—remember their names since their descendants will play significant roles in Rome’s future.
The significant increase in Senate membership allowed Tullus Hostilius to be remembered for a non-violent deed. The Roman king commissioned the Curia Hostilia, the first dedicated Senate building.
War with the Sabines
Hostilius warred with the Latins of Alba Longa and the Etruscans from Veii, but he wasn’t a man of half-measures when it came to venting his frustration on the world. There was still one neighbor he hadn’t molested yet: the Sabines of Cures, the hometown of his predecessor.
North of Rome, on the Etruscan side of the Tiber, there was a famous sanctuary called Lucus Feroniae. While the name Feronia suggests a Sabine origin, Lucus Feroniae depended on the Faliscan town of Capena. The Faliscans were an Italic tribe closely related to the Latins.
Imagine a Canadian town located on the Mexican side of the USA-Mexico border governed by a Native American tribal nation. It would be a kind of neutral place between the region’s major powers.
Naturally, Lucus Feroniae became an important market and meeting place for the neighboring people.
Looking to pick a fight, Hostilius seized the opportunity when the Sabines detained a group of Roman merchants in the market of Lucus Feroniae. In retaliation, the Romans arrested some Sabine traders in Rome.
The Sabines of Cures prepared for war and enlisted the help of Etruscan volunteers from Veii. While Veii didn’t get directly involved, it did nothing to stop some of its citizens from joining the Sabine host.
Hostilius marched the Roman army north into Sabine territory, confident in their superior numbers. Please note the Roman forces doubled in size since the Albans were forcefully relocated to Rome. The new Alban cavalry squadrons (turmae) significantly impacted the battlefield, disrupting the Sabine battleline and forcing them to retreat in disarray.
It is unclear what benefits the Romans drew from this victory. Perhaps it was only an ego trip for King Hostilius to spite the ghost of his predecessor, Numa Pompilius. For a casual observer of modern-day politics, it is hard to miss that incumbents find extreme pleasure in dismantling their predecessors’ legacy, good governance be damned. Politicians never change.
Death of Tullus Hostilius
There are conflicting accounts of how Tullus Hostilius died.
Displeased with the king’s behavior, the gods sent various messages, such as a shower of stones on Mount Alban, accompanied by a loud voice complaining about stuff. They followed up with a plague in Rome, in case people weren’t paying attention.
Terrified, King Hostilius delved into religious study, including the commentaries of the pious Numa Pompilius. However, a sinner remains a sinner, no matter what. When Hostilius organized sacrifices to Jupiter, he failed to follow the correct ceremonial steps. It was the final straw for the King of Gods. Lightning struck Tullus Hostilius and his house, reducing everything to ashes.
The more probable tale recounts how Ancus Marcius, the grandson of Numa Pompilius (Rome’s second king) and Numa Marcius (Rome’s first Pontifex Maximus), dropped by Hostilius’ residence with some friends. Once inside, they produced their concealed weapons and massacred the entire household: the king, his family, and all of the servants.
Both stories have the same moral: Tullus Hostilius was a horrible person, and he paid the price for his behavior.
Tullus Hostilius’ Legacy
Was Tullus Hostilius a real person? Most probably, yes. The Senate building bearing his name existed until the final days of the Republic, so a big boss with this name certainly existed.
However, the details of his reign are less clear-cut.
For one, the war with Veii and Fidenae seems suspiciously similar to the conflict Rome had with the mentioned towns under Romulus.
Also, Hostilius seems to be a caricature of a warlike maniac, the mirror image of his saintly predecessor. They are too akin to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for my taste.
Probably, Tullus Hostilius was more inclined to resort to force than Numa Pompilius. Perhaps the circumstances demanded it. Who knows?
But we know that Rome replaced Alba Longa as the top dog in Latium and that the addition of the Alban populace significantly boosted the growth of Rome, its economy, and its army. Hostilius deserves to be remembered as an impactful ruler for this deed, at least.
The fact that he erected the first building specifically designed to house the Senate might be a testament to a less tyrannical leader than later Romans implied.
We might never know whether Hostilius was a violent tyrant or just a typical leader of those times. However, later Romans didn’t seem particularly ashamed of him despite the subtext of his eventual demise. After all, he subjugated their Latin rival and trashed Rome’s enemies left and right.
