Servius Tullius 578-535
Supernatural
one myth presents servius as a young slave whose head was surrounded in flame while he slept
priscus' wife stated that this meant the young boy would save the royal family in its time of need
priscus raised servius as his son and married him to one of his daughters
Livy suggests instead that he was the son of the general of Corniculum, and when he died his pregnant wife was brought to rome and became friends with priscus' wife
so livy disputes that Servius was a slave
Succession
when priscus was assassinated there was chaos
priscus' wife urged servius to take the throne
she claimed that the gods 'have chosen you' - livy
he was the first king since romulus not chosen by the people
Political changes
introduced the census, a class system that determined how much each individual would contribute to the military
he also developed the equites, a prestigious cavalry unit that was given a state horse
servius is thus remembered 'as the one who established all distinctions and ranks in society whereby groups are differentiated from one another by station and wealth'
he also changed the voting system, votes were now cast according to wealth. The rich voted first and decisions would be made before the poorest cast their vote
Livy praised these reforms, saying the class system and census were 'an invaluable institution for a nation destined to be so great'
Social Changes
introduced a new tribal system, each tribe describing where a person lived in rome. there were four areas
he added two new areas, the Quirinal and Viminal hills
servius was believed to have begun the construction of the servian wall but archeology suggests this happened in the 4th century
Religious Changes
livy describes the importance of the temple of diana
it was a joint project between rome and some latin cities to strengthen the ties between them
livy suggests it was also used by rome to cement its position as the most powerful city in the area