Editing Roman Kingdom (section)

==Monarchy==
{{further|King of Rome|Constitution of the Roman Kingdom|Magistrates of the Roman Kingdom}}
The kings following [[Romulus]], the city's founder, were elected by the people of Rome to serve for life, and did not rely upon military force to gain or keep the throne.  The only king to break fully with this tradition was [[Lucius Tarquinius Superbus]], the final king, who according to tradition seized power from his predecessor and ruled as a tyrant.

The insignia of the kings of Rome were twelve [[lictor]]s (attendants or servants) wielding the symbolic [[fasces]] bearing axes, the right to sit upon a [[curule seat]], the purple [[toga|''toga picta'']], red shoes, and a white [[diadem]] around the head. Of all these insignia, the most important was the purple ''toga picta''.

===Chief Executive===
The king was invested with supreme military, executive, and judicial authority through the use of ''[[imperium]]'', formally granted to the king by the [[Curiate Assembly]] with the passing of the ''[[Lex curiata de imperio]]'' at the beginning of each king's reign. The ''imperium'' of the king was held for life and protected him from ever being brought to trial for his actions. As the king was the sole owner of ''imperium'' in Rome at the time, he possessed ultimate [[executive power]] and unchecked military authority as the [[commander-in-chief]] of all of the [[Roman legion]]s. Also, the laws that kept citizens safe from magistrates' misuse of ''imperium'' did not exist during the monarchical period.

The king had the power to either appoint or nominate all officials to offices. He would appoint a [[Tribune|''tribunus celerum'']] to serve as both the tribune of the Ramnes tribe in Rome and as the commander of the king's personal bodyguard, the ''[[celeres]]''. The king was required to appoint the tribune upon entering office and the tribune left office upon the king's death. The tribune was second in rank to the king and also possessed the power to convene the Curiate Assembly and lay legislation before it.

Another officer appointed by the king was the ''[[praefectus urbi]]'', who acted as the warden of the city. When the king was absent from the city, the prefect held all of the king's powers and abilities, even to the point of being bestowed with ''imperium'' while inside the city.

The king also received the right to be the only person to appoint [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patricians]] to the [[Senate of the Roman Kingdom|Senate]].

===Chief Priest===
What is known for certain is that the king alone possessed the right to the [[augury]] on behalf of Rome as its chief [[augur]], and no public business could be performed without the will of the gods made known through auspices. The people knew the king as a mediator between them and the gods (cf. Latin ''pontifex'', "bridge-builder", in this sense, between men and the gods) and thus viewed the king with religious awe. This made the king the head of the [[Religion in ancient Rome|national religion]] and its chief executive. Having the power to control the [[Roman calendar]], he conducted all religious ceremonies and appointed lower religious offices and officers. It is said that Romulus himself instituted the augurs and was believed to have been the best augur of all. Likewise, King [[Numa Pompilius]] instituted the [[pontiff]]s and through them developed the foundations of the religious dogma of Rome.

===Chief Legislator===
{{Main|Leges regiae}}
Under the kings, the Senate and Curiate Assembly had very little power and authority. They were not independent since they lacked the right to meet together and discuss questions of state at their own will. They could be called together only by the king (and the tribune in the case of the Curiate Assembly) and could discuss only the matters that the king laid before them. While the Curiate Assembly had the power to pass laws that had been submitted by the king, the Senate was effectively an honorary council. It could advise the king on his action but by no means could prevent him from acting. The only thing that the king could not do without the approval of the Senate and the Curiate Assembly was to declare war against a foreign nation.

===Chief Judge===
The king's ''imperium'' both granted him military powers and qualified him to pronounce legal judgement in all cases as the chief justice of Rome. Though he could assign pontiffs to act as minor judges in some cases, he had supreme authority in all cases brought before him, both civil and criminal. This made the king supreme in times of both war and peace. While some writers believed there was no appeal from the king's decisions, others believed that a proposal for appeal could be brought before the king by any [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician]] during a meeting of the Curiate Assembly.

To assist the king, a council advised him during all trials, but this council had no power to control his decisions. Also, two criminal detectives (''quaestores parricidi'') were appointed by him as well as a two-man criminal court (''duumviri perduellionis''), which oversaw cases of treason. According to [[Livy]], [[Lucius Tarquinius Superbus]], the seventh and final king of Rome, judged capital criminal cases without the advice of counsellors, thereby creating fear amongst those who might think to oppose him.<ref>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab urbe condita libri (Livy)|Ab urbe condita]]'', [[s:From the Founding of the City/Book 1#49|1.49]]</ref>

===Election of the kings===
Whenever a king died, Rome entered a period of [[interregnum]]. Supreme power of the state would devolve to the Senate, which was responsible for finding a new king. The Senate would assemble and appoint one of its own members—the [[interrex]]—to serve for a period of five days with the sole purpose of nominating the next king of Rome.  If no king were nominated at the end of five days, with the Senate's consent the interrex would appoint another Senator to succeed him for another five-day term.  This process would continue until a new king was elected.  Once the interrex found a suitable nominee to the kingship, he would bring the nominee before the Senate and the Senate would review him.  If the Senate passed the nominee, the interrex would convene the Curiate Assembly and preside over it during the election of the king. Once the nominee was proposed to the Curiate Assembly, the citizens of Rome could either accept or reject him.  If accepted, the king-elect did not immediately enter office. Two other acts still had to take place before he was invested with the full regal authority and power.

First, it was necessary to obtain the divine will of the gods respecting his appointment by means of the auspices, since the king would serve as high priest of Rome.  This ceremony was performed by an augur, who conducted the king-elect to the citadel, where he was placed on a stone seat as the people waited below.  If found worthy of the kingship, the augur announced that the gods had given favourable tokens, thus confirming the king's priestly character. The second act which had to be performed was the conferral of the ''imperium'' upon the king.  The Curiate Assembly's previous vote only determined who was to be king, and had not by that act bestowed the necessary power of the king upon him.  Accordingly, the king himself proposed to the Curiate Assembly a law granting him ''imperium'', and the Curiate Assembly by voting in favor of the law would grant it. In theory, the people of Rome elected their leader, but the Senate had most of the control over the process.

===Senate===
{{Main|Senate of the Roman Kingdom|Citizens' assemblies of the Roman Kingdom}}
According to legend, Romulus established the Senate after he founded Rome by personally selecting the most noble men (wealthy men with legitimate wives and children) to serve as a council for the city. As such, the Senate was the King's advisory council as the [[Council of State]]. The Senate was composed of 300 senators, with 100 senators representing each of the three ancient tribes of Rome: the Ramnes ([[Latins (Italic tribe)|Latins]]), Tities ([[Sabines]]), and Luceres ([[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]]). Within each tribe, a senator was selected from each of the tribe's ten [[curia]]e. The king had the sole authority to appoint the senators, but this selection was done in accordance with ancient custom.

Under the monarchy, the Senate possessed very little power and authority as the king held most of the political power of the state and could exercise those powers without the Senate's consent. The chief function of the Senate was to serve as the king's council and be his legislative coordinator. Once legislation proposed by the king passed the Curiate Assembly, the Senate could either veto it or accept it as law. The king was, by custom, to seek the advice of the Senate on major issues. However, it was left to him to decide what issues, if any, were brought before them and he was free to accept or reject their advice as he saw fit. Only the king possessed the power to convene the Senate, except during the [[interregnum]], during which the Senate possessed the authority to convene itself.