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SPQR: The Men Who Made and Secured the Roman Republic

Khalid Elhassan January 3, 2025 13 min

Roman - The Oath of Junius Brutus, by Fragonard Alexander Evarist — The Oath of Junius Brutus, by Fragonard Alexander Evarist. University Online

14. The Roman Republic’s Founder

Lucius Junius Brutus, as depicted in a coin minted centuries later, in 54 BC. CNG Coins

Lucius Junius Brutus (flourished 6th century BC) was the legendary founder of the Roman Republic. In a twist of fate, he was also the ancestor of Marcus Junius Brutus, a leader of the group that assassinated Julius Caesar, the dictator who brought the Republic to an end. This early Brutus organized and led a rebellion that ousted Rome’s last monarch, after which Brutus was elected to the new republic’s first consulship – Rome’s highest office. It all began in 509 BC, in an era when Rome was still ruled by kings, and had been for generations. That year Sextus Tarquinus, son of Rome’s King Lucius Tarquinus Superbus, forced himself upon a noblewoman, Lucretia. That set in motion a chain of events that ended the Roman Monarchy, and birthed the Roman Republic.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.