Tullo Ostilio King Of Rome
by Emanuele Maria Pinto
On the death of Numa Pompilius the senate decided to appoint King Tullo Ostilio, of the Gens Hostilia, one of the first hundred families that constituted the beginnings of the Roman Gens.
Tullo was Sabino and his grandfather had fought together with the first king. With him Rome resumes its initial order and begins to fight again, and after the long reign of the previous king characterized by peace and reforms, Tullo brings Rome back to its beginnings, as if it were led by a second Romulus (First King Of Rome).
The first thing he ascended to the throne, however, is to give land to all the ones in need in the city, giving the possibility to those who did not have it to build a house or cultivate their own lands and this immediately made him become a champion of the people.
He has the Curia Hostilia built near the forum by donating it to the senators for their meetings, until that moment the rallies were held outdoors, then he begins to fight and he will be the first king who will expand the borders of Rome outside the original walls .
He waged war against Fidene Veio but the enterprise cited by all sources was the destruction of Albalonga, the birthplace of Romulus and Remus. The perpetuation of continuous guerrillas led the king of the city to propose to Tullo to have three champions fight for each city, the famous Horatii and Curiazi, triplets on each side.
Two of the Horatii die almost immediately but the last one will be able to get the better of the three Curiazi alone, Rome has won. But when Albalonga refuses not to provide military support to Rome, Tullo will have the king killed, he will deport the inhabitants to Rome and destroy the city that will never be rebuilt.
If Numa Pompilius gave Rome the religious cults and the calendar, Tullo gave Rome a military rule, new citizens and new land, following the deeds of the founder Romulus.
A similar fate unites the two also with regard to death, even Tullo Ostilio is struck by lightning inside his house and his body disappears.
The myth claims that he was electrocuted by the god Jupiter for the history of Albalonga, others that it was an accident, the fact is that at the death of Tullo the senate tries to take a step back and after years of wars they decide to entrust the crown to Anco Marcio, nephew of Numa and we will talk about this next time, of the fourth king who concludes the parable of Romans and Sabines on the throne of Rome …