Founding of Rome

The Founding of Rome was the founding of the city of Rome by the twin brothers Romulus and Remes in 753 BCE. It resulted as the culmination of the creation of the First Latin Republic in approximately 1500 BCE, the Trojan Migration to Italia in 1184 BCE, the Second Trojan War in 1180 BCE, and the Third Trojan War. The founding occurred as Athenian generals Romulus and Remes conquered the region from the Kingdom of Troy and Second Latin Republic, forming the State of Rome. In the aftermath of the founding, the First Roman Civil War broke out between the Romulus Royalists and the Remes Republicans.
== Prelude ==
=== First Trojan War ===
Main article: First Trojan War
In 1186 BCE, the First Trojan War broke out between the Tyranny of Athens and the Kingdom of Troy. The war openned with the Athenian Raid on Troy. After the Athenians successfully killed several hundred Trojans in the raid, the next year saw the start of the prolonged Siege of Troy, lasting a year long. After the Siege of Troy, Athenians launched the Sack of Troy, murdering the Trojan king Priam and lighting the entire city on fire. After Priam's murder, Aeneas became the Trojan king, leading the Trojans to migrate to Italia.
=== Second Trojan War ===
Main article: Second Trojan War
After the Trojan Migration to Italia, the Kingdom of Troy continued existing in the region and established the city of New Troy. However, the already existing First Latin Republic that claimed the territory where New Troy was located was angered by the Trojan presence, declaring war on the Trojans in 1180 BCE. In the Battle of New Troy that followed the declaration, the Trojans routed the Latin forces, chasing them to the city of Campeva, defeating them in the Battle of Campeva. After the defeat at Campeva, the Latins surrendered and were fully annexed by the Kingdom of Troy.
=== Third Trojan War ===
Main article: Third Trojan War
In 755 BCE, the a small expedition of sailors from the Tyranny of Athens discovered the Kingdom of Troy had survived the First Trojan War during a small naval skirmish. The surviving sailors from the skirmish reported back to Athens on their findings. After this, Athens sent a larger force to challenge Troy. When Athenian troops landed on the coastline of Italy, marching towards New Troy and starting the prolonged the Siege of New Troy. With the Trojans weakened, the Latin tribes declared independence from Troy, founding the Second Latin Republic. The Siege of New Troy, thanks primarily to the military tactics of the Athenian generals Romulus and Remes, was one by Athens, allowing the Athenians to storm into New Troy.
== Timeline ==
=== Storming of New Troy ===
After the Siege of New Troy ended in an Athenian victory, the Athenian generals Romulus and Remes led the Athenian military into the center of the city. The Athenians stormed in the thousands into the city, hoping to cripple the Trojan and Latin forces that controlled the western and eastern halves of the city respectively. Romulus led a division to storm the western side, assaulting the Trojan military with full force. The Trojans held out for three days with their defenses, however Romulus broke their line and moved into the city center. Meanwhile, Remes and his forces stormed the east side of the city and assaulted the Latins. The Latins held their line bravely, using a phalanx to make the assault bloody for Remes. Remes was forced to call off the storming and retreated, meeting with Romulus and making plans for a second charge against the Latins.
=== Fall of the Latins ===
A few days after the failed offensive against the Latins by Remes, Remes launched a second charge against the Latins. The Latins, thinking that the previous retreat of Remes and his forces meant the Athenians had given up, were unprepared for the attack. Within hours, the Latin line would fall. However, the Chairman of the Second Latin Republic Pia Bonifacio ordered her men to never give up and that they could still win. With this, the Latins lined up a new line of defense several feet west of their previous eastern phalanx. The Latins mounted another phalanx, preparing for anything. Remes and his forces launched a third charge against the Latins, barely putting a dent in their lines. However, Romulus and his forces attacked from the west, moving on the phalanx from behind. Without their back defended, the phalanx collapsed and the Latins moved into a circular formation in a desperate attempt to mount a last defense. In the hours that followed, the hopeless Latin defenders were brutally massacred. By the end of the day, hundreds of Latins were dead, more hundreds of Latins were wounded, several Latin survivors were captured, and hundreds of Latin soldiers had simply deserted. At 11:00 PM, the last few Latin soldiers were bleeding out, Pia Bonifacio among them. Remes walked among the hundreds upon hundreds of bodies to find the Chairman of the Second Latin Republic. When Remes found her, he laughed at her and exclaimed, "Look how the mighty Chairman has fallen!" Remes then lifted his gladius, impaling Pia Bonifacio with it on the spot. Pia Bonifacio, bleeding out and stabbed, muttered the words "such is life..." before falling motionless on the ground.
=== Skirmish at Portuense ===
A few days after the destruction of the Second Latin Republic by the forces of Romulus and Remes, the Athenian military launched an expedition to capture the area of the city of New Troy called Portuense. Several hundred Athenians attacked the Trojan positions from all sides, however the Trojans managed to mount four separate phalanxes, holding their positions. Remes himself attempted to attack the Trojans, getting stabbed by a Trojan and being forced to retreat. Afterwards, Romulus fired an arrow at the Trojan king Priam II. The arrow hit Priam II in the head, killing him instantly. Despite this, the Trojans held their line and ambushed the army under Romulus. The forces under Romulus took heavy casualties, being forced to retreat and back off.
=== Proclamation of Rome ===
After the skirmish that occurred at Portuense, Romulus and Remes knew that they needed to boost their men's morale. Because of this, they decide to proclaim the creation of the State of Rome, renaming the city of New Troy to "Rome". The name of the city comes from the names of Romulus and Remes. With this, the Tyranny of Athens sees that the territory they'd conquered from the Trojans was now forming a new country and withdraws from the war.
=== Assault at the Colosseum ===
A week after the proclamation of Rome, the Trojans reorganized their forces, including what remained of the Trojan military and the newly incorporated Latin remnants, at the Colosseum in Rome they had built during the New Troy era. Romulus and Remes heard about the Trojan forces gathering in the Colosseum and marched with the Roman military to attack the Trojans. The Trojans mounted another phalanx, hoping to defeat the Roman assault and secure the continued existince of the Kingdom of Troy. However, the Trojans were demoralized after the prolonged war with the Greeks and now Romans. With this demoralization, the Trojan phalanx brroke the second the Romans marched on them. The Trojans begged for mercy, which Romulus and Remes granted. With the Trojans now all laying down their arms, the Roman soldiers then broke their promise and slaughtered every last Trojan. Those who survived were either captured, left only half-alive, or were taken as prisoners. The Kingdom of Troy was no more.
== Aftermath ==
With the State of Rome secured as a independent city-state in the Italian peninsula and the Trojans and Latins no longer having a settled state, a short-lived peace began. For a week-long period, Romulus and Remes tried to build up Rome in the aftermath of the long and drawn out battle that had just occurred where the city now stood. However, the peace was very fragile as Romulus and Remes disagreed on how to govern the country. Just a week after the Founding of Rome, the First Roman Civil War broke out.
Category:Alternate History of Rome
Category:Battles