Servius Tullius was the sixth king of Rome. He probably reigned from 578 to 534 B.C. Legend says his mother was a slave of Tanaquil, the wife of King Tarquinius Priscus. When Tanaquil saw Saint Elmo’s fire, an electrical phenomenon, around the infant Servius’s head, she predicted greatness for him. Servius married Tarquinius’s daughter and later became king when Tarquinius died.
Servius reorganized the political system of the state. He increased the number of tribes, or clans, in Rome and created the idea of a census. The census assigned citizens to voting groups called centuries according to their age, status, and wealth. All male citizens could vote. However, the richest people controlled the most centuries, and the poorest, the fewest. The new political system also formed the basis for the organization of the army. Servius is alleged to have built the walls of Rome. He was murdered by his daughter and her husband, Tarquinius Superbus.
See also Rome, Ancient (The regal period) ; Tarquinius Priscus, Lucius ; Tarquinius Superbus, Lucius .
