Servius Tullius

(reigned from 578-535) The origins of Servius Tullius are unknown, however, H. H. Scullard believes he is of Latin descent, rather than the other possibility of yet another Etruscan king. [1] Scullard also believes that the story of his Etruscan wife being Tarquin's daughters, was invented to illustrate the hereditary nature of the monarchy. [1]
Livy, however states that he was chosen by the queen to be raised as one of their own as a result of the fates marking him for greatness. When he was very young he was found sleeping with fire enveloping his head, but when he woke of his own accord, the flames disappeared and he was unharmed. [2]

He took to the throne directly as a result of the queen. The king had been shot with an arrow by the sons of Ancus Marcius, and while he was on his death bed, the queen publicly announced that the king was on the mend and had announced Servius Tullius to rule in his absence. By the time it was discovered that the king was dead, Servius was already on the throne. He was the first king not elected by the people since Romulus.


He was notorius for so many radical changes in both politics and the military, some of which would most likely be the start of his demise.
'Servius Tullius is credited with a reform, military in origin and political in development, which had far-reaching consequences. Its object was to supersede the old tribes and 'gentile' curiae, to take a census of the people and to reclassify them on the basis of wealth and age in order to meet the growing military needs of the day...' [1]
This action alone would be enough to separate the classes, perhaps even set the lower classes against their social superiors. In particular when it came to the meeting of the centuries, in which a system of group-voting prevailed. As the centuries vote in order of precedence, that is, from the highest to the lowest of ranks. So the centuries of the cavalry (18) and the first class (80) together made 98, they obtained a clear majority, and so, the rich, despite being smaller en mass, could outvote the poor.
However, according to Scullard 'this was by no means unfair as it was they who had to bear the chief burden of fighting and financing the wars.'

Also considerably significant was the construction of a stone wall which turned Rome into a walled city, known as the 'Servian Wall'.

The treaty with the Latins is also atrributed to Servius. According to Livy, Serviuss constantly spoke of their common recognition of the Deity Diana. And so, he beseeched the Latins to join with the Romans in the building of a temple to her, this became the famous temple of the Ephesian Diana (currently known as the temple of Artemis). [1][2] 

Temple of Diana (before it was destroyed in 405 AD