WI: Entire Roman Senate killed in 270 BC

After the Samnite Wars, but before the Punic Wars, the ruling select known as the Senate are all assassinated in a very ambitious (and successful) plan against the Roman government from external (non-Roman) forces.
What would be Romans react? How would culture change? Would a king/emperor take over or would the previous government (or a new republic) be able to monopolize the power?
I need this for a possible ASB timeline (I just figured this would be better where someone might put some thought into thinking it through), and the premise is possibly a little bit ASB, but I am wondering how such a catastrophe effect the Romans, could it result in a balkanized Rome?
 
For some idea what the scenery is for this:
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Why is this apparently a topic to be avoided? Is it simply a stupid question? Or is it totally unpredictable?
 
How are you wiping out the senate? Assassinating the whole lot at once would be . . . difficult if not ASB.
 
Why is this apparently a topic to be avoided? Is it simply a stupid question? Or is it totally unpredictable?

Its really, really, really unpredictable, how people react to the sudden onset of complete anarchy is kind of important. To give perspective this is essentially the entire Roman government and military leadership dead and no clear solution for who takes over.
 
It's just the kind of scenario that doesn't make any sense. Belongs in ASB.

That said, I imagine you'd have serious political (and social) restructuring in Rome, since most of the top aristocrats and magistrates are gone. Results after that? Probably very unpredictable, but Rome is going to be screwed up for quite a while.
 
I'm still stuck on the historical map that includes Narnia.

I would have thought I'd know of that.

Edit: Narnia?
 
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maybe during a session, the roof of the senate house collapses ? Or alternatively they're trapped inside by their attackers and the building is set ablaze ?
 
There is not going to be complete anarchy. The Roman Reopublic at this time was small enough to be effectively run by families, not institutions. There would be serious dislocation, but the most likely bet is that someone with enough dignitas, maybe a scion of a senatorial family of great standing or a successful war leader, or, assuming they survive, the tribunes of the plebs, convenes the centuriate comitia, a dictator pro tem is appointed, and whoever killed the senators ends up being very sorry indeed. Rome will havve lost a very valuable stock of procedural knowledge, experience and contacts, but its government can continue to function and its armies at this stage are pretty much designed to win victories despite their officer corps.
 
As elfwine said, how exactly is this done. Killing a few senators, yes, but how could anyone manage to kill all of them?

Some kind of treason most foul. Maybe an ambush at the feriae Latinae. Of course you'll never get all of them - someone's bound to be home feeling poorly, or out of town killing his regulation 5000 barbarians, but close enough to make no difference might be possible if you have allies in the Roman system.
 
Most of the stuff is easy to start with. Old senetors come back, the next highest in rank takes over the army, you could even have the Roman city council taking control. This would be ok for the short term, maybe a few weeks. Then starts the in fighting, the back stabbing, bribes.
 
I would suspect that the assemblies would convene, set new laws for the requirement to be senator, populate the senate again by election, appoint some retired military leader dictator and then things would get bad for whoever was behind the attack on the senate.

The Roman Republic had a complete govermnet - the senate was only one of many institutions. The assemblies elected senators, often from magistrate positions. The assemblies, the censors (who registered who could be senators and handled the elections), the bureaucracy, the army, the wealthy families providing senators, retired senators etc would all still be present.

There'll be some confusion initially, but a republican government can handle this kind of event - it will let some strange and poor people into the senate who would normally not be there, but killing 300 of Rome's most influential people is not beheading the Roman Republic completely. A new head will grow from the body.
 
Most of the stuff is easy to start with. Old senetors come back, the next highest in rank takes over the army, you could even have the Roman city council taking control. This would be ok for the short term, maybe a few weeks. Then starts the in fighting, the back stabbing, bribes.

It's 270 BC. there are no older senators to come back. Depending on the time of the year, there may also well not be an army. Killing the senate removes the top tier of every Roman leading family. But there are sons.
 
yep ... at this point in time, the Senate is still only one of many official institutions with power ...

You'd probably get a new appointment of the senate picking from the Ordo Equesters (still serving as Roman cavalry, hence high ranked military and the social caste just below senators) and sons and brothers of killed senators ... ruled by the de facto leader of the Equesters and city bureaucrats (tax office) and religous leaders (although many of them would have been killed as well, there would still be a hierachy to pick from of those)

It'll be a major kick in the nuts but it wouldn't incapitate Rome for years, just make them very very pissed, and probably more warmongering, since they want revenge
 
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