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Tarquinius the Proud (Lucius Tarquinius Superbus) was born in the 6th century BCE. According to the tradition, he was the seventh and last Roman king of Etruscan origin. Reigned 535-509 BCE
Coming to power
The Tarquins were an Etruscan family originating from the city of Tarquinia. Perhaps they also had Greek blood in their veins – Livy writes that Tarquinius the Proud’s grandfather came from Corinth. The first ruler of this family was Tarquinius the Old, the fifth Roman king. He was succeeded by Servius Tullius, whose daughter Tulia married Lucius Tarquinius, son (or grandson) of Tarquinius the Old. Lucius believed that by reason of his origin he deserved the throne and he hated his father-in-law. According to the records, the power-hungry Tulia directly urged her husband to overthrow and even kill her father. Lucius, relying on the senators who owed their position to Tarquinius the Old, began to incite the Romans against the ruler. One day he sat on the royal throne and ordered the Senate to be convened. Servius Tullius, who tried to oppose the usurper, was killed by his men. These events took place around 535 BCE. Unlike the gentle and just king of the previous king, Lucius was a ruthless tyrant. It was soon named Superbus – Proud.
He imprisoned, expelled or murdered those who might threaten his authority. Tarquinius did not agree to the burial of Servius and curtailed his powers without consulting the Senate. Tarquinius tried the most important court cases without advisers. Recent decisions have shown that the new king has broken with tradition and good practice. At the beginning of his reign, Tarquinius formed an alliance with Octavius Mamilius, the dictator in Tusculum, to whom he gave his daughter’s hand.
The way he gained power and the character of Tarquinius made him disliked by all social classes. He decided that victorious wars would improve the situation, so he attacked Wolsków. The Romans captured the city of Swessa Pomecja, and the spoils obtained there were to be worth 40 talents of silver (over a ton of gold). Tarquinius decided to use them for the construction of the great temple of Jupiter. The next target of the Roman army was Gabie in Latium. When the city could not be captured, the trick described by Livy was used. The eldest son of Tarquinius the Proud – Sextus – was sent to the city, where he told that he had escaped from his father’s tyranny. He quickly gained trust and influence, and after some time he became the commander of the Gabia army. It was then that he began to eliminate the ruling elite, both through false accusations and assassinations. The city deprived of power soon fell into the hands of the Romans.
After the fighting ended, Tarquinius focused on the expansion of Rome. He built a great Etruscan-style temple on the Capitoline Hill, which became the model for all later Roman temples; it was placed on a platform and decorated with painted terracotta decorations; a triad of deities was worshipped there: Jupiter (the statue was made by the famous Etruscan sculptor Wulka), Minerva and Juno. The citizens of Rome were forced to work on construction sites, which aroused great opposition, as they considered it an occupation below their dignity. In addition, they were not paid for the work.
Tarquinius purchased from Sibyl of Kume the so-called Sibylline Books. Legend has it that Sibyl herself offered the king nine books, saying that whoever interprets their text correctly will know the future. Tarquinius replied that the price for the books was too high, then Sibylla destroyed three of them and demanded the rest of the same price. Tarquinius refused to buy again, and Sibylla destroyed another three and repeated the same price. The king finally bought three books at a price for which he was offered nine books. These books were kept in a specially built temple and could be used only in times of the greatest danger to Rome.
Tarquinius the Proud was a despotic ruler. He had two cruel sons, and he supposedly prepared one of them as his successor – thus breaking the tradition that the next kings were chosen by the Romans themselves.
A large snake is said to have appeared in the palace of Tarquinius the Proud once. The frightened king sent envoys to the Delphi oracle to find out what that meant. His sons Titus and Arruns and his nephew Lucius Junius went to Greece. The latter was called Brutus, meaning “Stupid”. In fact, he pretended to be stupid to save his life from a cruel uncle who had no mercy on opponents, even relatives. The Pythia told Tarquini’s envoys that the one who first kissed his mother would become the ruler of Rome. Actually, only Brutus understood it – kissed the ground, mother of all. The prophecy was about to come true soon.
The overthrow of the monarchy
The hated King Tarquinius started another war. He attacked the Rutul people, but their most important city – Ardea – was powerfully fortified. The monarch wanted to get it, hoping that it would calm the increasingly agitated Romans. A long siege began during which Roman commanders had little to do. Once, several of them, including Sextus Tarquinius, the king’s son, and Lucius Tarwinus Collatynus, his distant relative, went to see what their wives were doing. They all enjoyed feasts, except for Collatinus’ consort, Lucrezia, who spun wool. Sextus fell in love with her. One night he came to her house and began to persuade her to leave her husband. Sextus Tarquinius, after refusing, raped Collatinus’ wife.