The last king of ancient Rome came to power over the corpses of relatives

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Before the republic was established in ancient Rome, it was ruled by kings. The last of these, Tarquinius the Proud, was exiled in disgrace in 509 BC. e., and his name has forever become synonymous with dishonest and unjust tyrant. This happened thanks to a woman named Lucretia, whose fate turned out to be key to the early history of the Eternal City.

The first king of Ancient Rome was its founder - Romulus. He did not create a dynasty, and after his death, the royal power was transferred to those who were recognized as worthy by the Roman Senate, which included the most respectable citizens. The fifth of these elected kings was Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, nicknamed the Ancient, Etruscan by origin. Some historians believe that Tarquinius was not elected, but that he seized power by force. But there is no reliable confirmation of this.

Tarquinius Priscus had a son, whose name was the same - Lucius Tarquinius. At the end of the VI century BC. NS. he ruled Rome for 25 years. And went down in history under the name of Tarquinius the Proud. It ended the tsarist period, after which the era of the Republic began, which lasted almost five centuries. There are many legends about how exactly this happened. But they all boil down to the fact that the last king on the Roman throne lost the crown through his own fault.

Father-in-law killer

Tarquinius the Proud did not become king at once. After all, power was not transferred by inheritance. According to the established tradition, after the death of his father, the Senate elected an experienced courtier Servius Tullius as ruler, who was a close friend of the deceased king. He feared that the sons of Tarquinius the Ancient would sooner or later try to take the throne away from him. Therefore, he married them to his daughters. So Lucius Tarquinius and his brother Arun had wives with the same names - Tullius. The eldest of them was meek and affectionate - she married Arun. But the younger Tullia was distinguished by her willfulness and irrepressible craving for power. And becoming the wife of Lucius, she immediately started talking about a coup d'état. It did not take long to persuade Tarquinius - the position of the eternal prince did not suit him at all.

To begin with, the criminal couple decided to get rid of competitors. They conspired and killed Arun with the elder Tullia. Now only Servius Tullius stood between them and the throne. By the way, he turned out to be a good king and led a fairly wise policy. Apparently, therefore, the Senate did not really like him, but the common people adored him. This is precisely what Lucius Tarquinius did not take into account when he first tried to overthrow his father-in-law. The patricians were ready to support the coup. But ordinary Romans stood up for their beloved king, and so actively that Tarquinius had to flee.

After some time, he returned to Rome, choosing a moment when most of the people were busy working in the fields. Then Lucius Tarquinius announced that he was calling an urgent meeting of the Senate. Actually, only the king had such a privilege. But the patricians came to the call of the troublemaker. Tarquinius made a fiery speech before them, proving that he, as the son of his father, should take the royal throne. The Senate, dissatisfied with the reforms of the ruler, was ready to agree with this, but then Servius Tullius himself appeared at the forum. Despite the fact that by that time he was already a deep old man, the tsar was not going to surrender the throne to an impostor, who, moreover, repaid the good with black ingratitude. Servius Tullius had no idea how far Tarquinius's thirst for power could lead. Therefore, without any fear, he turned to him with an angry speech, demanding to leave Rome forever. Tarquinius, in response, did not stir up the discussion, but silently pushed the old man, throwing him down the steps onto the stone platform. There he was finished off by the supporters of the newly-minted usurper. And to top it all off, the body of Servius was moved by a chariot by the younger Tullia, who from that day began to be called the queen of Rome.

Apple from apple tree

The senators soon regretted bitterly that they had allowed Tarquinius to overthrow the rightful ruler. First of all, the new king surrounded himself with armed guards - lictors - and began a purge in the ranks of the patricians. Severe punishment overtook anyone who could be suspected of sympathizing with the deposed Servius Tullius. The composition of the Senate was soon reduced by almost half. Now senators spent most of their time not at meetings, but at home, shaking with fear. All state issues began to be resolved by a close circle of the tsar's close associates.

It soon became clear that Rome alone was not enough for Tarquinius the Proud. He began to wage active wars of conquest. At the same time, he did not spare anyone - the Roman troops marched with fire and sword through the lands of his Etruscan ancestors.

The story of the conquest of a city called Gabia, which did not want to submit to the tyranny of Tarquinius, is indicative. Convinced that the walls of the city were too high, long and strong, so that it would not be possible to take it by storm, the king of Rome resorted to cunning. His youngest son was sent to the city, who told the residents that he was asking them for shelter from his father's rage. This did not cause any surprise among those - the cruelty of Tarquinius was already legendary throughout the Apennine Peninsula. The fact that the killer of a brother and father-in-law could raise a hand against his own child seemed completely natural to everyone. Therefore, the son of the tyrant was received with honor in Gabiyah. He lived there for quite a long time, actively taking part in city affairs. He even commanded detachments of soldiers during sorties against the troops of his father. And then, having achieved a high position, he killed several noble citizens and opened the gates for the Romans. So the children of Tarquinius were worth their father.

Virtuous Lucretia

The son who displayed such "valor" in the war was Sextus Tarquinius. He was the third, youngest son of the tsar and at the same time possessed the most indefatigable disposition. When he and his friends indulged in revelry, respectable Romans preferred to lock themselves in their homes, so as not to run into a merry company. Well, those who did not have time to hide could only pray.

Once the attention of Sextus Tarquinius was attracted by a woman named Lucretia. She was famous throughout Rome for her decency and good upbringing. More often than not, she was called “the virtuous Lucretia”. And everyone was jealous of her husband, the patrician Lucius Tarquinius Col-Latino. He was a relative of Tarquinius the Proud, but this did not save him from trouble. Sextus Tarquinius, carried away by the beauty and meek disposition of Lucretia, attacked her in the absence of her husband and raped her. This woman could not survive. Sobbing, she told her husband about everything, and then, in front of his eyes, she pierced herself with a sword.

This overwhelmed the patience of the Romans. The body of the dishonored Lucretia was carried through the streets of the city in her arms. And Tarquinius the Proud and his sons barely managed to escape from Rome. The royal power was declared deposed, and from now on, two consuls, elected for a year, began to rule the city. The first Roman consuls were Tarquinius Collatinus and Lucius Junius Brutus. The time has come for the Republic.

Meanwhile, the exiled Tarquinius the Proud suddenly remembered his roots and turned to the Etruscans for help. At first, the Etruscan king Lare Porsenna did not want to fight with the powerful city. But Tarquinius deceived him, saying that the consuls wanted to overthrow all the kings in Italy and spread the republican form of government everywhere. This Porsenna could not stand and moved his troops to Rome.

He won several battles, but eventually retreated. It is said that this decision was made by Porsenna after a Roman spy was caught and sent to kill him. The spy's name was Guy Muzio, and he was threatened with torture. In response, demonstrating the strength of the spirit and stamina of the Romans, Gaius Muzio thrust his right hand into the fire and held it there until it was charred. This so amazed the Etruscan king that he released the young man to freedom, and then made peace with Rome. This young man later became known as Mucius Scsevola ("left-handed").

As for Tarquinius the Proud, then, disappointed in the Etruscans, he turned to the Latins for help. In 496 BC. NS. a battle took place near Lake Regil. Poorly organized Latins, led by the cruel, but not endowed with leadership talent Tarquinius, were utterly defeated by the Romans. The former king was forced to flee again - this time to one of the Greek colonies. There he died a year later.

And all his sons fell in the battle of Regila. Everyone except Sextus Tarquinius. He did not go to war with his father, but tried to hide in the very city of Gabia, which he had once captured in such a dishonorable way. It was there that he was killed by the insurgent townspeople, who did not forget and did not forgive his treachery.