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Resistance See other Resistance Articles Title: The Best Predictor of the Future is the Past Tarquinius Superbus (Unknown – 496 B.C.), more commonly known by his cognomen Tarquinius Superbus, was the seventh King of Rome, reigning from 535 until the Roman revolt in 509 B.C. which would lead to the establishment of the Roman Republic. Superbus was the seventh emperor of the Roman Kingdom, and a member of the Etruscan dynasty of Rome. The historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus may have divided one historical figure named Tarquin into two separate kings because of problems with dating their legendary events. Superbus was also called Tarquin the Proud and Tarquin II among other titles / names. Superbus father, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, was the fifth King of Rome reigning from 616-579 B.C. Priscus came from the Etruscan city of Tarquinii. Livy claims that his first name Lucius was a Latinization of his original Etruscan name Lucumo, but since Lucumo (Etruscan Lauchme) is the Etruscan word for "King", there is reason to believe that Priscus' name and title have been confused in the official tradition. Disgruntled with his opportunities in Etruria, he migrated to Rome with his wife Tanaquil, at her suggestion. It is said that Superbus killed preceding king, Servius Tullius to make himself king of Rome. There are few surviving sources on Supberbus reign, and he is described as a tyrant and dictator when ruling the kingdom. He directed much of his attention to ambitious war plans and he eventually annexed various Latin neighbouring city states. In 509 B.C. the people revolted as a result of his son Sextus Tarquinius' rape of Lucretia, who was an important noblewoman in the kingdom. Tarquin's mother, Queen Tanaquil had aided in the selection of Servius Tullius, Tarquin's brother-in-law, as heir to the Roman throne upon the assassination of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus by the sons of the previous king in 579 BC. Tarquin's brother Aruns Tarquinius married Servius Tullius' daughter Tullia. However Tullia arranged a plot with Tarquin to usurp the throne by killing Aruns Tarquinius and the king, Servius Tullius.[1] The legend dates this event to 534 BC. Tarquin allegedly summoned the Senate in which Tullia proclaimed him the "new king." The new king murdered Servius Tullius, after which Tarquin's wife Tullia ran over her father's body with her chariot.[2] After the assassinations, Tarquin married his co-conspirator, Tullia.[1] Tarquin orchestrated the murders of key senators who supported Servius Tullius and proceeded at once to repeal the recent social reforms in the constitution, seeking to establish a pure despotism in their place. Wars were waged with the Latins and Etruscans, but the lower classes were deprived of their arms and employed in erecting monuments of regal magnificence (and some important public works, such as the Cloaca Maxima), while the sovereign recruited his armies from his own retainers and from the forces of foreign allies.[citation needed] Tarquin's authority over the city was confirmed by three initial actions: the leveling of the top of the Tarpeian Rock that overlooked the Forum, and removal its ancient Sabine shrines; the completion of the fortress temple to Jupiter on the nearby Capitoline Hill; the marriage of his son to the daughter of Octavius Mamilius of Tusculum, an alliance which secured him powerful assistance in the field..[3] The legend of the Sibylline Books is connected with Tarquinius Superbus possibly because they were housed in the fortress temple of Jupiter, which is credited to Tarquin. [4] According to this story, when king Tarquin was approached by the Cumaean Sibyl, she offered him nine books of prophecy at an exorbitant price. Tarquin refused abruptly, and the Sibyl proceeded to burn three of the nine. She then offered him the remaining books, but at the same price. Tarquin hesitated, but refused again. The Sibyl then burned three more books and again offered Tarquin the three remaining Sibylline Books at the original price. At last Tarquinius accepted.[5] Tarquin's reign was characterised by bloodshed and violence; his son Sextus Tarquinius' rape of Lucretia laid the seeds for the revolt, led by Lucretia's kinsman Lucius Junius Brutus (himself a member of the Tarquin dynasty) and Lucretia's widowed husband. The uprising resulted in the expulsion of most of the royal family, after Tarquin had reigned for twenty-five years, and Brutus became one of the first consuls of the Roman Republic.[6] After his exile, Tarquinius attempted to gain the support of other Etruscan and Latin kings, claiming that the republicanism would spread beyond Rome. Even though the powerful Etruscan lord Lars Porsenna of Clusium (modern Chiusi) backed Tarquinius return, all efforts to force his way back to the throne were in vain.[7] He left two older sons, Titus Tarquinius and the Aruns Tarquinius, who was killed in 509 BC in one of his father's wars to regain the throne. Tarquin died in exile at Cumae, Campania in 496 BC.[5] Superbus appears as the villain in Shakespeare's narrative poem, The Rape of Lucrece (1593-4). Macbeth also mentions Tarquin in his famous dagger soliloquy (2.1.55). The libretto from Benjamin Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia (1946) was adapted by librettist Ronald Duncan from The Rape of Lucrece, in which Tarquinius is a key role. According to Livy, Tarqinius cut off the heads of the tallest poppies in his garden as an allegory to instruct his son Sextus Tarquinius to pacify a recently-conquered enemy city by executing its leading citizens. This leads to the modern expression of "Tall Poppy Syndrome" to describe the phenomenon of tearing down individuals who rise too far above the majority. A quote concerning the Tarquin and the poppy allegory appears in the beginning of Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling. Patrick Henry refers to Tarquin in his famous speech ending, "If this be treason, then make the most of it." The Star Wars character Grand Moff Tarkin's name was in reference to Tarquinius' use of despotic terror.
Poster Comment: People waste their time on conspiracist nonsense and know nothing of history. I was taught about Tarquin the Proud in school.
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#1. To: Turtle (#0)
Turtles believe ridiculous fairy tales involving hundreds of improbable, and nearly mathematically impossible coincidences, but claims to know his history. How can one appear to be reasonably smart and yet be so gullible at the same time?
Used Tires Amityville, Babylon, Lindenhurst #2. To: Critter (#1) that's a conundrum.
The smooth criminal transition from Bush/Cheney to Obama Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest |
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