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| Sextus Tarquinius | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sextus Tarquinius |
| Birth date | c. 540s BC |
| Birth place | Rome |
| Death date | c. late 6th century BC |
| Occupation | Nobleman, prince |
| Known for | Role in overthrow of the Roman Kingdom |
| Parents | Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, Tanaquil |
| Relatives | Tarquin the Proud, Arruns Tarquinius, Lucius Junius Brutus, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, Servius Tullius |
Sextus Tarquinius was a prince of the Roman Kingdom and son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus who figures prominently in accounts of the end of the Roman monarchy. His alleged actions, especially the episode involving Lucretia, are recounted in annalistic and historiographic traditions that connect him to figures such as Lucius Junius Brutus, Collatinus, and Publius Valerius Publicola. Ancient narratives credit him with behavior that precipitated the establishment of the Roman Republic and the exile of the Tarquin dynasty.
Sextus was raised in the royal household of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and Tanaquil at the royal residence linked to the Roman Forum and the royal curiae including the Curia Hostilia. His lineage tied him to the Tarquinii of Cerveteri and to the dynastic politics involving Servius Tullius and earlier Roman kings such as Tarquinius Priscus. Siblings and close relatives included Arruns Tarquinius, and his kinship network intersected with leading patrician houses like the Junius and Valerius gentes; these connections mattered in disputes recorded by annalists such as Titus Livius and chroniclers including Dionysius of Halicarnassus. The prince’s upbringing in a milieu of aristocratic education linked to institutions like the Comitia Curiata and the royal patronage of the pontifex maximus shaped his social role.
As scion of the ruling house, Sextus acted within the ceremonial and political spheres dominated by his father Tarquin the Proud and by advisors such as Tanaquil and officials tied to the censorial tradition. Contemporary and later sources portray him participating in elite pastimes, military expeditions, and diplomatic missions associated with the king’s attempt to consolidate power after the overthrow of Servius Tullius. The Tarquinian regime interacted with neighbouring polities including Veii, Latium, Tarquinii, and leaders such as the Etruscan elites and commanders of the Roman army of the period. Annalistic accounts emphasize conflicts between the royal house and prominent patricians like Lucius Junius Brutus and Publius Valerius Publicola, which set the stage for the events attributed to Sextus.
Narratives by Livy, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and later chroniclers recount that Sextus assaulted Lucretia, the wife of Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, after a social visit and an episode involving a comparison of chastity among Roman matrons. The incident is located in sources connecting it to sites such as the Forum Romanum and the Collatia estate, and it features figures including Aruns Tarquinius in periphery. The rape is presented as occurring after Sextus allegedly detained Lucretia by force and threatened her with death or dishonor; the resulting disclosure to Collatinus and to Lucius Junius Brutus catalysed an oath and a political uprising. The episode is central in accounts that link personal violence to public revolt, with actors like Spurius Lucretius Tricipitinus and Publius Valerius Publicola joining the response recorded in the annals.
Following Lucretia’s disclosure and suicide, Brutus convened outrage in the Roman Forum and compelled the expulsion of the royal family. Sources describe the overthrow of Tarquin the Proud and the abolition of kingship, the establishment of the Roman Republic, and the appointment of the first pair of consuls, including Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. Subsequent events attributed to Sextus include his flight from Rome, naval activities associated with exile courts at Cumae and in Etruria, and alliances with Porsenna of Clusium and other anti-Republican forces. Military engagements such as sieges and battles recorded by Livy and others involve figures like Aruns Tarquinius and Tarquinius Superbus himself in attempts to regain the throne, culminating in defeats that secured the nascent Republican constitution.
Primary ancient narratives derive from Livy, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Polybius in fragments, and annalistic traditions summarized by later compilers such as Plutarch and Cicero; epigraphic and archaeological evidence for the specifics of Sextus’s biography is scant. Modern historiography debates the historicity of the Lucretia episode and the motives ascribed to the Tarquin house, with scholars referencing comparative research on Etruscan influence, the role of Roman aristocratic competition, and constitutional change in works by historians of ancient Rome and Roman historiography. Interpretive frameworks cite the rhetorical uses of the story in Republican politics, legal traditions including early lex formulations, and iconography in Roman art and monumentality.
The figure appears in a wide range of cultural media: Republican and Imperial literary treatments by Livy, Ovid, Cassius Dio-era echoes, Renaissance retellings in works linked to Shakespeare-era dramatists, and operatic settings associated with composers who drew on classical sources. Artists from Renaissance painters to Neoclassical sculptors depicted Lucretia and her assailant; political theorists and commentators from the Enlightenment to modern scholars used the narrative to discuss tyranny, virtue, and civic liberty. The episode influenced iconography in civic monuments in Rome and beyond, and the name of the Tarquin dynasty persists in studies of early Roman monarchy and in modern treatments of Roman foundational myths.
Category:Roman Kingdom Category:Ancient Rome people