Tarquin the Proud

This passage discusses Tarquin the Proud, who was king of ancient Rome from 535 B.C. to 510 B.C.

Lexile Level: 730L

Categories: History People & Places

The Tarquins were a family of Etruscans who ruled in ancient Rome. Tarquin the Proud was king of Rome from 535 to 510 B.C. His full name was Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. He was the seventh and last of the legendary kings of Rome. The king before Tarquin the Proud was Servius Tullius, who was assassinated in a conspiracy led by Tarquin and Tarquin's wife. Tarquin's wife was the daughter of Servius. Tarquin and his wife also assassinated Roman senators who opposed them. He overturned reforms and tried to reinforce the absolute power of the king. This caused him to be hated by the Roman people. Finally, after a bloody reign, Tarquin was overthrown and exiled by the senate. That marked the end of the Roman monarchy and the beginning of the Roman Republic. In exile, Tarquin attempted to gather support to retake Rome. He was never successful. He died in 496 B.C.