| Lucius Tarquinius Superbus | |
|---|---|
 Portrait from Promptuarium Iconum Insigniorum (1553) by Guillaume Rouillé | |
| King of Rome | |
| Reign | 534–509 BC |
| Predecessor | Servius Tullius |
| Successor | Lucius Junius Brutus, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus as Consuls |
| Born | Rome |
| Died | 495 BC Cumae |
| Spouse |
|
| Issue | |
| Father | Lucius Tarquinius Priscus (possibly grandfather) |
| Mother | Tanaquil |
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning 25 years until the popular uprising that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic.[1] He is commonly known as Tarquin the Proud, from his cognomen Superbus (Latin for "proud, arrogant, lofty").[2]
Ancient accounts of the regal period mingle history and legend. Tarquin was said to have been either the son or grandson of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome, and to have gained the throne through the murders of both his wife and his elder brother, followed by the assassination of his predecessor, Servius Tullius. His reign has been described as a tyranny that justified the abolition of the monarchy.
- ^ Livy, ab urbe condita libri, I
- ^ Cassell's Latin & English Dictionary, s.v. superbus.