5 – Lucius Tarquinius Priscus (616? – 579 BC?)
Also known as Tarquin, the Elder, Lucius lived in Etruria and, after inheriting his father’s fortune, he tried to gain political office. However, he failed and moved to Rome where he gained respect for his courtesy. Lucius came to the attention of King Ancus who nominated him as guardian for the two royal sons.
Since there was no hereditary tradition and Ancus’ sons were still young, Lucius was able to convince the Comitia Curiata that he was the best choice as king. One story suggests that he convinced Ancus’ sons to go hunting while he took care of the funeral arrangements. When they returned, Lucius was on the throne.
As was always the case when a new king sat on the throne, neighboring tribes took the opportunity to attack Roman land. Tarquin not only fought them off, but he also defeated the Latins in battle and took the town of Apiolae. There is a suggestion that Lucius started fighting on the offensive late in his reign after years of merely warding off attacks. The war with the Latins took place in around 588 BC.
The Sabines were the next to attack, but once again, Lucius led his army to victory and celebrated a triumph in Rome in 585 BC. Not content with these successes, the Roman army continued expanding its territory and took several Latin towns towards the end of Lucius’ reign. During the war with the Sabine’s, five Etruscan cities sent auxiliaries to help Rome’s enemies. When they were captured, the cities responded by declaring war with the help of other cities. Lucius was able to defeat them all and returned home with more plunder.
Lucius’ other achievements include the creation of the Circus Maximus for chariot racing, the giant sewer known as the Cloaca Maxima, and the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (some historians give Tarquin the Proud credit for this achievement). The king ruled for 38 years, but apparently, Ancus’ sons wanted the crown for themselves, so they arranged his assassination. They hired two killers; one approached the king from the front and pretended that he wanted advice in a legal dispute. The other came at the king from behind and struck him in the head with an ax. His wife, Tanaquil, told everyone that the king was only wounded and used the confusion to establish Servius Tullius as the new monarch.