The Last King

Rome has a king. But Rome never chose him.After seizing the throne through violence, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus begins transforming kingship into tyranny. Surrounded by armed guards, Tarquin sidelines the Senate, eliminates political rivals, drives opponents into exile, confiscates their property, and forces ordinary Romans into exhausting labor on the monumental projects reshaping the city.Beyond Rome, the Latin nobleman Turnus Herdonius dares to challenge the king, and discovers how far Tarquin is willing to go to silence an enemy. Meanwhile, one of Rome's strangest traditions unfolds when a mysterious woman offers Tarquin the prophetic Sibylline Books.But hidden within the royal household is another story.Lucius Junius Brutus has survived Tarquin by allowing everyone to believe he is a fool. When he accompanies the king's sons to the Oracle at Delphi, a prophecy is given concerning who will someday hold supreme power in Rome.The princes hear the words.Brutus understands them.Episode XVIII: The Last King explores the reign that taught generations of Romans to fear the very idea of a king, and introduces the man quietly waiting for the moment when Rome will finally stop being afraid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.