The Proud

Rome's sixth king has transformed the city. Now those closest to him will destroy him.As Servius Tullius grows older, ambition takes root within the royal household. Lucius Tarquinius, grandson of Rome's fifth king, believes the throne belongs to his family. Beside him stands Tullia, the daughter of Servius himself—a woman whom the ancient historians remember as every bit as ruthless as the man she intends to make king.Drawing especially on the darker and more detailed tradition preserved by Dionysius of Halicarnassus, alongside Livy's account, this episode follows the conspiracy against Servius as political ambition becomes betrayal. Tarquin challenges the king's legitimacy, gathers supporters among Rome's elite, and finally confronts the aging Servius in the Senate house itself.What follows becomes one of the most infamous scenes preserved from Rome's monarchy: a king cast into the street, murder in the shadows, and a daughter driving her chariot toward the broken body of her own father.Servius Tullius is dead.Lucius Tarquinius has the throne.But unlike the kings who came before him, he will not rule because Rome chose him.He will rule because he took it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.