Discourses on Livy · Character

Tarquin

Last king of Rome whose tyranny led to the establishment of the Republic.

minor

Also known as the younger Tarquin, Tarquin the Proud

First appearance: i

Tarquin's tie to Pope Alexander VI is one of the pressures that moves Discourses on Livy—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

The Tarquins' presence kept the nobles in check; after their expulsion, the nobles' true nature emerged.

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With Pope Alexander VI (psychological): Machiavelli compares Pope Alexander VI's deceit and cruelty to that of Tarquin the Proud, the last…

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See Tarquin in i

Character Web

12 connections

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Relationship types

Psychological
Other

Character groups

Military Prudence and Tyranny
Founders and Tyrants
Founders and Indecisive Leaders
Early Roman Kings

+7 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the Claudian censor, driven by the family’s ingrained haughti…

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Relationships

Pope Alexander VI
psychological · negative
Machiavelli compares Pope Alexander VI's deceit and cruelty to that of Tarquin the Proud,… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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See Tarquin in i

In the story

Tarquin appears across 10 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III
The Tarquins' presence kept the nobles in check; after their expulsion, the nobles' true nature emerged.
IV
The extinction of the Tarquins marks the starting point for the period of dissensions discussed.
XVI
The Tarquins were expelled from Rome, leading to the establishment of a free republic; their removal is a key example of a people becoming free.
Chapter XVII: That a corrupt people obtaining freedom can hardly preserve it
The Tarquins were expelled while Rome was still uncorrupted, allowing freedom to be preserved.
Chapter XXVIII: Whence it came that the Romans were less ungrateful to their citizens than were the Athenians.
Referenced as the family name of Collatinus, which led to his exile.
IV
Elder Tarquin lost his kingdom by failing to secure himself against the sons of Ancus, whom he had deprived of it.
IV
The younger Tarquin lost his kingdom by not observing the ordinances of the old kings, as will be shown in the next chapter.
How an hereditary king may come to lose his kingdom
Tarquin the Proud, who seized the kingdom after killing Servius Tullius and lost it by governing as a tyrant, violating laws and customs.
Why it is that changes from freedom to servitude, and from servitude to freedom, are sometimes made without bloodshed, but at other times reek with blood.
The only person banished when Rome changed from kings to consuls, illustrating a peaceful transition.
How women are a cause of the ruin of states
Mentioned as the king driven from power due to the violence done to Lucretia.

Chapter companion notes

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See Tarquin in i

See Tarquin in III