The history of Rome remains steeped in a mix of truth and legend, from its mythic foundation by a demigod to its unceremonious collapse at the hands of incompetent rulers, exorbitant taxes, inflation, and invading Gothic tribes. When Rome was still a kingdom, one tragic figure helped bring about its end and radically alter its course, paving the way for a powerful Republic that would last until the 1st century BCE before giving way to one of the most famous and powerful empires of the ancient world. Let’s take a look at the life and death of the legendary Roman noblewoman Lucretia, whose assault and subsequent suicide helped bring down a monarchy and usher in a new era of Roman history.
The Kingdom of Rome was one of the more predominant states in the Mediterranean that ruled much of the Italian peninsula. By the 6th century BCE, Rome was under the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, an oppressive monarch. At the time, the king was waging a war against Ardea, the capital city of the Rutuli people that lay about twenty-two miles (35km) from Rome. As many royals do, King Superbus sent his third son Sextus Tarquinius to lead the way for a military operation in the neighboring city of Collatia. The governor, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, and his wife Lucretia welcomed the young man and his entourage, offering them hospitality. This was the tradition and custom of the time and a means to build alliances and friendships.
Over the grand feast, Sextus and Lucius began discussing the honor and loyalty of their wives, with Lucius boasting that Lucretia was the most virtuous of them all. To prove his claim, he showed Sextus that, rather than socializing, Lucretia was in her chambers with her maids, diligently weaving. Sextus became enamored with Lucretia and soon resolved to violate the trust of his host and take advantage of his wife. A few nights later, while Lucretia slept and her husband was away, Sextus entered her chambers. He roused Lucretia from her sleep and threatened her at swordpoint, demanding that she submit to him. When she refused, he threatened to kill both her and a male slave and arrange their bodies together, falsely claiming that he had discovered them committing adultery and had killed them to avenge her husband’s honor. Faced with the threat of death and disgrace, Lucretia was forced to submit, and Sextus brutally assaulted her.
After the assault, Sextus left, leaving Lucretia ashamed, outraged, and violated. Determined to seek justice, she summoned her father and husband to her quarters, with their closest allies, her uncle Lucius Junius Brutus and fellow noble, Publius Valerius Poplicola. Lucretia’s father, husband, and their companions discovered her alone in her room, crying and distraught. She recounted how Sextus had threatened her, exploited her sense of honor, and assaulted her, leaving her to bear the shame of an act for which she was not responsible. Lucretia demanded that those she trusted most avenge the crime committed against her. Horrified, Brutus, Valerius, Lucretius, and Collatinus reassured her that her honor had not been lost and the disgrace belonged entirely to Sextus for committing such an appalling act. The men promised that justice would be carried out in her name. Yet Lucretia, still overcome by shame and unwilling to live with what had happened to her, drew a dagger hidden beneath her clothing and plunged it into her chest, killing herself before them.
The four men were devastated but invigorated by Lucretia’s death to act. They brought her body to the public forum for all to witness, and rallied the people against the tyrannical Roman monarchy, giving them the chance, for the first time ever, to air grievances against the king. The city of Rome was engulfed with fury at the rape and death of a noblewoman, sparking a revolution. Brutus swore that Rome would never have another king. Raising an army of the people to overthrow Rome's monarchy and drive King Superbus and his son from the realm for good, Lucretius, Lucius, Valerius, and Brutus led the oppressed Romans against the king's forces. Superbus and his family were defeated and forced into exile in 509 BCE. Sextus traveled to Gabii, a neighboring city around eleven miles (18km) east of Rome, for safety but met his demise at the hands of enraged citizens for both the rape of Lucretia and past transgressions.
Lucretia’s death led not only to the end of the Roman Monarchy, but also to the creation of the Roman Republic. Following the dismantling of the kingdom, Brutus conveyed a desire for change, laying the foundations of an assembly-based government led by officials elected by the people, or rather, citizens who were men. The Republic, born from the ashes of a kingdom brought down by the rape and suicide of a noblewoman, would last until the establishment of the Roman Empire in 27 BCE under Emperor Augustus, and would be one of the most influential and powerful republics in human history.
References:
Livius, Titus (Livy). “The History of Rome.” Volume 1. Translated by George Baker. New York: Peter A. Mesier et. al, 1823.
Lewis, Jone Johnson. “The Legend of Lucretia in Roman History.” ThoughtCo. Updated February 18th, 2018.
Matthes, Melissa M. “The Rape of Lucretia and the Founding of Republics: Readings in Livy, Machiavelli, and Rousseau.” State College: Penn State University Press, 2000.
