Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

About Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, often called Tarquin the Proud, was the seventh and final King of Rome, ruling during the late 6th century BCE (c. -535 to -509). His tenure is primarily defined by tyranny, a theme cemented in Roman historical narrative by the rape of Lucretia by his son, Sextus Tarquinius. This catalyzing event led to a massive uprising led by Lucius Junius Brutus, which resulted in the expulsion of the monarchy and the establishment of the Roman Republic, fundamentally shaping the subsequent trajectory of Western governance. MIT's Pantheon project ranks him #721 in overall historical importance due to this foundational role in Rome's transition from kingdom to republic.

Despite his crucial role in the founding mythos of the Republic, Tarquinius Superbus garners modest modern internet attention, receiving approximately 210K annualized Wikipedia views in 2025. This places his online engagement roughly in line with his historical ranking (1x Attention Gap), suggesting a relatively stable, if niche, level of recognition. For contrast, Louis IX of France, ranked similarly at #807 importance, commanded 487K views in the same year, indicating that figures of comparable historical weight can receive more than double the modern search traffic.

Furthermore, the recent trend data suggests a slight erosion of interest, with his 2025 annual pageview rate declining by 5.7% year-over-year. The momentum between the first and third quarters also registered a notable drop of -14%, pointing toward a slow decline in contemporary online curiosity regarding the last Roman King.