Biography of Tarquin the Proud, Etruscan King of Rome

Biography of Tarquin the Proud, Etruscan King of Rome Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BCE), or Tarquin the Proud, ruled Rome between 534 and 510 BCE and was the last king the Romans would tolerate. Tarquinius despotic reign earned him the title Superbus (proud, haughty). The flaw in Superbus character- he combined a great deal of ambition with a wealth of family treachery in his background- eventually led to the end of the Etruscan rule over the city of Rome. Superbus was a member of the Tarquin Dynasty, dubbed the Great House of Tarquin by Romes historian Livy, but the spotty, intrigue-riddled reign was hardly a dynasty. The Tarquins were one of several Etruscan chiefs, including the Tarchu, Mastarna, and Porsenna, who in turn usurped Romes throne with little chance to found genuine dynasties. Cicero sketched the Tarquin history in his Republica  as an example of how easily good government could degenerate. Fast Facts: Lucius Tarquinius Superbus Known For: The Last Etruscan king in RomeAlso Known As: Tarquin the ProudBorn: Year unknown in RomeFather: Lucius Tarquinius PriscusDied: 495 BCE in Cumae, RomeSpouse(s): Tullia Major, Tullia MinorChildren: Titus,  Arruns, Sextus, Tarquinia Early Years Superbus was the son or possibly the grandson of Tarquinius Priscus and son-in-law of the previous Etruscan king Servius Tullius. The exact date of Superbus birth is unknown. Ciceros text suggests that Superbus and his future wife Tullia Minor killed their respective spouses, Arruns Tarquin and Tullia Major, before murdering Servius Tullius and bringing Superbus to power. There are no historical records for this period in Roman history: Those records were destroyed when Gaul sacked Rome in 390 BCE. What scholars know of the Tarquin history are legends written down by the much later Roman historians Livy, Cicero, and Dionysius. Superbus Reign After ascending the throne, Superbus embarked on a campaign of expansion early in his reign, waging war against the Etruscans, Volci, and Latins. His victories helped cement Rome’s status as an important power in the region. Superbus also signed Rome’s first treaty with Carthage and completed construction of the massive Temple of Capitoline Jupiter. He also used forced labor to extend the Maxima drainage system, an important water-and-sewer system in ancient Rome. Revolt and the New Republic A revolt against the corrupt Etruscans was spearheaded by Tarquin the Prouds nephew Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucretias husband Tarquinius Collatinus. In the end, Superbus and all of his family (ironically, including Collatinus) were expelled from Rome. Along with the end of the Etruscan kings of Rome, the power of the Etruscans over Latium weakened. Rome replaced the Etruscan rulers with a Republic. Although there are some who believe there was a gradual transition to the consul system of the Republic, the Fasti Consulares list the annual consuls straight after the end of the regal period. Legacy Classical scholar Agnes Michels and others have suggested that the text Livy, Dionysius, and Cicero used to describe the events of the Tarquin Dynasty has all the earmarks of a classic tragedy, or rather, a trilogy of plays with the moral theme of cupido regni (kingdom of lust). Superbus legacy of court intrigue and scandal led to the end of the Etruscan rule of Rome. It was Tarquin the Prouds son, Tarquinius Sextus, who raped the Roman noblewoman Lucretia. Lucretia was the wife of his cousin Tarquinius Collatinus, and her rape brought about the end of Etruscan rule. Lucretias rape was scandalous on several levels, but it came about because of a drinking party during which her husband and other Tarquins argued over who had the most beautiful wife. Sextus was at that party and, aroused by the discussion, came to the virtuous Lucretias bed and forcibly raped her. She called her family to demand revenge, and when they didnt deliver, she committed suicide. Sources Gantz TN. 1975. The Tarquin Dynasty. Historia: Zeitschrift fà ¼r Alte Geschichte 24(4):539-554.Michels AK. 1951. The Drama of the Tarquins. Latomus 10(1):13-24.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. â€Å"Tarquin.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 4 Apr. 2018.Cartwright, Mark. Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.  Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 03 Mar 2017. Web. 17 Mar 2019.

Free sample - Counter-force. translation missing

Counter-force. Counter-forceCounterforce can be defined as an opposing or a contrary force, particularly a military force that is capable of destructing the nuclear armaments that belong to an enemy.   Counterforce ensures that the adversary is disarmed by destructing its nuclear weapons earlier before they can be launched, and by this way, the impact of a retributive second strike is minimized. It is true that a counterforce target does not include an adversary’s population, political, or economic resources. A perfect counterforce attack would not kill any civilian. Military attacks have a tendency to causing collateral harm however. Particularly, this is very true as the nuclear weapons are used. In nuclear terms it has been found that most of the military targets are placed very close to civilian centers, such that if a major counterforce strike takes place, a number of civilian causalities will possibly result. Irrespective of the number and size of nuclear warheads, civilians will be threatened as long as the weapons are close to civilian centers (Lee, 1996).  Ã‚   Counterforce operations have been found to be the most effective in forbidding the use of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction which include, biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, at the commencement of a conflict. At the same time, the counterforce operations can be used to confuse, disorientate, and disorganize the forces of any given adversary.   Most of the people persistently believe that, the capability to fight, endure, and win a nuclear war makes the only really efficacious deterrent, and counterforce is the preferred strategy for these people (Hilsman, 1999).   It is apparent that counterforce is very important when it comes to damage limiting by the process of offensive action. Damage limitation can also come about due to defensive measures. If a country’s counterforce strike against an enemy is successful, it can indubitably limit the damage the enemy could cause the country. Counterforce operations will to a greater extent contribute to success in the time of war. The word damage-limiting is in a useful manner limited to describing the capabilities, defensive or offensive, that attempt to diminish the damage which the adversary can possibly inflict upon a country. This appropriates the expression ‘damage avoidance’ for the weapons systems, strategies, and warheads through which a nation would attempt to minimize the damage it would have to impose upon an enemy during the military operation. It has been found that a damage avoiding attack calls for the employment of accurate, small-sized warheads, and very accurate mis siles to eliminate those weapons of the adversary with the slightest practicable harm to the adversary’s people as well as economy (Lee, 1996). By Lee (1996), a perfect weapon for damage avoidance will destroy the weapons for enemies without harming their troops. Apparently, this will leave the adversary without a way to retaliate, and at the same time holding the adversary open to the coercive power of the weapons just like the involved nation will withhold from their counterforce strike. To diminish the enemy potential to impose damage on nations such as United States, offensive and defensive are the two ways which are employed. This is to eliminate by counterforce assail enemy missiles as well as other systems which are to deliver the warheads even before they can leave their forces. By this way, counterforce attack reduces the susceptibility of a nation by improvements in peaceful defenses as well as developing effectual antimissile systems of defense. By use of offensive, the capability of the enemy is curtailed by diminishing the total number of warheads which could be thrown at the involved nation.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Hilsman (1999), counterforce is a relatively effective strategy due to the following reasons: it is much easier to identify the location of an enemy weapon and attack it earlier before it is operational or is fired; and as well counterforce is found efficient and effective at the margins. The targets are frequently stationary and their whereabouts can be ascertained beforehand. This means that, to target the operating and storage facilities is easier as compared to destroying missile warheads which are traveling in the direction of a target at a very high speed. The fixed targets are comparatively large and at times located anterior to hostilities, meaning that they are susceptible to be destroyed as compared to moving individual weapons. Counterforce attacks are seen to be more efficient as compared to active defenses since they stretch forth the prospect of destroying lots of warheads or delivery systems with comparatively few weapons. In this case, it is true that expenditure rates on weapons favor counterforce to a greater extent such that a given nation can easily afford the option. For example, it is relatively easy to destroy ten warheads on a missile that is in its silo as compared to destroying individual ten warheads during which they speed in the direction of their targets. Surely, as one adopts an infrastructure of weapons system from individual warhead to the facilities of production, counterforce’s effectiveness at the margins gets readily obvious. Using the counterforce, there is an increased probability to destroy lots of missiles by attacking the facilities of assembly-fueling-mating as well as to destroy the big number of delivery vehicles by assailing the facilities for their storage. By stre tching out the prospect of destroying a number of individual weapons at the same time, counterforce has been found to be the most efficient constituent of a theater missile defense effort (Hilsman, 1999). According to Lee (1996), counterforce strategists reason that with sufficient counterforce capacity, a country can inflict a bargain that is not favorable to its opponent. By the intra-war hindrance that is provided by the counterforce capacity, a country can have its opponent to discontinue attacking, and this can be achieved in a way that is to the country’s relative advantage. It is of great importance when a country ensures that the opponent accepts a larger component of the restraint burden would there be projections concerning the war to be suitably limited. Through the use of its counterforce capability in forcing the opponents to pick out restraint, the country can have the most effectual way of attaining a suitable limited nuclear war.  Ã‚  Ã‚   References Hilsman, R., (1999). From Nuclear Military Strategy to a World Without War. New York: Praeger. Lee, S., (1996). Morality, Prudence, and Nuclear Weapons. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.