Early Life and Family
Tarquin's parents were the fifth king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, and his wife Tanaquil. Both Tarquin and his brother Aruns married daughters of Servius Tullius, the sixth king; both daughters were named Tullia, by Roman custom. Tarquin's mother, Queen Tanaquil, had aided in the selection of Servius Tullius as heir to the Roman throne when Lucius Tarquinius Priscus was assassinated by the sons of the previous king, Ancus Marcius, in 579 BC. Tarquin also had a sister, Tarquinia, the mother of Lucius Junius Brutus.
According to Livy, the younger of the two daughters of Servius Tullius was of fiercer temperament than her sister, yet she originally married Aruns, who had a milder disposition than his elder brother. The younger Tullia came to despise Aruns and developed a plot with Tarquin. Together, they arranged the murder of their respective siblings, in quick succession, and were thereafter married to each other.
Tarquin had three sons: Titus, Aruns, and Sextus.
Read more about this topic: Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
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