Suicide of Lucretia

Lucretia is the heroine of the ancient Roman story about the expulsion of the Etruscan kings from Rome at the end of the 4th century BC. e. This story is told in most detail by Titus Livy. During the siege by the troops of King Tarquinius of the proud city of the Rutuls, Ardea, the king's son, Sextus Tarquinius, arranged a feast for the young noble warriors of his detachment. All the feasts praised their wives and decided to check what the Romans were doing while their husbands were at war. Since Ardea is not far from Rome, a few hours later the king's son Sextus and other soldiers of his legion were already in the city. As expected, many of the warriors' wives had fun and indulged in fornication, only the wife of a relative of the king, Collatinus Lucretia, sat at the spinning wheel. Struck by her beauty, Sextus Tarquinius after a while returned to the house of Lucretia, where he abused her, dishonoring the name of the Collatin family. Lucrezia sent a messenger to a military camp to her husband. Collatinus arrived in Rome with his friend Brutus. Lucretia told him about her misfortune and died, stabbed to death by her husband's sword. Collatin and Brutus over the body of Lucretia vowed revenge on the Tarquinia. The body of Lucretia was taken to the small city of Collation, near Rome, whose inhabitants also swore an oath of vengeance and began an uprising, which culminated in the expulsion of the Etruscan kings from Rome. Collatin and Brutus became the first consuls of the republic that emerged from the revolt. Since ancient times, the name of the Roman Lucretia has been synonymous with female chastity.