King Tarquin and the Tall Poppy Syndrome

Four hundred years before Julius Caesar, Rome was a city-kingdom ruled by kings. The seventh king was the tyrant, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, often called Tarquin the Proud. Wanting to subjugate the neighbouring towns, Tarquin insisted that they sign treaties with Rome, and those who refused, did so at the risk of war.

One such town was Gabii. It had refused to sign the Roman treaty, and when attacked, did not succumb to the might of Tarquin the Proud. 

Tarquin hatched a plot and instructed his son, Sextus, to infiltrate Gabii. Pretending to be ill-treated by his father, Sextus sought asylum with the enemy. The people of Gabii welcomed the ‘wronged’ Roman prince with open arms. Once he had gained their confidence, Sextus sent a message to his father. ‘What next?’

Courtesy of Unsplash_Veronica Ivanov

When the messenger reached Rome, Tarquin was strolling in his garden. The messenger read out Sextus’ message. He waited for a reply, but the king kept mum. Then Tarquin the Proud approached a grove of poppies and struck off the heads of the tallest poppies with a stick. 

Back in Gabii, when Sextus heard of this reaction by his father, he understood what it meant. Methodically, he proceeded to kill or banish all the prominent men of Gabii—who represented the tallest poppies in his father’s garden. Once deprived of its elders and influential men, Gabii surrendered to Rome.

The term ‘tall poppy syndrome’ is possibly derived from this story. It refers to a situation in which people of genuine merit are resented and persecuted because their achievements are so spectacular that they invite envy.

Have you been a victim of the Tall Poppy Syndrome? If you have, then you are not alone—it happens to the best of us. It is natural to feel hurt and demoralized when we are at the receiving end. But here’s a word of caution: don’t torture your soul with thoughts of seeking retribution against those who persecute you. Instead, create a life full of success and happiness, based on strong values. After all, there is wisdom in the words: a life well lived is the best revenge.

Thank you for joining me today, my friend. In the past, if you have enjoyed the historical stories about Julius Caesar, you might notice that today’s post is a slight departure from my usual style of writing. With this post, I am introducing a new section called Motivational stories—and yes, most of them will be based on historical events. I hope you enjoy the new direction my writing is taking. 

If you are a new visitor to my blog, you can still read the historical stories I have mentioned in the paragraph above. They have now been compiled into an ebook - It Happened In Ancient Rome. This ebook is available as a FREE download when you join my reading group. 

Best wishes,

~ A. David Singh