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The Seven Kings of Rome
According to tradition Rome was ruled by seven kings for nearly two and a half centuries before the Republic was founded in 509 BC. The dates are traditional rather than historical.
Quiz yourself on these in RomeDrill →| King | Traditional reign | Remembered for | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romulus | c. 753–716 BC | Son of Mars and Rhea Silvia in legend, he founded Rome on the Palatine on 21 April 753 BC (Varronian date) after killing his twin Remus. Tradition credits him with the Senate of 100 patres, the asylum on the Capitoline and the abduction of the Sabine women. | Tradition says he vanished in a thunderstorm while reviewing the army on the Campus Martius; a rival version had the senators murder him. |
| Numa Pompilius | c. 715–672 BC | Sabine from Cures chosen king after a year-long interregnum. Tradition credits him with the priesthoods (pontiffs, flamines, Salii, Vestals), the Temple of Janus, whose doors stayed shut throughout his reign, and a calendar reform adding January and February. | Died peacefully of old age after a reign of some 43 years without war. |
| Tullus Hostilius | c. 672–640 BC | Third king, as bellicose as his predecessor was peaceful. He destroyed Alba Longa, moved its people to the Caelian hill, had the Alban dictator Mettius Fufetius torn apart for treachery, and built the first senate house, the Curia Hostilia. | According to Livy he was struck by Jupiter's lightning and burned with his house after botching a religious rite during a plague. |
| Ancus Marcius | c. 640–616 BC | Grandson of Numa Pompilius. Tradition credits him with the Pons Sublicius, the port of Ostia and its salt pans, the fortification of the Janiculum, the settlement of conquered Latins on the Aventine, and Rome's first prison (the Carcer). | Died a natural death after a reign of about 24 years, leaving sons who were passed over for the throne. |
| Tarquinius Priscus | c. 616–578 BC | Originally named Lucumo, he migrated from Etruria to Rome and became guardian of Ancus Marcius's sons before winning the throne himself. Tradition credits him with laying out the Circus Maximus, beginning the Cloaca Maxima and vowing the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline. | Struck down with an axe by assassins hired by the sons of Ancus Marcius; his wife Tanaquil concealed his death until Servius Tullius had secured power. |
| Servius Tullius | c. 578–534 BC | Raised in the household of Tarquinius Priscus, where a flame was said to have played around his head as a child. Tradition credits him with the census, the centuriate organisation, the first city wall and the Temple of Diana on the Aventine. | Thrown down the steps of the senate house by his son-in-law Lucius Tarquinius and murdered in the street; his daughter Tullia drove her carriage over the body. |
| Tarquinius Superbus | c. 534–509 BC | Seized the throne by murdering his father-in-law Servius Tullius and ruled without consulting the Senate. He completed the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline and bought the Sibylline Books; his expulsion marks the traditional founding of the Republic. | Expelled in the revolution of 509 BC led by Lucius Junius Brutus; after failed attempts to return he died in exile at Cumae about 495 BC. |
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Dates follow common scholarly convention; dates before about 300 BC are traditional. Spotted a mistake? Use the Feedback button in the app.