In the early period of Ancient Rome, before the establishment of the
Republic in 509 BC, men would take power as kings. This was known as
the period of the Seven Early Kings of Ancient Rome. The reign of
the seven early kings lasted more than two hundred years. Even
though it is historically thought that early Rome had seven kings,
this cannot be certain as Rome’s records were destroyed in 390 BC.
The early kings of Ancient Rome possessed absolute power over Roman
citizens. During this time in Ancient Rome, there was also the
Senate. At its start, the Senate was simply a branch of government
consisting of advisors, but had no power over citizens. The senate
just carried out and administrated the wishes of the king. It was
not until the establishment of the republic that the Senate would
play a major role in Ancient Roman Government.
The Ancient Roman the kings also had authority over: Head of State,
Head of Government, Commander in Chief, Chief Priest, Chief
Legislator, and Chief Judge. This gave the ruling king absolute
power and authority. This is why after 200 years of a monarch rule;
Roman noblemen decided it was time to establish a republic where one
ruler was not allowed to have absolute power and control.
The Seven Early Kings |
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| King | From | Until |
| Romulus | 753 BC | 716 BC |
| Numa Pompilius | 715 BC | 674 BC |
| Tullus Hostilius | 673 BC | 642 BC |
| Ancus Marcius | 641 BC | 617 BC |
| Lucius Tarquinius Priscus | 616 BC | 579 BC |
| Servius Tullius | 278 BC | 535 BC |
| Lucius Tarquinius Superbus | 534 BC | 509 BC |