It is assumed that at some stage that the Etruscan's must have conquered Rome as the last three kings of Rome were all Etruscans, the Etruscan kings were all strong leaders and it was a time of large amounts of building in Rome during this period, this is consistent with an Etruscan occupation as they were a race that seem to like urbanisation.

The period of the later kings can probably be characterised as a time when Rome was a strong city trying to start to exert their dominance over their neighbours which they did so quite successfully. The political institutions of Rome were starting to take place and the people were organised in a fashion that would last in a more structured form throughout the entire time of Rome's dominance. There is also evidence, especially during the reign of the last two kings, that there was starting to be growing unrest in the plebian class. An issue that would plague Rome throughout the early Republic.

616 - 579 BC: Tarquinius Priscus

During the reign of Ancus the wealthy and ambitious Priscus (who supposedly had the Etruscan name of Lucemo which is highly unlikely as that is the Etruscan word for king) moved to Rome. He had come to Rome as he was the son of a Greek exile from Corinth, as he was a foreigner he was unable to gain much prestige in his home town of Tarquinii and so he decided to emigrate to Rome where his chance of advancing himself seemed greater. When he settled in Rome his wealth and the fact he was a foreigner bought him too the notice of the people. He then spent sums of money entertaining and with generous acts and he soon came to the attention of the king. Soon he was acting as the king's advisor and he was appointed guardian to the king's children. When Ancus died his children where nearly adults, Priscus was desperate to have the election of the new king as soon as possible, he sent the children out hunting then once they were gone made a rousing speech to the people and they quickly elected him king.

Priscus is regarded to have been a very good ruler of Rome but exactly what he achieved during his reign is a little uncertain as many of the actions associated with Priscus are also attributed to his son, the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus. According to Livy Priscus was responsible for adding 100 extra senators to the government, starting to reform the plebian class, setting up the Circus Maximus, draining the city, improving the forum and  building more sturdy city walls. He also fought a number of battles against the Latins and the Sabines conquering a reasonable number of towns and bringing them under Roman control. His reign was ended when the sons of Ancus Marcius, who always had felt they had been deprived of the throne by their guardian's treachery, hired two shepherds two kill the king through treachery. 

578 - 535 BC: Servius Tullius

The poplar Roman belief is that Tullius was a slave, this may be a little suspect and may be based on the fact that Servius is a derivative of the word servus (the Roman word for slave) more then any factual base. That being said, all the early histories state that Tullius was a slave so it may just be accurate.

There is a legend on how Tullius was noticed  by Priscus, it was believed that when he was a child one night when he was sleeping his hair caught on fire and when he woke the flames went out and his hair was undamaged. Priscus's wife believed that it was a sign that Tullius would be a great man and he rose in prominence. Later in his life when Priscus was looking for a husband for his daughter he found no man more worthy then Tullius and so he choose him to be her wife. This again raises the issue about whether Tullius was a slave as slaves could not marry into the patrician families. The historian Livy tried to get around this fact by suggesting that when Rome captured Corniculum they killed the king of that town and his pregnant wife became a slave briefly until it was realised who she was, the child she bore (Tullius) was therefore of royal blood and he was thought of a slave simply because his mother had once briefly been one.

When Priscus was murdered his wife Tanaquil pretended that her husband was still alive and prepared Tullius to seize power, she told the people that her husband was recovering from the attack and in the interim Tullius would serve as their king until Priscus was better. For a few days Tullius acted as king and strengthened his position before it became clear the actual king was dead. Protected by bodyguards Tullius took the throne properly and he was the first king to not be elected by the people, the people weren't particularly happy that the throne had been seized but luckily for Tullius the peace treaty with the Veientines had ended and so he went to war and defeated them, returning to a much more secure throne.

Probably the most famous action attributed to Tullius's was the creation of the census, (this is discussed in more detail in the section of the Roman people) this split the people of Rome and its surrounding land into 20 tribes and 5 classes where people were assigned to each tribe purely on their domicile and to their class according to their wealth. This was the first step in breaking the dividing line between the plebian and patrician classes and a new assembly was created called the centuriate assembly which by the time of the republic had become the highest ranking assembly, being responsible for electing officials, deciding on matters of war and capital cases. There are suggestions by modern historians that Tullius's motives for this assembly may have been driven by a desire to usurp the old curiate assembly who had apparently refused to ratify him as king.  

He also built the  Walls and what else??? See lecture notes and Livy

535 - 510 BC: Tarquinius Superbus

Tarquinius Superbus 535-510.—Tradition represents the last king, Tarquinius Superbus, as a cruel despot. He obtained the throne by murder, and ruled without the consent of the senate or the people. He loved power and pomp. He continued the wars with the Latins. He also waged war with the Volscians on the southern borders of Latium; and with the spoils there obtained he finished the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline hill. Although he scorned religion, it is related that he was induced to buy the Sibylline books from the inspired prophetess of Cumae. It is also said that later in life he was frightened by strange dreams, and sent his two sons, with his nephew Brutus, to consult the Greek oracle at Delphi. To one question asked the oracle, the response was given that the person who first kissed his mother should succeed to the power of Tarquin. Brutus showed that he was the person intended, by falling and kissing the earth, the common mother of all. The traditions tell us how at last the proud Tarquin was driven from the throne and the kingdom was ended.

   Significance of the Legends.—We cannot of course accept these stories as real history. We can yet see in them the evidence that Rome was becoming different from what it had been under the early kings. We can see that Rome came under the power of the Etruscans; that it was much improved by the construction of great public works and buildings; and that it acquired a dominant power over the neighboring land of Latium.