Tarquinius

Tarquinius, a legendary Etruscan dynasty that supposedly ruled ancient Rome. Although the dynasty itself may not have existed, archeologists have found evidence that Rome was under Etruscan influence or domination in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. According to tradition, the royal line of Tarquinius was founded by an adventurer from Tarquinii (an Etruscan city), who was elected the fifth king of Rome about 618 B.C. He is known as Tarquinius Priscus, or Tarquin the Elder. He annexed Etruria, by one account, and made Rome the capital of the enlarged kingdom.

His grandson Tarquinius Superbus, or Tarquin the Proud, was the seventh (and last) king of Rome. His tyrannical rule aroused great opposition. A revolt was sparked when his son Tarquinius Sextus raped the Roman matron Lucretia. Led by Lucius Junius Brutus, the Romans deposed the king in 509 B.C.