Rome Republic to Empire

Geography & peoples of Italy Geography –Peninsula divided by mountain range. »Resembles a boot »Apennine Mountains - backbone –Large fertile plains in north & west. »Not as rugged as Greece Ital y Gree ce Early Romans shared the peninsula with colonists who migrated from Greece and the Etruscans, who ruled much of Italy.

The Roman Republic In 509 BC, the Romans drive out the Etruscans and form a republican government. Republic – government in which officials are chosen by the people.

Power lies in the Senate

Roman Republic

Class conflicts lead to unrest vs PATRICIANSPLEBEIANS Land holding upper classLower class commoner: farmer, merchant, trader

Punic Wars BC Rome Carthage Two powers (Rome and Carthage) began to become more powerful within Southern Europe and Northern Africa. They fought a series of wars competing for power in the Mediterranean. Each won decisive victories, but Carthage was never able to capture Rome.

Rome defeats Carthage In the third and final war, Rome completely destroyed Carthage. To prevent them from ever causing Rome more problems, survivors were killed or sold into slavery and legend has it that salt was poured onto the fertile fields so that no crops would grow.

Gracchus Reforms Reforms threatened wealthy patricians in the Senate, so they had the Gracchus brothers killed. Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were brothers and consuls who tried to use the power of the Senate to give land and food to the poor.

Marius Allowed non- landowning men to fight in army and promises land for service (107 BC) The result is that now men will be more loyal to their generals than their country

Sulla Marius becomes too powerful, and thus, the senate is weakened. Sulla gathers an army to challenge Marius and eventually defeats him.

Though Sulla defeats Marius and restores power to the senate, a dangerous precedent has been set. Now, men will put together armies to gain power and establish their rule upon Rome

Julius Caesar Julius Caesar was a brilliant general whose power had become great and concerned the Senate. Caesar refused an order to disband his army and marched his army on Rome itself and forced the Senate to make him dictator of Rome.

Caesar passes reforms, expands Rome’s borders, and has a love affair with Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt.

Fearing Caesar was taking all power away from the senate and destroying the Roman Republic, several senators assassinated him during a senate meeting.

After Julius Caesar’s death, Marc Antony (Caesar’s trusted general) and Octavian (Caesar’s grand nephew) joined together to hunt down his killers. But they soon began to compete for power. Octa vian Mark Antony

Mark Antony forms an alliance with Egypt and soon begins love affair with Cleopatra Mark Antony Cleopatra

Battle of Actium Octavian’s forces defeat the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra Antony commits suicide Cleopatra commits suicide Octavian returns to Rome as sole ruler – he given title of emperor and renamed Augustus. The Roman Republic has now officially been dismantled

Age of Augustus 31 B.C. – 14 A.D. Octavian takes on the name Augustus Caesar and becomes the first emperor of Rome. With the Senate’s power gone, Rome ceases to be a republic and becomes an empire, which will last for nearly 500 years.

Roman Empire It is during the reign of Augustus Caesar, in a small area of the Roman Empire along the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, that a baby is born who will have a profound impact on the Roman Empire and the world.

Birth of Jesus Christ

Julio-Claudian Emperors Tiberius Claudius Caligula Nero He was to rule for 22 years, most of them in self- imposed exile on the island of Capri. Probably murdered Tiberius. It was the worst time for all Romans as Caligula was quite mad. He thought he was a living God, he married his sister, he murdered without restraint. Came to throne at 16. Murdered his mother and brother. Started huge fire that destroyed forum and blamed it on Christians whom he would use as human torches to light his parties. Probably the best of the worst.

Built in AD, the Colosseum appeased the people of Rome by hosting spectacles of entertainment, most notably the gladiator games. Holding up to 50,000 people, it also served as a venue for dramas and executions, and could even be flooded to put on live mock sea battles. Colosseum Are you not entertained?!

“Five Good Emperors” 96 – 180 AD After a century of bad emperors, five good emperors would start to make positive changes in Rome and create the Pax Romana : Roman Peace.

At its height, the Roman Empire covered 3.5 million square miles and had a population of over 50 million people.

Realizing the Empire had grown too big for one person to govern, Diocletian split it in half, keeping the eastern half for himself.

The Roman Empire grew too large to govern effectively and the inclusion of so many different people and customs caused Roman influence to shrink. Also, the empire began to be attacked by Germanic peoples in the 300s. In 476 AD, the western Roman Empire collapsed.

The End