Republic to Empire

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Republic to Empire
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In the Beginning

• Romulus and Remus, twin sons of the god Mars
• Left by their father (Amulius)
• Left along the banks of the Tiber River
• Helped by a she-wolf
• Raised by a shepherd
• Built a city where shepherd found them
• Romulus built a city wall, Remus mocked him
  saying it was too small
• Romulus killed him in anger named the city Rome
  after himself

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Geography

• Peninsula of Italy located in the central
  Mediterranean Sea.
• Apennine Mountains run like a backbone
• Fertile plains along coasts and in the north.
• Why is Italy easier to unify than Greece?

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Romans
Settled in the Tiber River Valley
Settled in the Southern portion of Italy and in
Sicily
Settled in Central Italy
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Define Republic
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Roman Government

• Republic
• form of government in which power rests with
  citizens who have the right to vote
• In Rome only free-born male adult citizens could
  vote.
• Patricians- aristocratic landowners
• Plebeians- common farmers, artists and merchants

• Goal was to prevent any individual from gaining
  too much power.
• What is this political term for this?
• Checks and Balances

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Roman Government

• Twelve Tables forced by the plebeians so that
  interpretation of laws were limited
• Three groups
• Senate- 300 members
• Consuls- rulers of Rome
• Dictator- only in time of war

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Senate

• Most powerful governing body.
• 300 members (patrician class).
• Served for life.
• Jobs
• Issued decrees, interpreted laws, and elected
  consuls to rule.

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Consuls

• Two consuls
• Serve only 1-year terms.
• Could veto acts of the other consul.
• Veto means literally I forbid
• Jobs
• Supervised the business of government.
• Commanded armies

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Dictator

• Chosen to rule absolutely in time of war.
• Complete rule over country when in power.

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Family and Religion

• Family
• center of religion, morals and education.
• Most important unit in Roman society.
• Family included unmarried children, married
  sons and families, all dependent relatives and
  family slaves.
• Father was known as paterfamililias
• Religion
• Adopted and identified with the gods of Greeks.
• Lares ancestral spirits within the home.
• Vesta guardian of fire and the hearth of which
  family worship was focused..

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Questions

• What are the most notable geographic features of
  Italy?
• How safe do you think Italy is from invasions?
• How might Italys geographic position have
  contributed to its ability to expand into the
  Mediterranean?

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Roman Expansion and Wars
Roman Army Video

• Info on army
• Efficient and well-disciplined.
• Roman legion - 5,000 men
• Loyal, courageous
• Mixture of praise and punishment
• Unit that fled a battle faced decimation (1 in 10
  put to death)

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Conquering Lands and People

• Profess loyalty to Rome.
• Pay taxes and supply soldiers.
• Some chose citizenship.
• Soldiers occupied and posted in foreign lands.
• Built roads to link provinces.
• Locals began to adopt Roman language, customs and
  beliefs.

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Punic Wars
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First Punic War

• Rome versus Carthage
• Result of a trade rivalry.
• Lasted 23 years
• Rome victory gained
• Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia.

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Second Punic War

• Revenge by Carthage
• Carthaginians were led by Hannibal
• He had 50,000 infantry/ 9,000 cavalry/ 60
  elephants
• Scipio defeats Hannibal at Zama and Carthage

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Punic Wars

• Third Punic War
• Devastation of Carthage
• 50,000 sold in slavery

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Collapse of the Republic

• Why did the Roman Republic decline?
• Widening gap between rich and poor
• Farmer-soldiers dead livestock
• Business/Landowners
• acquired equites (Ek-wuh-teez)
• Corruption of the wealthy
• Slaves made up about 1/3 of population
• Slave life
• Revolts led by Spartacus (73 B.C.) dies in
  battle.
• 6,000 slave followers executed by crucifixion.

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Collapse of the Republic

• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (GRAK-uhs)
• Twin brothers
• They tried to help the poor
• Strongly opposed
• Died violent deaths
• Civil War ensued after their deaths
• Violence became primary tool in Roman politics.

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Julius Caesar

• Formed a triumvirate (rule of three) with
  Crassus and Pompey (military generals)
• He ruled as consul for one year, then became
  governor of Gaul
• During his rule of Gaul he won many battles that
  won him popularity back in Rome

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Julius Caesar

• Crassus dies in battle
• Pompey had become his rival, he asked the senate
  to order Caesar to disband his army and return
  home.
• Crossing of the Rubicon (Jan 10 49 BC)
• Caesar defied orders by marching across the
  Rubicon

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Julius Caesar

• By 44 BC Caesar become dictator for life
• Expanded the senate 900 members.
• Reduced their power to advisory council.
• Created jobs.
• 365 ¼ day calendar.

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Ides of March

• March 15 44 B.C.
• Stabbed 23 times
• Led by Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus
• Famous last words Et tu, Brute?

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Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra

• Pompey fled to Egypt
• Caesar followed him there.
• Arrived to find him beheaded
• While in Egypt Caesar met Cleopatra, he helped
  her to defeat her enemies
• They fell in love, Cleopatra had a boy named
  Caesarion.

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Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra

• Cleopatra returned home after Caesars death
• Later she would meet Mark Antony in Egypt
• Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra.
• They will produce twins together.

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Second Triumvirate

• Second Triumvirate
• Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus.

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Octavian, Mark Antony, Cleopatra

• Octavian-Grand-nephew of Ceasar was in charge of
  Rome
• Mark Antony wanted to be sole ruler of Rome
• He married and put Cleopatra in power, which
  angered Octavian
• Antony was already married to Octavians sister

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Octavian and Mark Antony

• Octavian persuades the senate to declare war on
  Antony
• Eventually Octavian will defeat him at the Battle
  of Actium
• Mark Antony and Cleopatra fled back to Egypt
• While in Egypt Cleopatra spreads a rumor that she
  has committed suicide, Mark believes the rumor
  and kills himself
• Cleopatra will follow realizing that she has lost
  control of Egypt

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Augustus

• After the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra,
  Octavian becomes Augustus
• exalted one
• Will start the Pax Romana- Roman peace

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Caligula

• Mentally disturbed
• Assassinated after short brutal reign

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Nero

• Good administrator but vicious
• Murdered many
• Persecuted Christians
• Committed suicide

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Domitian

• Ruled dictatorially
• Feared treason everywhere and executed many
• Assassinated

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Nerva

• Began custom of adopting heir

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Trajan

• Empire reached its greatest extent
• Undertook vast building program
• Enlarged social welfare

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Hadrian

• Consolidated earlier conquests
• Reorganized the bureaucracy

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Antonius Pius

• Reign largely a period of peace and prosperity

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Marcus Aurelius

• Brought empire to height of economic prosperity
• Defeated invaders
• Wrote philosophy

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Commodus

• Brutal and incompetent
• Called himself the Roman Hercules
• Fought in many Gladiator battles

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Gladiators

• Condemned criminals
• Prisoners of war
• Slaves
• Free men

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Start of the Roman Collapse

• Cost of defense
• Inflation
• Overworked soil
• Disease

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Diocletian

• Absolute ruler
• Limited personal freedoms
• Fixed prices
• Persecuted Christians
• Divided empire East (Greek) and West (Latin)

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Diocletian

• He took eastern half, named a co-ruler
• Would retire from power due to health
• Civil war broke

44
Constantine

• Fought 3 others for control
• When he gained control he re-established 1 ruler
• Moved capital to Byzantium, later Constantinople

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Western Empire

• Because of the capital being moved the west was
  open to invasions
• Huns- Mongolian nomads
• Germanic tribes- Franks, Burgundians, and Vandals

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Attila the Hun

• Marched with 100,000 soldiers
• Attacked over 70 cities on the way to Rome
• He could not gain control of Constantinople
• Pope Leo I helped

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Last Emperor

• Romulus Augustulus was the last Roman Emperor
• Overthrown by German general named Odoacer
• The Eastern half lasted until 1453 when they were
  conquered by the Ottoman Turks

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Causes of Fall

• Political
• Burden not reward
• Military interference
• Civil war
• Division of empire
• Moving of capital

• Social
• Decline interest in public affairs
• Disloyalty, lack of patriotism
• Rich v. poor

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Causes of Fall

• Economic
• Poor harvests
• Disruption of trade
• Inflation
• Tax burden
• Rich v. poor

• Military
• Threat from European tribes
• Low funds
• Problems recruiting