Section 3 The Birth of the Roman Empire

1
Section 3The Birth of the Roman Empire

• The Story Continues
• As the Roman Republic expanded its borders, its
  problems increased. One Roman official noticed
  the corruption of the government in a letter to
  his brother Remember that this is Rome, a city
  made up of many people, in which plots, lies, and
  all kinds of vices abound.

2
I. A Weakening Republic

• By 133 BC, brothers Tiberius and Gaius
• Gracchus (the Gracchi) saw the need for
• reform

TIBERIUS GRACCHUS (c.163-133 BC) GAIUS GRACCHUS
(c.153-121 BC)
3
I. A Weakening Republic

• Both were elected tribunes, both were
• assassinated after angering the Senate

Gaius Gracchus was begged by his friends to
escape, while they held off his pursuers. As he
ran along, no one helped him or gave him the
horse for which he asked. He finally took refuge
in a sacred grove and met his death.
4
I. A Weakening Republic

• Their deaths marked a turning point - violence
• rather than law began to control politics

The Death of Tiberius by Jean-Paul Laurens,
depicting Tiberius to be smothered under orders
of Naevius Sutorius Macro.
5
I. A Weakening Republic

• 91 BC - the Social War resulted in Romes
• allies becoming Roman citizens

This map depicts the landscape of Italy during
the period of the Social War and portrays select
sites relating to the history of Rome
6
I. A Weakening Republic

• Roman generals created private armies more
• loyal to them than the government, and forced
• the Senate to do their bidding

Lucius Cornelius Sulla 138-78 BC
Gaius Marius 157 86 BC
7
II. Caesar in Power

• Julius Caesar was a general, a powerful
• public speaker, and popular among the poor

Julius Caesar 100 - 44 BC
8
II. Caesar in Power

• 60 BC - Caesar and two other generals,
• Gnaeus Pompey and Licinius Crassus, formed
• the first Triumvirate

Gnaeus Pompey 106 - 48 BC
Julius Caesar 100 - 44 BC
Licinius Crassus 115 BC 53 BC
9
II. Caesar in Power

• To increase his power and gain a loyal army,
• Caesar obtained a command and conquered
• Gaul

Caesar's Campaigns in Gaul 58-50 BC
10
II. Caesar in Power

• 49 BC - Pompey ordered Caesar back to
• Rome Caesar marched back with his
• army and declared war

Julius Caesar and the Crossing of the Rubicon
11
II. Caesar in Power

• Caesar defeated Pompey, marched on to
• Egypt, and put Cleopatra on the throne as his
• ally

12
II. Caesar in Power

• 46 BC - Caesar returned to Rome in triumph
• and was named dictator for life by the senate

13
II. Caesar in Power

• 44 BC - a conspiracy led by Gaius Cassius
• and Marcus Brutus assassinated Caesar

The Assassination of CaesarMarch 15th, 44
B.C. Beware the Ides of March
14
III. The Roman Empire

• Octavian, Marc Antony, and Lepidus seized
• power and formed the Second Triumvirate

Marc Antony 83 BC 30 BC
Octavian 90 BC - 13 BC
Octavian 63 BC - AD 14
15
III. The Roman Empire

• Antony conquered the forces of Brutus and
• Cassius and then joined Cleopatra in Egypt

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Antony and Cleopatra,
1883
16
III. The Roman Empire

• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire and divided
• rule of the Roman world with Antony

17
III. The Roman Empire
Octavian declared war on Antony and Cleopatra,
and defeated their navy at the Battle of Actium
in 31 BC
18
III. The Roman Empire
27 BC - Octavian earned the title Augustus Caesar
(revered one) and the Roman Republic became the
Roman Empire
AugustusFirst Roman Emperor 63 B.C. - 14
C.E. He subjected the whole wide earth to the
rule of the Roman people
19
III. The Roman Empire
Under Augustus the Roman Empire began the
200-year period known as the Pax Romana
20
III. The Roman Empire
After Augustus, the Julio-Claudian Emperors ruled
the empire for 54 years
Tiberius (A.D. 14-37)
Claudius (41-54 A.D.)
Nero (54-68 A.D.)
21
III. The Roman Empire
The Five Good Emperors took power in AD 96 and
ruled for almost 100 years
The Five Good Emperors - Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian,
Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius