The Roman Empire When the ancient Greeks were reaching the height of their glory, the power of Rome, to the west, was slowly rising. The Romans were best in warfare, engineering, and government. Rome rose to power gradually, with no set plan for world conquest. The Romans fought many wars and enslaved many people. By the time of Augustus, shortly before Christ, most of the known world was unified and at peace under Roman rule. The Kings of Early Rome The early Romans didn’t keep any written records. There are only two existing documents, which give the continuous early history of Rome. The old legends say that Romulus founded the city in 753 BC when the settlements on the seven hills were united. Under his heir, the Romans conquered Alba Longa, the religious center of the Latin civilizations. During the rule of Ancus Martius, a number of annoying Latin cities were conquered, and their people were brought to Rome. The Etruscan Conquest Shortly before 600 BC, Rome was conquered by several Etruscan princes from across the Tiber River. Tarquinius Priscus drained the city's marshes. The last of the kings of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, was a dictator who opposed the people. Under the rule of the Etruscans Rome grew in importance and power. Great temples and impressive public works were built. Rome had become the largest and richest city in Italy. Period of Conquest It was only a tiny city-state, much like the city-states that were growing at the same time in Greece. The common citizens were called the plebs or plebeians. They marched out of Rome in a body and threatened to make a new city in 494 BC. In 350 BC the plebeians were admitted to the dictatorship. The Roman Senate has been called the "most distinguished and important political body, which has ever existed in the world." Political Struggle The struggle for political power was the economic struggle between rich and poor. Gradually, reforms were forced through. Compelled at first to fight for its very existence against powerful neighbors, Rome gradually fought its way to the leadership of the Italian civilizations. Success of Rome Slowed Down By Gauls The successful progress of Rome received a temporary difficulty in 390 BC when wandering Gauls advanced through the center of Etruria. In another century Rome conquered their whole territory. Only southern Italy remained independent. Fearful at the spread of Roman power, the Greek cities appealed to Pyrrhus.
From about 50 BCE to the year 200 CE, the Roman Empire was a powerful nation. Rome was the city that became the center of the Roman Empire and by 200 BCE Rome became a powerhouse. The Romans conquered Scotland to Spain, controlled the Mediterranean Sea, and established colonies in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Minor. By the year 44 BCE Julius Caesar became a Roman Emperor and Rome had a great military. Then around the 5th century CE the Roman Empire began to weaken. The primary reasons for the fall of Rome was because of the Roman Emperors, the Roman Army, and foreign invasion.
Rome was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. The early Roman state was founded in 509 B.C. after the Romans drove out the hated Etruscan king. By this time Rome had already grown from a cluster of small villages to a small city. Little did the settlers know that this was the beginning of one of the greatest and largest empires ever known.
Document numero dos has told the story as of the Roman empire started out as a pretty decent-sized place at first, but soon the military decided it wasn't enough for them. They wanted to travel to nearby lands to take over- and they did, a ton. As the Roman empire expanded, it became a free-for-all target for barbarians and thieves
...empire in the ancient world was successful in one way or another, but no empire compared to Rome in the consistent, wide spectrum manor of leadership. Rome's government was the most stable and flexible. Rome's military did lose battles, but consistently won the wars, their well disciplined and determined military grinding down enemy opposition. Rome's trade stretched throughout the empire, making goods from far western Europe to the Middle East. Rome's ability to integrate conquered people was far superior to any others and led to great stability in the empire. The bureaucracy and civic structure made Rome as prosperous as it was stable. The accurate tax collection and road system made the government strong, increased trade, communication and government control. Rome was, for all these reasons, the most successful empire of the ancient world.
The Roman Empire In 27 BC, Augustus became the first emperor of Rome, thus creating a strong leader figure, which could shape and mold the Republic system into what was best for the empire or themselves. During the reign of the emperors, the political policies for Rome would vary according to, which emperor was in power. Not only were politics shaky, but there never was a clear-cut method of succession for the man who controlled those politics. Rome had created the position of emperor in hopes that men like Augustus would continue to lead her into prosperity, however the office of emperor struggled in attempting to find great men to lead Rome. The office never truly evolved into something greater than when it had been created, but rather the office varied according to the personality of the man in the position.
As the story goes, Rome was founding in 753 B.C. by two brothers Remus and Romulus who were raised by wolves. The two brothers started fighting over the leadership of the land. Eventually Romulus killed Remus and took control own his own. The city was only a small settlement at that time. As the civilization grew, the Etruscans took over. The Romans drove out the Etruscans in 509 B.C. By this time Rome had become a city. As the empire came to its peak it included lands throughout the Mediterranean world. Rome had first expanded into other parts of Italy and neighboring places during the Roman Republic, but made wider conquests and made a strong political power for these lands. In 44 BC Gaius Julius Caesar, the Roman leader who ruled the Roman Republic as a dictator was assassinated. Rome descended into more than ten years of civil war. After years of civil war, Caesar's heir Gaius Octavius (also known as Octavian) defeated his last rivals. In 27 B.C. the Senate gave him the name Augustus, meaning the exalted or holy one. In this way Augustus established the monarchy that became known as the Roman Empire. The Roman Republic, which lasted nearly 500 years, did not exist anymore. The emperor Augustus reigned from 27 BC to AD 14 and ruled with great power. He had reestabl...
“The Roman Empire is heir to nearly three thousand years of development in the Mediterranean basin”(Smiley, 1). The Romans were guided by the Etruscan, a cultural group in central Italy that taught them the alphabet and even their architecture. After being helped by the Etruscan, the Romans rebelled back and defeated Etruria. They completely obliterated all traces of Etruscan society. After being attack by the Gaul in 387 BCE, the Romans rebuilt their city with even stronger defenses. They reorganized their army and introduced new tactics and iron weapons. By the end of the century, the Romans had a strong army and navy. The Carthaginians, a powerful maritime empire in North Africa, also helped the Romans conquered all of Southern Italy and the Greek colonies. However, the Romans turned against Carthage because it was a major sea power. Rome was expanding and wanted to get bigger, so they fought Carthage for control of Sicily over 120 years until in 146 BCE, Rome won. The Romans destroyed the city of Carthage by killing most of the inhabitants, burning the Carthage navy and salting the earth so no crops well ever grow. The few who survive were slaughtered or sold to slavery. “By the mid second century BCE, Rome was the most powerful empire in the Mediterranean. It had a well-trained army and an excellent navy”(Smiley, 1). The conquest of Carthage and Greek territory help Rome become a great
This was achieved by the Roman’s military prowess. Romans were able to conquer their neighbors by building roads and being at near constant war as they expanded their territory and wealth. This expansion caused social issues and civil war. Over time, Rome had transitioned from an initial Monarchy to a Republic, which was ruled by a Senate and two Consuls. When Julius Cesar was assassinated, his death ended the Republic. The Empire was ruled by an Emperor who controlled the consul and the Senate. Under Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, Rome grew to it’s greatest size and there was a long period of peace and stability(Acrobatiq, 2014).
The people were happy. This is the underlying cause of the astounding length of time and space that the Roman Empire occupied most of the known western land. Great rulers met their downfall when they put their own status in front of the well being of the people they govern. When the citizens are left high and dry and not regarded as important to their society then this is when there is an overthrow of power and a new ruler comes into play. Citizens had a place in politics, they have lots of entertainment, they had the best army in the world to protect them, and Rome was the place to live and would be that way for many years.
The idea of the divide was to make the empire easier to govern for a short period, but over time the two empires drifted further apart. The East and West failed to work together collectively to combat the outside threats that Italy faced, the two empires frequently disagreed over resources and the military aid. As time went on the Eastern Empire grew in wealth while the West inclined into an economic crisis. Most importantly, the strength of the Eastern Empire served to divert Barbarian invasions to the West and Emperors like Constantine ensured that the city of Constantinople was encouraged and well-guarded, but Italy and the city of Rome were left vulnerable. The Western political structure would finally collapse in the fifth century, but the Eastern Empire endured in some form for another thousand years before being overwhelmed by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s.
The Roman Republic began approximately around 509 B.C. when the nobles drove the King and his family out of Rome. This monumental incident helped shape the start to the transformation of the monarchy into a republican governmental system. This is known to have begun by that of the Roman nobles trying to hold their power that they had gained. The Republic was “[a] city-state [which] was the foundation of Greek society in the Hellenic Age; in the Hellenistic Age, Greek cities became subordinate to kingdoms, larder political units ruled by autocratic monarchs” (Perry 105)
The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC after the ruling Tarquins abused their extensive power as monarchs and were overthrown. The goal of the Roman Republic was to have a strong government, governed equally by the patricians and the plebians, and to avoid another Roman Monarchy. For years Rome was guided by great men, such as Cincinnatus and Scipio Africanus, who led the Republic through hard times, conquering such enemies as the Etruscans and the Carthaginians. Large-scale war united Roman society in its common goals. However, after Scipio’s victory at Zama in 202 BC, a new Roman world began to take shape. Roman soldiers returned home from their victory to find that they could not pay for their farms, becoming “squatters” on their own lands after having to sell them to richer men. The Senate became corrupted, and despite the Gracchi brothers’ best efforts, the rich patricians soon monopolized nearly all aspects of the Republic, from trading and “farming” to governing the people. After marching on Rome, Sulla became dictator in 82 BC. After Sulla, the First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar, owned virtually all power in Rome, yet each had his own desire to defeat the other two and become Emperor. When Crassus died in battle, Caesar had his chance. He defeated Pompey and marched on Rome, victorious. After declaring himself Dictator for Life, Caesar was assassinated, and another Civ...
Another sizeable contributing factor to the expansion of the Roman Empire was the sacking of Rome by the Gauls in 390 B.C.. “The Romans were completely dumbfounded by the wild and undisciplined charge of the howling Gauls. The Roman’s tightly packed phalanx, a military formation they had adopted from the Greeks of southern Italy, collapsed, and the Romans fled” (Kidner, 129). The sacking left the Romans determined to prevent and avoid any similar outcomes in the future.
The Plebeians were more of the poor group of Romans and poorer Romans, however, could only dream of such a life. Sweating it out in the city, they lived in shabby, dirty houses that could collapse or burn at any moment. If times were hard, they might abandon newborn babies to the streets, hoping that someone else would take them in as a servant or slave. Poor in wealth but strong in numbers, they were the Roman mob, who relaxed in front of the popular entertainment of the time, the chariot races between opposing teams, or gladiators fighting for their life, fame and fortune.
Ever wondered what was one of the longest lasting empires that ever existed. The Holy Roman Empire was an empire with tremendous emperors and terrible emperors throughout its era. The Holy Roman Empire was an empire that was in existence from 800-1806(Cavendish). The Holy Roman Empire controls the majority of what is now Europe(Holy). During every change of emperors the landscape of the land they ruled changed to how they liked it during the Holy Roman Empire.