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The Roman Republic
• Res publica in Ancient Rome
meant:
– Public property (thing)
– citizens elect leaders to run
their government
– Public affairs
• state organization system
• politics
The Senate and
People of Rome
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Nobles who
owned large
amounts of land
The 2 classes met
in the ASSEMBLY
to vote for the
following:
They governed the
city. Served for one
year only. Had to agree
with each other. Led
army in wars.
Officials appointed to be
judges. Looked after
money and served as
CENSORS
Lower class
farmers and
craftsmen
Picked by Plebs. They
were to protect the
poor and could VETO
laws.
Patricians only who served for life. Magistrates
joined when they retired from service. They made
the decisions in Rome including declaring WAR,
making PEACE, and picking governors of provinces
Roman Society
• Patricians- wealthy landowners
that controlled the republic.
• The word "patrician" is derived from the
Latin word patricius (plural patricii),
which comes from patrēs, the plural of
pater ("father").
• Pater was the term applied to the
original members of the Roman Senate.
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The Plebeians
• The common people.
• Had no say in govt.
• Allowed to take part in
the assembly, but had
less power than the
Senate.
• Over time they
demanded more say in
the government
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Twelve Tables- 451 BCE
 12 laws written on bronze tablets
 Hung in the Forum so all Romans could see
them
This gave plebeians greater power allowing
them to become priests & members of the
Senate, but not to marry patricians
 The laws passed by the patrician senate
applied to everyone. However, the laws passed
by the plebian assembly applied only to
plebeians.
The Roman Army
• Superior due to its discipline and organization.
• Used a tight battle formation originally developed by
Greeks.
– Opponents used mob warfare.
• Legion- basic army unit of 4,000 to 6,000 men
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Roman Alliances
•
How did Rome maintain its alliances with
former enemies?
1. Granted Roman citizenship to allies.
2. Allowed allies to keep local govt.
3. Gave protection and maintained order in
Italy.
██ Roman republic 510BC-40BC
██ Roman Empire 20AD-360AD
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██ Western Roman Empire 405AD-480AD
██ Eastern Roman Empire 405AD-480AD
The Punic Wars
264-202 BCE- Series of
wars between Rome and
Carthage for control of the
Mediterranean Sea
Carthage- N. African
city founded by
Phoenicians, which the
Romans call Punici =
Punic Wars.
The Roman World Grows
“Who is so thoughtless and lazy that he
does not want to know in what way and
with what kind of government the
Romans, in less than 53 years,
conquered nearly the entire inhabited
world and brought it under their rule – an
achievement previously unheard of?”
• Polybius, Greek historian, watched as Rome became a
world power
The Punic Wars
• First Punic War
 War is fought over Sicily as the
Greek city-states Syracuse and
Messina ask for Roman and
Carthaginian help in their war
 Rome- superior army
 Carthage- superior navy
 Rome needs to build 3 fleets to
win the war, they develop the
corvus to fight at sea
 Rome gains Sicily- makes a
province (territory outside of Italy).
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The Punic Wars
• Second Punic War
 Hannibal, a Carthaginian
general invades Italy from
Spain using elephants. He
crosses the Alps Mountains
with the elephants!
 At the battle of Cannae,
Hannibal completely
destroys 16 legions
 Hannibal spends 17 years in
Italy marching up and down
the country, but the Romans
won’t leave the city to fight
The Punic Wars
 The Romans decide to attack Carthaginian lands
while Hannibal is in Italy
Scipio launches an invasion into Carthage and
beats Hannibal at the battle of Zama
Hannibal leaves for Greece, where the Romans
track him down and conquer the Greeks, Hannibal
commits suicide rather than being captured
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The Punic Wars
 Cato the Elder demands Carthage be
destroyed after every speech he
gives
 Salted fields so nothing ever grows
there
 Survivors sold into slavery.
 Africa becomes a Roman province
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The Roman Republic in Crisis
• Hannibal’s invasion destroyed the
farms.
• Newly conquered lands begin to
import food into Rome.
– Mostly from Egypt Breadbasket of
Mediterranean Sea
– Farmer income declines.
– Rich get richer, poor get poorer
– Latifundia (large estates worked by
slaves) created. [Latin lātifundium: lātus,
"spacious" + fundus, "farm, estate"]`
– specialized in agriculture destined for
export
• grain
• olive oil
• wine.
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Problems in the Late Republic
Sen. Sanders on Obama plan about letting taxes last
By the mid-100s BC, Rome had no rival anywhere in the Mediterranean
world. However, the responsibilities of running their vast holdings stretched
the Roman political system to its limits.
Social Unrest
• Revolution began in
political, social
institutions
• Tensions grew between
classes of Roman
society
• Gracchi brothers tried
to resolve tension
Soldier-Farmers
• Tribune Tiberius
Gracchus noted
mistreatment of soldierfarmers
• Many reduced to
poverty
• Tiberius, brother Gaius
tried to help soldiers
Public Land
• Gracchi tried to
redistribute public land
to farmers
• Had public support, but
Senate feared Gracchi
trying to reduce its
power
• Senate urged mobs to
kill brothers
The Military in Politics
• 107 BC, social unrest reached new level
• General Gaius Marius elected consul
– Eliminated property restrictions
– Accepted anyone who wanted to join army
• Armies, private forces devoted to general
– Poor hoped to share plunder at end of war
– Ruthless generals realized loyalty of troops could be used as political
tool
Social
and
Civil
Wars
The Social War
Civil War
• Rome’s Italian allies had been
trying to obtain Roman
citizenship
• Social War revealed talent of
General Lucius Cornelius Sulla
• Sulla became consul, 88 BC;
after consulship ended, Marius
tried to prevent Sulla from
taking military command
• Senate wanted to maintain
monopoly on power, refused
• 90 BC, Social War broke out
• Italian rebels were defeated, but
Senate agreed to give them
citizenship
• Sulla marched on Rome, won
civil war, became dictator
• Carried out program of reforms
to protect power of Senate
Sulla (nicknamed
“Felix” = lucky)
The rise of
dictators
•
•
•
Dictator- one person with absolute
power.
Gaius Marius
– Standardized Legionnaire's pack –
“Marius’ mules”
– Troops swore oath of loyalty to
commander, not Rome.
– Paid by commander, not Rome
Lucius Sulla
– Rival to Marius
– Bloody wars over power.
– Defeats Marius and becomes dictator
of Rome.
• Posted “Proscriptions” lists of
citizens whose death would be
rewarded with deceased’s
property.
– Marius
The soldiers of the Roman army would carry
with them a considerable amount of kit. When
on the march they carried over their shoulder a
contraption (sometimes described as a forked
stick) which would help them to carry some of
their equipment. Here is a re-enactor of a
legionary bearing this item over his shoulder
together with his pilum.
So weighed down were the soldiers by all their
stuff, that they were nicknamed 'Marius' mules'
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(after the famous Roman general to whom the
invention of the very forked stick is ascribed).
Spartacus
• 73 BCE
• Proclaims war on Rome in attempt to
free the slaves.
• 2 years of successful revolts
• Eventually crucified along w/ 6000
followers along Appian Way (imp.
Road out of Rome).
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Summarize
What challenges faced Rome in the late
Republic?
Answer(s): soldiers and poor not treated fairly,
Gracchi brothers killed, slave revolts, social
unrest, the Social War, and a civil war in which
Sulla became dictator
•
First
triumvirate
60 BCE- Three army generals unite to rule Rome.
1. Pompey  Most well-known general
2. Crassus  Richest man in Rome
3. Julius Caesar  Junior partner, MAJOR ambition
•
Caesar becomes consul and commands the Roman
legions in Gaul.
–
•
•
Conquers Gaul (France) and England.
Pompey gets support from Senate.
–
•
Pompey
Orders Caesar to return home w/out the army.
Caesar returns home WITH army and defeats
Pompey.
He then goes to Egypt and meets Cleopatra.
–
–
Becomes a “hero of the Republic”
Dictator for Life
Julius
Caesar
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•
•
Reforms Rome
1. Named Pater Patriae
("Father of the
Fatherland").
2. Lowered taxes.
3. Makes governors
responsible to him.
4. Grants citizenship to
conquered peoples.
5. Stacks Senate with pals
March 15, 44 BCE- Caesar
assassinated
– Stabbed on the Senate
floor by:
• Brutus “et tu Brute?!?”
• And his brother-in-law,
Cassius
– Beware the Ides of March
• Didn’t listen to warning
• Unguarded/
Unprotected/ Unarmed
Julius Caesar
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Second triumvirate
1. Mark Antony Loved by the
people, but a drunken boor
– At a state dinner, while giving a
speech, puked in his toga
2. Lepidus Definitely Junior
partner (smart enough to know it)
3. Octavian Adopted son of Julius
Caesar
• Roman Territory divided
– Antony took Egypt & East
– Octavian took Italy & West
– Lepidus got Africa W. of Egypt (took
it & kept mouth shut)
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Cleopatra &
Antony
• Octavian beats Antony
at Naval Battle of
Actium
• Antony & Cleopatra run
to Egypt.
• Octavian pursues
• Antony & Cleopatra
commit suicide
– Antony stabs self
– Cleopatra lets snake bite
her
Octavian becomes Caesar Augustus
• 31 BCE- creates the
Roman Empire
• Allows Senate to keep
some power, but he would
retain sole power to rule.
• Changes name to
Augustus
– “honored and majestic”
• Takes title of Caesar from
his great uncle
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From Octavian to Augustus
Octavian Takes Power
• Octavian faced task of restoring
order in empire
• Had no intention of establishing
dictatorship when he took
power
Principate
• Octavian careful to avoid title of
king or emperor
• Called himself princeps, “first
citizen”
• Government called Principate
New Political Order
• Octavian decided it impossible
to return Rome to republican
form of government
• Created new political order,
known today as the empire
New Title
• 27 BC, Senate gave Octavian
title Augustus, “the revered
one”
• Title a religious honor; able to
wear laurel and oak leaf crown
50 BCE