Download HIS 105 Chapter 5

HIS 105
Chapter 5
Republican and Imperial Rome
Rome
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One of the most successful empires in the
world
Began as a small city in central Italy
Captured land surrounding the Mediterranean
and N.W. Europe
Had unified government, peace, and
prosperity
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Owed much to its:
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Location
Productive farmland
Mineral deposits
Good timber
Mild climate
Early History
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Around 2000 B.C.E. Indo-Europeans invaded
Italy
They brought with them:
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Technical skills
An effective military
Political skills
A language that was the basis for Latin
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Another influence was Greek culture that spread
from southern Italy and Sicily northward
A third influence were the Etruscans in northern
Italy whose culture dominated the area
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Economic trade practices
Political techniques
Religious ideas
Alphabet
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Architecture
Sculpture
Language
A group of villages near the mouth of the Tiber
River were to become Rome
This area, including the villages around the 7
Palatine Hills were called Latium
7 Palantine Hills
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After 600 B.C.E., these villages were made
into one city-state and ruled by Etruscans
The government was comprised of a King and
his advisors, the Senate and Freemen
There were 2 classes: Patricians
( the
wealthy) and Plebeians (also called clients)
Etruscan Territory
Patrician & Plebeian
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500 B.C.E. – Romans overthrew Etruscan
king, Tarquinius, the Proud
In his place were 2 patrician consuls who
were elected annually
The year 500 B.C.E. marked the beginning of the
Roman Republic
The Early Republic, 509 – 265 B.C.E.
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In order to survive, Rome asked the other
cities of Latium for cooperation and formed
the Latin League
The League fought battles against the
Etruscans ,the Samnites, the Gauls, and the
Greeks
The League was victorious and Rome took
full control
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Rome became a world power because of:
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its military organization
its enlightened treatment of those conquered
its ability to establish and deepen the loyalty of its
citizens
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Military
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Known as the Roman Legion
Citizen army
Showed flexibility and independence when
necessary
Roman Legion
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Treatment of those conquered
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Gave outright citizenship to many, especially in
Latium
Others in organized city-states got partial
citizenship that gave them the right to trade and to
marry Roman citizen
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Could not participate in politics
Had to pay taxes
Had military obligation
Could govern themselves in most matters
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Allies
People in conquered areas away from Rome
 Had local independence
 Had no control in foreign affairs
 Had financial and military obligations
 Thought they would eventually become full Roman
citizens
This treatment promoted allegiance and loyalty
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For first 200 years of the republic the
patricians and the plebeians could not agree
on how much say plebeians would have in the
government
Eventually the plebeians won the right to elect
tribunes who had veto power over actions of
the patricians
Plebeians also established their own assembly
– The Assembly of Tribes
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450 B.C.E.- Twelve Tables were passed that
codified Roman law
367 B.C.E. – Plebeians were allowed to
become Consuls
265 B.C.E. – Rome was theoretically
governed by the decisions of a total citizen
body acting through assemblies; however, still
dominated by wealthy
Punic Wars
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The opponent : Carthage, a thriving
commercial empire in North Africa
Rome was drawn into war over Sicily
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Carthage tried to defend the Greek city-state
Messina from another Greek city-state, Syracuse
Rome intervened to keep Carthage from getting
too close to their republic
The result was the First Punic War
Carthage
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First Punic War (264-241 B.C.E.)
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Struggle for Sicily
241 B.C.E., Rome was victorious and gained
Sicily
Rome got a large monetary payment for war
expenses from Carthage
After First Punic War, Carthage tried to reassert
itself by conquering Spain which led to Second
Punic War
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Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.E.)
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Romans faced Hannibal who brought his troops
into Italy by going through the Alps
Romans did not expect this
Romans fought against Hannibal for 15 years
When Hannibal called back to Carthage, Rome
won
Hannibal
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Treaty ending the Second Punic War
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Spain went to Rome
Carthaginian navy was destroyed
Carthage paid a stiff fine over the next 50 years
Carthage had to agree to never wage war outside
of Africa unless Rome gave its permission
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Third Punic War (146 B.C.E.)
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Rome vs. Carthage
Rome won
To avoid another confrontation:
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Rome enslaved or killed every inhabitant of Carthage
Rome destroyed the city
Rome threw salt on the ground so that the city would
never rise again
Ruins of Carthage
Meanwhile…
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200 B.C.E., Ptolemy’s Egypt was weakening, and
Philip V of Macedon and Antiochus III of the
Selucid Empire tried to seize the territory
Egypt asked Rome for help and got it
Rome defeated Philip V in 200 B.C.E. and
Antiochus III in 189 B.C.E.
Rome left these 2 areas with their freedom until
fighting broke out again
Then Rome took control
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As Rome’s territory increased, so did its
power
The farther away from Italy Rome got, the
more brutal its treatment of conquered people
became
Other problems:
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Big gaps between rich and poor
Farmers and others were in great debt
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Aristocrats began buying up more and more
farmland
Class conflicts increased
Former independent farmers had to work as
tenants on someone else’s farm or move to the
city for work
Cities became overcrowded and lacked jobs for
all
Slaves took jobs away from citizens
More Problems
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Economic problems led to civil and political
unrest
Aristocrats were no longer helping lower
classes
Crisis
Two brothers tried to change the situation for
the better
Tiberius Gracchus
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133 B.C.E. – Tribune for plebeians
Wanted to limit size of aristocratic estates and
re-distribute land to the poor
Not well-received by aristocrats
When put before the tribal assembly, it was
vetoed by another tribune
He presented it again, and it was vetoed again
Tiberius Gracchus
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And again
Tiberius, with support of the people, had the
“vetoing” tribune removed from office,
violating the constitution
Tiberius tried to get his ideas accepted again
The Senate opposed him and had him
assassinated
Gaius Gracchus
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Proposed establishing new colonies for the
poor, landless veterans
He had support of people and other tribunes
He also wished to give Roman citizenship to
more Italian people
This one lost him the support of the people
The Senate had him put to death
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Marius
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107 B.C.E. rose to help the people
Successful army general
Became Consul several times
Used paid volunteers fro lower classes for his army
Gave them supplies and a career
In return, they were loyal to him
Promised soldiers land when they left army
Gaius Marius
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Sulla, another general, opposed the plan of
Marius
With help of Senate, Sulla drove Marius out
Fighting continued in Rome from without and
from within
Sulla
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77 B.C.E. Pompey, another general, became
prominent
Conquered territory for Rome, so Senate gave
him special powers
Pompey joined with Julius Caesar to form a
new government with power above the Senate
Caesar followed his own plan
Pompey
Julius Caesar
Caesar
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Continued to take territory then brought troops to
Rome and took over government for himself
Civil war followed bringing an end to the Republic
Caesar’s government
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Had a Senate full of his supporters
Brought in people from the provinces to take part in
politics
Declared himself Dictator for 10 years and then for life
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Instituted reforms – example: he created a new
calendar
Conservative members of Senate feared he would be
a monarch, so had him killed in 44 B.C.E.
His death was followed by 13 years of civil war
His nephew, Octavian, defended Caesar
Ides of March
Octavian/ Caesar Augustus
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Octavian took the name of Caesar and
defeated his opponents
His victories made him the absolute ruler of
Rome and its Empire
He created an empire and was its first
emperor – Augustus Caesar
Basic Roman Outlook
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Shaped by 4 things:
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Family life
Agriculture
Warfare
Religion
Made Romans sensible, unemotional, hardworking,
disciplined, and practical people
Octavian / Augustus Caesar
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Contributed a new system of governing
Octavian manipulated his rise to power
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Knew Roman problems could be solved if power
was in the hands of one man – his
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31 B.C.E., he had himself elected consul
annually
27 B.C.E., he gave all his power back to the
Senate
Senate feared civil war and begged him to
stay
Senate then gave him even more power
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Made him tribune for life
Named him consul
Named him proconsul over all the provinces
Gave him command of all the armies
Added an imperium (authority higher than any
other)
Lavished him with honors: first senator, called
him augustus, “revered one”, imperator,
“victorious general”, & princep
His actions:
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Redefined rigid class divisions
Tried to improve morale & patriotism by
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Restoring old Roman religion
Patronized writers like Vergil
Passed laws to curb vices
Beautified Rome
Provided public services
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Set up a professional military with careful
training, regular pay, and a pension in money, not
land
Built roads, supply depots, and military posts
Tried to improve provincial governance
Set up sound fiscal system
Set up system for succession
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All emperors set up an imperial bureaucracy:
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Unified law
Gave citizenship to many
Had humanitarian projects
Had sound fiscal system
Renewed patriotism
Felt good government was vital for a civilized life
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Trajan added final areas to empire: Dracia, Armenia,
and Mesopotamia
Palestinian Jews revolted against Rome 115 – 117
and 132 – 135; Jews didn’t wish to follow Roman
religion; put down the Emperor Hadrian;
First 2 centuries of empire were fairly prosperous;
they had good government, agriculture, trade, and
building activities
Trajan
Palestine
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Taken by Pompey in 63 B.C.E.
Jews of Palestine would not be forced to
follow Roman religion; they were
monotheistic
Palestine first governed by Herod, a Roman
puppet ruler
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Jews were allowed to maintain their faith
They didn’t have to sacrifice to Roman gods
Jesus of Nazareth
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Born around 6 or 4 B.C.E.
Was given the name Joshua ben Joseph
Followers saw him as the Messiah or the
Christ
Preached peace and love in the Jewish
tradition
Some saw his teachings as blasphemy
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Didn’t like his claim that he was “King of the
Jews”
Pontius Pilate, Roman Procurator, thought
Jesus was a threat and sentenced him to death
by crucifixion
He died, but followers said he arose 3 days
later proving that he was the Messiah
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Followers called themselves Christians led by
Peter
Paul of Tarsus was a convert who said
Christianity was separate from Judaism and
wrote letters to churches being established
Some Roman Christians faced persecution
and death under certain emperors like Nero
and Diocletian
Nero & Diocletian
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By the 4th century C.E. 10% of the Roman
Empire was Christian
The religion became more formalized
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
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Signs of decay were apparent after 180 C.E.
in the economy and in politics
Internal Stresses:
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Size of the empire – needed more and more
soldiers to guard borders, plus more supplies
Economic stresses – decline in agricultural
output, trade, and industry
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Social problems
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Military rule
Aristocrats forced from politics
High taxes
Concentrated on keeping military happy, not the
general populace
Civil wars over succession
Frontier defenses neglected
Invasions from outsiders
Lives and property destroyed
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Upper classes became pleasure-seeking
Cultural life decayed
Christianity grew
Interest in mystery religions grew
Life was uncertain
Everyday survival became difficult
Many farmers looked to landowners for protection. This
foreshadowed manorialism where estates made
everything needed. Cities were abandoned
Diocletian
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Undistinguished birth
Rose to lead the empire through the army
Redesigned how the empire would be ruled;
tried to solve the problems of succession
Worked to remove the military from politics
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Created a mobile cavalry
Wanted total loyalty from the people; that
meant emperor worship
Christians refused
Diocletian viciously persecuted them
Diocletian stepped down in 305 C.E.
His plan for a smooth succession failed and
civil war followed
Constantine
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Claimed the throne in 306 C.E. using military
force
Won control of entire empire in 324 C.E.
Reigned until 337 C.E.
Continued some of Diocletian’s policies that
would strengthen the empire
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He added a new religious policy in 313 C.E.
called The Edict of Milan
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Granted religious toleration to the empire
Ended the persecution of Christians
Gave Christians legal recognition
Constantine converted to Christianity but wasn’t
baptized until he was dying.
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Constantine promoted Christian causes and his
legislation reflected Christian influences
He did little to encourage other religions
He changed the capital from Rome to Byzantium
(Turkey), later called Constantinople
Wished to be free from restrictive traditions of
paganism in Rome
Rome remained center of Christianity and number of
Christians grew to 30 million
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The reigns of Diocletian and Constantine
brought some stability to the Roman Empire
and this stability lasted through the reign of
Theodosius (r. 379-395)
Old problems reappeared after 395C.E.
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No true economic recovery
There was a decline in public spirit
Quality of government deteriorated
Successful German Barbarian invasions
The fall of Rome occurred in some parts of
the empire and not in others
The West eventually collapsed
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The remaining eastern part of the empire
became known as Byzantium
Rome did live on through the passing on of its
culture that is still apparent today