Download File - Mr. Williams

Unit 8, Part 3:
The
Roman
EMPIRE
CALL FOR CHANGE - Cicero
• Rome in the 70s BC was a dangerous place.
• Politicians and generals went to war to increase their
power.
• Political order broke down in Rome
• Unemployed Romans rioted in the streets because they
were starving.
• People from around the republic flooded into the city
looking for work and food, adding to the chaos.
• Cicero – Gifted philosopher and orator, or public
speaker, who called on Romans to make Rome a better
place. He wanted to limit the power of generals, give
more support to the Senate, and restore the checks and
balances on government.
• Many Romans didn’t agree with him; some didn’t care.
JULIUS CAESAR
• Greatest general in Roman history
• Admired for bravery and skill in battle
• His soldiers respected him because he treated
them well.
• Conquered nearly all of Gaul (modern France,
Germany and northern Italy) and part of Britain.
• Also excellent speaker, making him a powerful
political figure.
• Before he went to Gaul, Caesar and 2 of the most
powerful men in Rome, Pompey and Crassus,
agreed to work together to fight against the
Senate.
• After the war, Caesar was so powerful, his
friends were jealous and afraid of him, especially
Pompey.
CAESAR vs. POMPEY
• In 50 BC Pompey’s allies in the Senate ordered
Caesar to give up command of his armies and return
to Rome. Knowing that Pompey was trying to take
power away from him and would arrest him if he
gave up his command, Caesar refused, and he led his
army into Italy.
• This was against Roman law and considered a sign
of war.
• Afraid that Caesar would attack him, Pompey and
his allies fled Italy. They didn’t think they had
enough troops to defeat Cesar.
• Caesar and his army chased Pompey’s forces around
the Mediterranean for a year. Eventually they drove
Pompey into Egypt, where he was killed.
• In Egypt Caesar met Cleopatra, whom he made
queen, and she became his ally.
CAESAR ASSASSINATED
• When Caesar finally returned to Rome, he forced the
Senate to name him dictator for 10 years. Later this
term was extended and he was made dictator for life.
• Although he wanted to improve Roman society, some
people resented the way he had gained power. They
feared that he would try to make himself king.
• Some Senators were especially angry.
• On March 15th (Ides of March) in 44 BC, a group of
Senators attacked Caesar in the Senate house and
stabbed him to death.
• Amon the attackers was a young Senator named
Brutus, who had been a friend and ally of Caesar’s
(may have even been his son, but didn’t know it).
• Caesar was shocked by Brutus’s betrayal and stopped
fighting against his attackers when he recognized him.
CAESAR AVENGED
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Julius Caesar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgPymD-NBQU
HH Julius Caesar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4nzbC5vYLY
Rome was shocked by Caesar’s murder, and many
people were furious about it. Many of the common
people who loved him began to riot. Caesar’s
murderers were forced to flee for their lives.
The Senate had to act quickly to restore order.
Two leaders emerged to take control of Roman
politics and punish Caesar’s murderers:
• Marc Antony – one of Caesar’s former assistants
• Octavian – Caesar’s adopted son, later called
Augustus
At Caesar’s funder, Antony delivered a famous
speech that turned even more Romans against the
murderers.
Shortly afterward, he and Octavian set out with an
army to try to try to avenge Caesar’s death. They
caught up with the killers in northern Greece and
defeated them. After the battle the leaders of the plot
to kill Caesar, including Brutus, killed themselves.
ANTONY and CLEOPATRA
• Octavian returned to Italy.
• Antony went east to fight Rome’s enemies. In
Turkey, Antony met Cleopatra, queen of Egypt,
and the two fell in love. Antony divorced his
wife, Octavian’s sister, to be with Cleopatra,
which insulted Octavian.
• Civil war broke out in Rome. Octavian sent a
fleet to attack Antony. Antony sailed out to meet
it, and the 2 forces met west of Greece in the
Battle of Actium.
• Antony’s fleet was defeated, but he and
Cleopatra escaped back to Egypt. There they
committed suicide so they wouldn’t be taken
prisoner.
st
1
ROMAN EMPEROR
• Octavian became the sole ruler of Rome.
Over the next few years he gained power. In
27 BC he announced that he was giving up
all his power to the Senate, but actually kept
much power.
• He took the title princeps, or “first citizen.”
• The Senate game him a new name –
Augustus, which means “revered one,” and
he became the first Roman emperor
• This marked the end of the Roman Republic
and the beginning of the Roman Empire.
AUGUSTUS
• Changed the nature of Roman
government forever.
• Made many improvements to the city:
– Created a fire department and police force
– Built new aqueducts and repaired old ones
to increase the city’s water supply (talk more
about these later)
– Improved and expanded the road network
– Built a new form that held statues,
monuments, and a great temple to the god
Mars.
– In writing about his life, Augustus wrote, “I
found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of
marble.”
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Biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaCbHw-ZbZQ
OTHER EMPERORS
• Over the next 500 years, Rome had
between 147 and 192 emperors
(depending on who’s counting).
• Some were considered good: such as
Marcus Aurelius (the philosopher),
Trajan, and Hadrian.
• Many others have gone done in the
history books as being particularly
terrible and vile leaders for a variety of
reasons: Nero, Caligula, Commodus.
• (You’ll learn more about some of these
emperors later.)
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HH Come Dine with Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KExirPUaoSY
HH Emperors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSC2W8VaFM
HH Flame https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sEjKAYPJtU
THE EMPIRE EXPANDS
• When Rome became an empire, it
already controlled most of the
Mediterranean world. Within about
150 years the emperors pushed
boundaries further, creating a massive
empire.
• Why expand?
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Control hostile neighbors to prevent them
from attacking
Economic reasons – gold, farmland, or other
resources
Some emperors simply wanted victories and
to conquer
ROMAN BRITAIN
• Hadrian’s Wall – built in northern Britain by
emperor Hadrian to mark the border between the
Roman and non-Roman territory
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Hadrian's Wall - Engineering Empire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeosZImCrMY
Show History of Britain video clip
• Roman Bath in the city of Bath
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Roman Baths https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC1K_ulow7U
• Remains of Roman villas found
throughout the country
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TRADE INCREASES
As the empire grew, merchants began traveling all
over the empire trading goods and bringing raw
materials to Rome that the city couldn’t produce
itself, but that were found in the provinces, or
areas outside of Italy that the Romans controlled.
They also traded with people beyond the empire’s
borders.
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Metal, cloth, food
Exotic goods – spices from Asia, animals from Africa,
silk from China (particularly popular in Rome and
very expensive)
In return, Romans sent goods such as jewelry,
glass, and clothing to the provinces.
To pay for their trade goods, Romans used
currency, or money, in the form of gold and silver
coins. Since nearly everyone accepted Roman coins,
this allowed them to trade with people even if they
had no items their trade partners wanted. This was
a huge step forward and helped trade grow even
more.