Download Lesson 2: From Republic to Empire

Lesson 2
From Republic to Empire
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Decline of the Republic
• 2nd century BC: Senate was the real governing
body of Rome
• Members of Senate were upper class patricians,
aristocratic.
• The Senate directed the Punic wars and took
control of foreign, domestic, and financial policy.
• These aristocrats represented only a tiny
minority of Roman people.
• Small farmers were the majority, and they
were losing their lands to the upper class.
• Small farmers drifted to the cities, forming a
large class of landless poor.
Attempts at Reform
• Some upperclassmen tried to fix this problem.
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, brothers, believed
the cause of Rome’s problems was the decline of
the small farmer.
• To help the poor, they had the council pass land
reform bills that had the government give back
public land (owned by the wealthy) back to the
landless poor.
• 133 BC: Tiberius and Gaius were killed by a group
of angry senators.
• This lead to more instability and violence.
End of the Republic
• From 82 BC to 31 BC, Roman history was characterized by
competition and civil war.
• Three powerful men came to hold enormous military and
political power:
1. Crassus
2. Pompey
3. Julius Caesar
• All three had significant military experience
• They joined in 60 BC to form the first triumvrate
• Triumvrate: a government by three people with equal
power.
The First Triumvrate
• The wealth and power of these three men
combined was huge, and allowed them to
dominate Roman politics and achieve their
aims.
• Pompey received military command in Spain
• Crassus was given command in Syria. Was
killed in battle in 53 BC.
• Caesar was granted special military command
in Gaul, modern day France.
Caesar in Gaul
Julius Caesar (100 BC – 44 BC)
• During his time in Gaul, Caesar gained fame
and military experience.
• Caesar was always willing to face great danger.
• Now had a powerful army of veterans loyal to
him.
• Fearing Caesar’s popularity, leading senators
decided that Pompey should rule alone.
• They voted that Caesar lay down his command
and return to Rome as a private citizen.
• This was unacceptable to Caesar, as it would
have left him vulnerable to his enemies
• Caesar chose to keep his army and moved into
Italy by illegally crossing the Rubicon river
(southern boundary of his province) Caesar
marched on Rome, starting a civil war
between his forces and those of Pompey.
• After defeating Pompey’s forces, Caesar was in
complete control of the Roman government.
Caesar crossing the Rubicon
Dictatorship and Reform
• Caesar was officially made dictator, or absolute
ruler, in 47 BC.
• Realizing the need for change, Caesar gave land
to the poor and increased the Senate to 900
members (filling it with his supporters)
• Caesar granted citizenship to people in provinces
who had helped him
• Reformed the calendar by introducing the
Egyptian solar year of 365 days
• Caesar planned many building projects and
campaigns but wasn’t able to carry them out.
Assassination
• In 44 BC, a group of leading senators who
resented Caesar’s power assassinated him.
• They hoped the old republican system would
now return.
• All that it accomplished was setting the state
for another civil war that would finally end the
republic.
Bellringer
• Why do you think Julius Caesar was assassinated
in 44 BC? How did this affect the republic?
• Write a one paragraph response.
The Second Triumvirate
• A new struggle for power emerged after
Caesar’s death.
• Three men joined forces to form the Second
Triumvirate
1. Octavian – Caesar’s heir and grandnephew
2. Antony – Caesar’s ally and assistant
3. Lepidus – Commander of Caesar’s cavalry
The Second Triumvrate
Roman gold coins bearing the portraits of Mark Antony(left) and
Octavian (right), issued in 41 BC to celebrate the establishment of
the Second Triumvirate by Octavian, Antony and Marcus Lepidus in
43 BC. Both sides bear the inscription "III VIR R P C", meaning "One
of Three Men for the Regulation of the Republic".
• Within a few years after Caesar’s death, only
two men divided the Roman world between
them.
• Octavian took the west, Antony the East.
• These men soon came to conflict.
• Antony allied with Egyptian queen Cleopatra
VII, with whom he fell in love with.
• 31 BC: Battle of Actium, Octavian’s forces attack
Antony and Cleopatra’s forces.
• Both fled to Egypt and committed suicide a year
later.
• Egypt added to Roman Empire.
Octavian in power
• Octavian stood as Rome’s supreme ruler at
age 32. The civil wars ended and so had the
republic.
• The foundations had been set for the Roman
Empire to grow.
Augustus Caesar
• 27 BC – Civil wars had ended,
Octavian became first Roman Emperor
• Was given title of “Augustus” – the revered one
• Augustus Caesar was very popular. His reign was
known as the “Pax Romana”, or the Roman Peace.
• offered restoration to a weakened senate
• Senate gave him title imperator, or commander in
chief.
• The English word emperor comes from imperator.
Commander in Chief
• Augustus maintained a standing army of 28
legions (151,000 men)
• Legion – military unit of 5,000 troops
• Only Roman citizens could be legionnaires.
• Subject peoples (non citizens) could serve as
auxiliary forces (130,000 under Augustus).
• Augustus also set up a praetorian guard of
9,000 men who guarded the emperor
• Augustus was very concerned about the social
wellbeing of the Roman state.
• He believed the civil wars of the 1st century
weakened public religion, which he felt was a
pillar of a strong state.
• Augustus rebuilt many ruined temples and
built new ones to honor the Roman gods.
• He also encouraged the development of a new
religious cult dedicated to the emperor.
End of an Era
• Augustus died in 14 AD after ruling Rome for
45 years.
• Upon his death, Augustus was declared a god
by the senate.
• He created a new order while maintaining
traditional values.
• By the time of his death, the Roman republic
was only a memory
• Rome would now be ruled by emperors.