Transcript Roman Empire Brings Change

Roman Empire Brings
Change
Chapter 6
section 2
Think about it….
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What was the real reason Rome developed where it did?
Rich soil
Who were the Etruscans?
Native’s who influenced architecture
What type of government did Rome have?
Republic
Who headed Rome’s government?
2 consuls
How long was the term for a consul? For senate?
1 year, and lifetime
Who did Rome fight in the Punic Wars?
Carthage
• Rome grew rapidly
– Political changes
– Economic changes
– Social changes
• The republic government was unable to deal
with the problems caused by these changes.
• Small farmers found it difficult to repair the
damage caused by Hannibal’s invasion.
• They sold their lands to wealthy landowners.
• Many of these farmers, a large number of
whom were returning soldiers, became homeless
and jobless.
• They worked as seasonal migrant laborers.
• The landless and unskilled in the cities found
few jobs.
• They joined the ranks of the urban poor, a
group that totaled about ¼ of Roman Society.
• While wealthy Romans became corrupted by
money and luxury, discontent arose among the
slaves.
• Resentment also grew among the poor.
• Class tensions planted the seeds of the
republic’s collapse.
Latifundias
• Rich landowners lived on huge estates called,
Latifundias.
• Latifundias were like large plantations.
• Slaves worked on these Latifundias.
• Two brothers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
attempted to help Rome’s poor.
• As tribunes, they proposed reforms.
– Limiting size of estates
– Giving land to the poor
They presented their ideas to the
Roman Senate
Bill met opposition
• Some senators felt threatened by the bill.
• The majority supported it, but the bill was
overturned by Octavius.
• Tiberius proposed that Octavius be thrown out.
• Octavius was thrown out, and the bill passed
• Tiberius made many enemies.
Tiberius’ Death 133 B.C.
• While giving a speech, a group of enraged
senators led by his cousin, Nasica Scipio (son of
General Scipio of the Punic Wars) tackled
Tiberius and clubbed him to death.
– Nasica means ‘pointed nose’
• One morning Scipio was found dead in his bed,
believed to have been murdered by Tiberius’
supporters.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8SaB7O2J
RM
• Gaius Gracchus returned to Rome to take the
place of his brother.
• Being now some thirty years of age, nine years
after his brother's murder, Gaius was elected to
the tribune in 123 BC.
Gaius pushes more reforms for lower
classes
• Awarded right to collect taxes due from the
newly created province of Asia.
• Huge expenditure on public works
– Roads
– Harbors
• Gaius' most visionary piece of legislation,
however, was too far ahead of its time and
failed.
• He wanted to grant all Latins full Roman
citizenship and to bestow upon all Italians the
rights so far enjoyed by the Latins.
– trade
– marriage with Romans
• Gaius Gracchus' supporters held an angry mass
demonstration.
• Some of them brought weapons.
• The consul Lucius Opimius (Gracchus biggest rival)
proceeded to Aventine Hill to restore order.
• He saw Gracchus’ supporters with their weapons
drawn.
• This was the excuse he needed to openly attack
Gracchus.
• He ordered the militia to attack.
• What followed was a massacre.
Death of Gaius 121 B.C.
• Gaius, realizing the
situation hopeless
ordered his personal
slave to stab him to
death.
• Following the massacre
another 3,000 of
Gracchus' supporters
were arrested, taken to
jail and strangled.
• Tiberius and his brother Gaius Gracchus were
known for their struggle for the lower classes of
Rome.
Changes in the military
• Changes in the army had led to the rise of politically
powerful military leaders.
• Generals began recruiting soldiers from landless poor
by promising them land.
• The soldiers fought for pay and owed allegiance only to
their commander.
• They replaced the citizen-soldiers whose loyalty had
been to the republic.
• It now was possible for a politician supported by his
own troops to take over by force.
Generals try to take over
• Two such Generals Gaius Marius and Lucius
Cornelius Sulla.
• Supporters fought a bloody Civil War that lasted
6 years.
• The war ended with Sulla being named dictator.
• Rivalries between generals continued to threaten
the republic.
• Eventually, an ambitions and daring Julius
Caesar emerged to bring order to Rome.
Gaius Marius
Lucius Cornelius
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Julius Caesar
• In 60 BC, Julius Caesar joined forces with
Crassus, a wealthy Roman, and Pompey, a
popular general.
• With their help, Caesar was elected consul in 59
B.C.
• For the next 10 years, these men dominated
Rome as the Triumvirate, a group of three
leaders.
Crassus and Pompey
Caesar
• Caesar was a strong leader and a genius at
military strategy.
• As tradition, he served only 1 year as consul.
• He then appointed himself the governor of
Gaul (now France)
• Caesar led a successful campaign to take over all
of Gaul.
• Because he shared fully in the hardships of war,
he won his men’s loyalty and devotion.
Ancient Gaul
Gaul was France and part of the
Roman Empire
Caesar’s Popularity Grows
• Caesar’s success in Gaul made him very popular
with the people of Rome.
• Pompey, who had become Caesar’s rival feared
his ambition.
• In 50 B.C., the senate, at Pompey’s urgings
ordered Caesar to disband his legions and return
home.
• Caesar’s next moves led to Civil War.
• He defied the Senate’s order
• On the night of January 10, 49 B.C., he took his
army across the Rubicon River in Italy, the south
limit of the area he commanded.
• He marched his army swiftly toward Rome, and
Pompey fled.
• Caesar’s troops defeated Pompey’s armies in
Greece, Asia, Spain, and Egypt.
• In 46 B.C., he was named dictator for life.
Rubicon River
• Caesar governed as an absolute ruler, one who has
total power.
• He made sweeping changes.
– Granted Roman citizenship to many people.
– He expanded the Senate
– Helped the poor
• created jobs
• especially through the construction of new
public buildings.
• He started colonies where the landless could own
land and increased pay for soldiers.
• Many nobles and senators were troubled by
Caesar’s growing power, success, and popularity.
• A number of important senators, led by Marcus
Brutus and Gaius Cassius, plotted his
assassination.
• On March 15, 44 B.C. they stabbed him to death
in the senate chamber.
Marcus Brutus
Gaius Cassius
Et tu Brute?
• As Caesar prepared to go speak to the Senate, his wife,
Calpurnia begged him not to go.
• She had a dream that she had seen him die in her arms
from stab wounds.
• He also had been warned of danger by a fortune teller.
• When Caesar arrived at the chamber, he sat in his chair.
Soon the plotters encircled him, took knives hidden in
their togas, and stabbed him 23 times.
• They were led by Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus.
Caesar’s last words were “Et tu Brute?” (You, too
Brutus?)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FvgP5hO99o
Murder of Julius Caesar
Artwork depicting Calpurnia
begging her husband not to go
• After Caesar’s death, a Civil War broke out again and
destroyed what was left of the Roman Republic.
• Caesar’s 18 yr old grand-nephew, Octavian, joined
forces with general Mark Antony and a powerful
politician named Lepidus.
• In 43 B.C., they ruled Rome for 10 years as the Second
Triumvirate.
• They avenged Caesar’s murder by purging the senate.
• Cicero was killed. Cicero was Rome’s greatest public
speaker.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/21/nPYuxReh7fM
Mark Antony
Octavius
Lepidus
Cicero
• The second triumvirate ended in jealousy and
violence.
• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire.
• He and Mark Antony became rivals.
• While leading troops against Rome’s enemies in
Anatolia, Mark Antony met Queen Cleopatra of
Egypt.
• He fell in love with her and followed her to
Egypt.
• http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/33/rVE7R
qQwyi0
Queen Cleopatra
• Cleopatra knew 9 languages and was skilled in
Mathematics.
• Rumored that she had an affair with Julius
Caesar but also helped plot his death.
http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/33/rVE7RqQwyi0
• Octavian accused Antony of plotting to rule
Rome and Egypt, and another civil war erupted.
• Octavian defeated the combined forces of
Antony and Cleopatra at the naval battle of
Actium in 31 B.C.
• Later, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.
Mark Antony and Cleopatra die
• Octavian went to war against Mark Antony because he
was angry about the land.
• As a military strategy, someone told Mark Antony that
Cleopatra was dead.
• He was so distraught that he fell on his own sword and
died.
• When Cleopatra heard Mark Antony was dead, she was
so distraught that she took an asp (a poisonous snake)
and let it strike her chest.
• She excused all her servants and dressed in royal robes
before doing so.
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=3JbcDyupYXo
• Octavian became the unchallenged ruler of
Rome.
• Eventually, he accepted the title of Augustus, or
“exalted one”.
• He also kept the title imperator, “supreme
military commander”, a term from which
emperor is derived.
• Rome was now an empire ruled by one man.
Pax Romana “Roman Peace”
• For 207 years, peace reigned throughout the
empire.
• It was a period of peace and prosperity.
• The Roman Empire was as its greatest – 3
million square miles.
– Population 60-80 million
– Population in Rome was 1 million
– It included many provinces, which were people of
many languages, cultures, and customs.
Roman Empire at its greatest
Economy
• Most important industry
• 90% of the people were engaged in farming.
• Trade became easier due to the establishment of
the ‘denarius’.
– It was a common coin that could be used
throughout the Roman empire.
Trade
• Roads connected far places, like Persia and
Russia.
• Used the Silk Road for trade with China.
Silk Road Trading Routes
Spread of Roman Culture
• The Roman army came from many provinces.
• When they were discharged from the military,
the went home and spread Roman culture.
Augustus
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Rome’s ablest emperor
Stablized the frontier
Glorified Rome with splendid public buildings
Set up a civil service
– Monitor grain supply
– Collect taxes
– Postal system
Augustus
• Most powerful ruler of the mightiest empire of the
ancient world.
• He lived a simple life.
• His home was modest by Roman standards.
• His favorite meal consisted of coarse bread, a few
sardines, and a piece of cheese – the usual food of a
common laborer.
• Religious and family oriented
• Remembered for his strict moral code.
• His only daughter was Julia
• Exiled her from Rome for not being faithful in her
marriage.
• As he neared death, he gathered his family including his
wife of 52 years, Livia by his bedside. He asked them if
he had done well in life. When they replied that he had,
Augustus said, “Since well I’ve played my part, then,
gentle people, pray applaud, and send me with your
thanks on my way.”
Augustus died 14 A.D.
• Senate named his son, Tiberius, as his successor.
• Even though some of the following rulers were
crazy and unstable (Caligula and Nero), the
government set up by Augustus proved to be
stable.
Emperors and Succession
• Rome’s peace and prosperity depended on an
orderly transfer of power.
• Rome had no written laws for selecting a new
emperor.
• Crisis or Civil War was always a possibility when
an emperor died.
5 Good Emperors
• Solved the problem of succession.
• Each emperor chose a respected leader to take
his place.
• The person had to have the respect of both the
army and the people.
• The reign of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the 5,
ended in 180 A.D.
• His death marked the beginning of the empire’s
decline and the end of the Pax Romana.