Transcript Roman Republic-Empire

The Establishment of
the Roman Republic
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Geography of Rome
Protection for
Rome and Italy
• Rome built on
seven hills
• Alps
• Barrier to the
north
• Seas
• Barriers on
other three
sides
• Poor harbors in
eastern Italy
• Little
interference
from cultures to
the east
Unification of
Italy under
Rome
• Rome centrally
located on
peninsula
• Good location
for capital city
• Apennine
Mountains run
north-south
• Not a barrier to
unification of
the peninsula
Farming and
Trade
• Fertile soil and
mild climate
• Good for
farming
• No need to
import
foodstuffs
• Central location in
Mediterranean
• Good for trade
• Launching point
for expansion
throughout
Mediterranean
region
Others Living in Italy
• Greek colonists
– Eastern portion of Sicily
– “Heel” and “toe” of Italy
• Carthaginian colonists
– Western portion of Sicily
• Gauls
– Between Alps and Po River
The Etruscans
• Mystery – their origins are lost to prehistory
– Numerous hypotheses
• Indigenous (first humans to live in region)
• Migrated from east, north, or south,
• Lived north of Rome
– Region today called “Tuscany” after them
(ancient Etruria)
– Enemies of the Romans
• Taught the Romans:
– Arch in architecture, drainage and sewer-building,
phalanx military formation
The Latins
• Indo-European tribe from the north
• Circa 1200 BCE – Settled south of the Tiber River
in an area that came to be called Latium
• Latin League formed for protection
– Rome was the leading city in this league
• Legend of the founding of Rome in 753 BCE
– Twin brothers Romulus and Remus
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•
•
•
Ordered drowned by uncle who wanted throne
Instead raised by a she-wolf
Grew up and killed their uncle
Romulus killed Remus in a fight over what to name the city
Roman Origins
Three Major Periods of Roman
History
• Circa 1000-509 BCE
• Earliest settlements on Palatine Hill
• 753 BCE – Legendary founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus
Roman Republic
• 509-31 BCE
• Etruscan kings overthrown under leadership of Lucius Junius Brutus, the
traditional founder of the Republic, in 509 BCE
• Republic = “thing of the people”
• Ended with Battle of Actium in 31 BCE
Roman Empire
• 31 BCE-476 CE
• Began when Octavian’s forces defeated the forces of Antony and Cleopatra
• End of Western Roman Empire traditionally dated to 476 CE, when last
emperor, Romulus Augustus, deposed
• Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire continued until conquered by the Turks
in 1453
Government: Patricians and
Plebeians
Patricians
• Nobles
• Controlled the government of the
Republic
• Executive power
• Two consuls elected for a oneyear term
• Elected by adult male patricians
• Legislature
• Senate – upper house
• About 300 patricians
• Served for life
• Controlled by about 12
families
• Assembly – lower house
• All free, adult males who could
afford weaponry
• All acts had to be approved by
the Senate
Plebeians
• Common people
• Few rights and little power
• Could not run for public office
• Could not marry into the nobility
(the patrician class)
• Little say in the creation of laws
• Continuously threatened to secede
from Rome and create their own
city
Other Elected Roman Officials
Aediles ran city
(“local”) government.
Censors kept track of
citizen lists, and in later
years took charge of
public morality.
Dictators, with
absolute power, were
elected by the Senate in
times of emergency to
rule for six months.
Praetors were in
Quaesters were in
charge of administering
justice.
charge of Roman
finances.
The Plebeians Earn Greater
Rights:
The Growth of Democracy in Rome
ASSEMBLY: Senate
could no longer veto laws
made by the Assembly
(the “Comitia”).
INTERMARRIAGE:
Plebeians were given the
right to marry patricians.
TRIBUNES: Right to
elect tribunes. These
were officials with veto (“I
forbid”) power over the
Senate.
PUBLIC OFFICES:
These were opened to
plebeians.
TWELVE TABLES: Laws
were written down. This
protected plebeians from
biased patrician judges.
450 B.C.E.
From Rome to Italy
• 509-265 B.C.E.
– Rome came to control all of Italy south of the Po River
• 386 B.C.E.
– Gauls from the north plundered and burned Rome
– Rome got rid of the Gauls by paying them a large
amount of gold
• Rome turned its direction from the Gauls and
conquered:
– The remaining Etruscans
– Its former allies in the Latin League
– Tribes in central Italy (such as the Samnites in 290
B.C.E.)
– Greeks in the south
Why was Rome so successful?
Infrastructure:
Well-built military
roads radiating
from Rome
Military ability
Strategy: Divide
and control
Treatment of
conquered
peoples
Military Ability
• Great soldiers
• Well-trained
• All volunteers
• Few geographical barriers on
the Italian peninsula
• Military roads radiated from
Rome
– Troops could be sent
quickly to quell unrest in
any area
– Dual purpose—roads
came to allow quick and
easy travel by tax
collectors, traders,
travelers, and officials
• Famous roads
– Appian Way
– Flaminian Way
– Valerian Way
• Public funds dedicated to
building and maintaining the
Republic’s infrastructure
Infrastructure
Strategy: Divide and Control
• Rome’s fear:
– That allies and colonies would unite against
Roman Rule
• Rome’s solution:
– Keep groups under Roman control disunited
• How it was done:
– Forbade alliances between them
– Separate privileges and treaties
Treatment of Conquered Peoples
• Conquered peoples were treated well
– Some received full Roman citizenship, including
suffrage
– Some controlled their own affairs but paid tribute
and gave soldiers to the Roman army
• Colonies
– Rome established colonies in conquered areas,
each protected by a garrison of Roman soldiers
– Republic encouraged intermarriage
• Led to the spread of Roman culture and language
(Latin)
Review Questions
1. What are the geographic barriers of the
Italian peninsula?
2. Apart from the Latins, what other groups
lived in Italy?
3. According to tradition, who founded the
Roman Republic in 509 BCE?
4. Who were the patricians, and what rights did
they have?
5. Who were the plebeians, and what rights did
they have?
6. Why was Rome so successful?
The Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.E.)
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What was Carthage?
• Powerful city located near present-day Tunis,
Tunisia, along the Mediterranean coast of Africa
– Phoenician colony founded in the 8th century BCE
– Punic is Latin for Phoenician
• Carthage had a large commercial empire
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–
–
–
Great harbor at Carthage
Phoenician tradition of sailing and trading
Controlled trade in the western Mediterranean
Carthaginian trading empire spread to islands of
Corsica, Sardinia, and western Sicily, along with
southern Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain)
• Major rival of Rome
Where did Carthaginian power lie?
• Navy
– Very large
– Phoenician sailing tradition
• Army
– Mercenaries (hired soldiers)
• Government
– Oligarchy – ruled by the wealthy elites (those
made rich through trade)
How many Punic wars were there?
1st
• 264-241 BCE
• Fought over Sicily
• Rome won
2nd
• 218-201 BCE
• Rome challenged Carthaginian expansion in Iberia (Spain)
• Rome won
3rd
• 149-146 BCE
• Rome feared Carthage was again becoming a threat
• Rome attacked Carthage and obliterated the threat for good
Third Punic War (149-146 BCE)
Rome made
ridiculous demands
of Carthage
Carthage refused
Romans laid siege to
Carthage
• 300 noble children to be given to Rome as hostages
• Carthage to be destroyed and rebuilt away from the coast
• Carthage had no mercenaries
• Forced to defend their own city
• Roman siege was successful
• Romans burnt Carthage to the ground – became Roman province
• Men killed; women and children sold into slavery
Provincial Governments
• Each conquered area was a province of Rome
– Proconsuls
• Each province was governed by a Roman proconsul
• Typically a member of the patrician (noble) class
• More often than not these were corrupt
– Publicans
• Publicans were tax collectors
• Became a publican by auctioning for the job
• Squeezed as much money out of conquered peoples as
they could
Rome Grows Wealthy
Money (from taxes and war booty) and cheap goods
flooded Rome
Africa and Sicily – wheat
Spain – silver and tin
East – gems and luxury
goods
Upper classes grew
wealthier, and new class
of wealthy merchants
and traders emerged
Government had more money than ever before
Whoever controlled the government could use this
money for its own needs (e.g., government
contracts)
This caused greater tension in the struggle for
control of the government
Old Roman Values Diminish
Roman Army
• Originally, it was
staffed by
volunteers
• Professional army
lacked the former
volunteer fighting
spirit
Morals and Values
• Corruption replaced
dedication to public
service
• Pursuit of luxury,
pleasure, and soft
living replaced hard
work, patriotism,
and simplicity
What did expansion mean for Rome?
Pros
• Wealth
• From trade
• From taxes
• Power
• Control of most of the
Mediterranean
Cons
• Difficult to manage an empire
• Multicultural empire
required a multifaceted
approach
• Wealth created new classes in
Rome
• Slaves gained by conquests
displaced free farmers and
workers
• These problems ultimately
ended the “Republic” and
led to the “Empire”
Rich Get Richer, Poor Get Poorer
Money from government
contracts (building bridges,
roads, and ships; supplying
the armies)
High-interest loans
Bribes and graft in the
provinces
Latifundia, the large farms of
the wealthy, became
operated by slaves
Poor farmers and workers
could not compete with the
products of slave labor
Wealthy class bought up the
lands of impoverished
farmers
These unemployed masses
had one thing left—their
right to vote
These unemployed
masses—the “Roman
mob”—threw their support
to those politicians who
offered “bread and circuses”
Impoverished farmers and
others flooded the city of
Rome
Review Questions
1. Where was the city of Carthage located?
2. What was the basic, underlying cause of all of
the Punic wars?
3. Describe the military actions of Hannibal.
4. Why was it easier for Rome to expand
following the defeat of Carthage?
5. How did Rome grow wealthy as its territory
expanded?
6. How was the “Roman mob” created?
Civil War in Rome and the End of
the Roman Republic
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Tiberius Gracchus and Land Reform
The lower classes (plebeians) were suffering.
133 BCE – Tiberius Gracchus was elected as
tribune of the plebeians
He promised land reform
Tiberius Gracchus told the people: “You fight and die to give luxury
to other men…but you have not a foot of ground to call your own.”
Wanted to limit the
amount of land each
person could own
Wanted to rebuild the
farming class by
redistributing land
The patricians were
not pleased with
Tiberius Gracchus
Tiberius Gracchus and
hundreds of his
followers were
murdered
Gaius Gracchus and Reform
Gaius was elected
tribune in 122 BCE,
about ten years after
his brother was
murdered.
He also wanted land
reform.
Gaius wanted even
more than land reform.
Gaius wanted the
government to sell
grain to the poor at
reduced prices.
Gaius proposed that
landless Romans be
settled in the
provinces.
Gaius wanted a public
works program to
employ the poor.
Gaius wanted to reform
the way that taxes
were collected by
publicans in the
provinces.
Gaius wanted to
decrease the Senate’s
power.
Riots erupted. In 121
BCE, he was killed
along with thousands
of his supporters.
Differing Parties Continued to Argue
Optimates
• Senatorial party
• Wanted to
maintain the
position and
power of the
wealthy patrician
class
Populares
• People’s party
• Had its strength
in the Comitia
(Assembly)
• Wanted reforms
Military Dictators Come to Power
• Why did military dictators come to power?
– Constant fighting in Rome between the rich and
poor
– Restlessness in the provinces
– Slave rebellions (e.g., Spartacus)
– Barbarian invasions (though not as serious as they
became during the era of the Roman empire)
– The people needed strong leadership
Gaius Marius (157 BCE-86 BCE)
• A leader of the Populares
– Elected consul in 107 BCE
• Successful military victories
– North Africa (106 BCE) against a rebellious chieftain
– North Italy (102-101 BCE) against Germanic invaders
• Elected consul seven times
• Army reform
– Formed a paid, volunteer, professional army staffed by
Rome’s landless people (no more property qualifications)
– Soldiers shared in the spoils of war and earned pensions
upon completion of their service
• Struggled with Lucius Sulla for power
Lucius Sulla (138 BCE-78 BCE)
• Patrician member of the Senate
• Military victories
– 91 BCE – revolt of Roman allies who wanted full citizenship
rights
– 87 BCE – revolt by King Mithridates in Asia Minor
• Marius and his supporters came to power in Rome while Sulla
was away
– Killed many leaders in the Senate
– Sulla came back to Rome in 82 BCE
– Sulla killed thousands of Marius’ followers and confiscated
their property as booty for his troops
• Sulla ruled as dictator for three years
– Gave the Senate back control of the government
– Then he retired
The First Triumvirate
• The First Triumvirate was an unofficial (and at
first secret) pact to control Rome
• From 60 to 53 BCE
• Members:
– Pompey
– Marcus Crassus
– Julius Caesar
Pompey (106 BCE-48 BCE)
• A general under Sulla
• Military victories
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–
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Cleared pirates out of the Mediterranean
Put down a revolt in Iberia (Spain)
Finished Sulla’s fight against King Mithridates
Conquered Palestine (Israel and Judea) and Syria for
Rome
• Became angry with the Senate
– Senate did not give him full recognition for his
achievements
– Senate refused to pay his soldiers
Marcus Crassus (115 BCE-53 BCE)
• General who defeated Spartacus
• Became wealthy by devious means
– Abusing the proscription system
• Proscription was the legal confiscation of the property of
those who had fought against those now in power
• Crassus reportedly had at least one person, whose fortune
he coveted, added to the proscription list
– Bought burning buildings
• Heard a building was on fire, then ran to buy it as it was
burning
• After buying it, he’d have his people put out the fire before
too much damage was done
Julius Caesar (100 BCE-44 BCE)
• Elected consul in 59
BCE
• Military victories
– 59-51 BCE – brought
the Gauls (in modernday France) under
Roman rule
• He wrote the famous
Commentaries on the
Gallic Wars
The First Triumvirate
Pompey
• His perk:
soldiers
• Became
leader of
Italy
Marcus
Crassus
Julius Caesar
• His perk:
money
• Became
leader of
Rome’s
Eastern
provinces
• His perk:
popularity
• Became
proconsul of
Gaul
(modern
France)
Trouble in Paradise
• 53 BCE – Crassus killed in battle against the
Parthians
– This ended the First Triumvirate
• Pompey was jealous of the successes Caesar
was having in Gaul
– Pompey talked the Senate into demanding that
Caesar return to Rome as a private citizen
(without his troops)
Crossing the Rubicon
• Caesar had a decision to make
– Following the Senate’s orders = powerlessness before
Pompey
– Disobeying the Senate’s orders = Violating Roman law
• Rubicon River
– River in northern Italy
– Tradition and law said that soldiers had to disband before
crossing this river into Italy
• “The die is cast. I have crossed the Rubicon.”
– He led his troops across the Rubicon River
– Once he crossed the river, he could not take back his
decision to face (and fight) Pompey
Caesar Chases Pompey to Egypt
Pompey fled to Greece.
• Pompey, who had more soldiers, made serious military blunders.
• Caesar said of Pompey: “Today the enemy would have won, if they had a
commander who was a winner,” and “That man does not know how to win a war.”
• Caesar went after him, defeating Pompey at Pharsalus in 48 BCE.
Pompey fled to Egypt.
• Ptolemy XIII, knowing Caesar’s army was in pursuit of Pompey, killed Pompey
rather than give him shelter
• Ptolemy later presented Pompey’s severed head to Caesar
Caesar met Cleopatra VII of Egypt.
• She was co-ruler, married to her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII
• Caesar restored Cleopatra to her throne
• Also had a son with Cleopatra, Caesarion, born in 47 BCE
“Veni, vidi, vici!”
• Caesar left and won victories in the East
– Mocked Pompey’s previous efforts in the region
– Sent word to Rome: “Veni, vidi, vici!”
• “I came, I saw, I conquered!”
• Military victories left Caesar as sole ruler of Rome
– Defeated remnants of the senatorial party in north
Africa
– Defeated Pompey’s sons in Spain
• Caesar returned to Rome in 45 BCE
– Aided by his close friend and helper, Mark Antony
Caesar’s Reforms
Adopted a program of
public works.
Distributed public lands
to Roman citizens.
Granted Roman
citizenship to many
people in Rome’s
provinces.
Reformed provincial
governments.
Reformed the calendar
(the “Julian” calendar
with 365 days and an
extra day during leap
years).
Reorganized the Roman
system of coinage.
Dictator for Life
• The Senate disliked many of Caesar’s reforms and
feared his popularity and power
• Ides of March
– March 15, 44 BCE
– Senators conspired to assassinate Caesar
– Mark Antony tried to stop Caesar from entering the
Senate, but a group of senators intercepted Caesar
and got him to enter the building using a side
entrance
– Caesar was stabbed to death (at least 23 times) on the
floor of the Senate house
– Among the conspirators was Marcus Junius Brutus, a
descendent of the traditional founder of the Roman
Republic
Chaos and More Civil War
• Caesar left his grandnephew Octavian as his heir
• Second Triumvirate
– Octavian allied himself with Mark Antony and a
politician named Lepidus
– Went after Caesar’s enemies
– 42 BCE – defeated the forces of two of Caesar’s
assassins, Brutus and Cassius, at Philippi, Macedonia
• Split the rule of the empire
– Octavian took Rome and the West
– Mark Antony took the East
Octavian versus Mark Antony
• Octavian was a smart, capable ruler in Rome
• Mark Antony made problematic alliances and ignored Rome’s
dictates for the East
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–
–
–
–
Mark Antony formed a relationship with Cleopatra VII in Egypt
Antony and Cleopatra had three children together
Mark Antony divorced Octavia, Octavian’s sister
Mark Antony offended Rome by “going native”
Mark Antony offended Octavian by publicly suggesting that
Caesarion was a legal and rightful heir of Julius Caesar
• 32 BCE – Octavian’s forces attacked Egypt
– 31 BCE – Battle of Actium – Mark Antony’s fleet was
destroyed
– 30 BCE – Mark Antony committed suicide
– Cleopatra committed suicide a few weeks later
Review Questions
1. How and why were the Gracchi brothers killed?
2. How and why did military dictators come to power in
Rome?
3. Who were the members of the First Triumvirate, and
what did each member bring to the equation?
4. What steps led to Caesar being Rome’s sole ruler?
5. Describe Caesar’s assassination, including its causes
and effects.
6. Explain how and why Mark Antony and Octavian
came into conflict.