Transcript Beginning of the Roman Empire

Beginning of the Roman Empire
Caesar
• Born to an aristocratic family
• Awarded the “oak leaves” crown for his
bravery.
• Kidnapped by Cilician pirates.
• Never missed an opportunity to “brag”.
– Nephew of famous general Gaius Marius
– Traced lineage back to goddess Venus
Consolidation of Power
• Caesar conquers Gaul then turns to Rome,
beginning the Civil War.
– Gaul is present day
• France
• Belgium
• Luxembourg
• Archenemy:
– Pompey the Great
Conspiracy begins…
• First Triumvirate
• Pompey
• Crassus
• Caesar
• Pledged to support one another’s legislation
and policies
• Pledged not to support anything that would
harm the other.
Always a leader, never an Emperor
• Julius Caesar was known for his military tactics
and great leadership
BUT……
• He was never an Emperor of Rome
• Placed Cleopatra on the Egyptian throne after
her brother was defeated in Alexandria
“Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came, I saw, I
conquered)
The conspiracy continues….
• Marc Antony in the east
• Octavian (nephew of Caesar) in the west
– Together they engineer the fall of Brutus and
Cassius. Ultimately CAESAR!!
Ides of March
• 44 BC (current calendar March 15 or 13)
• Roman Senate meeting
• Soothsayer foretold “Beware the ides of
March”.
• Stabbed by many men….including “BRUTUS”!
“ET TU BRUTUS”---Julius Caesar
There can be only ONE
• Supreme leaders fight for the Number 1 seat!
Jealousy and ambitions lead to Marc
Anthony’s defeat, and ultimately his death!
Augustus claims Victory
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Marc Anthony is cut off from supplies
Isolated at Actium
Betrayed by his soldiers
Portrayed as a coward
Together Marc Anthony and Cleopatra commit
suicide! (Cleo dies by asp!)
Cleopatra
• Last Egyptian Queen until Rue Paul (aired in
2003)
• Married to Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony
• Ruled for over 20 years
• Delayed the Roman takeover of Egypt.
CROWNING GLORY
• Octavian renamed Augustus claims victory
based on universe consent.
• Appointed leader of the Roman Senate
• As a show of honor and good gesture…..
– He gives all his power to the Senate!
What do you give such an honorable, unselfish
man……….?
“EMPEROR”
Part II
JEALOUSY,
CONSPIRACY,
MURDER!!
Rome on the
Decline
Augustus the Emperor
• The high priest
– Pontifex Maximus
• Forces stepson Tiberius, to divorce wife to marry
another…. His daughter.
• 14 AD brings about the death of Augustus and
stepson named emperor.
Tiberius
• Married stepsister, Julia
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– Abandons Julia and retires to Rhodes.
Succeeds to the throne in 14AD.
Appoints the Germanicus to General.
Creates an enemy in Germanicus’ wife, Agrippina
the Elder.
Orders the Senate to execute Sejanus.
Implemented the execution of Agippina and sons.
37 AD, dies at Capri.
Germanicus
• General that secures the Rhine frontier.
• Dies in 19 AD, possibly murdered.
• Wife, Agrippina the Elder
believes Tiberius
is to blame.
Claudius
• Extended the Roman Empire by adding
– Mauretania
– Britain
– Thrace
– Lycia
• Executed wife, Messalina
• Remarries Agrippina the Younger, mother of Nero
• Adopts Nero
Nero
• Succeeded to the throne
ahead of Claudius son, Britannicus.
• Orders the murder of his mother
• 64 AD saw the Great Fire of Rome
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– Nero rumored to had been singing and dancing while
it burned
– Blames the Christian and crucifies others.
Growing paranoid he kicks his wife Poppaea to death
while she was pregnant.
Declared public enemy, he commits suicide.
Chaotic Empire
• Four emperors battle for supreme rule
 Galba 68-69 AD. Him and his heirs’ heads
were paraded in the Roman streets.
 Otho 98 AD. Reigned briefly with Vitelliua
 Vitelliua 69 AD. Reigned with Otho
 Vespasian 69-79 AD.
Named emperor
Found the Flavian dynasty
Maintain a decade of stability
Titus
• Vespasian’s death brings succession of Titus
• Mount Vesuvius erupts.
– Buries Pompeii and Herculaneum under volcanic ash.
 Lack of moral compass
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Brothels on every corner
Pictures of sexual positions
SEE… What you can learn from the HISTORY CHANNEL!!?
• Completed the building of the Colosseum,
started by Vespasian in 72 AD
• 81 AD- Dies by fever (or poisoned by his doctor)
• Senate declares Titus a god
Domitian
• Brother of Titus
• Believed to have instructed Titus doctor to kill
him by poison.
• Cruel and violent leader
• Murdered by wife and Senate
Nerva
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An Italian noble
Fair
Gains military trust
First time Roman generals cooperated to
choose the next emperor.
• Upon his death, adopted a Spanish-born
emperor, Trajan
Trajan
• Spanish-born, of no relation to previous
emperor.
• Emperor is now open to all educated men.
Romanizing the West
• 180 AD the death of Marcus Aurelius.
• Ends the Pax Romana period.
Fall of Rome
• Barbarians (refered to people of northern
Europe)
– Many granted Roman citizenship
– Lead to Germanization of the Roman army
– Attempted to assimilate the “barbarians” into
Roman culture
– Allowed barbarians to infiltrate the Western
Empire
– Barbarians developed culturely and asserted
themselves against Rome.
Downward spiral
• Empire too large to control
– Soldiers abandoned military for land ownership
• Roman divided into East and West
- Christianity emerged as the new religion of the Empire
- The empire of the East Became the
BYZANTINE EMPIRE!!
ESSAY QUESTIONS
• What factors lead to the fall of Rome?
• What connections have you drawn between
the early Roman Empire and the current state
of the modern day world.