The History Of The Rome Empire
The Roman Empire was founded when Augustus Caesar proclaimed himself the first emperor of Rome in 31BC and came to an end with the fall of Constantinople in 1453CE.
An empire is a political system in which a group of people are ruled by a single individual, an emperor or empress. The Roman Empire began with the reign of Emperor Augustus. The power of the Senate was limited and became an organ to support the emperor.
The period between Augustus and Diocletian is called High Empire, while the Low Empire is the era between Diocletian and the fall of the Roman Empire in the West.
The High Empire (31 BC – 305 AD)
dynasty.
READ ALSO » History Of The Old Oyo Empire
The Flavian dynasty was succeeded by the Antonines (96 – 193), a generic name given to Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. These emperors had a very similar policy to the Flavians.
The accession of Septimius Severus (197 – 235) made him the first of the Imperial Severan Dynasty to rule (197 – 235). He was replaced by Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus.
The absolute power of Rome, capital of the Empire, was weakened over time. Between 235 and 300 Rome’s only priority was to defend its borders from the continuous attacks by the Barbarians and from the Sasanians (from Persia). The pressure of these raids prompted the army to assume power in 235. This era is known as the military anarchy and lasted about fifty years. The emperors of this time had one sole purpose: fighting the Empire’s enemies and securing the borders.
As a consequence of these constant wars the army was very expensive to maintain, and thus the Empire became crippled with debts. This in turn impoverished the population and many lost their identity and values. Many put in doubt their religious beliefs, especially with the arrival of new doctrines from the East.
The persecution of an ever growing Christian minority by Diocletain was a way to rid the empire of the dangers it was facing.
In 284 a military revolt saved the Empire and Diocletian was proclaimed emperor. During his rule he instaured the Tetrarchy, a form of government that divided the power. Diocletian designated the general Maximian to take charge of the western regions of the Empire, while the emperor governed over the eastern regions. Years later, he would appoint two Caesars.
Diocletian abdicated in 305, revealing that the Tetrarchic political system didn’t work without someone to lead it.
READ ALSO » The Great History Of Babylon
The Low Empire (305 AD – 476 AD)
After the abdication of Diocletian in 305, a series of conflicts took place until 312, when Constantine became the sole emperor of the West. He was to be the last emperor of the unified empire. He instituted Christianity as the official religion of the Empire.
The capital of the Empire is moved to the ancient city of Byzantium, which is reconstructed. Byzantium, from 8 November, 324, is renamed Constantinople or the city of Constantine.
Constantine’s successor, Theodosius, divided the empire between his two sons Arcadius and Honorius, creating the Westen Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.
The Western Roman Empire falls in 476. Meanwhile, the other half, called the Byzantine Empire, survives until 1453 with the decline of Constantinople, now called Istanbul.
The history of the Roman Empire can be divided into three distinct periods: The Period of Kings (625-510 BC), Republican Rome (510-31 BC), and Imperial Rome (31 BC – AD 476).
Founding (c. 625 BC)
Rome was founded around 625 BC in the areas of ancient Italy known as Etruria and Latium. It is thought that the city-state of Rome was initially formed by Latium villagers joining together with settlers from the surrounding hills in response to an Etruscan invasion. It is unclear whether they came together in defense or as a result of being brought under Etruscan rule. Archaeological evidence indicates that a great deal of change and unification took place around 600 BC which likely led to the establishment of Rome as a true city.
READ ALSO » 10 Largest Protests In The History Of America
Period of Kings (625-510 BC)
The first period in Roman history is known as the Period of Kings, and it lasted from Rome’s founding until 510 BC. During this brief time Rome, led by no fewer than six kings, advanced both militaristically and economically with increases in physical boundaries, military might, and production and trade of goods including oil lamps. Politically, this period saw the early formation of the Roman constitution. The end of the Period of Kings came with the decline of Etruscan power, thus ushering in Rome’s Republican Period.
Republican Rome (510-31 BC)
Rome entered its Republican Period in 510 BC. No longer ruled by kings, the Romans established a new form of government whereby the upper classes ruled, namely the senators and the equestrians, or knights. However, a dictator could be nominated in times of crisis. In 451 BC, the Romans established the “Twelve Tables,” a standardized code of laws meant for public, private, and political matters.
Rome continued to expand through the Republican Period and gained control over the entire Italian peninsula by 338 BC. It was the Punic Wars from 264-146 BC, along with some conflicts with Greece, that allowed Rome to take control of Carthage and Corinth and thus become the dominant maritime power in the Mediterranean.
Soon after, Rome’s political atmosphere pushed the Republic into a period of chaos and civil war. This led to the election of a dictator, L. Cornelius Sulla, who served from 82-80 BC. Following Sulla’s resignation in 79 BC, the Republic returned to a state of unrest. While Rome continued to be governed as a Republic for another 50 years, the shift to Imperialism began to materialize in 60 BC when Julius Caesar rose to power.
By 51 BC, Julius Caesar had conquered Celtic Gaul and, for the first time, Rome’s borders had spread beyond the Mediterranean region. Although the Senate was still Rome’s governing body, its power was weakening. Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC and replaced by his heir, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian) who ruled alongside Mark Antony. In 31 BC Rome overtook Egypt which resulted in the death of Mark Antony and left Octavian as the unchallenged ruler of Rome. Octavian assumed the title of Augustus and thus became the first emperor of Rome.
Imperial Rome (31 BC – AD 476)
Rome’s Imperial Period was its last, beginning with the rise of Rome’s first emperor in 31 BC and lasting until the fall of Rome in AD 476. During this period, Rome saw several decades of peace, prosperity, and expansion. By AD 117, the Roman Empire had reached its maximum extant, spanning three continents including Asia Minor, northern Africa, and most of Europe.
In AD 286 the Roman Empire was split into eastern and western empires, each ruled by its own emperor. The western empire suffered several Gothic invasions and, in AD 455, was sacked by Vandals. Rome continued to decline after that until AD 476 when the western Roman Empire came to an end. The eastern Roman Empire, more commonly known as the Byzantine Empire, survived until the 15th century AD. It fell when Turks took control of its capital city, Constantinople (modern day Istanbul in Turkey) in AD 1453.
