Roman Empire. The Roman Empire grew out of the Roman Republic.
The Roman Empire
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Transcript of The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire
World History – Libertyville HS
Octavian, First Emperor (r. 27 BC-14 AD)
• Adopted by Julius Caesar at age 19
• Fought in civil war vs. Senate & others for control of Rome
• Upon victory, focused on consolidating his power• Senate declared him
“Augustus” (emperor)• Kept tabs on rivals through
spies• Kept control over army
Octavian, First Emperor• Octavian reorganized
the state / empire• Frontier provinces were
designated “Imperial”• No Senators Allowed! –
Why?• 28 legions stationed
• Interior Provinces• “Romanized” areas• Senate controlled• NO legions stationed
The Roman Empire• Pax Romana =
“Roman Peace”• Lasted 200 years, from
27 BC to 180 AD• Few civil wars & no
invasions• Legal system helped to
Romanize regions
• Empire covered 2.2 million square miles with 120 million pop.
Mediterranean called “Mare Nostrum” (Our Sea)
Government of the Empire• Emperor had total
control over the government & army
• Senate still met, but had little real power (no legions)
• Maintained bureaucracy, like the Han• Government was fairly
corrupt – tax farming• Bribing elected officials
standard practice
Economy of the Empire• Trade
• Traded throughout Europe, SW Asia, North Africa – even China (226 AD)
• Road network very important to trade (quick / cheap)
• Mediterranean was pirate free (not again = 19th C.)
Life in the Roman Empire
• Life in Rome• City of 1 million+,
mostly unemployed plebeians
• “Bread & circuses”• Bread = daily dole of
food• Circuses = games,
theater, etc.
Life in Rome
• Haves and the have nots• Haves =Patricians,
equestrians were decadent
• Have nots = plebeians• Desperately poor• Lived in cramped
apartment buildings prone to fires, collapse
Life in the Roman Empire
• Life in the provinces• Security of Pax
Romana meant hundreds of towns, cities sprang up
• Simpler life than in the cities- where people farmed, raised families, and lived their lives
Life in the Roman Empire• Life along frontiers
• Use of client states, esp. in Europe, as buffers to protect against invasion (sound familiar?)• Transformed German border
tribes into semi civilized states
• In later Roman Empire, Germans provided most troops of army
• Roman army was primary means by which new citizens were added to empire (part of retirement)
Reasons for Decline of Imperial Rome • #1: Difficulty maintaining
borders• Army on frontier gradually
became less Roman and more “barbarian”
• People outside Empire crossed borders to get to (relative) safety of Empire and away from Huns, others
• #2: Cost of bureaucracy• Taxes paid by citizens, but rich
tended to avoid taxes• Land, local power went to rich• Tribute and taxes couldn’t
keep up with costs of Empire
Reasons for Decline• Reason #3: Size of
Empire• Emperor Diocletian (284-
311 AD) divided Empire into four parts
• East was “Hellenized”• West was Germanic• Leaders of North, South
were “Caesar”, or junior emperors
• Emperor Constantine (307-337 AD) moved capitol to Constantinople
Fall of the Western Empire• After 337 AD, while
the Eastern Empire recovered and advanced, the West continued to decline• Generals stripped the
frontiers of troops to fight in civil wars or declare self emperor
• Assassins killed emperors
• Meanwhile, outsiders migrated into Roman Europe, Africa
End of the Empire• Attila the Hun (434-454 AD)
• Came out of steppes of Western Asia leading a horde of horsemen
• Laid siege to Constantinople, bought off
• Went to Italy, laid siege to Rome, but suddenly retreated (Pope claimed miracle)
• In 476 AD, Odoacer, a German mercenary, deposed the last Roman Emperor, a child, and became King of Italy
Last Emperor (L) giving crownto Odoacer (R)