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Brief History of Rome
The Roman Senate was established as
an advisory body to the Etruscan kings. The Kings were
eventually replaced with a republic (a Republic is a
country without a king or emperor - the people who rule
a republic are elected). This section of the Brief History of Rome
ends with the fall of the Kingdom of Rome and the rise
of the Roman Republic
Brief History of Rome
- The Roman Republic
The Brief History of Rome
move on to the establishment of the
Roman Republic. Definition: A Republic is a country
without a king or emperor - the people who rule a
republic are elected. The Roman Republic was the ancient Roman
state which started in 509 BC and lasted until the
Emperor Augustus
assumed power in 27 BC.
***
The Roman Republic was governed by
an elected Senate
*** The 300 members of the Roman senate, all from aristocratic families,
grew in power
*** The senators were appointed for life
*** The senators selected new senators to replace any who died
*** Senators also appointed two senators to become joint heads of state
for a year. These heads of state
were first known as praetors and
later as consuls
*** Each consul had the power of veto to forbid any action of the other
*** To avoid serious stalemates in a crisis the constitution of the
republic provided for another more
powerful office with the title of
dictator
*** A Dictator could only hold office for a period not exceeding six
months
*** In the Roman Republic the wealthy, aristocratic
Patricians ruled Rome
*** The poor Romans, the Plebeians (Plebs), protested at their total lack
of power and exclusion form any
benefits of the Republic
*** The protests of the Plebs led to the creation of two powerful new
officials called the tribunes of the
people whose role was to safeguard
plebeian rights.
*** The 500-year-old Roman Republic became weakened by bloody civil wars
and political in-fighting and
dissatisfaction with the Senate and
therefore its decline
*** Julius Caesar seized power and became dictator,
ending the Civil Wars, but signalling the end of the Roman Republic
*** The adoptive son of Julius Caesar, Octavian,
became the first Emperor of Rome as Caesar Augustus
This section of
the Brief History of Rome
ends with the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of
the Roman Empire
Brief History of Rome-
The Roman Empire
The Brief History of Rome
moves on to the history of the
Roman Empire. During this period Rome conquers most of
the known Western World headed by rulers called
emperors.
*** There were various
dynasties of emperors who at first inherited the title through the
family such as
Tiberius,
Caligula,
Claudius and
Nero.
*** Other emperors obtained the position by virtue of their abilities
*** Other men just seized power
*** The Roman Empire saw wars, murder, revolts, civil wars, street fights,
plagues, famines, fire and
earthquakes which led to its
weakening and ultimate decline
*** Famous historical events during the period of the
Roman Empire included the lost legions of Varus, the reign of terror
by Sejanus, the invasion of Britain and the great fire of Rome,
Destruction of Jerusalem, the Eruption of Vesuvius and the Building
of the Colosseum, Hadrian's Wall and the Pantheon, persecutions of
the Christians, Roman Empire was split in half and invasion by the
Visigoths and the Vandals
*** The split of the Roman Empire
was initiated by Diocletian
into the Western Roman Empire and
the Eastern Roman Empire aka the
Byzantine Empire
*** Theodosius I was the last emperor of both the
Eastern and Western Roman Empire. After his death in 395 AD the two
parts of the Roman Empire were split permanently.
*** The city of Rome was sacked
by the Visigoths in 410 and by the Vandals in 455 signalling the
disintegration of Roman authority and the final Fall of the Roman
Empire.
This section of
the Brief History of Rome
ends when the Western Roman Empire officially ends with the abdication of
the last Emperor,
Romulus Augustus, on 4
September 476. The Eastern (Byzantium Empire)
continued for nearly 1000 more years.
Brief History of Rome
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