Ancient and Medieval Europe

HST 121 - The Roman Empire

I. Civil Wars and the Fall of the Republic
A. Marius
1. elected consul (107 BCE)
2. ignores property qualifications and raises
an army of landless citizens
3. defeats Jugurtha, king of Numidia in Africa (106 BCE) [Map]
4. defeats the invading Celts and Germans (101 BCE)
5. promised his soldiers land on the completion of their
service in order to keep them happy and maintain their loyalty
6. the Senate refused to provide the veterans with land
- this resulted in a shift of loyalty from the state to the
individual commander of the army
B. civil war between Marius and Sulla and their armies (80s BCE)
C. Sulla emerges the victor (82 BCE)
1. he then appointed himself dictator (82-79 BCE)
2. restored Senate's right to veto acts of the plebeian assembly
3. limited the powers of the tribunes
4. reduced the military authority of provincial governors
5. increased the size of the Senate to 600 members
D. Sulla's reforms brought about a decade of peace (79-70 BCE)
E. Pompey, Crassus and Caesar: the first triumvirate
1. they worked to dismantle the reforms of Sulla under the
guise of supporting the plebeians
2. Caesar appointed commander of legions in Gaul
- very successful [Map]
3. Crassus killed fighting a war in the east
4. Senate becoming wary of Caesar's success and popularity
5. they order Caesar to relinquish his command and
return to Rome
6. Pompey supports the Senate
7. Caesar marches on Rome; chases Pompey to Greece [Map]
8. Caesar defeats Pompey in Greece in 48 BCE
F. Caesar
1. had himself appointed dictator after his defeat of Pompey
2. he believed in strong, enlightened leadership
- tried to stop exploitation in provinces
- established a public works program
- relocated veterans and lower class Romans to
the provinces and gave them some land
3. he converted his 10 year dictatorship into a lifelong office
4. this and his successes caused outrage, jealousy, fear, etc.
among the Senators
5. group of aristocrats assassinated Caesar on
15 March 44 BCE
G. Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus: the second triumvirate
1. Mark Antony and Lepidus were two of Caesar's
military leaders
2. Octavian was Caesar's adopted son
3. these three defeated the armies of Brutus and Cassius,
the leaders of the conspiracy to kill Caesar
4. the second triumvirate has control of Rome
5. Octavian and Antony conspire to remove Lepidus
from the picture
6. they divide control of the empire
- Antony controls the east
- Octavian controls the west
- (Lepidus had been given Africa before they
forced him to retire)
7. Antony and Cleopatra
- they meet and fall in love; have children together
- also a profitable political relationship
- Antony needs food and money for his army
- Cleopatra wants to keep Egypt from being
swallowed up by Roman Empire
- so she gives Antony grain and money for his army
8. Antony married Octavian's sister (Octavia) as a way of
solidifying his power back in Rome
9. it was a forced political marriage; he didn't love her
10. Antony leaves Octavia and returns to Cleopatra
11. Octavian defeats Antony at battle of Actium in 31 BCE

II. The Reign of Augustus (Octavian)
A. the success of Augustus rested on his understanding
of 3 problems
1. How to construct a new and functioning constitutional
system with one person in control?
2. How to protect and defend the empire without risking
civil war again?
3. How to win the loyalty of his subjects?
B. the Republican Façade
1. Octavian made it seem as though the Republic was still
functioning, but he had complete control behind the scenes
2. he allowed the Senate to continue with most of its
Republican functions, but decreased its size
to get rid of those who opposed him
3. he agreed to surrender his power to the Senate because
he knew they would ask him to continue to lead Rome
4. he requested to be called princeps (first citizen),
rather than king
5. the Senate gave him the title Augustus (which mean exalted)
6. he had the Senate appoint him to a number of constitutional
positions, such as consul and tribune
C. Religious and Moral Reform
1. Augustus assumed the title Pontifex Maximus
2. he restored temples
3. he revived various ancient Roman cults
4. he established a series of new public religious festivals
5. he encouraged marriage, procreation and firm control of
husbands over wives
6. he enacted laws to prevent extramarital affairs
D. Military Reforms
1. decreased number of legions from 60 to 28
2. bought land throughout the empire and gave it
to retiring soldiers
3. created the Praetorian Guard
E. Romanization [Map]
- Pax Romana = Roman Peace
- Question: How did Rome peacefully absorb the people it
conquered into the empire?
1. citizenship
2. urbanization [Map]
a. higher standards of living [aqueduct, sewer]
b. cultural amenities [Roman Theater in Gaul]
[Map of theater locations throughout empire]
3. Roman law
Comparison and Contrast
- Ancient Near East - Hammurabi, Exodus
- Rome - Justinian's Institutes
1. How would you characterize the laws?
2. From where/whom do the law come?
3. What is the intent of the laws?
4. What is their relationship to the state?
-- to the individual?

III. The Successors of Augustus
        A. the Julio-Claudians
                1. Tiberius (14-37 CE)
                2. Caligula (37-41 CE)
                3. Claudius (41-54 CE)
                4. Nero (54-68 CE)
        B. Year of the Four Emperors (69 CE)
                - military commanders fighting for control of the empire
        C. the Flavians
                1. Vespasian (69-79 CE)
                2. Titus (79-81 CE)
                3. Domitian (81-96 CE)
        D. Nerva (96-98 CE) to Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE)
                - successors are adopted sons of emperors
                - this ended when Marcus Aurelius was succeeded
                        by his son Commodus (180-192 CE)

IV. In sum, Pax Romana was a time of happiness and prosperity.