Roman Influences
From Republic to Empire
Unit 5
Section 1 - The Republic
Key Terms - Roman Republic
 Republic
 Patricians
 Plebians
 Consuls
 Legionaries
 Dictator
 Triumvirate
Important People
 Tarquin the Proud
 Hannibal Barca
 Tiberius Gracchus
 Julius Caesar
 Mark Antony
 Octavian
Overview
 In 509 the Romans expelled the last Etruscan king, Tarquin the Proud and set up the Republic.
 Patricians, members of the oldest and wealthiest families held all of the power, while the
Plebians, served in the army and paid taxes.
Government - Republic
 Consul Characteristics
*These appointments are only open to Senators who have been Praetor or Consul.
*There will always be two Consuls.
*The Consuls are responsible for calling and presiding over all meetings of the Senate.
Characteristics Continued
 The Consuls will be responsible for publishing the first Roman newsletter after entering office.
 No Consul may be removed from office before the end of his/her term.
Consul Responsibilities
Only the Consuls may call for a division of the Senate (a vote).
Only the Consuls may call for elections.
Only the Consuls may introduce new Roman laws
Senate - Characteristics
 The dominant force in Roman politics;
 The senate was not an elected body.
 consisted of three hundred men, but swelled to over a thousand in the time of Julius Caesar
Characteristics Continued
 Augustus reduced it to six hundred.
 Senators must have served in some elected office before becoming a member.
Responsibilities
 Rome is NOT a democracy. Only the Senators vote.
 Judges, Assemblies, & Tribunes
 All in place to protect the rights of plebians.
 All Roman citizens were members of the assemblies.
Law
 In 450 BCE Romans wrote the first laws on 12 tablets.
 Known as the Twelve Tables
 Most laws were about wills, property rights and court action.
Plebian Rights
 Government becoming more democratic.
 Plebians were not citizens, but were being protected.
 By 250 BCE plebians could not be sold into slavery and could hold public office.
Section 2 - Expansion
Etruscan Land
 Romans took measures to protect their new republic.
 Attacked Etruscan lands to create a buffer zone.
Expansion
 By 290 BCE – Leading power in central Italy
 By 275 BCE – Ruled the entire peninsula
 By 146 BCE – Ruled the entire Mediterranean world.
Military Conquest
 Rome was able to conquer vast areas due to their well trained army.
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Organized into legions
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Each legion = 5,000 soldiers called legionaries
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Legions were divided into groups of 60 – 120 soldiers.
Advantages of Legion
 Legions over phalanx
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Smaller and faster
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Each legionary was an independently skilled soldier
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Could break from main body of formation and attack from different directions.
Section 3 Punic Wars
 By 246 BCE, Rome had conquered Greek city-states
 Brought them into contact with the Phoenician colony of Carthage.
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Controlled most of North Africa
 Rome felt threatened by Carthage because of Carthaginian rule of Sicily.
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Rome also wanted control of Sicily’s granaries.
First Punic War
 264 BCE, first war.
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Lasted 23 years
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Carthage = Navy
–
Rome = Army
 Rome built a corvus, movable bridge which turned a naval battle into a land battle.
Second Punic War
 218 BCE, second war began.
 Carthaginians led by General Hannibal Barca
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Attacked Roman land from the north
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Marched from Spain to Italy, crossing the Alps
2nd Continued
 Used elephants to cross over snow covered mountains.
 Hannibal’s army won victory after victory
 Could not capture Rome
–
Wandered country side reeking havoc.
Final Defeat of Carthage
 Rome attacked Carthage
 Hannibal was called home to help defend.
 Carthage was finally defeated in 201 BCE
 Carthage gives up, pays reparations, cedes Spain.
Third Punic War
 Not really a war, but Roman revenge
 Carthage attempts to rebuild power
 Rome again feels threatened.
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Launch an attack that will wipe Carthage from the map
3rd Continued
 Burned the city
 Plowed salt into the fields
 Killed all men and sold whatever citizens were left, into slavery.
Impact on Other Regions
 149 BCE, Corinth and some allies refused to obey Roman law.
 Roman attacked Corinth and burned it to the ground.
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Now all of Greece was added to the empire.
Logic
 Why do you think the whole of Greece collapsed after the burning of Corinth?
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EXPLAIN
Section 4 Effects of Conquest
Agricultural Changes
 Small farms were replaced by latifundias
 Hannibal’s invasion changed the scope of farming.
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Farmers burned fields to prevent Hannibal and his men from living off the land.
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Much of the farmland was ruined.
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Most farmers could not afford to fix up the farms.
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Only wealthy patricians had the money to repair the land.
•
They bought the small farms and built them up.
Farm to City
 Farmers were forced to leave their farms and move to the city of Rome itself.
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Living conditions were terrible.
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Most farmers could not earn a living.
•
Sold their votes for money
•
Corruption took hold.
Decline
 Heavy taxation collected by the publicans.
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Usually took a stipend for themselves, therefore increasing the taxation on average
citizens.
 By 135 BCE, Rome was in trouble
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Farmers lost land
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Lost their economic and political independence
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Merchants grew poor, because wealthy bought goods elsewhere.
 Government officials were too busy getting rich care about average people.
 Gap between rich and poor grew!
 Rome was no longer politically stable.
How did Rome grow in size, but collapse politically?
* Give reason and be able to exlain
Section 5
Roman Leadership
The Reformers
 Tiberius Gracchus – 1st Reformer
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Limit land
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Divide public land and give to poor
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Senate eventually had him killed due to his radical ideas.
 Gaius Gracchus
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Extended and improved the reforms of his brother.
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Rich thought he went too far.
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121 BCE Senate had him killed.
The Generals (ALSO REFORMERS)
 Gaius Marius
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Military hero
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First person to every elevate from lower class to the office of consul
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Set up Rome’s first professional army
Marius - Continued
 Opened army to everyone
 Helped Rome by providing jobs
 BUT HURT THE REPUBLIC!!!!
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Instead of giving loyalty to the government, soldiers gave loyalty to who hired and
paid them.
Lucius Sulla
 Sulla marched into Rome and seized the city.
 First time a Roman commander lead soldiers against the city.
 Sulla made himself dictator
Julius Caesar
 First Triumvirate
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Lucinius Crassus
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Gnaeus Pompeius
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Julius Caesar
Triumvirate
 Crassus dies
 Pompey and Caesar fight over how to rule
 Caesar had Pompey killed in Alexandria
Caesar
 The Senate now feared him and asked him to return to Rome following several military
victories.
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He did, however, entered the city in front of his army.
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Sign of ultimate power
Caesar
 Had himself crowned dictator
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Great Reformer
•
Redistributed state lands
•
Founded new colonies over seas
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Began public works.
 Built roads and buildings
 Put many Romans back to work
 Planned and paid for gladiatorial games.
 Doubled the size of Senate
 Gave citizenship
End of Caesar
 Did a great deal for Rome, but many felt threatened.
 Feared he would crown himself king.
 Ides of March, (March 15), the Senate had him killed.
End of the Republic
 Roman people turned against those who killed Caesar
 Political power passed to another triumvirate
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Marc Antony, Octavian, Marcus Lepidus.