The Roman Empire: Guided Notes
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
 The Second Triumvirate: Octavian (Caesar’s nephew), Marc Antony, and
Lepidus
 Power was split between Octavian to the west and Antony to the east
 Marc Anthony fell in love with Cleopatra while ruling in Egypt
 Octavian forced the Senate to declare war on Egypt ---Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide
Octavian
 In 27 BCE, Octavian declared himself “first citizen”
 ROMAN EMPIRE BEGINS
 Augustus (as Octavian is known as) expands empire from Spain to Syria south to Egypt and north to Germany
 Augustus’ reign began the PAX ROMANA—200 years of Roman peace but greatly reduced the power of the Senate
Julio Claudian Emperors
 Relatives of Julius Caesar –the next 5 emperors known as the Julio Claudian emperors
 Caligula—brutal and insane; murdered
 Claudius—conquered Britain but was murdered by his wife
 54 BCE—Nero, the last Julio Claudian emperor killed himself after being blamed for the great fire of Rome
Five Good Emperors
 Problem: Rome never developed a rule for selecting a new emperor---so many people declared themselves emperor
 69 CE—4 different emperors ruled Rome
 Flavian—first of the 5 Good Emperors
 Hadrian—born in Spain, understood the needs of the provinces
 Marcus Aurelius—great leader; more concerned with education than wars
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1.
WHAT IMPACTS DID ROMAN RULE HAVE ON THE PEOPLE THEY
CONQUERED?
2.
HOW DID THE VALUES AND BELIEFS OF THE ROMANS AFFECT THEIR
EMPIRE?