Roman Republic Teacher Lecture Notes PDF

Chapter 6 - The Roman Republic Geography of Rome 1. Similarities with Greece – A. Located on a peninsula, many islands, Mediterranean and other important seas = excellent location for trade and expansion = empire (center of Mediterranean) B. Terrain = hilly and mountainous = encou...

Chapter 6 - The Roman Republic Geography of Rome 1. Similarities with Greece – A. Located on a peninsula, many islands, Mediterranean and other important seas = excellent location for trade and expansion = empire (center of Mediterranean) B. Terrain = hilly and mountainous = encouraged city-states C. Good Harbors = good for trade and transportation Rome - Geography 2. Different from Greece – A. Farmland = soil much more fertile along the plains B. Rome could support a growing and expanding population 3. Tiber River = Rome was situated along the Tiber River = fresh water and trade Geography = Mountains 4. Mountains = Alps to the north, Apennines running along much of Italy Mountains had many passes = allowed for invaders to enter the peninsula Rome – Early Period 1. Legendary Founding of Rome = fight between Remus and Romulus 2. Actual Founding – around 1000 BC Latin settlers moved into area 3. By 700 BC, Rome established along the banks of the Tiber 4. Romans would be influenced by Greeks = southern peninsula + Sicily Greek Influence 1. influenced military tactics used by Roman legions = phalanxes, etc. 2. Literature, Art, and Architecture = laid foundation for development of Roman culture = Classical (Greek and Roman) 3. Romans adopted Greek gods and gave them Roman names The Etruscans 1. Around 600 BC a group from Asia Minor, which dominated northern Italy by around 800 BC, had gained control over Rome  2. The Etruscans would have a lasting influence over the Romans Impact of the Etruscans 1. development of alphabet = writing system was adopted by the Romans 2. developed Rome into a great city 3. introduced some important skills = art, pottery, construction 4. architecture = use of the arch 5. construction of many roads Romans Regain Power 1. While the Romans learned from the Etruscans, they were determined to overthrow Etruscan rule 2. In 509 BC. The Etruscan king was overthrown by the Romans 3. The Romans devised a government without a king - Republic Tarquin – Last Roman King Roman Values 1. Detested rule by king = any Roman who tried to become king could be killed without trial 2. Emphasis of discipline, strength and loyalty 3. One who lived by such values had gravitas (seriousness) 4. Strength > Beauty, Power > Grace, Usefulness > Elegance Roman Classes 1. patricians = upper class families who’s ancestors had found Rome = dominated Roman government = claimed authority to make laws 2. plebeians = common people = large majority of Roman citizens = artisans, farmers, and merchants = free citizens with little political voice 3. Birth determined one’s political and social status Romans Built a Great Army 1. the Romans began to build an army that would someday rule over a great empire A. all male citizens required to serve in army = 10 years service required before one could serve in public office B. Legion – military unit of 4000 to 6000 men – broken into smaller units = centuries - more flexible than Greek phalanxes C. Cavalry = soldiers on horseback D. Weapons = slings, javelins, spears, swords The Roman Republic 1. The Roman Republic would last for over 500 Years 2. Republic = government in which elected officials govern for citizens  3. Different from Athenian democracy = only wealthy citizens (patricians) could govern + became a government of wealthy landowners The Roman Republic 1. The patricians had all governmental power in the early days of the Republic 2. Consuls = 2 executives (patrician class) chosen to run the government A. Powers 1. commander-in-chief 2. one year terms 3. power to veto each other Patricians Class Differences Roman Republic 3. Dictator – the Romans feared a ruler who had total power – however, they realized there might be times when such a ruler would be needed A. invasions B. natural disasters Dictators were chosen during times of emergences = only 6 month terms Roman Legislature 4. Legislative Body Senate = made up of patricians (300) who serve for life = ran economy and foreign affairs, important government offices Patrician versus Plebeian 1. Many conflicts and much violence would arise out of the attempts of the patricians to keep political power out of the hands of the plebeians ( a large majority of the Roman citizens) 2. Plebeians made demands A. ability to hold important positions B. ability to marry patricians C. greater say in government Plebeian Demands For Equality 1. The plebeians began to work towards gaining more political power 2. Protest Actions A. refusal to serve in the military B. refusal to pay taxes 3. The patricians, fearing civil war, began to give the plebeians some political power Plebeian Reforms  1. Creation of the Assembly (500 BC) – pass laws for the common people – election of tribunes (10) who could veto actions of Consuls and Senate 2. Twelve Tables (451 BC) – written code of laws – carved on 12 tablets and displayed in the Forum – common people now had the right of protection of the law Roman Forum Plebeian Reforms 3. Enslavement for debt abolished, plebeians could marry patricians, could serve in high government positions as well as consuls (339 BC), could make all laws (Assembly), and could become members of the Roman Senate 4. Equal rights granted to plebeians (287 BC) Roman Expansion Brought War 1. Now that Rome was stable internally, she began to look to expand into other areas of the Mediterranean 2. First she would gain control of entire peninsula and then create an empire Romans Gain Control Over the Peninsula 1. When the Gauls sacked Rome in 390 BC, it convinced the Romans to build up its military 2. Between 282 BC and 275 BC the Romans fought the Greeks who occupied the southern part of the peninsula 3. Despite help of General Pyrrhus, the Greeks won the battles and lost the war = suffered too many casualties to hold on Pyrrhus Roman Expansion 1. Now that Rome had control over peninsula, she could now look outward for expansion 2. A former colony of Phoenicia, Carthage had grown into the dominant power in the Mediterranean 3. Roman expansion would take place at the expense of Carthage = WAR The Punic Wars 1. The three wars which were fought between Carthage and Rome are known as the Punic Wars (Roman name for Carthage) 2. The winner would gain control over the Mediterranean and the wealthy trade 3. The first war began in 264 First Punic War – (264-241) Cause Carthage feared Rome would take over Sicily while Rome was afraid Carthage would cut off their sea routes Results  Rome forced Carthage to ask for peace – Carthage had to pay an indemnity and give Sicily to Rome Roman Expansion Rome soon gained control over Greece and parts of the Middle East Rome was now becoming the dominant power in the Mediterranean and Carthage did not like it The Second Punic War began in 219 Second Punic War (219-202) Cause Carthage tried to conquer all of Spain – Rome had some colonies in Spain Results The Carthaginians were led by the great leader Hannibal who assembled an army of 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry, and 60 elephants and invaded Rome via the Alps – less than ½ of his troops and almost none of his elephants survived the trip through the Alps Hannibal Second Punic War (219-202) Results Hannibal had many successes in Rome and fed off of the land The Battle of Cannae was the site of his greatest victory – over 50,000 Romans killed including Senators and Consuls Second Punic War The Romans after many losses, regrouped under General Scipio Scipio decided to not meet Hannibal head on and let him wander the countryside The walls surrounding Rome made it impossible for Hannibal to conquer the city Scipio attacked Carthage, forcing Hannibal to return to fight a major battle Battle of Zama – 202 BC Zama At Zama, Hannibal felt confident with his elephants However, the Romans had a strategy – make loud noises by yelling and banging things = scared the elephants = ran away and created chaos Carthage lost 40,000 soldiers and Hannibal advised Carthage to ask for peace Second Punic War The second war came to an end and Carthage lost Spain and had to pay a 50 year indemnity Carthage was reduced to North Africa For some Romans, this was enough Cato – “Carthage must be destroyed!” Third Punic War In 149 BC Rome decided to crush Carthage once and for all Hannibal had never stopped fighting the Romans, but was trapped near Turkey and took poison – he was not around for the Third Punic War Led by Scipio the Younger, Rome crushed Carthage, destroyed the city, and enslaved the remaining Carthaginians Rome = Control Over the Entire Mediterranean 197 BC – Rome gained control over Greece and freed her from Philip V of Macedonia 133 BC – parts of Asia Minor gained by Rome Rome was the supreme power in the Mediterranean for many years The Decline of the Roman Republic – Expansion Created Problems at Home Rome’s Expansion = Problems at Home Victory over Carthage and continued Roman expansion would have both positive and negative results 1. Failure of small farmers A. problems competing against large farmers and importing of foreign crops B. Hannibal caused great destruction C. many small farmers gave up, sold out, and moved to cities Problems at Home 2. Increased population in cities A. growing unemployment B. overcrowded cities = poor housing = insulaes / dirty conditions 3. growing gap between the rich and poor – much of the wealth from Punic Wars went to rich = luxurious living while poor were suffering / owning slaves instead of hiring workers Dealing With Problems  The patricians feared a revolt by the poor (a new group emerged = proletariat = urban, landless poor = poorest Romans) – they began to do things to lessen the chance of revolt 1. Take minds of poor off of their problems Feasts, circuses, games and gladiator contests = Coliseum + Circus Maximus Gracchus Brothers to the Rescue The most important official who could help the plebeians was the tribune = veto power + ability to create reforms Two brothers would emerge with hopes of helping the poor = Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus They were determined to improve the conditions for the poor Tribune Tiberius Gracchus Tiberius Gracchus was elected as tribune by the Assembly in 133 BC Proposed Reforms 1. limit the size of large estates 2. take lands taken away and distribute to the poor 3. attempted to be reelected as tribune = never done before Patricians React Many patricians in the Senate began to fear the proposed reforms of Tiberius as well as his growing popularity Feared the rise of a popular king, and thus believed that Tiberius Gracchus had to be eliminated Plotted against Tiberius The Death of Tiberius On election day, Tiberius and 300 of his supporters were clubbed to death The body of Tiberius was thrown into the Tiber River The Senate was not willing to lose its wealth at the expense of the poor Tribune Gaius Gracchus Gaius Gracchus was elected tribune in 123 BC Through his skill and new found power, he was able to get laws passed which weakened the Senate He also proposed policies to deal with the unemployed  The Senate declared war on Gaius, and declared him an enemy of the state The Death of Gaius Gracchus Gaius and his supporters fled to a hill for protection Senators, their slaves, and mercenaries attacked Gaius and his supporters Gaius was killed in battle, and 3000 of supporters died in battle or were executed The Rule of Generals Rome was a place of great tensions Two generals would emerge who would gain power and bring some stability to Rome Marius and Sulla were these two generals Marius Marius gained fame in 105 BC by defeating Germanic tribes attacking the Roman Empire He was elected consul 5 consecutive times This broke the tradition of not serving more than 1 year at a time Marius began the practice of allowing landless Romans to enlist in the Roman army Marius The new method of raising an army had a lasting impact on Rome These new recruits enlisted for 16 years and were willing to fight for any general who rewarded them with land and gold Thus, generals now became very popular, as soldiers fought more for them than for Rome Sulla Sulla was a powerful general who also served as consul It was only a matter of time before these generals used their armies to march against Rome and themselves and use them for political gain = slaughtered supporters Sulla in 82 BC made himself dictator indefinitely, abolishing the 6 month term Future generals would be willing to use their armies for political purposes = civil wars The Rise of Julius Caesar Julius Caesar was a supporter of Marius When Sulla defeated the followers of Marius, one person he sought to have killed was Julius Caesar  Caesar was smart and was able to bribe soldiers of Sulla, and escape death Background of Caesar Caesar was from the patrician class He understood how to best use money for one’s own gain He would prove to be a great speaker and smart politician He married Cornelia who was the daughter of an influential supporter of Marius = fled Rome after Sulla emerged as ruler of Rome Caesar Gains Power After Caesar escaped death, he realized the best way to gain fame and power was by becoming a governor of a roman province (Spain, Sicily, Gaul, Asia Minor, Macedonia) Through such a position, he could gain money through taxes, bribes, and war booty Julius Caesar For many years after 82 BC, Caesar built up his contacts by participating in political events in the forum He was known for great speeches and great parties given on behalf of the poor = borrowed money from Crassus He became very popular and influential, and the Senate appointed him to be governor of province of Spain Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey Caesar gained great wealth and fame as governor of Spain In military arena, he collected enough booty to enrich Crassus and his soldiers Caesar, Crassus, and General Pompey decided to join forces in 60 BC and rule together = First Triumvirate Caesar had his daughter Julia marry Pompey Crassus Pompey The First Triumvirate Caesar = popularity and great orator Crassus = wealthy man in Rome Pompey = great military leader These three men ruled together because no one person was strong enough to rule Problem was that each man had an ego, and wanted to be #1 Caesar Gained Popularity Caesar became consul and served for one year He then went to Gaul as governor He served as governor for 8 years and gained great fame and honor as a military leader = he conquered the Gauls, invaded Britannia (England), and crossed the Rhine and fought Germanic tribes His men were very loyal and devoted to Caesar = popular at home as well The Triumvirate Dissolved Each member of the Triumvirate were looking to gain fame and power The poor of Rome loved Caesar and loved him more for his military victories Crassus, hoping to gain military fame, was killed in Asia The Senate, fearing Caesar’s popularity, formed an alliance with Pompey against Caesar Caesar Became Dictator The Senate ordered Caesar to abolish his army and return to Rome (probably arrested and possibly executed) Caesar began to return to Rome, but with his army Reached the Rubicon = point of no return He and his men crossed the Rubicon, and marched towards Rome Caesar Gained Control Pompey fled Rome and rejoined his army in the east Caesar’s army defeated Pompey’s in Greece Pompey fled to Egypt, was killed and beheaded by pharaoh = presented head as gift to Caesar In 46 BC, Caesar returned to Rome as the sole ruler Dictator Caesar Caesar was a very popular ruler In 44 BC he appointed himself dictator for ten years = angered and worried the Senate Caesar enacted many reforms which the poor loved The Gracchi brothers would have been pleased Reforms of Caesar 1. Distributed lands in the colonies to about 100,000 Romans (former soldiers) 2. Granted citizenship to the Gauls 3. Increased the number of people eligible to serve in the Senate (900)  4. Abolished interest on debt 5. Oversaw development of Julian Calendar (solar = 365 days and leap) Reforms of Caesar 6. forced large landowners to substitute some of their slaves for free men (1/3 of labor force) 7. founded more colonies = more land to distribute to the poor These reforms stabilized Rome and made Caesar extremely popular and powerful = king = weaker Senate The Death of Caesar (44 BC) Some of the members of the Senate began to plot to kill Caesar Brutus and Cassius were the leaders of this conspiracy On March 15th (Ides of March) the conspirators were waiting for him at the Theater of Pompey Caesar was stabbed several times, and his final words were “Et tu, Brute!” The Conspirators Many people in Rome were outraged by the death of Caesar The conspirators convinced a friend of Caesar, Marc Antony, to deliver a funeral oration and calm the people down Antony tricked the Senators, and riled the people up The conspirators fled, most, including Brutus to die against supporters of Caesar The Second Triumvirate Another triumvirate emerged since no one person was powerful enough to succeed Caesar Marc Antony = friend of Caesar Lepidus = military leader (2nd in command) Octavian = grandnephew and adopted heir of Caesar Octavian The Fall of the Triumvirate Just like with the First Triumvirate, the members of the Second Triumvirate had egos and wanted to become #1 Marc Antony and Octavian divided the empire among them, with Antony ruling over the eastern part of the empire Rome Turned Against Marc Antony  Marc Antony was caught in the web of a former mistress of Caesar = Cleopatra He fell in love with Cleopatra, divorced his wife (sister of Octavian), and gave children of Cleopatra thrones in eastern part of Roman Empire Octavian and the people of Rome would not stand for this Octavian Gained Power Octavian went to the Senate and accused Antony of treasonous acts against Rome He led his forces against Antony and Cleopatra These forces met at a great naval battle off the coast of Greece = Battle of Actium (31 BC) Antony and Cleopatra The forces of Antony and Cleopatra were defeated Antony and Cleopatra both committed suicide Octavian was now the sole ruler of Rome Egypt became a province or Rome Octavian Became Augustus Octavian returned to Rome as a triumphant ruler Octavian did not want to make the mistake of Caesar = he was more cautious and did not declare himself dictator (though he had great power) In 27 BC the Senate bestowed to him the title Augustus (exalted one) One man rule = Emperor = end of the Roman Republic and beginning of the Roman Empire