Roman Republic Overview

• What led to the Romans overthrowing their kings and replacing it with a Republic?

  • The growing discontent among the aristocracy and the common citizens, fueled by the abuse of power by the monarchy, sparked a desire for a system that provided more representation and checks on authority.

• What checks and balances did the Romans create to prevent any individual from becoming king?

  • To address this concern, the Roman Republic established a complex system of checks and balances, which included the following key elements:

    
    

    • Consuls: Two elected officials who served as the chief executives of the state, ensuring no single individual held absolute power for an extended period.

    • Senate: A powerful advisory council composed mainly of aristocrats that influenced legislation and foreign policy, acting as a stabilizing force against the whims of the consuls.

    • Popular Assemblies: Bodies in which citizens could vote on laws and elect magistrates, providing a direct avenue for the voice of the people in governance.

    • Tribunes of the Plebs: Elected representatives of the common citizens with the power to veto legislation that they deemed harmful to the plebeians, thereby protecting their interests against the elite.

• What were the outcomes of the Punic Wars?

  • Expansion of Roman territory: The victory in the Punic Wars allowed Rome to establish dominance over the western Mediterranean, gaining control of crucial territories such as Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, which became vital for trade and military strategy.

  • Economic growth: The influx of wealth from conquered lands and the establishment of trade routes contributed to significant economic expansion in Rome, leading to increased prosperity and urbanization.

  • Shift in social structure: The wars prompted changes in the Roman social hierarchy, as veterans returning from service were often granted land, leading to the rise of a new class of wealthy landowners and contributing to the pressures faced by the lower classes.

• What factors weakened the Roman Republic?

  • Among the key factors that weakened the Roman Republic were:

    
    

    • Political corruption: The increasing influence of powerful generals and politicians led to corruption within the political system, undermining the republican values that had originally defined Rome.

    • Class conflict: The growing divide between the patricians and plebeians often resulted in social unrest and civil strife, manifesting in movements such as the Gracchi reforms and the rise of populist leaders.

    • Military upheaval: The reliance on professional armies loyal to their generals rather than the state created loyalty issues, which led to internal conflicts and the eventual rise of dictators.

    • Economic inequality: As wealth became concentrated among a few landowners, the economic hardships faced by the lower classes intensified, resulting in increased dissatisfaction and a call for reforms.

• What factors allowed Julius Caesar to become the leader of Rome?

  • Military success: Caesar's conquests in Gaul not only demonstrated his military prowess but also garnered him significant popularity and the loyalty of his troops.

  • Political maneuvering: He skillfully formed the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus, which helped him gain power and influence in Roman politics.

  • Populist policies: By championing the causes of the common people, he cultivated a loyal following among the plebeians, who supported his ambitions.

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People

• Romulus

  • first king of rome

• Remus

  • twin brother of romulus

• Gracchi Brothers

  • two brothers from a noble family who gained political power by serving as tribunes and representing the plebeians

• Hannibal

  • carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of carthage during the second punic war

• Sulla

  • roman senate chose the consul sulla to lead the army against mithridates

  • political opponents fired him while he was on campaign

  • sulla marched back to rome to crush the populares

  • sulla executed 3 thousand prisoners in front of the senate to terrify them

  • the senate elected sulla dictator

  • sulla’s enemies were killed as tratiors and their properties were siezed

  • sulla left the republic far weaker:

    • the divide between opitmates and populares was increased

    • armies were now loyal to powerful generals rather than the state

    • ambitous leaders like pompey and julius caesar realized they could sieze power

• Pompey

  • pompey (successful general, plebeian)

• Julius Caesar

  • born ~100 BCE to patrician family

  • became powerful general war hero in roman army

  • invaded britain

  • conquered Gaul

  • elected consul

  • ruled rome for 10 years with two other powerful leaders

    • crassus (patrician)

    • became the first triumvate

  • afraid he had become too powerful and would take over rome

    • named enemy of the state by the senate

  • marches on rome

    • enemies flee city

  • as dictator, caesar makes many reforms

    • expanded citizenship

    • make his friends senators

    • created jobs

    • gave away food

    • gave land to the poor

    • increased soldiers’ pay 

    • has love affair with cleopatra

    • many senators and patricians were afraid of losing their power and influence

    • thought caesar had become a tyrant

• civil war breaks out in rome

• Brutus

  • co-conspired to assassinate caesar

• Marc Antony

  • roman general under Caesar

  • married cleopatra

• Cleopatra

  • queen of egypt

  • had affair with caesar

Roman Government

• Consul

  • executive offices of the roman republic

  • two men elected by the assembly and served for a term of one year

  • led legions into war

• Tribune

  • eventually the plebeians rebelled and gained their own representatatives, the tribunes

  • 10 officals who looked out for the best interests of the plebeians

  • had veto power

• Senate

  • legislstive branch that advised the consuls, debated foreign policy, proposed laws and approved contracts

  • 300 members chosen from the patrician class

    • appointed by the consuls

    • insanely high wealth requirements

• Assembly

  • groups of citizend that represented the people-plebians of rome and elected the tribunes

• Patrician

  • wealthy, land owning nobles who held most of the power

• Plebeian

  • the common people who made up the majority of the population

• Roman Citizenship

  • right to holed elected office

  • right to own property, marriage

  • right to trial and appeal

  • right to migrate

  • right to trade

• Forum

  • the public square or markteplace of an ancient roman city that was the assembly place for government and public business

• Assembly

  • part of the legislative brance. the assembly was made up of representatives elected by the citizens/plebeians to make laws

• Twelve Tables

  • in 451 BC the roman laws that were engraved on bronze tablets and set in the forum for all to see

• Fasces

  • a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including and axe with its blade emerging. the faces is and italian symbol that had its origin in the etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient rome, where it symbolized a magistrate’s power and jurisdiction

• Triumvirate

• Legions

  • led by a consul

  • source of advancement (political career, plunder from campagin)

    • early legionary

      • from top classes of society

      • paid for own equipment

      • served for a single campagin

    • later legionary

      • poorest classes couid join

      • equipment provided by state

• Dictator

• Populares vs. Optimates

  • Opitmates

    • supported the senate

    • did not want change

    • protect large landowners

  • Populares

    • supported assemblies

    • land redistribution

    • grain subsidies

Events

• Social War

• Punic Wars

  • a series of three wars between rome and carthage from 264 to 146 BCE

  • fighting for control of the mediterranean sea and trade routes

    • carthage was the most dominant power of the mediterranean

    • rome was rising in power in italy

  • First punic war

    • Primarily a naval war

      • tatics were to maneuver ship to ram and sink the enemy

      • rome was at a disatvantage and were continually beat down by carthage but would not surrender

      • romans began using a corvus, an assualt bridge

        • hook enemy ship, soldiers cross onto their ship via corvus

      • rome wins after 23 years of fighting

        • carthage forced to pay huge war debt

        • rome conqured sicily, sardinia, and corsica

  • Second Punic War

    • carthage led by brilliant general hannibal

    • suprises rome by leading his army through spain and france, crossing the pyrenees and apls with 60,000 soldiers and 30ish elephants

    • hannibal gained many allies from rome’s enemies

    • hannibal defeats roman armiues that are sent to stop him several times, but hesitates to attack rome itself

    • he settles on a war of attrition, hoping to destory romes economic base

    • roman general scipio realizes they cannot defeat hannibal in italy so they draw him out by taking the mediterranean, heading to carthage

    • hannibal leaves italy to protect carthage

    • battle of zama, fought by just outside carthage, and rome wins

  • Third Punic War

    • carthage is finished agter the secons punic war

      • hannibal commits suicide

      • economy is shattered

      • rome had conqured all their territory

    • some romans still feared that carthage could revive and challenge them again

    • Rome easily wins

      • entire carthaginian population is sold into slavery, all valuables brought back to rome, everything else burned and dumped into the sea

    • by the end of the third war, rome:

      • conquered carthafinian empire

      • destroyed carthage

      • became the most powerful state of the western mediterranean

• Caesar’s Civil War

  • pardons those who surrendeer were with pompey

  • pompey is murdered in egypt

    • caesar executes those who killed pompey

  • pompey and the senate began to fear caesar’s popularity

    • his soldiers loved him because he fought and suffered with them

    • the poor loved him because he made reforms that helped them

    • defeats pompey in battle

      • pompey flees

• Assassination of Caesar

  • many senators and patricians were afraid of losing their power and influence

  • thought caesar had become a tyrant

  • March 15, 44 BCE: caesar is stabbed to death in the senate chamber

Locations

• Rome

  • located on italian peninsula

  • central location in the mediterranean sea was good for trade

  • rivers provided fertile land fot foos and allowed easy communication

  • alps provided protection from the north

  • seas created a barrier on three sides

• Italy

• Gaul

• Greece

• Carthage

• Sicily

• Spain

• Egypt