Samenvatting door Leanne 2227 woorden 15 augustus 2013 7,3 10 keer beoordeeld Vak Methode Geschiedenis Sprekend verleden Summary history chapter 5: The Roman Empire Section 1: From village to empire Rome arose near a shallow crossing in the River Tiber close to a main trade route to the south of Italy and expanded into a large city in the course of the 7 th century BC. It was a layered society, this were the layers: I the patricians: they took part in the government. They were the wealthiest. II the plebeians: all other free Romans. They could become as wealthy as the patricians and demanded a say in the government. III the slaves Between 500 and 275 BC the Romans took control of the territory of the other peoples who lived in Italy, ending with the Greeks, who had established colonies in the south. In 280 BC the Greeks received support from Pyrrhus. He brought 25 000 soldiers and 20 elephants. Pyrrhus managed to defeat the Romans on several occasions, but he suffered such heavy losses that the victories were meaningless. After a few years Pyrrhus fled to Greece with that what was left from his army, and the Greeks on the Italian mainland came under Roman rule. After conquering Italy, Rome came into conflict with Carthage. Cartage controlled the trade in the Western Mediterranean and had set up small colonies along almost the whole coastline. The first Punic War (264 241 BC) was won by the Roman. This enabled them to take over Sicily. The second (218 201 BC) was won by the Carthaginian general Hannibal. He led his army from Spain through France and across the Alps. He stayed in Italy for 14 years and defeated the Romans time and again, but he didn t attack Rome. Soon after Hannibal was recalled to Carthage, the Romans conquered the Carthaginians in Africa and a peace treaty was drawn up which favoured Rome. Under the terms of treaty: - Carthage lost all its territory outside Africa - Carthage had to destroy its war fleet and was prohibited from waging war without the consent of Rome. In the last two centuries BC the Romans expanded their power around the Mediterranean. The Romans called their https://www.scholieren.com/verslag/79159 Pagina 1 van 6
empire Imperium Romanum. An empire consists of one parent state and a collection of subjected states. Section 2: The consequences of the conquests - The introduction of provinces - Stronger influence of the Greek culture - A new, lower layer of the population emerges: the proletarians - Patricians and plebeians formed a new upper layer: the nobles - Professional soldiers replace military service - Increase in the number of rich people - Increase in the number of slaves Section 3: Julius Caesar After around 130 BC the Roman Empire was plagued by an outbreak of civil wars. Population groups and army commanders fought against each other for power. In 58 BC Julius Caesar became commander of the Roman army in Gaul, where he managed to gain control of the rebellious population. Within 9 years the whole of Gaul was under Roman control. Professional soldiers were more loyal to Caesar than to the governors in Rome. A lot of people were afraid of Caesar s power. In 49 BC, Caesar intended to stand in as a consul. The senate decided that he should come to Rome without his army and take part in the election. But he ignored him and he and his army crossed the Rubicon (the border between his province and Rome) and headed for Rome. This caused the start of a civil war that lasted 4 years. Caesar defeated his opponents throughout the Roman Empire. He spent several months in Egypt, deeply impressed by Cleopatra. After his return to Rome, Caesar lived for only 7 months. Some examples the reforms that he, as a ruler, introduced: - He enabled many of the poor people in Rome to find work as a farmer elsewhere. (80 000 people left Rome to start a new live in an agriculture) - He gave land to war veterans - He gave people in the provinces the chance to become a Roman citizen. - He changed the calendar (we still use it) Caesar was a strong leader, but he allowed the senate, the public assembly and the office-bearers to remain. He did not eliminate his opponents. This soon caused his death. https://www.scholieren.com/verslag/79159 Pagina 2 van 6
Section 4: The Empire takes shape under Augustus Caesar s assassins didn t get the support in Rome that they had expected. Their only support came from the senate. Again, a civil war broke out. Anthony and Octavian battled for power. Anthony had been Caesar s second in command. Caesar had adopted Octavian, a distant cousin, as his son. The senate supported Octavian. After being defeated by the joint forces of the senate and Octavian, Anthony fled to Gaul, where his friend Lepidus had assembled an army. Soon afterwards Octavian quarrelled with the senate. Together with Anthony and Lepidus, he formed a triumvate. They were supported by the public assembly. A bloodbath followed in which around 300 senators and 2000 other opponents of the triumvate were killed. The triumvate divided the empire among themselves. Anthony got the east, Octavian the west and Lepidus North Africa. But Octavian wanted it all for himself. He waged war and defeated first Lepidus and then Anthony. After the war, Octavian changed his name in Caesar Augustus. He chose Augustus because he wanted to indicate that he wanted to stand above all other parties and he chose Caesar in honour to his adoptive father. Augustus went cautiously to work. He allowed the old system of government to continue in name: the senate, the public assembly, the consuls and the tribunes. He gave himself the title of princeps, which means chief citizen. He did his best not to appear as an autocrat, but that is exactly what he wanted to be. In 27 BC he offered to hand over all his power to the senate. But he knew the senator feared him and would respond by giving him even more. Augustus made sure that Italy and the provinces were well governed. The senators had lost their power, because the soldiers were more loyal to their commanders than to the governors in Rome. Augustus made sure that his soldiers stayed loyal to him. This is how he did it: - After 16 years of service the soldiers were given better land or more money than before - Augustus put members of Roman families who were loyal to him in charge of the troops. These appointments were only for a limited period. Section 5: The Pax Romana (31 BC 192 AD) There was peace everywhere in the Roman Empire between 32 BC and 192 AD. This long period is known as the Pax Romana (Roman peace) and it was mainly thanks to the measures taken by Augustus. Augustus died in 16 AD. It was also fortunate that the Roman Empire wasn t attacked by powerful enemies in this period. The vast majority of people continued to work in the fields. Most of the land was in the hands of large land owners. It was managed by deputies and cultivated by slaves and tenants. Trade began to flourish. Lighthouses were built, harbours were improved and roads were laid. People could pay with the same coinage everywhere. Important trade contacts were established with Asia in particular. Chinese goods appeared on Roman markets. https://www.scholieren.com/verslag/79159 Pagina 3 van 6
Emissaries from Indian rulers visited Rome. There was also a lot of trade with the Africa, South from the Sahara. Many craftsmen benefited from the trade. Small businesses sprung up all over the empire and imprted raw materials such as silk, wool, cotton, linen, leather, glass, copper and silver were converted into goods. The collective name for these businesses is industry. The cities became hubs of trade and industry and the urban population grew rapidly. New cities arose with Rome as the greatest of all. The other cities were built and governed along the same lines as Rome, all with a forum and the same types of building. A forum is a square where people did business and held important meetings and where the most important building in the city was situated. There were enormous differences between the inhabitants of the Roman Empire, but they were all under the protection of one and the same government. When a subject of the Roman Empire became a citizen he fell under Roman law and could also hold a position in government. Romanization means: the assimilation of the Roman culture. But the Romans didn t force their culture on anyone. They were much more interested in keeping the peace. When they conquered an area, they allowed the regime, laws and customs as far as possible. Non-Romans could join the army and were granted Roman citizenship when they left. In many provinces people started to speak Latin, the language of the Romans. When Caesar took control of Gaul (58 51 BC) part of the Netherlands fell under Roman rule. The Rhine became the border. The Romans built army encampments form Nijmegen to Katwijk. Many Roman customs and products were introduced in the Netherlands. Nijmegen became the most important city in the Netherlands during the Roman occupation. The tenth legion was stationed there from 69 BC and was responsible for defending the Roman Empire against invasions from the north. (this is all written in tb pp 82, the Batavians, the caninefates and the Frisians rise against the romans & the Batavian rebellion becomes an icon.) Section 6: Religion, law, education, literature, architecture and art The Roman governors regarded worship of the Roman gods as inseparable from loyalty from Rome. The inhabitants of Rome were obliged to participate in official religious ceremonies. However, when they did, they were allowed to profess another religion at the same time. This is how the Roman Empire came to encompass so many different religions. (Laws are on tb pp 83: Law) At the start of the Roman era, children were educated by their fathers. There was no education at all in rural areas. The citizens founded the schools themselves. The government didn t interfere. Education was reserved for the sons of rich parents. They were taught to love their father and to be brave and obedient. Works by famous authors were read all over the Roman Empire during the Pac Romana. A very long time after the Roman Empire had come to an end, Latin was still used by scholars and clerics in most of Europe. Latin was written and spoken in most universities until the 19 th century. It also became the language of the Christian church. https://www.scholieren.com/verslag/79159 Pagina 4 van 6
The Romans inherited a lot from the Greeks. But they also introduced some important changes, particularly in architecture. They built arches and domes in many of their buildings. Section 7: The fall of the Western Roman Empire In the 4 th century Emperor Constantine decided to move the capital of the Roman Empire to the east, because the east was more prosperous and easier to defend. The ancient Greek city Byzantium was chosen as new capital and he recalled it Constantinople. It was an important centre where many trading routes came together. In 395 AD the empire split into two. There was now an Eastern and a Western Roman Empire. The eastern was ruled by an all-powerful emperor. Now commonly known as Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire outlived its western counterpart by 1000 years. It didn t fall until 1453. The main reasons for this fall were: - The Roman Empire is invaded by foreign peoples - The Roman army and fleet become increasingly weaker - The Romans can no longer afford the high taxes - New threats to trade and industry - No more faith in the Western Roman Empire, only concerns about the immediate surroundings Section 8: Christianity The Jews were the inhabitants of Palestine. Other peoples believed in more gods, but the Jews believed in one almighty God. The religious beliefs of the Jews are recorded in the Old Testament, which says that God told Moses to pass on the Ten Commandments to mankind. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, during the reign of Caesar Augustus. He lived most of his live in Nazareth and began to preach at the age of 30. He said that all people were equal and that The Kingdom of God would be inherited by the poor and the persecuted. He also gave hope that a better life awaited them after death. He encouraged them to lead a good live. Jewish leaders challenged Jesus when some Jews started seeing him as the saviour, instead of Messiah. They were afraid of losing power. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilatus, sentenced Jesus to death in the hope that this would eliminate the threat to the Roman authority. His execution marked a beginning, not an end. The Christian beliefs are recorded in the Bible. It was compiled around 200 AD. It consists of two parts: the New and the Old Testament. During the Pax Romana the Mediterranean region was one vast empire with excellent connections. People could make themselves understood with Greek or Latin, wherever they were. The poor and the oppressed felt drawn to Christianity because Jesus preached that all people were equal in the eyes https://www.scholieren.com/verslag/79159 Pagina 5 van 6
of God and promised a better life after death. The Roman government had always been tolerant of other religions, but the emperors realized that a Christian s first allegiance was to Christ. They feared that they would rather obey their own leader than the Roman government. Christianity was forbidden and the persecution began. When the emperors noticed that the persecution was having no effect and that Christianity was growing, they gave up the struggle. In 313 Emperor Constantine decreed that Christians could be good citizens and he himself became a Christian. At the end of the 4 th century Emperor Theodosius decreed that Christianity was the only permitted religion. The temples for other gods were closed. https://www.scholieren.com/verslag/79159 Pagina 6 van 6