Roman History: Monarchy, Republic, and Empire
The Roman Monarchy (753-509 BC)
From this time, there is very little reliable data. Rome was ruled by a king, assisted by the Senate and the House of the town. Initially, kings of Rome and the Sabines alternated; the last three kings were Etruscans. It appears that there were seven kings, and the first was Romulus. He surrounded himself with a hundred men, also from neighboring areas. This group was the source of future patricians. They fought against the Sabines because they needed their wives, but they eventually stopped instances of violence and became one people. Then came Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, and Ancus Marcius. These kings were Latino-Sabine.
These kings were followed by three Etruscans:
- Tarquin the Elder: He did great works in Rome, including the Circus Maximus and the Cloaca Maxima to channel the muddy waters.
- Servius Tullius: He organized the army, took a census of the population, and organized it into classes.
- Tarquinius Superbus: This last king was a tyrant; he ruled without the Senate or the House of the town. This action provoked a rebellion, and the army banished the king and his family.
This occurred in 509 BC and led to a new system of government.
The Roman Republic (509-27 BC)
The Roman Senate and People, who had lost their power during the reign of Tarquinius Superbus, regained their political importance. Supreme power was held by the consuls. There were two, and their term lasted a year. At this time, the expansion of Rome began. First, they conquered and subdued the other peoples of the peninsula: Etruscans, Samnites, and the Greeks of Magna Graecia. After conquering Italy, they went to the Mediterranean, but there they faced the Carthaginians in three long wars called the Punic Wars, which lasted nearly a century.
As a result of these wars, the Romans annexed Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, the Iberian Peninsula, Gaul, North Africa, Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. All this happened between the years 509 BC and 30 BC.
However, it was not all glory; from the outset, the Republic faced major internal problems:
- The struggle between patricians and plebeians: The former owned land and power, but the plebeians had no rights. Gradually, legal equality between the two classes was achieved, thanks to the Law of the Twelve Tables.
Nevertheless, the patricians were further enriched because of the Roman conquests. The differences between nobles and plebeians increased to the point that the latter, impoverished, sought leaders to help them overcome this situation. These leaders managed to carry out some reforms that favored their followers but were not to the liking of the senators and were eventually killed.
The end of the Republic was marked by civil wars, constant internal strife, and disorders of all kinds. This made possible the arrival of a new political system, the Empire, with Octavian Augustus at its head.
The Roman Empire (27 BC – 476 AD)
We can divide this period into two parts:
- Period of Splendor: From the 2nd century AD.
- Period of Decline: From the late 3rd century to the 5th century AD.
Augustus proposed several goals in his 40 years at the helm of the Empire:
- The Pax Augusta meant pacification and reduction of conflicts.
- He embellished Rome and promoted cultural assimilation of the different languages and cultures that existed throughout the empire. Latin was extended to all conquered lands and served as a cohesive force between them.
Among the emperors who ruled after Augustus, three were Spanish: Trajan, Hadrian, and Theodosius.
In the 5th century, barbarian invasions and the decline of the empire brought it down. It was divided in two:
- The Western Roman Empire
- The Eastern Roman Empire
The eastern part remained for five centuries, until 1453, when the Turks took Constantinople. In contrast, the western part was taken by barbarians who founded independent kingdoms in the regions.