The Roman Empire is a kind of phase in the development of the Roman statehood of that time. It existed from 27 BC. e. to 476, and the main language was Latin.
The Great Roman Empire kept many other states of that time in awe and admiration for centuries. And this is no accident. This power did not appear immediately. The empire developed gradually. Consider in the article how it all began, all the main events, emperors, culture, as well as the emblem and colors of the flag of the Roman Empire.
Periodization of the Roman Empire
As you know, all states, countries, civilizations in the world had a chronology of events, which can be conditionally divided into several periods. The Roman Empire has several main stages:
- principate period (27 BC - 193 AD);
- crisis of the Roman Empire in the III century. AD (193 - 284 AD);
- dominate period (284 - 476 AD);
- collapse and division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern.
Before the formation of the Roman Empire
Let's turn to history and consider briefly what preceded the formation of the state. In general, the first people in the territory of present-day Romeappeared around the second millennium BC. e. on the Tiber River. In the VIII century BC. e. two large tribes united, built a fortress. Thus, we can assume that April 13, 753 BC. e. Rome was formed.
First there were royal and then republican periods of government with their events, kings and history. This period of time from 753 BC. e. called Ancient Rome. But in 27 B. C. e. Thanks to Octavian Augustus, an empire was formed. A new era has dawned.
Principate
The formation of the Roman Empire was facilitated by civil wars, from which Octavian emerged victorious. The Senate gave him the name Augustus, and the ruler himself founded the principate system, which included a mixture of monarchical and republican forms of government. He also became the founder of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, but it did not last long. Rome remained the capital of the Roman Empire.
The reign of Augustus was considered very favorable for the people. Being the nephew of the great commander - Gaius Julius Caesar - it was Octavian who became the first emperor of Rome. He carried out reforms: one of the main ones is the reform of the army, the essence of which was to form a Roman military force. Each soldier had to serve up to 25 years, could not start a family and lived on welfare. But it helped to form at last a standing army after almost a century of formation, when it was unreliable due to inconstancy. Alsothe merits of Octavian Augustus are considered to be the conduct of budgetary policy and, of course, the change in the system of power. Under him, Christianity began to emerge in the empire.
The first emperor was deified, especially outside of Rome, but the ruler himself did not want the cult of ascension to god to be in the capital. But in the provinces, many temples were erected in his honor and sacred significance was attached to his reign.
August spent a good part of his life on the road. He wanted to revive the spirituality of the people, thanks to him dilapidated temples and other structures were restored. During his reign, many slaves were freed, and the ruler himself was a sort of model of ancient Roman prowess and lived in a modest possession.
The Julio-Claudian dynasty
The next emperor, as well as the great pontiff and representative of the dynasty was Tiberius. He was the adopted son of Octavian, who also had a grandson. In fact, the issue of the succession to the throne remained unresolved after the death of the first emperor, but Tiberius stood out for his merits and intelligence, which is why he was to become a sovereign ruler. He himself did not want to be a despot. He ruled very honorably and not cruelly. But after problems in the emperor's family, as well as a clash of his interests with a senate full of republican attitudes, everything resulted in an "unholy war in the senate." He ruled from only 14 to 37.
The third emperor and representative of the dynasty was the son of Tiberius' nephew - Caligula, who ruled for only 4 years - from the 37th to the 41st. At first, everyone sympathized with him as a worthy emperor, but his power was strongchanged: he became cruel, caused strong discontent among the people and was killed.
The next emperor was Claudius (41-54), with the help of which, in fact, his two wives, Messalina and Agrippina, ruled. Through various manipulations, the second woman managed to make her son Nero the ruler (54-68). Under him there was a "great fire" in 64 AD. e., which greatly destroyed Rome. Nero committed suicide, and a civil war broke out in which the last three members of the dynasty died in just one year. 68-69 was called "the year of the four emperors".
Flavian Dynasty (69 to 96 AD)
Vespasian was the main in the fight against the rebellious Jews. He became emperor and founded a new dynasty. He managed to suppress uprisings in Judea, restore the economy, rebuild Rome after the "great fire" and put the empire in order after numerous internal unrest and rebellions, and improve relations with the Senate. He ruled until 79 AD. e. His decent reign was continued by his son Titus, who ruled for only two years. The next emperor was the youngest son of Vespasian - Domitian (81-96). Unlike the first two representatives of the dynasty, he was distinguished by hostility and opposition to the senate. He was killed in a conspiracy.
During the reign of the Flavian dynasty created the great amphitheater Colosseum in Rome. It took 8 years to build it. Numerous gladiator fights were held here.
Antonine dynasty
The heyday of the Romanempire fell precisely during the reign of this dynasty. The rulers of this period were called "five good emperors". The Antonines (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius) ruled successively from 96 to 180 AD. e. After the conspiracy and murder of Domitian, because of his hostility to the Senate, Nerva, who was just from the senatorial environment, became emperor. He ruled for two years, and the next ruler was his adopted son - Ulpius Trajan, who became one of the best people who ever ruled during the Roman Empire.
Trajan significantly expanded the territory. Four well-known provinces were formed: Armenia, Mesopotamia, Assyria and Arabia. The colonization of other places was required by Trajan, rather than for conquest purposes, but to protect against attacks by nomads and barbarians. The most remote places were surrounded by numerous stone towers.
The third emperor of the Roman Empire during the Antonine dynasty and Trajan's successor - Adrian. He made many reforms in law and education, as well as in finance. He was nicknamed "the enricher of the world". The next ruler was Antoninus, who was called the "father of the human race" for his concern not only for Rome, but also for the provinces that he improved. Then Marcus Aurelius ruled, who was a very good philosopher, but he had to spend a lot of time in the war on the Danube, where he died in 180. With this, the era of the "five good emperors", when the empire flourished and democracy reached its peak, ended.
The last emperor to end the dynasty wasCommodus. He was fond of gladiator fights, and he placed the management of the empire on the shoulders of other people. Died at the hands of conspirators in 193.
Sever Dynasty
People proclaimed the ruler of a native of Africa - the commander Septimius Severus, who ruled until his death in 211. He was very warlike, which was passed on to his son Caracalla, who became emperor by killing his brother. But it was thanks to him that people from the provinces finally received the right to become citizens of Rome. Both rulers did a lot. For example, they returned independence to Alexandria and gave the Alexandrians the right to occupy the state. positions. Then Heliogabalus and Alexander ruled until 235
Crisis of the third century
This turning point was of such great importance for the people of that time that historians distinguish it as a separate period in the history of the Roman Empire. This crisis lasted for almost half a century: from 235 after the death of Alexander Severus until 284
The reason was the wars with the tribes on the Danube, which began in the time of Marcus Aurelius, skirmishes with the Zarein people, the inconstancy of power. People had to fight a lot, and the authorities spent money, time and effort on these conflicts, which significantly worsened the economy and economy of the empire. And also in times of crisis there were constant conflicts between the armies that put forward their candidates for the throne. In addition, the Senate also fought for the right of its significant influence on the empire, but lost it altogether. Antique culture also fell into decay after the crisis.
Domination period
The end of the crisis was the erection of Diocletian as emperor in 285. It was he who initiated the period of dominance, which meant a change from a republican form of government to an absolute monarchy. The era of the Tetrarchy also belongs to this time.
The emperor began to be called "dominatom", which means "lord and god". Domitian was the first to call himself that. But in the 1st century, such a position of the ruler would have been perceived with hostility, and after 285 - calmly. The Senate as such did not cease to exist, but now did not have as much influence on the monarch, who ultimately made his own decisions.
Under the dominance, when Diocletian ruled, Christianity had already penetrated into the life of the Romans, but all Christians began to be even more persecuted and punished for their faith.
In 305, the emperor relinquished power, a small struggle for the throne began, until Constantine, who ruled from 306 to 337, came to the throne. He was the sole ruler, but there was a division of the empire into provinces and prefectures. Unlike Diocletian, he was not so hard on Christians and even stopped subjecting them to persecution and persecution. Moreover, Constantine introduced common faith, and made Christianity the state religion. He also moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium, which was later called Constantinople. The sons of Constantine ruled from 337 to 363. In 363, Julian the Apostate died, which was the end of the dynasty.
The Roman Empire still continued to exist, although the transfer of the capital was a very abrupt event for the Romans. After 363two more clans ruled: the dynasties of Valentinian (364-392) and Theodosius (379-457). It is known that the Battle of Adrianople between the Goths and the Romans became a significant event in 378.
Let's consider further in the article, yet in what year did the Roman Empire collapse? After all, in fact, the empire existed much longer than before 453.
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Rome actually continued to exist. But the end of the history of the empire is considered to be 476.
Its fall was influenced by the transfer of the capital to Constantinople under Constantine in 395, where the Senate was even recreated. It was in this year that the division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern took place. The beginning of the history of Byzantium (Eastern Roman Empire) is also considered this event in 395. But you should understand that Byzantium is no longer the Roman Empire.
But why then does the story only end at 476? Because after 395, the Western Roman Empire with its capital in Rome also remained in existence. But the rulers could not cope with such a large territory, suffered constant attacks from enemies, and Rome was ruined.
This disintegration was facilitated by the expansion of the lands that had to be monitored, the strengthening of the army of enemies. After the battle with the Goths and the defeat of the Roman army of Flavius Valens in 378, the former became very powerful for the latter, while the inhabitants of the Roman Empire were increasingly inclined towards a peaceful life. Few people wanted to devote themselves to many years of the army, most loved just farming.
Already under weakened Western Empirein 410, the Visigoths took Rome, in 455 the Vandals captured the capital, and on September 4, 476, the leader of the Germanic tribes, Odoacer, forced Romulus Augustus to abdicate. He became the last emperor of the Roman Empire, Rome no longer belonged to the Romans. The history of the great empire was over. The capital was ruled for a long time by different people who had nothing to do with the Romans.
So, in what year did the Roman Empire collapse? Definitely in 476, but this disintegration can be said to have begun long before the events when the empire began to decline and weaken, and barbarian Germanic tribes began to inhabit the territory.
History after 476
Nevertheless, even though the Roman emperor was overthrown at the top of the government, and the empire passed into the possession of the German barbarians, the Romans still continued to exist. Even the Roman Senate continued to exist for several centuries after 376 until 630. But in terms of territory, Rome now belonged to only parts of present-day Italy. At this time, the Middle Ages had just begun.
Byzantium became the successor of the culture and traditions of the civilization of Ancient Rome. It had existed for almost a century after its formation, while the Western Roman Empire had fallen. Only by 1453 did the Ottomans capture Byzantium, and that was the end of its history. Constantinople was renamed Istanbul.
And in 962, thanks to Otto the Great, the Holy Roman Empire was formed - a state. Its core was Germany, of which he was king.
Otto 1 the Great already owned very large territories. ATthe empire of the 10th century included almost all of Europe, including Italy (the lands of the fallen Western Roman Empire, whose culture they wanted to recreate). Over time, the boundaries of the territory changed. Nevertheless, this empire lasted for almost a millennium until 1806, when Napoleon was able to dissolve it.
The capital was formally Rome. The Holy Roman Emperors ruled and had many vassals in other parts of their large domains. All the rulers claimed the supreme power in Christianity, which at that time gained a large-scale influence throughout Europe. The crown of the Holy Roman Emperors was only given by the pope after his coronation in Rome.
The coat of arms of the Roman Empire depicts a double-headed eagle. This symbol was met (and still is) in the symbols of many states. Oddly enough, the coat of arms of Byzantium also features the same symbol as the coat of arms of the Roman Empire.
The flag of the 13th-14th centuries depicted a white cross on a red background. However, it changed in 1400 and lasted until 1806 until the fall of the Holy Roman Empire.
The flag has had a double-headed eagle since 1400. It symbolizes the emperor, while the one-headed bird symbolizes the king. The colors of the flag of the Roman Empire are also interesting: a black eagle on a yellow background.
Nevertheless, it is a very big misconception to attribute the Roman Empire until medieval times to the Holy German Roman Empire, which, although it included Italy, was actually a completely different state.
