The heyday of the Roman Empire began in 69 AD, when a new emperor, Vespasian, came to power in a vast and declining country. The arrival of Vespasian was preceded by a rather long period of civil wars, fierce competition for supreme power and the breakdown of many public services.
Vespasian. New Laws and Orders
First of all, the main difference between the policy of the ruler and that of his predecessors was the clear intention of the emperor to establish new laws in the empire subject to him and thereby create a solid foundation not only for his own power, but also for its transfer to his heirs.
In December 69, the Roman Senate adopted a special law "On the Power of Vespasian", which gave the emperor the same powers that such great rulers of Rome as Augustus, Tiberius and Claudius had, but legally. Thus, lawful order was established in the empirerule and succession of power, a compromise was reached between landowners and slave owners.
However, despite the fact that Vespasian managed to agree with the Senate on the boundaries of his own power, almost immediately after the adoption of this law, the emperor carried out a rather aggressive purge of the Senate and brought the people he needed there. The ten years of Vespasian's reign are commonly referred to as the beginning of the heyday of the Roman Empire.
Heir of Vespasian
Since Vespasian established fairly transparent rules of succession and was at peace with the Senate, his eldest son, his full namesake Titus Flavius Vespasian, who went down in history under the personal name Titus, became his heir. Titus managed to be emperor for only two years, since at the age of forty-one he died of a fever.
However, these years were overshadowed by three extremely unpleasant events in the Eternal City. During the short stay of Titus in power in the subject empire, there was an eruption of Vesuvius, an epidemic of plague and a major fire in Rome itself.
The emperor himself is characterized by almost all Roman historians as a harmonious, well-educated person, distinguished by his love for music and versification. His father gave him a good education, which he himself was deprived of due to his origin.
Prerequisites for greatness
The structure of the Roman Republic has undergone significant changes by the beginning of the first millennium of our era. Most historians agree that becoming strongcentralized power was able to take place due to the relative political stability. The population of the Roman Empire during its heyday reached 60,000,000 people, and its structure changed significantly due to the inclusion of new provinces in the state, as well as due to the ordering of estates.
Significant changes are being made to the system of replenishing the Senate with new members. Now, only representatives of the highest class of the country, the nobles, could be part of the highest state body, while the horsemen got the opportunity to work in the imperial administration and lead the provinces and armies.
In addition, a number of restrictions were placed on the ownership of slaves. For example, the replenishment of slaves at the expense of prisoners of war became practically impossible, and unreasonable cruel treatment of them was prohibited. But a person could fall into eternal slavery without paying the debt on time.
Empire in l-lll centuries AD
The first person who came close to obtaining the amount of power characteristic of the emperor was Octavian Augustus, who held the post of principle, that is, the first senator. His competence included relations with foreign powers and judicial decisions of national importance. At the same time, the army becomes the backbone of state power, which subsequently will lead not only to the strengthening of the power of the supreme ruler, but also to a number of problems and instability of state power. But all this will be later, and in the sixties BC it seemed that all these advances in the Romandemocracies had predominantly pluses.
The heyday of the Roman Empire was also accompanied by the division of power between the Senate and the emperor, who were engaged in different affairs. The Senate won the right to appoint the rulers of individual provinces, leaving the management of the army in the hands of the First Consul.
Dominat. lll-V century AD
The actual heyday of the Roman Empire, as most people know from pop culture, falls in the third to fifth centuries AD. At this time, the institution of the so-called dominance is being formed.
The first dominant in history was Diocletian, who led the empire in 284. It was with the advent of Diocletian that it became clear that the emperor was far from being only the First Senator, but a full-fledged autocratic ruler, in whose hands huge power was concentrated over the vast empire that subjugated most of the Mediterranean.
The Emperor was in power for twenty-one years and during this time he won several internecine wars, pacified Gaul and ensured the integrity of the empire for a while.
Golden Age of Roman Culture
Most researchers of the culture of the empire agree that the greatest flourishing of art of various types reached in the ll century AD. It was at this time that the reign of such famous emperors as Trajan and Marcus Aurelius fell.
At the peak of the power of the Roman Empire, Christianity arises within its borders, which in a short time will become the state religion itselfpowerful empire, and then spread throughout the world, becoming one of the three world religions.
In the first century of the new era, which accounted for the unconditional flourishing of the Roman Empire, such important centers of ancient culture as Athens and Alexandria of Egypt still existed in the country. Although the importance of these centers was steadily declining compared to Rome, which attracted all the main intellectual, financial and cultural resources of the empire. At the turn of the millennium, such thinkers as Strabo, Ptolemy and Pliny the Younger work in the empire. Apuleius creates one of the most important monuments of Roman literature - "Metamorphoses", also known as the "Golden Ass".
Ancient Rome's heyday is unthinkable without architecture to satisfy the ambitions and vainglorious designs of its rulers, each of whom sought to rebuild the Eternal City as they saw fit and make significant changes to cities across the empire. It is worth noting that in the province, the Roman army carried not only destruction, but also culture - baths, circuses, forums and schools.
Five good emperors
During the period known as the time of the Five Good Emperors - the heyday - the area of the Roman Empire reaches its greatest size. By the middle of the second century, the borders of the empire stretched from Great Britain to the Transcaucasus, from the lands of the Germanic tribes to the Persian Gulf.
The period of five good emperors is called the reign of the Antonin dynasty, which includes Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Mark Antony. It was at the timeof these emperors, the capital of the empire was decorated with the greatest known monuments of ancient architecture, and a unified system of government spread throughout the vast country. However, the foundations of the structure of the Roman Republic were undermined by the same rulers, which later led to the split of the country into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires and the subsequent fall of Rome under the pressure of the barbarians.
