W O R L D H I S T O RY

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

AFTERMATH OF CAESAR’S DEATH

• The Liberators did not anticipate the fallout from Caesar’s assassination• Caesar was very popular among the

plebeians in Rome

• Two people joined forces to avenge is death• Mark Antony

• Caesar’s chief general• Went against Brutus and Cassius to end

the possible rebellion

• Octavian Augustus• Caesar’s great nephew

• Left the throne by Caesar

• The Second Triumvirate began• Mark Antony• Octavian Augustus• Marcus Aemilius Lepidus

• Octavian gave up full rule because he did not want a fate similar to his great uncle

MARK ANTONY VS. OCTAVIAN

• Together, with Lepidus, they made up the Second Triumvirate• Antony and Octavian had a strong rivalry

• The three men split up Roman territory

• Mark Antony began an affair with Cleopatra which angered the Romans• Antony marries Octavia, Octavian’s sister

• Antony carried on a very public relationship with Cleopatra

• Octavian eliminates Lepidus• Antony divorced Octavia to be with

Cleopatra• Octavian declared war on Cleopatra and

Egypt• Antony fought with Cleopatra

• Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide before being captured

• Octavian was restored as the Ruler of Rome and took the title Augustus• Means “Exalted One”

OCTAVIAN AUGUSTUS• Before Octavian, Rome’s government had

been declining• He laid the groundwork for a stable

government• Had moderate but firm policies

• Developed positions in the government• Left the senate in place• Created civil service system to enforce laws• Men of talent were open to high level jobs

regardless of class• Strengthened alliances with Rome’s neighbors

• Reformed Rome’s economy• Created a census to make tax collection more

fair• Created a postal service• Had a universal currency• Put the jobless to work building roads and

temples

• The style of government Octavian established functioned for 200 years• Problem: Who would take over after he died

• Rome disagreed on power passing – too much like a monarchy

• As a result, violence and chaos broke out to determine who would rule

GOOD AND BAD EMPERORS

Good Emperors

• Hadrian• Codified Roman law• Made it the same for all

provinces

• Built a wall along the north of Rome’s territory

• Marcus Aurelius• He was committed to his

country and men• Very intelligent and

dignified• He focused on creating

peace throughout Rome

Bad Emperors

• Caligula• Insane, evil, tyrant• Appointed his horse as

consul• Refused to share power

• Nero• Persecuted Christians• Killed people in vicious

ways• Believed to have set a

gigantic fire to Rome• Legend says he played the

fiddle while he watched Rome burn to the ground

PAX ROMANA• Pax Romana = a 200 year span of peace in

Rome• Began with Octavian Augustus• Ended with Marcus Aurelius

• During this time, Rome was peaceful and prosperous• Its land mass spread from the Euphrates River in

the East to Britain in the West• About the size of the continental U.S.

• What made it prosperous?• Trade flowed freely• The economy was booming• Stable government• Use and exchange of luxury goods• It was safe to travel throughout Rome• Built roads and trade routes

• With travel comes new ideas, goods, culture

• Emperors enacted a policy of Bread and Circuses• Give grain and food to the poor for coming to

entertainment events

• This worked well for some time, but it simply hid many underlying problems within the empire