Rome Pt.6

Caesar Reforms: 

-Granted citizenship to people in provinces

-expanded the senate and added his friends

-created jobs for the poor, especially the republic work projects

-increase pay for soldiers 

-started colonies were those without land could own property 

Assassination: 

-Why? The senators saw Caesars rise in power as a huge threat to their political viability.

-How? They lured him into the senate hall stabbed him 23 times, and they were all involved in it.

-Who? Senators and Brutus, who was Caesars ally.

-The senators were not punished

-Octavian was named Julius Caesars sole heir.

-This was THE END OF THE REPUBLIC

Octavians Reign:

-Julius Caesars grand nephew and adopted son: Octavian takes over at the age of 18

-Makes the second triumvirate

-Mark Antony is an experienced general

-Lepidus is a powerful politician

-Octavian forces Lepidus to retire

-Octavian and Mark Antony become rivals

-Mark Antony partners up with Cleopatra of Egypt (politicly, military, personally, and economically)

-Octavian defeated him at the battle of Actium

Octavian now on his own:

-He is now the unchallenged leader of Rome 

-Given the name “Caesar Augustus” means exalted one

-Given title of “imperator” meaning supreme military commander (this is where we get emperor from)

-Roman is now an empire the republic was forever gone

Octavian is not Tarquin:

-Forty years of ruling

-he began a stable era of peace and prosperity called the “Pax Romana” (meaning roman peace)

More of Caesars Augustus accomplishments:

-expanded the Roman Empire further into Africa

-Set up civil services to run the government and empire:

~built a network of roads

~collected taxes

~established a postal service 

~administered the grain supply 

~built good public facilities such as the aqueducts 

~set up police department 

~built a fireman department 

  

Died from natural causes

Age of Emperors:

Tiberus:

-Ruled from AD 14-AD 37

-An excellent general, but didn’t want power

-After the death of his son—> exiled himself from Rome and left his staff in charge

-died at age 77

Caligula:

-Ruled from AD 37 to AD 41 (4 years)

-won a power struggle after Tiberus’ death

-known for his cruelty, extravagance, and perversity and was an insane tyrant

-assassinated by a group of practorian guards, senators, and the imperial court, trying to re-establish the republic 

-ultimately unsuccessful 

Ciaudius:

-ruled from AD 41 to AD 54

-suffered from many infirmities: a limp stammering, shaking, slobbering—> possibly due to cereal palsy

-he took over because he was the last adult male in the family 

-ruled well and built roads, aqueducts, Candis and started the conquest of Britain 

Nero:

-ruled from 54 to 68 AD

-emphasized the arts

-huge fire in 64 and didn’t do anything in the moment

-he wanted to rebuild Rome to be more majestic 

-he hugely overspent, and raided temples for money

-historian do not look on him kindly