Julius Caesar and the Expansion of the Roman Empire
In 51 BC, Julius Caesar expanded the Roman Empire beyond the Mediterranean. The Senate still held sway, but its power was waning. In 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated and replaced by his adopted son, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian). He also took power alongside Mark Antony. In 31 BC, Rome conquered Egypt, Mark Antony died, and Octavian became the sole ruler of Rome. So let’s delve into the Rise and fall of the Roman Empire and the Roman Emperors.
Augustus: The First Roman Emperor
This famous ruler took the title of ‘Augustus’ and became the first emperor in Roman history. Although many wanted to give Caesar this honor, Caesar was actually a ‘dictator’. Augustus title was given to a person whom the Roman Senate called upon to take power in an emergency. Caesar was never declared emperor by the Senate. Therefore, Octavian can be called the first Roman emperor.
The Roman Empire: Its Rise and Division
The Roman Empire began in 31 BC and ended with the fall of Rome in 476 AD. During this time, Rome’s influence and prestige gradually increased. By 117 AD, this empire reached its peak. Asia Minor, North America, and almost all of Europe came under its control.
In 286 AD, the Roman Empire was divided into two parts – East and West. Each part had its own emperor. The Western Empire was almost completely destroyed by the Goths in 476 AD. Meanwhile, the Eastern Empire, which is more commonly known as the Byzantine Empire, survived for fifteen centuries. In 1453 AD, the Turks captured the capital of this empire – Constantinople (now known as Istanbul).
Read More : Epic Conquest of Constantinople
High Empire (27 BC to 305 AD)
In 31 BC, Gaius Octavian Thurinus, the winner of the Battle of Actium, became the first emperor of Rome. He was both the son and heir of Julius Caesar. Upon ascending the throne, he assumed the name ‘Augustus Caesar’.
From then on, he ruled until 14 BC. Let us hear the story of the development of Rome from his own lips: “I found Rome as a city of clay. And I leave it as a city of marble.” He made great progress in law and order, and also paid attention to the security of Rome’s borders. Leaning on the shoulders of his trusted general Agrippa, he built all the huge buildings, among which is the first Pantheon.
It can be said that he is credited with making Rome the largest and greatest empire in the pages of history and keeping its politics and culture immortal in the minds of people. This emperor, who had a strong personality, was so revered that the citizens of Rome considered him a god.
The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
From 14 BC to 68 AD, his successors – Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero – were responsible for running the empire. Tiberius took over after the death of Augustus. He further advanced the work of the previous emperor. But he had neither the strength of character nor the foresight of the great Augustus. This is also seen in the next three emperors, each presenting himself as weaker than the previous one.
These first five emperors in history are collectively called the Julio-Claudian dynasty (after the names of the two families, Julius and Claudius, from whom they descended). Although Caligula is infamous in history for his madness, his early rule is still viewed with admiration by historians.
His successor, Claudius, expanded Rome’s power to Britain. However, Nero did not play a significant role in expanding the empire’s territory or influence. Caligula was killed by his Praetorian Guard, and Claudius was killed by his wife. The Julio-Claudian dynasty came to an end with Nero’s suicide. Although many later emperors came who, despite not being members of the Julius or Claudius family, bore the family name of this dynasty.
It is not necessary to mention a small thing here. In the evolution of time, the word ‘Caesar’ itself started to mean ‘emperor’. The emperors of Germany, Hungary, or Austria were called ‘Kaiser’ a few days ago, which is a modified form of Caesar. The Russian word ‘Tsar’ is also a corruption of this word.
The Year of the Four Emperors
Then began a period of social unrest, which is called the ‘Year of the Four Emperors’. These four emperors are – Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. After the death of Nero in 68 AD, Galba took power for himself. But it soon became clear that he was incapable of carrying out his duties. When he was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, Otho succeeded him as emperor on the same day. The Roman Empire expected good things from the newly appointed emperor due to his previous history. But the general Vitellius himself, wanting to become emperor, started a civil war. When Otho committed suicide, he was ordered to the throne.
Just as Galba was a failure, so was Vitellius. Soon he forgot his duties and immersed himself in luxury. Fed up, the soldiers declared the general Vespasian emperor and attacked Rome. Vitellius was killed by Vespasian’s supporters. Exactly one year after Galba took power, Vespasian was crowned emperor.
The Flavian Dynasty
Vespasian reigned for ten years (69 to 79), during which time he began work on the famous Flavian Amphitheater. His son, Titus (79 to 81), completed it. It was during Titus’ reign that Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash and lava. However, history praises the power of Emperor Titus.
Titus died of a fever in 81 AD, and his brother, Domitian, became emperor. He ruled until 96 AD. He carried out the construction projects that his brother had undertaken, and also made Rome economically stable. But even then, due to his autocratic methods and arbitrariness in law-making, he lost the support of the Roman Senate.Titus was assassinated in 96 AD.
The Narvan-Antonin Dynasty
After this, his secretary, Narva, became emperor. Under his leadership, the Narvan-Antonin dynasty was established. This family ruled Rome from 96 to 192 AD. During this period, the Roman Empire expanded and prospered under the leadership of five very capable emperors. These five are:
- Narva (96-98 AD)
- Trajan (98-117 AD)
- Hadrian (117-138 AD)
- Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD)
- Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD)
The last two emperors of this dynasty were Lucius Verus and Commodus. Lucius was again co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius. History does not show much evidence of his activity. Aurelius’ son Commodus is known as the most heinous of the emperors of the Roman Empire. He did not think twice about spending the empire’s money to fulfill his own desires. While bathing, in 192 AD, he was strangled by his wrestling partner. This ended the Narvan-Antonin dynasty. A new emperor rose to power – the prefect Partinius.
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
After Alexander’s assassination in 235, the empire fell into a deep decline. This period, known as the ‘Disaster of the Third Century,’ lasted from 235 to 284. Rome’s power gradually began to decline over time. From 235 to 300, their focus was mainly on protecting their borders. The main reason for their headache was to survive in the face of the constant attacks of the Sasanians and barbarians of Persia.
In 284, Diocletian came to power with the help of the army. He initially divided the power into several parts. Since the main cause of anarchy was the lack of a clear policy on who would succeed an emperor, Diocletian declared that the emperor would have to choose a successor at the beginning of his reign.
After Diocletian left power in 305, civil war began. In 312, Constantine became the emperor of the West. Assuming that his victory was directly due to the grace of Jesus Christ, Constantine enacted several laws. A tolerant environment towards all religions was established in the empire. Christianity got special benefits from this. Constantine was the last emperor of the Roman Empire, and it was under his leadership that Christianity became the official religion of the empire.
The Western Roman Empire fell on September 4, 476 AD, but the Eastern Roman Empire, better known as the Byzantine Empire, survived until 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks.
