Roman Monarchy (753 to 509 BC)

Etruscans.
They occupied the area situated between the Tiber and Arno rivers.

They were organized into city-states governed by

a king.
They were good farmers (wheat, vine, and olive) and skilled.
metal craftsmen.
They acted as intermediaries between the southern Greeks and
the towns of Central Europe.
From the 6th century BC they began to lose influence.
politics and commercial.

Part of their traditions were collected and assimilated.

through Rome.

Latinos.
Originally settled in the region of Lazio in the center of the peninsula, where
I found the city of Rome.
The founding of the city is attributed to this people around seven hills on the riverbank.
of the Tiber.

Over time, it became a place of important commercial exchanges which

provoked the occupation by the Etruscans.

Greeks.
They created colonies in the south of the Italian peninsula and on the coasts of the island of
Sicily.
That territory was known as Magna Graecia.
The origin of Rome was from a small city-state that later became
expanding.
In 200 years, they managed to become the most important city on the peninsula:
they imposed their government, their language (Latin), their religious beliefs, and their
customs. This had an impact in various ways on politics, society, and the
Roman economy.
Explanation: Legend of Romulus and Remus

Historical: Rome originated from the unification of the villages formed by Latins and
Sabines for economic and military reasons. The urban formation of Rome was
influenced by the Greeks and Etruscans. Thanks to various agricultural improvements, the
Roman population could grow rapidly.
Romulus was the first of seven kings who ruled in Rome until 509 BC.
A revolution overthrew the last of them and established the republic.
Roman kings:
Since its founding by Romulus, according to legend, in 753 B.C., the city was
governed by a hereditary monarchy until the expulsion of the last Etruscan king,
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, in the year 509 B.C.
There were seven kings of Rome, from Romulus to Tarquin the Proud. These
they were chosen by the Roman nobility and concentrated all powers: they commanded to
army, administered justice, and were the highest religious authority. In the 8th century BC the
The region was occupied by the Etruscans from the north. They dominated a large
part of the Italian peninsula, imposed their kings, and transmitted their alphabet, their
gods and their artistic and technical knowledge.
The king ruled with the help of a Senate made up of the great families.
aristocráticas. Bajo la influencia etrusca Roma se engrandeció como demuestra la
construction of aqueducts, temples, sewage system (Cloaca Máxima) and even
a wall around the seven hills ordered to be built by Servius Tullius.
Economy of the Roman monarchy: During this stage, the main source
The economy was based on agriculture and livestock. Although artisans and merchants
settled in the city intensified commercial activity in the region. In addition, they
reorganized the Roman territory with the division into districts. Interests were expanded.
commercial towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, as evidenced by the Treaty signed in the year 508
B.C. with the naval power of Carthage.

Roman Republic (509-27 B.C.)

Territories of the Roman Republic
Conquest of Latium The Romans faced with
the sabinos and became undisputed owners of the
Lazio and its surroundings.

Conquest of Central ItalyThe Romans

they organized militarily and defeated a powerful
alliance of Etruscans, Gauls, Greeks, and Samnites.
They consolidated their dominance from the Alps to the south
from Italy
Conquest of Southern Italy They conquered the colonies
Greeks from southern Italy, in the 3rd century BC. Italy is
became Roman territory. Its boundaries were the River
Rubicon to the north, and the Strait of Messina to the south.

Beginnings of the RR

When the power of Etruria weakened, the Romans expelled the last Etruscan king.
Tarquin the Proud. From that moment a new form of government began,
the Republic. With this, the senate was introduced as a legislative institution. The period
of the Republic (the concern of all) was a confrontation between patricians and plebeians. The
The constitution of the Roman Republic was based on the balance of three organs that
they mutually controlled each other: Magistrates, Comitia, and Senate.
Political organization
This new political form was characterized by:
Citizens elected their rulers whose positions ceased to be hereditary.
The power of the State was distributed among:

The popular assemblies (Comicios) were made up of all the citizens who
they elected the magistrates and voted on the laws.

The magistrates who held political positions in different areas

(administration, justice, censuses, army, etc.) were elected annually.
The Senate, which was an assembly formed by former magistrates (senators). Its
the function was consultative but in practice they directed the Republic. They took care of the
foreign policy, military, religious, legislative and judicial matters.
During the Republic, Rome became a great power, which led it to
facing its neighbor Carthage for control of the Mediterranean (Punic Wars).
During this period, both signed the first peace treaties to establish their
zones of influence. The Roman Republic conquered large territories thanks to the
growth of its wealth and a large and effective army.
Crisis of the RR:
The main causes were:
Social unrest.
The conquests brought enormous wealth to Rome but also great
social inequalities (patricians and plebeians).
Some people became influential wealthy families while a large
number of peasants abandoned their lands ruined due to their inability to compete with
the latifundiums worked by slaves and they would enter to serve in the army or they
they were marching to the capital.

Social conflicts in which a better distribution of land and equality were demanded
of rights. Good examples were the uprising led by the Gracchi brothers
(2nd century B.C.) or the one led by the slave Spartacus (73 B.C.)
Civil wars.
To try to solve the crisis, the Senate and the Roman magistrates delivered the
power to military chiefs who confronted each other in respective civil wars that
they politically destabilized the Republic.
One of these military leaders, Julius Caesar, was proclaimed dictator in the year 48 BC.
he assumed all powers. But his opponents assassinated him in the year 44.
and it was his adopted son, Octavian, who defeated Caesar's rivals in a war.
civil becoming emperor of Rome (27 B.C.) and the most powerful man of
West.
Economy and society
Triumvirates
During this time, the system of Triumvirates was established in the Republic.
The magistracy of ancient Rome composed of three people known as
triumvirs and, by extension, any exercise of power shared by three
rulers.
The term triumvirate was first used to refer to the political alliance
made in 60 BC by Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, and Marcus Licinius Crassus to
promote his political enhancement program against the Senate opposition.
The term also applied to the division of the government of Rome between Octavian (more
the Emperor Augustus), Mark Antony and Marcus Emilius Lepidus in 43 BC, after
the assassination of Caesar, and it was known as the second triumvirate
Roman Empire (27 BC to 476 AD)

Political Organization
The emperors concentrated all powers: political, military, legislative and
religious. And although neither the Senate nor other institutions disappeared
republicans, such as the magistracies and the elections, these were controlled by the
emperor, who held the position for life and appointed his successor,
forming dynasties. The conquered territories had been organized into
provinces since the Republic, but its administration is perfected during the
Empire. The provinces were divided between those administered by the Senate (the most
pacified) and the imperial ones. The governors, appointed by the emperor,
they collected taxes, maintained public order, and ensured defense.
Economy and society

Beginnings
The Empire begins in the year 27 B.C. when the Roman Senate recognizes the power.
from Octavio (victor in the civil war against Marc Antony), naming him Augustus
(chosen by the gods) and prince (the first citizen); and it is usually considered concluded.
In the year 476 A.D., when Odoacer (barbarian general in the service of Rome) deposes the
last emperor of the West Romulus Augustulus. Octavian Augustus became the
first Roman emperor and inaugurated a new form of government. He concentrated in his
He held all civil and military powers. He summoned the Senate, gathered the
elections, appointed the magistrates and enacted all the laws that were applied. It was
appointed lifetime consul and head of the army with the title of emperor. Furthermore, it
he became the highest religious authority by appointing him as the great pontiff. Even to his
death was deified. This made the figure of the emperor in the future
became the center of an imperial cult synonymous with loyalty to Rome. From its
We can highlight the period of government.

Characteristics
This new regime lasted five centuries under the rule of the Julio dynasty.
Claudius, the Flavians, and the Antonines. By the 1st century (167 AD), the Empire reached
its maximum expansion. The Roman peace, which was a period of peace that lasted
until the 2nd century AD and was characterized by great social, political, and
economy guaranteed by a powerful army and effective administration. The
territorial conquests. Under his rule, the Empire reached its greatest extent. The
The borders of the empire in Europe extended from the east of the Rhine to Britain, peninsula.
Iberia and the Black Sea. And from the Tigris River in Asia to the Sahara Desert in
Africa.
High I: Roman Peace
During the 1st and 2nd centuries, the empire enjoyed a period of relative tranquility, which was granted to it.
he gave the name 'pax romana'.
There was an important development in the economy, culture, and civic life.
Romanization process: The conquered peoples began to adopt the language
(Latin) and the ways of life characteristic of the Romans, the cities became filled with
great constructions and public works and the right of citizenship was extended
Roman (in 212 Emperor Caracalla granted it to all free men of
empire). The old cities grew and new ones were created.
In the eastern part of the Empire, the ancient Hellenistic kingdoms could not influence
much, Latin didn’t even impose itself over Greek. In the West, Rome created the
first network of cities, the colonies. The indigenous cities adapted and their
inhabitants adopted the new civilization.
The empire had brought with it a relative civil peace, accompanied by a considerable
relaxation of the conquest policy. The change in policy regarding the
provinces had made the exploitation of them acquire a character
organized [...]. Many emperors, especially the Antonines, had
fostering municipal activity and were concerned about the development of life
cultural of the provinces. Piracy was eradicated [...]. A had developed a
magnificent road network and a unique imperial coin had been introduced.

In the Empire of the first two centuries, one can also note the development of the
technique [...], the evolution of craftsmanship, the boost that economic life received in
many provinces [...]. The fortune of the upper classes in the provinces had
increased, the provincial cities had achieved their autonomy and lived a
intense economic and cultural life. Some ancient cities, which at the end of the
The Republic had begun to decline, but it was reborn. At the outskirts of the Rhine and the
Danube, in northern Africa and in Dacia, a large number of new emerged.
urban centers.
S.I. KOVALIOV, History of Rome, Madrid, Akal, 1979.
Crisis and Low I°
The corruption of officials and the military.
The weakening of the emperor's power.
The strengthening of the army's role in the provinces.
The frequent civil wars promoted by generals aspiring to power, thus
like the economic difficulties to pay the soldiers.
The continuous pressure from the Germanic peoples in the north and from the Persians in the east.
Decrease in the number of slaves
for the end of the conquests worsened the
maintenance of the large
rural properties.
The communications between Rome and the
different corners of the Empire were
difficult due to the distance.
The prices of the products went up
due to excessive consumption, the
scant production and the lack of
new conquests.
All of this influenced trade that
was affected by insecurity, and
The taxes were not enough to cover the state's military expenses. Life
it became more difficult and the population began to move to the countryside where survival
it seemed easier. This process is known as ruralization.

In 284, Diocletian establishes the so-called tetrarchy, trying to contain the

disintegration of the Empire. The tetrarchy divided the empire among four rulers.
In addition, the cities were fortified, the army was strengthened (military, fiscal reform and
monetary), there was an administrative reorganization in dioceses (12) and provinces (some
100) and the capital was moved to Nicomedia. The tetrarchy did not survive Diocletian.
When he left power, the struggle for it resulted in a civil war that
gave victory to Constantine. In 323 he became the sole ruler. Before, in 313
(Edict of Milan) had recognized Christianity and had given it a position of
dominant religion. Continued the reforms of Diocletian and moved the capital to
Byzantium (Constantinople) on the shores of the Bosphorus. Theodosius the Great, of Hispanic origin,
he consecrated the division of the Empire into two: the West, with its capital in Rome, and the East.
East with its capital in Constantinople. Additionally, this emperor converted it into a religion.
official Christianity (Edict of
Thessalonica, year 380). The pressure
of the barbarian peoples was
increasingly more about the
borders. The push of the
Huns forced the Visigoths and
other towns to take refuge in the
empire. In 406 several peoples
they enter through the Rhine border.
The barbarians made their presence felt
presence everywhere
provinces, they settled,
they had an agreement with the Church, with the

army and with the own

provincials. Rome had
disappeared as the center of
power. In 476 Odoacer, chieftain
German, deposes the last emperor of the West, Romulus Augustulus. The empire of
The East resisted invasions and lasted until 1453 (Byzantium).