Search results
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican state of ancient Rome. It is generally understood to mean the period and territory ruled by the Romans following Octavian's assumption of sole rule under the Principate in 27 BC. It included territories in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia and was ruled by emperors.
- Semi-elective absolute monarchy (de facto)
- Overview
- Rise and consolidation of imperial Rome
Roman Empire, the ancient empire, centred on the city of Rome, that was established in 27 bce following the demise of the Roman Republic and continuing to the final eclipse of the empire of the West in the 5th century ce. A brief treatment of the Roman Empire follows. For full treatment, see ancient Rome.
A period of unrest and civil wars in the 1st century bce marked the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire. This period encompassed the career of Julius Caesar, who eventually took full power over Rome as its dictator. After his assassination in 44 bce, the triumvirate of Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian, Caesar’s nephew, ruled. It was not long before Octavian went to war against Antony in northern Africa, and after his victory at Actium (31 bce) he was crowned Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. His reign, from 27 bce to 14 ce, was distinguished by stability and peace.
Augustus established a form of government known as a principate, which combined some elements from the republic with the traditional powers of a monarchy. The Senate still functioned, though Augustus, as princeps, or first citizen, remained in control of the government..
With a mind toward maintaining the structure of power entrusted to his rule, Augustus began thinking early about who should follow him. Death played havoc with his attempts to select his successor. He had no son and his nephew Marcellus, his son-in-law Agrippa, and his grandsons Gaius and Lucius each predeceased him. He eventually chose Tiberius, a scion of the ultra-aristocratic Claudia gens, and in 4 ce adopted him as his son.
Britannica Quiz
The Roman Empire
Tiberius (reigned 14–37) became the first successor in the Julio-Claudian dynasty and ruled as an able administrator but cruel tyrant. His great-nephew Caligula (37–41) reigned as an absolutist, his short reign filled with reckless spending, callous murders, and humiliation of the Senate. Claudius (41–54) centralized state finances in the imperial household, thus making rapid strides in organizing the imperial bureaucracy, but was ruthless toward the senators and equites. Nero (54–68) left administration to capable advisers for a few years but then asserted himself as a vicious despot. He brought the dynasty to its end by being the first emperor to suffer damnatio memoriae: his reign was officially stricken from the record by order of the Senate.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 22, 2018 · The Roman Empire, at its height (c. 117), was the most extensive political and social structure in western civilization. Building upon the foundation laid by the Roman Republic, the empire became the largest and most powerful political and military entity in the world up to its time and expanded steadily until its fall, in the west, in 476.
- Joshua J. Mark
- What are the dates of the Roman Empire?The Roman Empire began in 27 BCE and, in the West, ended in 476 CE; in the East, it ended in 1453 CE.
- Who was the first emperor of Rome?Augustus Caesar was the first emperor of Rome, reigning 27 BCE-14 CE.
- Who were the Five Good Emperors of Rome?The Five Good Emperors of Rome were: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius who reigned between 96-180 CE.
- Why did the Roman Empire fall?The Roman Empire in the West declined and fell in 476 CE for many reasons including: political instability, religious/cultural instability, governm...
The history of the Roman Empire covers the history of ancient Rome from the fall of the Roman Republic in 27 BC until the abdication of Romulus Augustulus in AD 476 in the West, and the Fall of Constantinople in the East in AD 1453.
- Origins of Rome. 8 Incredible Roman Technologies. As legend has it, Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, the god of war. Left to drown in a basket on the Tiber by a king of nearby Alba Longa and rescued by a she-wolf, the twins lived to defeat that king and found their own city on the river’s banks in 753 B.C.
- The Early Republic. The power of the monarch passed to two annually elected magistrates called consuls. They also served as commanders in chief of the army.
- Military Expansion. During the early republic, the Roman state grew exponentially in both size and power. Though the Gauls sacked and burned Rome in 390 B.C., the Romans rebounded under the leadership of the military hero Camillus, eventually gaining control of the entire Italian peninsula by 264 B.C.
- Internal Struggles in the Late Republic. Rome’s complex political institutions began to crumble under the weight of the growing empire, ushering in an era of internal turmoil and violence.
Apr 12, 2024 · ancient Rome, the state centred on the city of Rome. This article discusses the period from the founding of the city and the regal period, which began in 753 bc, through the events leading to the founding of the republic in 509 bc, the establishment of the empire in 27 bc, and the final eclipse of the Empire of the West in the 5th century ad.
Learn how the Roman Empire began in 27 BCE with Augustus and his autocratic rule, and how he and his successors transformed Rome with monumental buildings, currency, and imperial institutions. Explore the challenges and achievements of the Roman Empire and its expansion across the Mediterranean.
