In 509 BC, it began to overthrow the previous royal government and establish a republic. Rome, one of the city-states in central Italy, has become a major power that controls the entire Mediterranean Sea. It became the foundation of the Roman Empire, which was so overwhelming that it was called "Pax Romana".
This time, such Republic Rome Let's take a look.
Territorial evolution of ancient Rome
From Roman Kingdom to Republic Rome
In the Roman kingdom, wielding dictatorial power, the northern power Etruria It was around 509 BC that the king who had a close relationship with him was banished. Republic Rome Has changed the system by taking advantage of the points of reflection up to that point.
Changes in the political system
Republic At the beginning of the event, the highest-ranking consul ( Consul ) consisted of a capacity of two people and a term of one year. ) And other official positions are aristocrats ( Patrician ) Is monopoly, its consul Senate It was a situation that a nobleman would also be a member of the Diet.
dictator in the figure above Can be a leader to survive an emergency He is in a position and one of the Consuls will be nominated.
That's why when it became a republican Rome,
Aristocratic politics for aristocrats
It was a political system that tended to be.
Comparison with Roman Kingdom
Roman Kingdom that has been handed down to date The political system at that time was that Roman citizens elected one of the influential aristocrats as a king through a private assembly, and the Senate, which owns the aristocrats, assisted and advised the king.
The term of office of the king changed to republican government because it was possible to ignore the will of the Senate and the private assembly for the rest of his life. From the point of view of), it seems that it is more like a deterioration than the royal system before the 6th generation.
Even if it is subtracted, it seems that the era of the 7th king was too bad, but considering such a background, it seems natural that Roman citizens were dissatisfied with the aristocratic priority system.
Changes in relations with neighboring countries
The change from a royal government to a republic will also change relations with neighboring countries.
The history of becoming a republican Rome
- Tyranny by the 7th King
- Royal Rome is north of Rome Etruscan It was like a client state of
The main premise is the fact that there was a lot of dissatisfaction.
Naturally, Etruscan However, the change to republic is not interesting. It will put pressure on Rome. Moreover, Rome had a very bad relationship with neighboring countries, as the 7th King was hanging out with Etruria and waging war with neighboring countries. Frequent wars also occur.
That's why Rome became stronger and stronger militarily. Rather, if it wasn't strong, it would have been possible to do it immediately.
To win the war, Rome accepts people and war losers from the surrounding area. This attitude has not changed since the time of the royal government. Not only securing the number of troops, but also military technology is now firmly available in Rome, Republic Rome It became stronger and stronger.
The leap of republican Rome
Rome, which gained military power as relations with neighboring countries deteriorated, gradually came under the control of her neighboring countries.
At the core of the military nation was not the aristocrats, but the civilians of Rome. It is common in the east and west of ancient times that people in the military-powered class will increase their voice. Republic of Rome was one such country.
The beginning and change of the identity struggle
Originally, in Greek police, as we went through democracy, we got a suffrage with limited property, but in Rome, suffrage with property (although in a different form) was already in the royal era. I am experiencing it.
Probably at the time of Roman Kingdom
There was a growing group of people who had the power to speak out in politics.
Probably because.
Roman citizenship can be bought by those who can invest a large amount of money, even from people other than Rome, and those who have made significant contributions to Rome can also obtain citizenship. Both are layers that can be talked about in politics. If the battle with neighboring countries continued, it is thought that the number of Roman citizens in that class would have increased.
Once the king's runaway gave the aristocrats the sovereignty of politics, but as the war increased, people at that level became more and more powerful and voiced.
Of course, those who have economic and military power cannot be made innocent. Commoners will become more politically voiced. This is the 5th and 3rd centuries BC. Specifically ...
[5th century BC]
- Establishment of a tribune (with veto power against consuls and the Senate)
- Establishment of Plebeian Council:Protecting the rights of commoners
- Rome's oldest statutory law, Twelve Tables Law enacted:The legal knowledge monopolized by the aristocrats spread to the commoners
[4th century BC]
- Enactment of the Sextian-Licinian Sextian Law:One of the Consuls is elected from the commoners
[3rd century BC]
- Enactment of the Hortensius Law:The Plebeian Council's decision is recognized as Roman national law without the Senate's decision.
With these changes, Rome begins to enrich its interior. In 298 BC, it dominated a part of the central and southern part of the Italian peninsula, and about 30 years later, it dominated the entire Italian peninsula.
Rome's setback
The Roman Republic, which steadily increased its national power and dominated the entire Italian peninsula, faced a major problem. It's a food problem.
Due to the geographical features of the Italian peninsula, the northern part is the place where many grains can be harvested. Terra rossa spreads in the south, and many crops such as olives, citrus fruits, and grapes are produced.
You can't live on olives, grapes and citrus fruits alone. Of course, there are places where wheat was grown in the central and northern regions, but the amount was overwhelmingly insufficient. There is an urgent need to secure a wheat supply base.
That's why I noticed Sicily .. It is a triangular island on the toe side of boots.
Only half is visible in the figure above, but you can see that nearly half of Sicily is below the Carthaginian territory. In fact, not only the inhabitants, but Sicily itself was under Carthaginian control in North Africa.
Obviously, the Carthaginian side who was noticed gets angry. This is how the Punic Wars began. was.
* In addition to food issues, it is also said to be a battle for commercial hegemony.
Punic Wars and the outbreak of civil war
The Punic Wars that began in 264 BC Rome wins early in the war and dominates Sicily However, in the middle of the game, the famous Carthaginian Hannibal The war situation in Rome became terrible due to the success of. There was even a time when most of the Italian peninsula was under Carthaginian rule.
* Originally Carthage originated in the Phoenician colonial city, and "Poeni" means "Phoenician" in Latin. Carthage continued to prosper even after the decline of mainland Phoenicia (9th-8th centuries BC).
Anyway, Hannibal has won many battles. He is a person who devised a tactic that is still used as a reference today.
However, even if you win the war, you are not the talent of governance. It seems that he was not accustomed to Carthaginian rule because he was a Roman citizen who was accustomed to tolerant rule. Roman citizens continued to fight in fear of the onslaught of Hannibal. Succeeded in confining Hannibal to the Italian Peninsula and invading Carthage's home country. He has significantly reduced the power of Carthage.
And finally 149 BC-146 BC. It has led to the annihilation of Carthage. Furthermore, in 30 BC, the Ptolemy dynasty with Queen Cleopatra was destroyed, and Rome took possession of the Western Mediterranean Sea.
Roman Legionnaire
Roman citizens were obliged to engage in war as soldiers to defend their country. Roman citizens did not pay taxes directly, but in an emergency they were active as soldiers with their own equipment.
Unlike the soldiers in ancient Japan, there was no need to prepare money or food to go to the battlefield, and Roman citizens were provided with wartime road silver and food by the army.
In addition, they had the right to plunder during the war and were paid daily wages around the 4th century BC. For Roman citizens, war was, in a sense, also a means of ensuring eating.
What are the post-war changes in the Punic Wars ...?
Rome, which has defeated Carthage and increased its territory, hits a big wall again.
With the acquisition of Sicily, which has become a major wheat production base, the value of wheat has plummeted . .. If we get a daily salary and can pillage, more people will not bother to make wheat, and some people will not be able to afford to do farm work in the first place. Farmers on the Italian peninsula are increasingly going to battlefields for protracted wars, and the farmlands are beginning to get rough, buying cheap wheat made in Sicily.
However, when the war is over, the soldiers lose their means of income. That doesn't mean that the rough farmland is sweet enough to return to previous yields.
Also, even if we shift our perspective to the selling side and the making side, wheat from Sicily is cheaper and wheat from the Italian peninsula cannot be sold, and the lives of farmers living in the Italian peninsula have become difficult. ..
In this way many farmers fell.
On the other hand, it also leads to the creation of many wealthy people.
Punic Wars When this happens, many POWs are born, and many POWs caught at this time are sold to the slave market. The wealthy who got the slaves occupy a large land The wealthy people are slavery large farm management ( Latifundia ). Moreover, some farmers have given up their rough farmland, so the wealthy will become more and more powerful.
The destination of the difference between rich and poor is as you can imagine.
Outbreak of civil war and transition to empire
Roman influential people provide entertainment, such as feeding and playing in the arena, to distract the fallen commoners. Although it barely prevented the civil rebellion (the poet Juvenal satirized it as "bread and circuse"), it couldn't stand the contradiction and Rome entered a period of internal rebellion in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.
A dictatorial politician after this turmoil ( Julius Caesar ) Was born, Imperial Rome It was decided to undergo a transformation.