- The alliance between Pompey and Caesar, both generals, and Crassus, the richest man in Rome, puts an end to the Republic. But the three men will compete for power and Caesar, in 47 BC. J.-C., starting from Gaulle, manages to enter Rome and take power.
- His assassination put an end to his dictatorship, and Octave became his heir.
27 BC AD - 476 AD AD
Characters
Pumped
Caesar
Crassus
Octave
Tiberius
Caligula
Claude
Nero
Vespasian
Domitian
Hadrian
Marc-Aurèle
Diocletian
Maximian
Constantine I st
Theodosius I st
Odoacer
Procedure
In 27 BC. J.-C., Octave is granted by the Senate the title of emperor, under the name of Augustus. He founded the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Economic prosperity is present. Tiberius, who succeeded him in the year 14, managed to conquer part of the British Isles. After the reigns of Caligula and Claude, the suicide of Nero in 68 put an end to this dynasty. It was then necessary to recreate legitimacy:for nearly two years, the Empire experienced a situation of civil war.
General Vespasian then founded the Flavian dynasty in 69. It was the beginning of the golden age for the Empire (construction of the Colosseum in particular).
After the assassination of Domitian, son of Vespasian, in 96, the Antonine dynasty begins. Trajan manages to make the Empire reach the maximum size in North Africa. Hadrian, an admirer of Greek culture, manages to create a multicultural empire. In particular, it secures the borders (Hadrian's Wall in Brittany). Marc-Aurèle, philosopher emperor, dedicated himself to peace.
At III th century, the Roman Empire entered a crisis:an imbalance between the provinces and the capital took place. Under the Severe dynasty (193-235) power became more and more authoritarian. From 235, the Empire experiences strong instability:rival emperors follow one another.
The Illyrian emperors, from 268, make their decision according to geostrategic realities:the Empire is under external pressure. In 286, two emperors rule the Roman world, Diocletian in the East and Maximian in the West. The latter establishes the Tetrarchy (the power of four) in 293. The two emperors must choose their successor who will reign as Caesar. But in case of conflict, it is the august, Diocletian, who benefits from the final arbitration.
In 306, this mode of government wavered:Constantine took control of Gaul and Hispania.
Consequences
- Constantine I st reorganizes the Empire, seizes Italy and the East. He encourages Christianity and presents himself as sovereign by divine right, after his own conversion. The Empire was divided into two parts:Constantinople became a new capital in 330.
- The reign of Theodosius I st marks the end of an attempt to keep the Empire unified:in 476, the Western Empire disappears, Rome being invaded by the Germanic prince Odoacer.