The Roman Republic
Vocabulary
patricians = the upper class of Roman society
plebeians = the lower class of Roman society
(They also had many slaves)
consuls = the administrative and military leaders of the Roman
Republic
senate = handled the daily problems of government.
tribunes =elected officials who protected the rights of
plebeians.
Twelve Tables = Rome’s written law code It was placed in the
Forum (public square) so that everyone could read it
legionary = a Roman soldier
legion = a division of 5,000 Roman legionaries
republic = A form of government in which the people choose
their rulers.
veto = to say “no” to
publican = a Roman tax collector
latifundia = a large estate
triumvirate = group of three people who rule with equal power
dictator = absolute ruler of a state
In 509 BC, the Romans overthrew the last
Etruscan king (who was a horrible man) and
set up
a Republic.
republic = A form of government in which the
people choose their rulers
The Roman system of Republican Government
was very complicated. Its system of checks
and
balances was meant to prevent the development
• Under the Republic, the
highest position in
government was Consul.
• The consuls were the chief
executives, judges and army
commanders of the Republic.
• At any given time, there
were typically two consuls,
each one of whom was
elected for a one-year
term.
• The consuls had to agree on
any decisions made and
could veto each other.
• The Consuls were elected
from the members of the
Senate (you had to serve in
the Senate to become a
Consul)
The Roman Senate was the center of power in the
early Republic. It controlled the state’s
finances and foreign policy and they were the law
makers.
The Senate was composed of leaders from the
patricians.
Patricians = the noble and wealthy families of
ancient Rome.
Members of the Senate were not elected. They were
chosen by the Consuls. Once chosen, they served
for life. There were 300 seats in the Senate. When
a seat opened, a new Senator was selected by the
current Consuls.
The domed building here is the Curia, the
traditional meeting place of the Roman senate. The
other pictures are the interior of the Curia.
.
*The Assembly was composed of all the plebeian
citizens
of Rome.
plebeian= the lower class of Roman society
* The Assembly did not have a building, they met
in the
Forum and voted on issues.
(the Forum was the “town square”…it was a
meeting
place, a market place, and the heart of the city)
* In the beginning, the Assembly had very
limited power. They could vote for or suggest
laws, or declare war, but the Senate could
block their decisions.
* The Assembly, however, had one power
that was very impressive - it was the
Assembly who voted each year on which two
members of the Senate would serve as
Consuls. This meant that as a noble, if you
wanted to rise to the level of Consul, you
needed to gain the support of the plebeian
class.
* In addition, since it was the Consuls who
filled empty seats in the Senate, if the
Assembly chose their Consuls well, they
could slowly gain power in government by
putting people in charge who were
sympathetic to their needs.
From time to time, the
consuls, with the
advice of
the Senate, could
appoint
a man to serve as
“Dictator.”
Dictators were
supposed to serve for
six
month terms, usually
After a rebellion by the
plebeians, Rome developed
a law code that was to be
applied to everyone.
The “Twelve Tables” was
Rome’s written law code.
It
was placed in the Forum
(public square) so that
everyone could read it.
The Romans did not have a single written constitution, but instead
relied on
a set of carefully observed procedures and customs. The new form
of
government they created was successful due to these factors:
• Romans emphasized respect for tradition and authority
• The Roman Family structure - Patriarch who exercised absolute
control over his family
• Compromises between the Patricians and the Plebeians - Class
status was based on birth, not wealth; Patricians had legal and
political privileges, but later, Plebeians gained more rights
Under the Republic, the state was composed of the Senate and the
People of Rome. That's what SPQR stood for - ‘Senatus Populus Que
Romanus’ – the Senate and the People of Rome.
The new government of the Roman Republic ordered the letters
SPQR
to be chiseled on public buildings, armor, coins, and even park
benches.
The letters SPQR were chiseled on anything that belonged to the
state.
Roman Expansion
* By 275 B.C., Rome was able to dominate most of Italy.
* In order to protect their borders, Rome built up their
military
Their army was organized into legions, which contained
5,000
soldiers called legionaries.
* As Rome began to expand its territory, it came into
contact
with the city Carthage.
* Between 264 B.C. and 133 B.C., the Roman Republic,
through the defeat of the city-state of Carthage in the
three
* Punic is the Latin word for Phoenician. The Punic
Wars were so named because Carthage was a colony
founded by the Phoenicians.
* The Punic Wars were fought in 264 B.C., 218 B.C.,
and 149 B.C.
First Punic War
* Carthage was a great naval
power,
so the first few naval battles
of the
First Punic War were disasters
for
Rome.
* It was not until the invention
of the
corvus, a grappling engine,
which
made it easier for Romans to
board
the Carthaginian vessels, that
Rome
was able to win the war.
* This meant that Rome could use
her superior army in naval
combat,
Second Punic War
*Carthage led by Hannibal
Barca
* Rome led by Scipio Africanus
* Hannibal invaded Italy… by
crossing the Alps and taking
with him
A HERD OF ELEPHANTS!!!
• Hannibal is best
remembered for leading his
herd of elephants over the
alps in a surprise attack
on the Italian peninsula
and the Romans.
• Hannibal and his army
rampaged around Italy for
awhile, but stopping
outside the walls of Rome,
itself. He never attacked
Rome! ? !
• Scipio took his legions
and headed for North
Africa. Hannibal followed
and they met at Zama.
Hannibal and Carthage was
Third Punic War
* The Romans were very harsh to the defeated
Carthaginians…and they finally couldn’t
take it anymore. They geared themselves up
to fight again.
* Rome defeated them for a third time.
* At the end of the Third Punic War, Rome
burned and razed Carthage, and then plowed
salt into the fields so that nothing would
grow there ever again, and they erased
Carthage from all of their maps.
* Rome continued to expand and ruled most of
the Mediterranean world by 146 B.C.
All of these years of fighting brought about social and economic
decline and eventually contribute to the demise of the Roman
Republic.
• As a result of Hannibal’s
invasion of Italy, many
farmers lost everything.
Large estates called
latifundias replaced small
farms, and slaves replaced
poor farm workers, forcing
farmers to move to the
crowded cities.
* scorched earth
* pillaging by Hannibal
• Wealthier citizens had
become enriched by the
spoils of war. This caused
a much greater gap between
the rich and the poor
Rome faced many problems, as
thousands from the countryside poured
into the cities. During the next 100
years, leaders and generals of Rome
such as Tiberius Craccuhus, Gaius
Gracchus, Gaius Marius, and Julius
Caesar, brought about many different
reforms to bring stability to the
Roman Republic.
• A first Triumvirate, or
group of three persons of
equal power, was formed
with Marcus Licinius
Crassus, Gnaeus Pompeius
Magnus, and Gaius Julius
Caesar
• After coming to power
through the first
Triumvirate, Julius Caesar
later assumed the positions
of both dictator and consul
of Rome in 46 B.C.
Although he continued to
keep up the appearance of a
Roman Republic, he in fact,
wielded absolute power.
* Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44
B.C.
by Senators who feared his growing power.
* A second triumvirate was formed with Mark Antony,
Gaius Octavius Caesar, and Marcus Lepidus.
* By 32 B.C., their alliance broke down and a civil
war erupted.
* When the fighting ended, Octavian had won. He
became the first Roman Emperor.