Roman Republic Flashcards
The Punic Wars played a crucial role in the rise of the Roman Empire. Discuss the core of each of these three conflicts.
First Punic War (264-241):
Rome and Carthage come into conflict after they are both called to the aid of Campanian pirates in Messina (contra Syracuse). A long battle on sea and land followed and in 241 Sicilia became the first Roman province.
Second Punic War (218-201): Hannibal marches through Spain, southern Gaul and the Alps, achieving major victories over the Romans, temporary climax 216 Cannae.
Ultimately, Hannibal was defeated by P. Cornelius Scipio at the battle of Zama in 202. In 201, Carthage made peace.
Third Punic War (149-146): Rome comes to the aid of ally Numidia in conflict with Carthage. In 146, Carthage was destroyed and the territory became the Roman province of Africa.
What, according to the textbook, were the short-term and long-term consequences of Roman expansion?
Huge (population) growth in the city of Rome (due to loot and grain supply); Land around Rome ends up in the hands of a small group of wealthy people: agricultural villas and luxurious country residences; Free farmers lose leased land and a significant portion of their income; Empty southern Italy, Roman landowners own almost all the land; > Urban and rural proletariat grows, number of free peasants decreases; > More complex social structures emerge.
Dissatisfaction among, on the one hand, poorer peasants and proletarians in Rome and in the countryside, and on the other hand, among Italian peoples who reap less
benefits from prosperity (which also creates a desire for citizenship), the Italian question. Some of Gaius Gracchus’ measures remain in place (knights are now allowed to provide jury members, grain prices are down),
he and 3000 of his followers are murdered, creating the populares and the optimate
How did the optimates differ from the populares? And how were they similar?
Populares: see the usefulness of reforms and, if necessary, want to have them adopted by the popular assembly against the will of the Senate (minority).
Optimates: want to keep everything the same (majority). Both: strive to increase their own position of power in the Roman upper class
Describe the problems that motivated Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus to propose his land laws and to see them adopted by the popular assembly. What were the
consequences of the Gracchi’s political actions?
Aimed to reduce shortage of recruits and at the same time improve the material position of the unpropertied citizens. set up a bill reviving an old law possibly dating from 367 that limited the amount of public land that any one individual could own or use (the maximum was 125 ha). The public land that would become available once this bill had been passed he intended to split up among the landless.
Murderd in public by senates and his law was implemented to stop revolts
Define Consul
When kingship was abolished in Rome, the king’s executive power was transferred to two annually elected magistrates, who, after 367, were called ‘consuls`. These magistrates shared the former king’s imperium, but their power was restricted because they could check one another’s acts by right of veto and because their term of office was limited to one year. After that year, any dissatisfied citizen could file complaints against them if they so desired. Two treasurers assisted the two ruling magistrates.
Define First Triumvirate
The First Triumvirate was an unofficial political alliance in Rome in 60 BC between Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, who privately agreed to assist one another in their political struggles. They secured the election of Caesar to the consulship in 59. With violence and without consulting the senate, Caesar persuaded the public assembly to pass a bill granting land to Pompey’s veterans
Define Imperium
Imperium is the general authority that covered all the fields with which the state concerned itself and was held by Roman magistrates, including consuls and proconsuls. It granted them command over the military, judicial powers, and the ability to issue edicts and commands. It was exercised first by the Kings, but under the Republic, it was held by chief magistrates. Only in the last years of the republic was the imperium granted for specific terms beyond one year.
Define Social War
The Social War from 91-88 BCE was a conflict between Rome and its Italian allies, known as the Socii. The Allies sought Roman citizenship and equal rights. The war ultimately led to Rome granting citizenship to many. This process of registration took some years, but the number of adult male Roman citizens consequently increased from about four hundred thousand in 88 BC to 1.03 million in 83 BC. Italian soldiers served in the Roman legions, and wealthy Italians qualified for admission to the Roman knighthood.The Social War (91-88 BCE) was a conflict between Rome and its Italian allies, known as the Socii. The allies sought Roman citizenship and equal rights. The war ultimately led to Rome granting citizenship to many of the allied states.
Define Romulus
According to Roman legend, Romulus and Remus founded Rome in 754 BC, and Romulus was the first king. They were believed to have been born from a union of the god Mars with Rhea Silvia, the daughter of a Latin king. They were abandoned by a usurper, who deposed Rhea’s father and were kept alive by a she-wolf. Archaeology evidence shows that at that time, there were settlements with farmers who were organised in family groups headed by ‘aristocratic’ leaders – the patres (‘fathers’) of those groups.
Define Plebs
The plebeians, were the common people of ancient Rome who were not part of the aristocratic patrician class. The distinction was probably originally based on the wealth and influence of certain families who organised themselves into patrician clans under the early republic during the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. They made up most of the population and were engaged in trade, farming, and other occupations. The struggle for political and social rights by the plebs was a significant aspect of Roman history.
Civil war between the Marius and Sulla
88-82 BCE: The First Roman Civil War Resulted from their rivalry for political power and command of the military in the midst of Roman political instability and external threats. The conflict escalated when Sulla marched on Rome, leading to a violent struggle in the city. Sulla eventually emerged victorious, becoming dictator twice and implementing political reforms. This conflict marked a pivotal moment in Roman politics, with military commanders playing a more significant role in determining the fate of the Republic and foreshadowing its eventual transformation into the Roman Empire.
Founding city-state of Rome
‘753’ BCE Romulus and his twin brother, Remus, found Rome on the site where they were suckled by a she-wolf as orphaned infants
Law of the Twelve Tables (Lex Duodecim Tabularum)
451-449 BCE: the earliest written legislation of ancient Roman law. Were written by 10 commissioners (decemvirs) at the insistence of the plebeians, who felt their legal rights were hampered by the fact that court judgments were rendered according to unwritten custom preserved only within a small group of learned patricians. Enabled the plebeians both to become acquainted with the law and to protect themselves against patricians’ abuses of power. Not a reform or a liberalizing of old custom. Rather, they recognized the prerogatives of the patrician class and of the patriarchal family, the validity of enslavement for unpaid debt, and the interference of religious custom in civil cases.
Law of the Twelve Tables (Lex Duodecim Tabularum)
451-449 BCE: the earliest written legislation of ancient Roman law. Were written by 10 commissioners (decemvirs) at the insistence of the plebeians, who felt their legal rights were hampered by the fact that court judgments were rendered according to unwritten custom preserved only within a small group of learned patricians. Enabled the plebeians both to become acquainted with the law and to protect themselves against patricians’ abuses of power. Not a reform or a liberalizing of old custom. Rather, they recognized the prerogatives of the patrician class and of the patriarchal family, the validity of enslavement for unpaid debt, and the interference of religious custom in civil cases.
Founding of the Republic
‘509’ BCE: Romans replaced their monarchy with elected magistrates representive democracy. Initially, Rome’s wealthiest families, the patricians, held power and only they could hold political or religious offices. Everyone else was considered plebeian, and no member of this group could hold office. Over a period of nearly 200 years, however, the plebeians fought for and gained power within the government.
