what led to the expansion of the roman empire answers.com
Time has seen the rising and fall of a number of not bad empires - the Babylonian, the Assyrian, the Egyptian, and lastly, the Persian. Regardless of the size or skill of their regular army or the capabilities of their leaders, all of these empires fell into ruin. History has demonstrated that 1 of the many reasons for this ultimate pass up was the empire's vast size - they simply grew too large to manage, falling susceptible to external, too as internal, forces. Ane of the greatest of these empires was, of form, the Roman Empire. Over the centuries information technology grew from a pocket-sized Italian city to command land throughout Europe across the Balkans to the Middle East and into North Africa.
Population & Spread
Information technology is, unfortunately, hard to obtain precise figures on the number of people living at any one time in the Roman Empire. Any adding of the population would be garnered from the census, but the Roman demography may or may not take included women and children below a sure historic period. The census was used not just to ascertain the population but besides to levy taxes and feed the populace, simply since the census was based on holding and citizenship, one must question who was included in the final tally. Also, slaves were probably not included, but co-ordinate to ane estimate, there were between 1,500,000 and two,000,000 slaves in Italy in the 1st century BCE.
The empire grew from 4,063,000 in 28 BCE to iv,937,000 in xiv CE.
In the get-go, before the Roman Commonwealth, the urban center of Rome had an estimated population of simply a few m. By the 6th century BCE and the exile of the kings, the city had grown to betwixt xx,000 and 30,000 inhabitants (again this may or may not have included women and children). Every bit the city grew along with the empire, Rome became a magnet for artists, merchants, and people of all walks of life - especially those looking for work. At the beginning of the imperial flow, the urban center had close to 1,000,000 residents. The empire during this same fourth dimension had grown from 4,063,000 inhabitants in 28 BCE to four,937,000 inhabitants in 14 CE – that is according to the census. The latter was a signal of bully pride for the Roman emperor, or so Augustus wrote in his Res Gestae. Augustus is quoted to have said, "I institute Rome congenital of sun-dried bricks; I leave her clothed in marble." This quote might also reflect the empire's growth in people likewise as state.
From a small city on the western edge of Italy, Rome - or the empire - had grown to include territory from the North Sea to about of the region surrounding the Mediterranean Ocean. To the north were Britannia, Germania, and Gaul. To the due west and southward forth North Africa, the empire included Hispania, Mauretania, and Numidia. Eastward and into the Eye East were Arab republic of egypt, Judea, Syria, Parthia and Asia Pocket-size. Closer to Italia and to the east were Macedon, Greece, Moesia, and Dacia. Add together to this the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. Throughout the Roman Empire, at that place were cities of 100,000 to 300,000 inhabitants - Alexandria, Carthage, Antioch, Pergamum, Ephesus, and Lyons. However, like all of those before it, the Roman Empire could non endure and finally fell in 476 CE to an invasion from the n. To understand the extent of this great empire one must render to the beginning in the early sixth century BCE.
Roman Empire in 117 CE
The Justification for Expansion
In 510 BCE, the monarchy that controlled Rome was overthrown, and the male monarch Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was expelled. From that time onward - for the next several centuries - Rome continued to grow and spread its sphere of influence throughout the Mediterranean region. Despite both inside and exterior forces, the sea became what has been termed a Roman lake. This astonishing growth through the early on Republic extended into the age of the empire, culminating in the period of the Pax Romana - its version of peace and stability.
The Roman statesman and author Cicero believed the but reason for war was and so Rome could live in peace.
Notwithstanding, to accomplish this immense expansion Rome became what one historian has called a warrior state. This abiding state of war made Rome not only rich merely also helped mold Roman society. Its conquest of the Balkans and Greece influenced Roman fine art, compages, Roman literature and philosophy, but the growth would non go along, and in the end, the empire became less a strength of conquest and more one of pacification and management. Throughout their wars of expansion, the Romans never considered themselves the aggressor. Co-ordinate to ane historian, in their listen, Roman warfare was only meant to subdue enemies that they believed to be a viable threat to Roman integrity. The Roman statesman and author Cicero believed the just reason for war was so Rome could alive in peace.
The Democracy Expands In Italia
The all-time place to first is at the commencement: the conquest of the peninsula of Italian republic. After the fall of the monarchy and the creation of the Democracy, the city of Rome, for whatever reason, wanted to grow beyond its seven hills, and this growth meant, first of all, conquering all of Italy. This want did not go unnoticed by the surrounding communities, and to preclude whatever possible war, they formed what became known equally the Latin League. Their fears came to fruition when war broke out nigh the city of Tusculum at Lake Regillus. During a well-fought battle, the Roman regular army was supposedly rallied to victory - according the legend - by the appearance on horseback of Castor and Pollux, the twin brothers of Helen of Troy. According to the treaty negotiated by Spurius Cassius Vecellinus in 393 BCE, the victory resulted in the confiscation and plunder of the Latium lands. And, as an additional status, the Latium people had to provide Rome with soldiers for any future conflicts. This latter condition would be an addendum to all hereafter Roman treaties. The Latin alliance with Rome helped defeat many of their closer neighbors, neighbors who had frequently raided Roman lands - the Sabines, Aequi and Volsci. Over time Rome took to the offense over again, defeating and destroying Veii.
Despite an invasion of the Gauls from the north in 390 BCE and the near fall of the city, Rome was able to quickly rebuild - fortifying its walls - and continue its conquest of the peninsula. In the 4th century BCE the Samnites, a group of people to the southeast of Rome, captured Capua, a metropolis located in the Campania, a province only to the south of Rome. Due to a treaty with Rome, the people of Capua appealed to the city for help. So, from 343 to 341 BCE, a serial of curt skirmishes occurred between Rome and the Samnites. As a result, Rome gained control of Campania. However, the conflicts, known as the Samnite Wars, would non end there.
During the second series of conflicts from 327 to 304 BCE, the Samnite forces defeated the Romans at Caudine Forks in 321 BCE; still, they were unable to get Rome to back downwards. Afterwards, the Samnites made alliances with the Gauls, Etruscans and Umbrians, only during the 3rd Samnite War (298 to 290 BCE) Rome crushed the Samnites and their allies. Next, they made alliances with Apulia and Umbria. They crushed the Hernici and Aequi as well as the Marsi, Paeligini, Marrucini, Frentani and Vestini, one-time allies of the Samnites. Rome was now the major power of the peninsula and to secure this power they established colonies throughout Italia. The Romans now turned their optics to the south.
The city of Tarentum, fearing Rome and realizing they were next, appealed to Pyrrhus, king of the western Balkan province of Epirus. Since the city had helped him in the by, the king answered their entreatment and sent his regular army of 21,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry and 20 elephants to southern Italian republic. The king proved victorious over Rome twice - at Heraclea in 280 BCE and Asculum in 279 BCE. However, as during the early wars with the Samnites, the Romans would not acknowledge defeat and soon recovered, and at Beneventium Rome was victorious. By 270 BCE all of Magna Graecia - the areas along the southern kick of Italia - was annexed past the Roman legions. However, this expansion somewhen brought them in conflict with another slap-up city across the ocean, Carthage.
Carthage during the Punic Wars
The Punic Wars - Expanding South
With an increase in acquirement from the conquest of the peninsula, Rome was able to plow its focus farther south and across the Mediterranean Sea to the ancient Phoenician city of Carthage, and from 264 BCE to 146 BCE the 2 powers would fight a series of three wars – the so-called Punic Wars. Punic was the Roman name for Carthage. The wars began innocently enough when Rome was pulled into the matter by the Sicilian city of Messina, a urban center, together with neighboring Syracuse, shortly to become its ally. The Romans disliked the presence of Carthage on the island, and when Rome reacted to Messina's appeal, state of war began. Carthage, also, resented Roman ambitions in Sicily and with the hopes of driving the "invaders" off the island began a series of raids forth the Italian declension.
Since Rome was more of a land power - while Carthage was far more than a naval power - the metropolis quickly realized its limitations and began to build a large fleet of ships to counter the Carthaginian reward. Wisely though, the Romans added a corvus or boarding ramp to each of their ships. The device enabled the Romans to pull alongside their opponent'due south ships, board them, and convert a ocean battle to a land battle. Afterwards trading victories - Rome at Mylae and Carthage at Drepana - attempts to negotiate a treaty failed. Following further Roman victories, in 241 BCE Carthage sued for peace. Non simply did the defeated city have to pay tribute, but Rome as well gained the island of Sicily; this was its first province outside the peninsula. Rome would later seize the islands of Sardinia and Corsica.
Magna Graecia
The 2nd Punic War began as Carthage expanded its presence in Spain – something that would ultimately alarm the Roman Senate. An earlier treaty between Rome and Carthage had stock-still a border between the two cities at the River Ebro, but an invasion of the city of Saguntum by Hannibal, son of the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca, would change this. Before, at the age of 9, Hannibal had promised his father that he would seek revenge against the Romans for the Carthaginian loss in the offset war. Because of their focus on the Illyrians and Philip V, Rome initially failed to come to the assistance of the city. Hannibal used it as a power base for further incursions throughout Spain and his eventual crossing of the Alps and into Roman territory in 218 BCE. This latter move finally pushed the city into activity and a state of war began. Hannibal had accumulated a number of allies every bit he had crossed the mountains and onto the peninsula - especially the Roman-antisocial Gauls.
Hannibal and his army caused panic throughout Italia, merely despite the Carthaginian threat, Rome's allies remained loyal and did non bring together Hannibal. However, although Hannibal accomplished victory later on victory, the general did non, for reasons unknown, assault the metropolis of Rome. At the Battle of Cannae, the Romans would suffer ane of their greatest defeats, but regardless of the loss, the legions would still not submit. Hannibal remained in Italy for over fifteen years. Under the leadership of Fabius Maximus, the Romans avoided further damaging conflicts by using a scorched globe policy —- raiding parties were used and crops were burned. Hannibal and his men grew desperate but heard little in the way of assistance from Carthage.
To best counter Hannibal the Romans decided it would not exist wise to attack him head-on. Instead, the Senate sent Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio and his blood brother Publius to assail Carthaginian possessions in Spain. Fortunately, after both were killed in boxing, Publius'due south son (besides Publius Cornelius Scipio) reorganized the tattered army and introduced a shorter sword, the gladius, and a newer, better spear, the pilum. He gathered his forces together and attacked the enemy at Nova Carthago (New Carthage). Fearing that Rome might assail their city, the Carthaginian leaders recalled Hannibal from Italy in 204 BCE. Regrettably, Carthage suffered a resounding defeat at the Battle of Zama in 202 BCE, although Hannibal was able to escape with his life and subsequently to resume his vendetta against Rome in the Third Macedonian War when he allied with Antiochus III.
Map of Hannibal'southward Road into Italian republic
The wars would finally end between the 2 bang-up cities in the Third Punic War when Rome attacked Carthage for a second fourth dimension in 146 BCE. The cease of the city came when the Roman senator Cato the Elder stood before the Senate and said "Carthago delenda est" or "Carthage must die." In response to this claiming, the city was razed, the land salted, and the people enslaved. The lands that had once belonged to Carthage - Spain and Northern Africa - were at present part of the Roman Republic. Shortly afterwards, Rome would add the provinces of Lusitania (modern-day Portugal) in 133 BCE and Southern Gaul in 121 BCE. Rome was in control of the entire western Mediterranean Sea.
Rome Looks to the Due east
Next, Rome turned its attention eastward towards the Balkans and Greece - a longing that would bring about the four Macedonian or Illyrian Wars. Rome had e'er admired the Hellenistic civilisation - the culture inspired by Alexander the Swell. However, much of the Greek peninsula had been in turmoil since the death of Alexander and the Wars of Succession. And, when Philip V of Macedon (the onetime ally of Hannibal) began to expand his influence in Greece, and so Rome, past invitation, entered into the fray. Rome had, of course, objected to the interference of the king after their loss at Cannae. Although the Roman Senate was reluctant to declare war, they recognized the seriousness of the Macedonian aggression. The Greeks, on the other hand, welcomed the Romans and their subsequent victory over Macedonian forces at the Battle of Cynoscephalae in 197 BCE. Afterwards, Greece fell under an umbrella of protection by Rome. Rome finally withdrew completely in 194 BCE, resorting to affairs instead of brute force.
Later, in 191 BCE Antiochus of Syria marched his army into Greece. His victory was short-lived, and he was defeated by Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Scipio at the Boxing of Magnesia in 189 BCE. This battle would not end the fighting, for the war would later resume, simply this time under the leadership of Philip's son, Perseus. The Tertiary Macedonian War would terminate with his defeat at the Boxing of Pydna in 168 BCE. Finally, the conflicts would at long final end with the defeat of Antiochus IV and peace was finalized in 146 BCE, the same year as the Roman victory at Zama. After burdensome several revolts throughout the peninsula, Rome was now in control of both the Balkans and Greece, and to demonstrate this, the city of Corinth was razed. Less than a decade afterwards, Rome annexed Cilicia in Asia Small and Cyrene in northern Africa.
Pompey the Corking Bosom
Expanding West & Controlling the Mediterranean
From 219 BCE onward Rome had achieved authority over the Mediterranean Sea - controlling parts of North Africa, Spain, Italy, and the Balkans. All of this brought great wealth to the Republic, and what remained soon came under their control. Pompey the Keen would redraw the map in the eastern Mediterranean from the Black Sea to Syrian arab republic and into Judea. Mithradates of Pontus posed a threat to the power of Rome in Asia Small, attacking Roman provinces on the west coast of what is present-mean solar day Turkey - his death would bring both power to his son and peace with Rome. From 66 to 63 BCE Pompey marched from the Caucasus Mountains to the Red Sea. Many of the smaller kingdoms along the manner became Roman client states or allies and all were obligated to supply reinforcements to the Roman army. Amidst these client states were Pontus, Cappadocia, Bithynia, Judea, Palestine, and, by 65 BCE, Armenia. In Africa Mauretania, Algeria, and Morocco also became customer states.
While Pompey was occupied in the east, Julius Caesar fought the Gallic Wars, annexing all of Gaul, reportedly killing a million and enslaving another million to accomplish it. Despite the failed effort to invade Britain, the northern borders of the Republic now extended to the banks of the Rhine and Danube. Afterward his conquests to the north, the futurity "dictator for life" crossed the Rubicon and into Rome. After his assassination, his adopted son and successor, Octavian (afterwards Emperor Augustus) defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium and - as a result Egypt became a Roman province. Augustus would get the new emperor, and the Empire was born, and with it, an era known equally the Pax Romana or Roman peace emerged.
Roman Empire under Augustus
Maintaining The Empire
Despite the emperor's desire to expand the empire's borders farther, its growth would come to an end in ix CE in Germany when the commander Publius Quintilius Varus lost three Roman legions - ten percent of Rome's armed forces - at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. Military victories were no longer about expansion and conquest but more defensive confronting internal and external forces such every bit riots, rebellions, and uprisings. Afterward, there was express expansion: Emperor Caligula (37-41 CE) tried to conquer United kingdom but failed while his uncle and successor Emperor Claudius (41-54 CE) actually achieved it in 44 CE. Emperor Trajan (98-117 CE) annexed Dacia in 101 BCE and Mesopotamia a decade later. This would be the furthest e the empire had e'er been or would ever be. Emperor Hadrian (117-138 CE) understood the need for "borders" and would relinquish the lands conquered by Trajan. Hadrian'southward Wall was congenital in northern England equally a purlieus between Britain and Scotland. To him and future emperors the empire needed borders - the empire at present became ane of pacification and Romanization, not conquest.
Splitting the Empire
The sheer size of the empire somewhen became problematic - information technology was too large to manage and became more than susceptible to barbarian invasions. In 284 CE a new emperor came to power. His name was Diocletian, and he understood the issues facing the empire. It had been under the watch for decades by poor leadership, so in order to restore unity, he divided the empire into a tetrarchy or rule of four. There was an emperor in the w - with Rome as its capital - and another emperor in the due east - with his capital at Nicomedia (later on Constantinople). Afterwards the autumn of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, this eastern half would remain and become, in time, the Byzantine Empire.
This article has been reviewed for accurateness, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication.
Source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/851/the-extent-of-the-roman-empire/
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