rome: from republic to empire · life in the roman empire women were gaining rights and freedoms...

Agenda – 11/30

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Today: Rome: from republic to empire to fall

HW: reading

Rome: From Republic to Empire

ROMAN REPUBLIC: SOCIAL

PATRICIANS:

• Wealthy landowners• Ruling class• Could hold public

office

PLEBEIANS:

• Working class• Shopkeepers,

artisans, merchants• Lower status

BOTH: • Citizen• Right to vote• Paid taxes

ROMAN REPUBLIC: POLITICAL

Government – everyone is elected!

TWO CONSULS(monarchical)

• Had to agree on decisions

• Served one year –and could not be elected again for 10 years

ASSEMBLY(democratic)

• Plebeian representatives called “tribunes”

• Appointed to give the lower class a voice

SENATE(aristocratic)

• Patricians• Pass laws• Gave advice to

consuls• Influential – ended

up controlling much of the republic

In times of crisis, the consuls would nominate a person to become dictator. His power lasted six months.

Problems for the Roman Republic

Rome’s expansion brought wealth, but also created problems:

The addition of new lands and sources of slave labor increase in gap between the rich and the

poor

Generals who controlled the armies became more powerful than the politicians in the Senate

Struggles for power led to a series of civil wars in Rome

Collapse of the Republic

83-31 BCE – 50 years of civil war with individuals competing for power

A group of three people step in to take control and bring order to Rome…

The First Triumvirate

Caesar, Pompey, Crassus

Caesar is out conquering Gaul (France) – his success, and his attitude toward the regular man, leads to popularity amongst the plebeians

Civil War/The Reign of Julius Caesar

Caesar fights Pompey and the Senate in a Civil War Side Note: Pompey flees to Egypt – Caesar follows him and

allies with Cleopatra in her attempt to take control from her brother… and has a kid with Cleopatra while he’s there

Caesar wins and declares himself named “dictator for life” Granted Roman citizenship to many people in the provinces

Expanded the Senate – Why?

Created jobs with new construction projects

Started colonies were the landless to go and own land

Increased pay for soldiers

In 44 BCE, Senators assassinated Julius Caesar

The Second Triumvirate

After Caesar’s assassination, civil war breaks out

Caesar’s 3 main supporters band together to crush the assassins:

Octavian (Caesar’s heir)

Antony (Caesar’s ally)

Lepidus (Caesar’s commander)

The Death of the Republic

After crushing Caesar’s opponents, Octavian and Antony come into conflict with each other Antony allies with Cleopatra and falls in love

Helpful that Caesar’s son with Cleopatra is alive; becomes stepfather – his claim to the throne

Octavian destroys army and navy of Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE)

Romeo and Juliet, y’all

Consequence: Octavian is soleruler of Roman world

End of Republic & Rise of Empire Caesar’s death changed Rome:

People no longer trusted the Senate to rule Rome and the Roman Republic came to an end

Thus begins the empire, under the first Roman emperor: Augustus!

The Age of Augustus (31 BCE – 14 CE)

Octavian Augustus (“the revered one”)

Gives some power back to Senate and becomes first Roman imperator (emperor) Senate still met, but

emperor had all power

Rules for 41 years Marks the beginning of the

Pax Romana

During the Pax Romana, the empire expanded to its height & brought great wealth to Rome

The Pax Romana became the “golden age” of Rome as emperors like Augustus built roads & a merit-based bureaucracy to rule the empire

Roman aqueducts brought water to cities

Life in the Roman Empire

Women were gaining rights and freedoms Could own property and testify in court

Could not vote

Slavery Mostly conquered people

About 10 million slaves

Some became gladiators

Occasionally, slaves would rebel but none were successful

Emperors built arenas & used chariot races, gladiator events, & theater to entertain the poor

The Roman Coliseum

“Bread and Circuses”

Extreme inequality between the rich and poor Government provides free games, races, mock battles,

and gladiator contests

By 250 CE, there were 150 holidays in one year

Why?

Fall of Rome

Overextended military (borders too long)

Inflation

“Bread and circuses”

The Fall – 476 CE

• By 500 CE Western Roman Empire fell to barbarian tribes:

–Visigoths controlled Spain

–Ostrogoths controlled Italy

–Franks controlled Gaul (France)

–Vandals controlled North Africa

–Angles, Saxons, Jutes battled for Britannia

–Celts ruled Ireland & Scotland

“Barbarians” Ruled Western Europe

The Fall of Rome ushers in the “Dark Ages” of Europe

Why do we call them “dark ages”?

The Middle Ages• After the fall of Rome, Western

Europe entered the Middle Agesfrom 500-1300 A.D.

• Reasons for the rise of Middle Ages:–No Roman emperor = no rules–No Roman army = no protection–No common language = cannot communication; not united

–No longer citizens of a common empire = people now loyal to family members or kings

The “Dark Ages” The “Medieval” era

Latin blended with barbarian languages to make Italian,

French, Spanish, etc.

Decline of Civilization• Constant warfare among the barbarian tribes & the Romans made it too dangerous to trade:

–With no trade, towns & cities became useless

–People moved to farming villages to make food & find protection

–Priests became the only people who could read & write

No Roman Government?

Without the Roman Government, how are things different in Western Europe:

–Trade?

–Food?

–Safety?

–Leadership?

–Language?

–Religion?

No more trade

Self-sufficient farmers

Dangerous fighting

No emperors

Different languagesChristianity becomes the “glue”

eventually; some return to polytheism

Without a centralized

government, how does

a society function?

Feudal Structure

Kings had land but very little power

Lords (also called Nobles) were the upper-class landowners; they had

inherited titles (“Duke,” “Earl,” “Sir”)

Knights were specially trained soldiers who protect the lords & peasants

Some peasants were serfs & could not leave the lord’s estate

Feudalism

Feudalism began in Europe as a way

to offer protection:

–Feudalism: a series of agreements

between lords & knights

• Lords offer land in exchange for

loyalty & military protection from

knights

–Lords built castles to protect

peasants from outside invasions

If you don’t own

land or have money,

how do you survive?

Manorial SystemThe manorial system produced

the food for people to eat:

–Lords allowed peasants to live on their land in exchange for a portion of the food they grew

–Peasants agreed to pay “rent” to the nobles in exchange for shelter & protection

MANORIALISM: ECONOMIC

SYSTEM

• Principal form of agricultural organization

– Manors are self-sufficient communities

• Made or traded for everything they needed

I am the King!! I

have so much

land!!

I think I’ll build myself a

castle, but I have no power

so maybe I should give fiefs

to some lords

Thank you king for

this fief. As your

loyal lords we will

oversee this land

We will fight for the king

and provide him with food

from our lands, but this

territory to too large.

Let’s pick the best land to

build our homes on, then

let’s give fiefs to some

vassals!!

Thank you lords for this fief. We

promise loyalty, military service,

& a portion of our food

Let’s pick the best land to

build our homes on!!

Aren’t we going to need

protection, too?

Oh yeah, let’s give

fiefs to some

knights also!

Let’s allow serfs to do all the work &

provide us with food! We will gain their

work & loyalty

Thank you vassals for allowing us to live

on this land. We provide you loyalty,

military service, & a portion of our food

According to the Code of Chivalry, I will

forever protect my lord & vassal, my God,

and my sweetie-pie at home!

Watch this!

This clip is a quick description of

feudalism

King

Lord Lord

Knight Knight Knight

Peasant PeasantPeasantPeasant

Land - Fief

Land - Fief

Protection

Loyalty

Loyalty

Food

FEUDALISM: POLITICAL SYSTEM

• A political and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military service.

Quick discussion

• What political and economiceffects will feudalism have on Western Europe?

INCREASING POWER OF THE

CHURCH

• Middle Ages: “The Age of Faith”

– Every aspect of life was dominated by the Church

– Rulers crowned “by the grace of God”

– Politics “divinely sanctioned”

Power of the Church

MONASTICISM

• Rise of monks

• Monasteries– Centers of learning

– monks could read and write*

– Schools

– Libraries

– Scriptoria

– Inns and shelters

– Orphanages

POWER OF THE POPE

• Kingdoms slowly converted to Christianity

• Pope has ultimate power – Church owns 1/3 of the land in Europe

– Church lands were not taxed

– Pope could deprive kings of their throne

– Pope becomes involved in secular (non-religious) affairs

• Aiding poor, road repair, helping Christian kings expand power

• No real law code outside of what the Church decrees…

Why is having a law code so

important to a civilization?

Hammurabi’s Code, Law of the Twelve Tables, etc.

Let’s talk about localized

legal systems!

a.k.a. Torture!

MEDIEVAL TORTURE!

• Torture implemented for three reasons: 1) To force confessions or secret information2) To discourage dissent3) To persuade Jews, Muslims, and non-believers

to accept Christianity

• Medieval torture was a way to rid the Church of heretical individuals (heresy = belief or opinion contrary to orthodox Christian doctrine)– Why was this allowed?– What does this say about Medieval law?

• Inquisition and Reconquista in Spain

PUBLIC

HUMILIATION • Hunger, thirst,

bad weather and jeers (along with stones and rotten fruit) of passersby made this treatment nastier than it looks. Afterwards, the victim often left town if at all possible.

Ducking Stool• Three dips

was common treatment for “socially difficult” women or habitually drunk men. How long the victim stayed under depended on public opinion.

Toe Wedge• Sharp wooden

skewers coated with boiling sulfur were slowly driven deep into the tender flesh under the toenails. They were lifted from their beds and slowly pulled out from the skin.

MUTILATION

• Besides its painful and horrific aspects, it served as an effective deterrent. A blinded or handless thief was certainly put out of business.– HEY, this sounds

familiar…– Why would mutilation

be an effective form of torture?

FIRE

• Burning at the stake was not reserved for witches, but rather was a common form of execution. Political dissidents were usually burned as well.

STRAPPADO

• Hands bound behind his back, the accused was drawn to the high ceiling and dropped with a jerk to the end of the rope, pulling his shoulders out of sockets. – Remember this – the

Nazis used this as a form of punishment immediately when the Jews got to concentration camps

• And then they were forced to work….

MORE TORTURE

DEVICES

(just imagine….)• Hanging by the

thumbs

• The Cat’s Claw

• Whipping

• Archery practice

• Breaking/beaten to death

• The Smallbox

• Stocks

• Live burial

• Water torture

• Quartering

• Pinchers

• The Iron Spider

• Crocodile shears

• The Saw

• The Testicle Crusher

• Punishment of heretics and Jews were often gruesomely creative –thought to inspire the public into faith

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT

Begins with stateless societies after the fall of Rome. Slowly, tribal rulers start gaining more power until they become kings.

The Franks were the largest & most powerful of the Germanic kingdoms in the early Middle Ages

Frankish kings allied with the Catholic Church & expanded their power

In 771, Charlemagne (“Charles the Great”) became king of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor

in 800

800 CE: Charlemagne crowned

Holy Roman Emperor

• Frankish Kingdom (now called The Holy Roman Empire) unites most of western Europe for firs time since fall of Rome

• Who is angry about this title?

Um… hello? Remember us? Holding down the “Roman Empire” fort for, like, 300

years?

END OF THE FRANKS• Charlemagne’s son,

Louis the Pious

– Died; Treaty of Verdun 843

– His three sons divided the empire into three kingdoms

• Fell apart quickly – due to… can you guess!?

• Invasions!

– Vikings from the north, Muslims in the Med., Magyars to the east

• Vikings: Awesome seafarers. Also had names like “Thorfinn Skullsplitter”

Shut up Byzantines! We were the real Roman Empire

anyway.

Also, you’re doing Christianity wrong.

EUROPE 1000

IMPORTANT POLITICAL

DEVELOPMENT:

THE MAGNA CARTAKings had too much power. And not all kings were good. So the English nobility did something

about it.

WHAT DID IT DO?

• Created a limited government in England by creating Parliament, which limits the King’s power– Consisted of 37 laws intended to

weaken the King’s power by giving nobles more power

– The Magna Carta became the basis for English citizens’ rights

• And, ya know, the Declaration of Independence

FUN TANGENT: TOURNAMENTS

AND MEDIEVAL TIMES

Knights! Tournaments! Lords and Ladies!

CODE OF CHIVALRY (DETAIL)

• To fear God and maintain His Church

• To serve the liege lord in valour and faith

• To protect the weak and defenceless

• To give succour to widows and orphans

• To refrain from the wanton giving of offence

• To live by honour and for glory

• To despise pecuniary reward• To fight for the welfare of all• To obey those placed in

authority

• To guard the honour of fellow knights

• To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit

• To keep faith• At all times to speak the

truth• To persevere to the end in

any enterprise begun• To respect the honour of

women• Never to refuse a challenge

from an equal• Never to turn the back upon

a foe

CODE OF CHIVALRY (SIMPLE)

Code of Chivalry

Serve God

Serve his

Lord

Serve his

Lady

TOURNAMENTS

• A Knight’s Tale

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C_XElbs1_g

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5OjoZ3154I

MIDDLE/UPPER CLASS WOMEN

• Two options:– Marriage and child-rearing– Join a convent

• Only opportunity for most women to learn to read and write and play a more active role in society (religious society)

• Working women– Midwifery (helping to birth babies)– Helping husbands with the business– Spinning (creating textiles)

LOWER CLASS WOMEN

• Equality (a.k.a. shared poverty)

"Burdened with children and landlords' rent; What they can put aside from what they make spinning they spend on housing, Also on milk and meal to make porridge with To sate their children who cry out for food And they themselves also suffer much hunger, And woe in wintertime, and waking up nights To rise on the bedside to rock the cradle, Also to card and comb wool, to patch and to wash, To rub flax and reel yarn and to peel rushes That it is pity to describe or show in rhyme The woe of these women who live in huts;”

(from Piers Plowman, a medieval poem)

TWO (AWESOME) EXCEPTIONS

Eleanor of Aquitaine

• Queen of France– Went on the Second Crusade

to “tend the wounded” dressed in armor and carrying lances

• Queen of England– Mother to three kings (King

Richard I and King John)

– Led sons in rebellion against King (imprisoned for 15 years)

– Cemented marriage alliances across Europe

Joan of Arc

• French peasant who led the army to victories during the Hundred Years’ War after seeing a vision from God

• Burned at the stake for heresy at the age of 19

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpswyzn-LZA

What is going to force Europe

out of its “Dark Ages”?

CRUSADES• Pope Urban II,

1096

• Abbasid Empire encroaching on the Byzantine Empire

– Patriarch to Pope: “Hey! Help!”

• Wanted to reclaim holy places near Jerusalem from the Muslim caliphate

CRUSADES• First Crusade

– Frenchmen organize a military expedition; Jerusalem falls to Crusaders in 1099

• Second Crusade– Muslims took the land back

• Third Crusade– Saladin and Richard the Lion-hearted– Agreement – Muslims controlled Holy Land,

but Christians could freely visit

• Fourth Crusade– European Christians got sidetrack and looted

Constantinople – caused huge split between HRE and Byzantine Empire – we’ll talk about it later

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CRUSADES

• Religious intolerance– Especially toward Jews – why?

• Weakened feudal nobility – Knights gone off to battle – lords losing power

• Stimulated trade and ideas– Facilitated exchange of goods between Muslims,

Europe• Silk, cotton, spices, citrus plants, sugar

– Reacquired Greek classics from madrasas– Muslim science, math, technology, paper skills,

architecture– Italian merchants sought trade in Asian markets

INTERRUPTION TO THE CRUSADES:

THE BLACK PLAGUE

• 1346, Black Plague (aka “Black Death” “Bubonic Plague”) hit Europe

– Originated in China moved via trade routes to Europe

– Mongols practiced biological warfare

– 1347 – 1352 (25 million people die in 5 YEARS)

BLACK PLAGUE

• Presumed causes…

– The water?

• Stop bathing!

– Cats?

• Poor London…

– Sin! God’s punishment?

• Flagellants and torture

– The Jews became the scapegoat

“Golden Circle” obligatory badge

THE CULPRITS

Bulbous

Septicemia Form:almost 100%

mortality rate.

THE SYMPTOMS

THE EFFECTS

• The patient gets painful swellings in the lymph nodes (beginning in groin and armpits) which ooze blood and pus

• These turn black, and eventually the body is covered in black spots

• Die 7-10 days later

• Accompanied by vomiting, fever, nausea, headache, joint ache

DEATH TRIUMPHANT!

EFFECTS OF THE PLAGUE

• Plague killed 2/3 of Europe’s population

• FREEDOM TO PEASANTS! – Fewer people to work = peasants can

demand more rights

– To pay workers more, producers raised prices – inflation

– Collapse of manor system and serfdom –peasants move to take jobs in towns (especially in France and England)

– Peasant revolts become very common

EFFECTS OF THE PLAGUE

• Church people (priests, nuns, monks) were burying the dead, they usually got sick and died- there were few church people left

– People lose faith in the church

• Minorities are persecuted/blamed for the disease

MEDIEVAL PLAGUE DOCTORS

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

BACK TO FIGHTING STYLES…

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

Fortifications: Castles Response: Trebuchets

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

Fortifications: CastlesResponse: Battering Rams

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

Fortifications: Armor and Chain Mail

Response: Morningstars, Maces, War Hammers

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

• Long bows and crossbows

Crossbow banned for being such an effective killing machine (1096-

1139)*requires no effort to

use*

Longbow requires lots of effort and training

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

Stiletto

Hand-to-hand combat

Long SwordPikes and spears

MEDIEVAL WARFARE

• Best historically accurate medieval warfare video (also, highly entertaining)

• Keep note of every warfare tactic or weapon you see!

• Part 1

• Part 2

• Part 3

THE CRUMBLING OF THE MIDDLE

AGES• The Crusades

– Reopened up Europe to the rest of the world

– Towns start forming bc of trade

• The Black Plague– Killed everyone; ended feudalism

– Everyone moves to towns

• THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR– England v. France over who gets

to own France

– Spoiler alert: France.• Joan of Arc! She’s cool.

• CHURCH IS CORRUPT

• CHURCH LOSES A LOT OF POWER

• KINGS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT

HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR

1337-1453

WHAT HAPPENED?

• King of France Charles IV died without a male heir to succeed him

• Both a Frenchman (Philip VI) and an Englishman (Edward III) claimed the French throne – and therefore French lands - as their own

– And they fought for 116 years

WAIT… WHY?

FRENCH LAW

• Power is inherited through the paternal line

• (You have to be related to the dad’s side of the family in order to be King)

ENGLISH LAW

• Power is inherited through the maternal and paternal lines

• (You can be related to mom OR dad’s side of the family in order to be King)

Edward III of England was Charles IV’s nephew (his mom, Isabella, was Charles’ sister). Philip VI of France was Charles’ cousin.

Both claimed the throne – and French land.

OVER TIME, ENGLAND STARTED

TAKING OVER FRENCH LANDS• England claims

they have the right to do so

• France begins to fight back

• The Hundred Years’ War begins with the French attacking Gascony in 1337

BACKGROUND INFO

• France has about 15 million citizens

– Remember – descendants of the Franks – the most powerful kingdom in the Early Middle Ages

• England has about 4 million citizens

KEY BATTLES

• Battle of Crecy, 1346– Edward III landed in Normandy– English destroyed the French army

• Battle of Poitiers, 1356– Edward IV (aka, The Black Prince)

captures King John II of France– France plunges into chaos

• Battle of Agincourt, 1415– Shows the supremacy of English

longbow men• Versus French crossbows

– Huge win for England

England continued to win battles against France for the first 70 years

KEY BATTLES

• Siege of Orleans, 1428-1429– Turning point of the Hundred Years' War

• After over 80 years of warfare the French finally gained the upper hand with the decisive victory

– Joan of Arc attacks the English in unison with a force from Orleans and she drives the English from their positions

• The next day they abandon the siege; military advantage now lies with the French.

• Battle of Castillon, 1453– French use canons to defeat the English

– France officially retains its lands – and push the English back to their island

OUTCOME OF THE WAR

• England and France developed their own unique identities – uniquely English and uniquely French

– This leads to a rise in nationalism and an increase in unification… all over Europe

Europe 1400 CE – beginnings of

powerful kingdoms• Hundred

Years’ War –(1337-1453)

• RESULT:Beginnings of nation-states and start of nationalism