History of the Roman Empire

    The Roman Empire was the name given to the post-Republican period of the Ancient Roman Civilization. It is generally regarded as having begun during the rule of the first Emperor, Augustus. The date usually referred to by Historians as the beginning of this period is 27 BC, as this is when the Senate of the previous Roman republic officially named Augustus as 'Emperor'.

The 500-year-old Roman Republic, which preceded the well known Roman Empire, had been weakened throughout the course of several civil wars. Several events are commonly accepted and suggested that mark the transition from Republic, to Empire. These were:

1. Julius Caesar's appointment as dictator for life (44 BC).
   
2. The Battle of Actium (2 September 31 BC).
3. And the Roman Senate's granting to Octavian the title of 'Augustus' (4 January 27 BC).

From this point onwards, Roman expansion was rapid, and was an almost unstoppable force, with enemy nations quaking and the sight of one of Rome's mighty Legions. Here are the dates and details of the key Roman conquests:

Imperial expansion :

• When the Roman Republic came to its eventual end, the territorial frontiers and borders of the Roman Empire were very poorly defined. Augustus, Rome's first emperor, set out to put this right, and led campaigns that extended Roman influence to the natural boundaries defined by desert, ocean, sea and river. His armies conquered all of North Africa, and territories reaching east to the Red and Black Sea's. He also expanded as far west as the Atlantic and as far north to the greatest rivers of central Europe. These were then seen as the Rhine and the Danube. These rivers provided the northern frontier to the Empire and its new provinces named Raetia, Noricum and Pannonia, which today are known as Switzerland and Austria. Eastwards, the Danube was the northern limit to the new provinces of Pannonia and Moesia that today are known as Slovenia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The Rhine and the Danube, the northern frontier of the Roman World and inhabited by the Germanic tribes, would prove to be the fatal weak link in Rome's defenceslater in its history.

• Augustus' advice was heeded for several years, but the next century saw the incorporation of several new client kingdoms into the Empire, and the successful conquest and annexation of Britain in A.D 43.

• It was to be underEmperor Trajan, that the Roman Empire reached its zenith. Client kingdoms were established on the eastern frontier and new provinces created. As well, Dacia was finally conquered, after heavy resistance leading to one of Rome's bloodies campaigns. Later, Emperor Hadrian strongly opposed territorial expansion and instead felt the need to secure the borders of the already stretched empire. He kept the army at full strength, and famously built Hadrian's wall. He also built major fortifications between the Rhine and Danube Rivers. His next two successors faced rebellions along many of the biggest frontiers and terrible assaults against their borderlands. The Danube frontier was the first to collapse and Germanic invaders, crossed the northern provinces and begun to raid Northern Italy.

    For a complete list of the Roman Emperors, a good site to visit is : http://www.unrv.com/government/emperor.php. It has a list of every Emperor, with some key facts and some interesting infomation about them all; including dates. All in all it is a comprehensive list, and should serve to satisfy any researching needs.

The major turning point in the Roman Empire is widely Regarded to be the sacking of Rome on August 24, 410 AD. The city was attacked by the Visigoths, led by Alaric I. This was the first time in almost 800 years that Rome had fallen to an enemy, and it marked the downfall of the entire Empire.

Barbarian tribes had been growing stronger for many years by this point, and were uniting in fear of the Romans, as they did not wish to be absorbed into their ever growing Empire. In the late 4th century, however, the Huns began to overrun barbarian territories, uprooting most of the Barbarian populace. In 376 AD, they forced many Tribes, led by Fritigern, to seek exile and a place to live in the Eastern Roman Empire. Soon after, high taxes, Roman prejudice, and government corruption turned them against the Empire, as had been the case with other tribes over the course of the Empire's history.These tribes eventually became known as the Visigoths.

Alaric took control of these tribes after the death of Fritigern, and gathering an army around him, invaded Italy. His attentions soon turned to Rome, and having but a standing garrison to protect the massive city, on the third siege, the city was breached and sacked. From this point onwards, the Roman Empire systematically collapsed and all the lands they had once owned, and the dynasty they had created went with it. However, many of the architectual wonders, writings, philosophies and plays etc made by the Romans live on to this day, and Rome is still a major tourist attraction. The 'eternal' city, lives on..

For more Roman information see: http://hubpages.com/hub/Romanization

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Gladius