Rome, from a small village to Empire

Rome, from a small village to Empire

In the beginning of the 8th century BC Rome was a small town in central Italy on the banks of the river Tiber. In the year 753 BC the kingdom of Rome was founded by Romulus who made himself King and named the city after him. He and the other 6 successor Kings made Rome between 773 BC till 509 BC from a settlement on the river Tiber into a big city with impressive buildings like the royal palace and the “Vestal Virgins”. In the year 509 BC the 7th King of Rome was overthrown during a revolution. This was the end of the kingdom and the start of the republic.

During the first few years of the republic Rome was growing in power and took over many other areas in Italy. In the 4th century BC, a Gallic army defeated Rome. Gauls, marched into the city and burned it down. What was left from Roman army didn’t gave up and succeed to defeat the Gauls in the following years and to gain control over the entire Italian peninsula. In the 3rd Punic War (149-146 BC) the Romans captured and destroyed Carthage.

Carthage was a big city in what is today the country of Tunisia. The inhabitants who survived were sold as slaves and a part of Northern Africa became a Roman province. The Romans were able to defeat the king of Macedonia and turned his kingdom into a roman province. In 29 BCE Gaius Julius Caesar became the leader of Rome and all his provinces. Two year later he made himself the first emperor of Rome with title Augustus, what means “the exalted”. He restored the disorder and corruption in his realm. Roman architecture, art, literature, and religion started to flourish. Between 57 BC and 53 BC the Romans were able to conquer big parts of France and Germany, England, and the Netherlands. The Northern frontier became the river Rhine. They called the province “Gallia Belgica” with Trevorum (today the German city Trier) as provincial capital. Because of the fast expansion the administration of all the provinces, with their different peoples and cultures, became more and more difficult resulting in many years of instability. By 285 Emperor Diocletian concluded that it was no longer possible to govern all the provinces from the central seat in Rome. He divided the Empire in a Western

and Easter half. Trevorum became residence of the Western Roman The nickname of trier was "Roma Secunda"(The “second Rome). The last 8 Roman emperors used Trier as their residence The city was the main centre of Christianity north of the Alps. But it became not quit on the northern  and western frontiers. There was a constant great treat from Germanic “Barbarian” tribes like the Vandals. In most cases they did not kill their enemies and did not burn the down conquered cities but plundered everything they could get. Till today we use the word “vandal “as synonym for destruction. The western Roman empire was losing one by one his provinces. In 410 Britain and the northern part of the empire till the river Rhine in the Netherlands freed themselves followed by Spain and Africa by the year 430.

Around the year 450 Atilla and is brutal Huns invaded the province of Gaul and Italy. Finally in September 467 a Germanic prince named Odovacar defeated the army of emperor Romulus in Italy. The fall of the western Roman empire, also called “the fall of Rome” was complete.

Note: The Romans did not used the terms Western-and Easten roman Empire. They saw it as one Empire governed by two independent courts.