In 44 B.C., Caesar declared himself dictator for life.
He also granted citizenship to foreigners living within the Roman Republic. At the same time, he sponsored the building of the Forum Iulium and rebuilt two city-states, Carthage and Corinth. He wielded his power to enlarge the senate, created needed government reforms, and decreased Rome’s debt. Returning to Italy, Caesar consolidated his power and made himself dictator. This sparked a civil war between Caesar’s forces and forces of his chief rival for power, Pompey, from which Caesar emerged victorious. When his rivals in Rome demanded he return as a private citizen, he used these riches to support his army and marched them across the Rubicon River, crossing from Gaul into Italy. Throughout his eight-year governorship, he increased his military power and, more importantly, acquired plunder from Gaul. His Roman troops conquered Gallic tribes by exploiting tribal rivalries. Returning to Rome, he formed political alliances that helped him become governor of Gaul, an area that included what is now France and Belgium. Seizing the opportunity, Caesar advanced in the political system and briefly became governor of Spain, a Roman province. During his youth, the Roman Republic was in chaos. In 1946, when the Italian Republic was founded, Rome was declared its capital city.Julius Caesar was a Roman general and politician who named himself dictator of the Roman Empire, a rule that lasted less than one year before he was famously assassinated by political rivals in 44 B.C.Ĭaesar was born on July 12 or 13 in 100 B.C. Benito Mussolini and his Blackshirts came to power in Italy and in 1929 he signed the Lateran Pact, which gave the Vatican the status of an independent state within Rome.
In this period, the population grew rapidly, and by 1921 had more than tripled. In 1871, Italian forces compelled French troops to leave Rome, retaking the city. Modern History (19 th century till the present day) In 1798, Rome was annexed by Napoleon, becoming part of France, until 1814, when its rule returned to the Pope. This was also the time during which some of Rome’s most significant works of art were created by artists such as Michelangelo, Donato Bramante and Raphael. The Commune on the Capitoline Hill and the Sistine Chapel were rebuilt. In Rome too, the city was renovated, and the importance of preserving its historic past was acknowledged. The 16th century is characterised by the Renaissance, throughout Europe, when the arts and culture came to the fore. By the middle of the 14 th century, the Roman state had fallen apart and been divided up into small independent states. The Eastern Roman Empire, ruled from its capital, Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) was not captured until the 15 th century.ĭuring this period, the Papal States were founded and the influence of the city of Rome diminished. This was the start of a period of decline and AD 476 saw the end of the Western Roman Empire. In AD 286, the Roman Empire was divided into two with the eastern and western empires being ruled independently. This period was Rome’s heyday, and by AD 117 the Roman Empire had expanded across three continents, covering Asia Minor and northern Africa and taking in most of Europe. In 44BC he was assassinated and succeeded by his heir Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, who took the title of Augustus, becoming the first Roman Emperor. It was around 60BC when Julius Caesar came to power, conquering the Celts by 51 BC. Rome expanded throughout this period and by 338 BC had taken control over the whole of the Italian peninsula. This was followed in 451 BC by the implementation of the ‘Twelve Tables’ which were rules set in law to cover all matters, whether public, private or political. The seeds of the Roman Empire were sown in 510 BC, when the Romans established a new type of government under the rule of the upper classes – the senators and the equestrians, also known as knights. This era drew to a close as Etruscan power declined. During this time, Rome started its journey to become a military and economic force with the establishment of its constitution. The first period of Rome’s known history encompasses the rule of six kings. There is no doubt that Rome has since fulfilled its destiny to become a great world city, and the centre of one of history’s greatest empires. The history of Rome begins with the famous legend of its founding in 753 BC by the twin boys, Romulus and Remus, raised by a she-wolf.