Rome’s emperors: sometimes brilliant, sometimes mad. All of them powerful. But Rome wasn’t always ruled by these dictators. Once it was a largely democratic society; its leaders were elected and no-one could hold too much power. They called it the Republic and it lasted for five hundred years. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire III: Revolution
Tiberius Gracchus was to make his first mark on history just ten years after his father’s death. Rome was preparing for the final assault on its arch-rival Carthage ... Tiberius returned to Rome and to a hero’s welcome from the soldiers he’d saved. But then he and Mancinus were summoned to appear before the Senate. ibid.
Tribune Tiberius Gracchus now asked the people’s assembly to vote on his radical land reform. ibid.
In A.D. 66 the biggest rebellion ever against the power of Rome broke out in the remote province of Judea. The fear was it could destabilise the whole empire. To stamp this out Rome turned to the outcast general Vespasian and his son Titus. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire IV: Rebellion
Tens of thousands of Jews were killed or tortured in Vespasian’s reign of terror. ibid.
At the beginning of the fourth century A.D. the Roman empire faced one of the biggest crises in its history. It was now so huge that it had been carved up between four emperors: two in the west and two in the east. Like rats in a sack they scrabbled for power. One man would try to united the empire: Constantine. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire V
After years of persecution, for the first time the new religion was tolerated throughout the empire. ibid.
Constantine’s assault on Roman tradition went further. He diverted money intended for pagan temples to new Christian buildings, including St Peter’s in Rome. ibid.
The conflict between Constantine and Licinius was long and drawn out. ibid.
Ancient Rome: from here an empire sent out armies which mastered the known world. A superpower unrivalled in its ingenuity and its savagery. This was a glorious civilisation that shaped our own. For five hundred years Rome ruled supreme. The empire they said would last for ever. But then it was all just ripped apart. Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire VI: The Fall of Rome
Treachery and greed brought down the greatest city of the ancient world, and why it should never have happened at all. ibid.
The massacre of barbarian families was brutal even by Roman standards. ibid.
Everyone believed there would soon be a peace treaty. Even the Goths. ibid.
The Senate turned against their own emperor and chose Attalus in his place all at the behest of a barbarian. ibid.
In Rome’s streets the rule of law started to crumble. ibid.
The greatest empire ever known lasting for over 600 years. At its height it stretches from London to Baghdad projecting its power with the first professional army and creating the model of Western civilisation. And yet when the empire begins to falter it collapses with shocking speed. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire I: The First Barbarian War, History 2008
They have made big conquests that are hard to keep contained. ibid.
By 113 B.C. Rome has become master of the entire Mediterranean basin. ibid.
The highest office is reserved for members of Rome’s most important families. ibid.
The combined barbarian armies are heading straight for an Alpine pass into Roman territory. ibid.
80,000 Romans are massacred in a single afternoon. ibid.
At the centre of the Republic a deadly revolt is brewing: the bloody death of a gladiator slave is the ultimate spectator sport; by the first century B.C. it’s no longer a game and the slaves explode in rebellion against their masters. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire II: Spartacus
He persuaded about 70 of the enslaved men to risk a break for freedom. ibid.
Three men vie for absolute supremacy in the Roman Republic … The name that will echo through history as the archetype of ruthless ambition and tyranny: Julius Caesar. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire III: Julius Caesar
A magnificent assignment: a five-year term as the governor of not one but two provinces in Gaul, and beyond that, a whole continent to conquer. ibid.
Caesar’s only daughter dies in childbirth … Pompey turns down an offer to marry into Caesar’s family again. ibid.
Gaul, 1st Century B.C. Rome takes its first steps to world domination. Spurred on by unprecedented growth, the empire believes the rest of the world will eagerly bask in its civilising light. Emperor Augustus consolidates power after the murder of his great uncle, Julius Caesar. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire IV: The Forest of Death
Varus is being led into a trap deep in the Teutoburg forest. ibid.
Under Varus’s watch the standards and the battle are lost. ibid.
General Tiberius mobilizes his exhausted troops. Tiberius is sent along with eight legions and auxiliary armies to reinforce the Rhine frontier. ibid.
Tiberius will take his place as emperor. ibid.
In the first century A.D. Rome’s forces find themselves in a legendary land which still lies beyond her reach: Britannia. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire V: The Invasion of Britain
By the fourth decade A.D. it stretches from the sands of Arabia to the rocky coast of the North Sea. In every corner it seduces its enemies with trade and luxury all backed by the iron fist of the most disciplined army ever known. ibid.
In 84 A.D. Emperor Domitian battles against barbarians on the frontier and treachery in the Senate until a bloody conspiracy sets Rome on a new course – and Emperor Trajan brutally finishes what Domitian has started. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire VI: Dacian Wars
Domitian is only 45 at the time of his assassination; he has reigned for 15 years. ibid.
The zenith of the Empire: now after three centuries of relentless war Rome stands at the centre of the world, a lone superpower without rival. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire VII: Rebellion and Betrayal
The Romans are slow to recognise the threat of a new barbarian horde bent on the Empire’s utter destruction. ibid.
By 160 A.D. the border stretches across 3 continents and 400,000 soldiers protect the 50 million people lucky enough to live inside. ibid.
The third century A.D. as the Roman Empire struggles against foreign invasions and the growing power of Christianity, one emperor emerges from the chaos – his name is Decius, a leader who calls upon brutal warfare and ancient pagan gods to deliver Rome from the powerful forces tearing it apart. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire VIII: Wrath of the Gods
250 A.D.: A deadly uncontrollable plague sweeps the empire … The disease ravages the empire. ibid.
Threatened by barbarian attacks on all fronts, the people of Rome live in constant fear. As the crisis deepens, insurgents seize control, dividing the empire against itself. Until a new ruler emerges – his name is Aurelian. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire IX: The Soldier’s Emperor
Emperor Claudius is forced to march his army north meeting the Alemanni warriors at Lake Garda: Claudius and his men face a brutal enemy. ibid.
News of rising conflict from the city of Palmyra on the Empire’s eastern frontier. ibid.
The Empire now faces rebellion in Rome itself. ibid.
To the north the Roman territories of Gaul and Britain have fallen under the unlawful rule of a mutinous Roman army. ibid.
In the troubled days of the Roman Empire many rulers vie for power; out of this chaos one man emerges eliminating his rivals and uniting the Empire under a new God – his name is Constantine. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire X: Constantine
Diocletian rules with an iron fist. ibid.
In 303 A.D. Emperor Diocletian issues an edict against all Christians that becomes known as the Great Persecution. ibid.
The West is defended by Emperor Valentinian in Rome while Emperor Valens defends the East in Constantinople. Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire XI: The Barbarian General
They are the Goths and what they want is Roman land. ibid.
‘With Alaric they become the first barbarian people to create a kingdom inside the Empire.’ ibid. Michael Kulikowski, University of Tennessee