The Roman Empire: Expansion, Governance, and Enduring Legacy

Roman Expansion and Mediterranean Dominance

As Rome expanded through Italy, it granted its citizen-soldiers land, allowed defeated Latin-speakers to become full citizens, and welcomed defeated soldiers into its army. By 272 B.C.E., Rome had conquered the Italian peninsula. Victory in the Second Punic War gave Rome control of the Western Mediterranean. Rome's defeat of the Macedonians and the Greeks in 133 B.C.E. brought it control of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Rome's Longevity, Transformation, and Decline

Rome's empire persisted for so long because of its rulers’ willingness to adopt new structures, such as the Principate and Diocletian's Tetrarchy. Emperor Constantine strengthened the empire but weakened the city of Rome by establishing a new capital at Constantinople. Attacks by barbarian tribes weakened the Western Empire so much that in 476 C.E., the governing tribes did not bother to name a puppet emperor. Even after the empire shifted east to Constantinople, the Mediterranean remained a coherent region bound by Christianity and the Greek and Latin languages.

Evolution of Roman Political Structures

Rome's republican system could not govern a huge empire. During the first century B.C.E., generals leading privatized armies fought civil wars. Peace came in 27 B.C.E., when Augustus created the Principate. Under the Principate, Rome expanded to its widest borders, enjoying the Pax Romana until 180 C.E. In 284 C.E., Rome adopted the Tetrarchy, in which two senior emperors and two junior emperors governed.

The Rise and Spread of Christianity in Rome

According to the Gospels, Jesus taught that everyone should love God and everyone should love his or her neighbor. Paul taught that God had sent Jesus as the Messiah to atone for the sins of all Christians. Although banned during the Principate, Christianity spread throughout the empire, receiving crucial support from Emperor Constantine. By the end of the fourth century, when worship of the Roman gods was banned, Christianity had become the sole official religion of the empire.

Three different governments had ruled Rome for nearly 1000 years. During that time, the Mediterranean world had taken shape, and Christianity had become the region's dominant religion. The next chapter will analyze how the decisions of different rulers led to the spread of Buddhism and Hinduism throughout Asia.