In 44 BC, Octavian and Antony became the heirs of Julius Caesar of Rome, and later Antony fell in love with Cleopatra, octavian took the opportunity to defeat Antony and become the first head of Rome, and the powerful Roman Empire was established.
Open the map of Europe and we will find that in the "boot region" of the Mediterranean, which is now Italy, there is a city called Rome. Today's Rome is just a city, but more than a thousand years ago, Rome was a big empire.
The Roman Empire was the only country in European history to unify Europe. At its peak, the territory it ruled spanned three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, totaling 5 million square kilometers, and ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, Spain and so on were its territory.
Let's take a look at the glorious history of the most powerful empire in European history.
1. The Roman Republic
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea surrounded by land, the sea is calm, there is no barrier, there are few pirates and the like, so thousands of years ago, trade in the Mediterranean was very prosperous.
In order to compete for territory, people here are always fighting back and forth, such as the Persian Empire in the east and ancient Greece in the west. With the demise of these once-flourishing states, a new protagonist has entered the stage of history, which is ancient Rome.
Europe's history and mythology are always mixed, and Rome is no exception. Legend has it that the ancestor of the Romans was the son of the god of love, who fled from Greece to central Italy before settling down and becoming the master of the place. Then he moved the Greek gods over, such as Zeus as Jupiter and Eros as Venus, thus establishing the early Roman culture.
As the roman population grew, it gradually developed into a state composed of many city-states, and due to the lack of security, the Romans continued to wage wars against the outside world. After hundreds of years of war, it became the hegemon of the "Boots Region", then it took aim at Greece on the other side of the Mediterranean, and after decades of fighting, it finally became the hegemon of the Mediterranean region.
Rome first had a king, and later a king named Tarquin was too despotic and brutal, which caused public anger, was driven away, and then established the Roman Republic. Through elections, people elect the highest leader, the archon. Caesar was a consul, but his position became dictator of the Roman Republic.
Julius Caesar
In 49 BC, Caesar conquered Gaul (present-day France), Germany, and Britain, after which he captured the city of Rome, and from then on he concentrated all his power and imposed a dictatorship. In 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated, and his nephew Octavian and his subordinate Antony became the new consuls of Rome.
2. The establishment of the Roman Empire
Octavian was Caesar's nephew and heir to Caesar's will. After Caesar's assassination, Octavian rushed back to Rome from the Greek battlefields, and together with Caesar's subordinate Antony, purged the troublemakers who opposed Caesar at the time, and then the two divided the two of them. Antony was in charge of the eastern region, including Greece and Egypt; Octavian was in charge of the western region, including Rome, Italy, and Gaul (present-day France).
Antony did not choose his base in Greece, but in Egypt, the most important reason for which he became infatuated with Caesar's former lover, Cleopatra. Antony openly announced the succession of power in Rome to his and Cleopatra's sons. Octavian took the opportunity to declare to the Roman people that Antony had committed treason and waged war against Antony.
In 30 BC, Octavian's army invaded Egypt, and after a long war, Antony and the queen committed suicide, and their illegitimate son Caesarion was executed. At this point, Rome annexed Egypt.
In order to gain the support of the Roman people, Octavian declared his intention to restore the republic and that he was the "first citizen" of the republic. In fact, in his heart, he wanted to imitate his uncle Julius Caesar and become a dictator.
Octavian, the head of the Roman Empire
In 27 BC, Octavian "reluctantly" accepted requests from the Senate and citizens, became chief fuehrer, and received the title of "Augustus", becoming the de facto emperor of Rome. Octavian's spectacular performance heralded the establishment of the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire, with its vast territory and developed economy, was the most powerful empire in Europe.
The Roman rulers unified not only the territory, but also the culture. The Roman nation itself had its own faith, but most of the people of the other peoples under its rule were Christian. The Roman rulers wisely and quickly changed their tactics in favor of Christianity as the dominant religion.
Roman rulers made a great contribution to economic development. There is a saying called: "All roads lead to Rome", which is not false at all. They built many roads, which were convenient for war and commerce, and even these roads led to China.
3. The decline of the Roman Empire
The mighty Roman Empire lasted 400 years. It was not until 395 A.D. that a king divided the Roman Empire into east and west halves and gave it to his two sons.
In 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire was wiped out by the Germans, and since then "the era of the mighty Roman Empire has ended." "Although the Eastern Roman Empire has been surviving for more than 1,000 years, its former prosperity is gone, and it was eventually wiped out by the Earl.
The demise of the Roman Empire was largely due to national disunity. In particular, Greek and Roman cultures diverged. After all, ancient Greece was once so powerful that it could not be completely replaced by the later Roman culture. Unlike the Han Chinese, which has always been the oldest ethnic group in most ethnic groups and cultures, Roman culture is destined to eventually die out.
The rise of the Germanic peoples was also an important reason for the demise of the Roman Empire. The Germanic people's belligerence and ambition to unify Europe were more than those of the Romans, and their representative was Hitler. After the Germanic peoples destroyed the Roman Empire, the dark medieval era of Europe began.
End
In the long river of history, a country has prospered and prospered, but also decayed and perished. It took More than 1,000 years for Rome to rise to dominate Europe, Asia, and Africa, but it rapidly disintegrated and decayed in less than 200 years.
Each and every one of us is a drop in the ocean in history. Whether we succeed or fail, it will become history, and the most important thing is to feel the happiness of the moment with our hearts.