The Roman Republic was the system of government in Rome from the traditional overthrow of its last king in 509 BCE until Augustus's consolidation of power in 27 BCE, during which Rome expanded from a single city in central Italy to the dominant power of the Mediterranean world. It was governed by annually elected magistrates, chiefly two consuls, advised by the Senate, an assembly of the city's aristocracy, with additional popular assemblies giving ordinary citizens a limited voice, a balance of power the Romans themselves regarded as a safeguard against the return of monarchy. Over centuries of warfare, the Republic defeated Carthage in the Punic Wars, conquered Greece and much of the eastern Mediterranean, and extended its power across Gaul and Hispania, but the wealth and armies this expansion generated destabilized its own political system, producing the civil wars of the first century BCE that ended the Republic and gave rise to the Roman Empire under Augustus.
Facts
Government TypeRepublic, governed by elected magistrates and the Senate 1 Start Year509 BCE is the traditional date for the overthrow of Rome's last king, Tarquin the Proud, though the earliest history of the Republic rests partly on later Roman tradition rather than contemporary record. Government type (class) Disputed
End YearThe exact end of the Republic is debated. Some historians prefer 44 BCE, the assassination of Julius Caesar, or 31 BCE, Octavian's victory at Actium, over 27 BCE, when Octavian took the title Augustus and the Senate formally restored constitutional government under his controlling influence. Classification
Status (Extant or Former) The Roman Republic
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FAQs
How was the Roman Republic governed?
Two annually elected consuls and other magistrates, advised by the Senate, with popular assemblies giving citizens a limited voice.
It was governed by annually elected magistrates, chiefly two consuls, advised by the Senate, an assembly of the city's aristocracy, with additional popular assemblies giving ordinary citizens a limited voice. The Romans themselves regarded this balance of power as a safeguard against the return of monarchy.
Why did the Roman Republic end?
Expansion produced wealth and armies that destabilized its politics, and the civil wars of the first century BCE led to the Empire under Augustus.
Over centuries of warfare the Republic defeated Carthage in the Punic Wars, conquered Greece and much of the eastern Mediterranean, and extended its power across Gaul and Hispania. The wealth and armies this expansion generated destabilized its own political system, producing the civil wars of the first century BCE that ended the Republic and gave rise to the Roman Empire under Augustus.
Connections
Associated With
In Era
Source The Cambridge Ancient History
Related To
Source Wikipedia: Carthage
Source The Cambridge Ancient History
Ruled By
Source The Cambridge Ancient History
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Sources
1. The Cambridge Ancient History
Cambridge University PressThe Roman Republic: Status
The Roman Republic was the system of government in Rome from the traditional overthrow of its last king in 509 BCE until Augustus's consolidation of power in 27 BCE, during which Rome expanded from a single city in central Italy to the dominant power of the Mediterranean world.
- In Era: Classical Antiquity
- Related To: The Punic Wars
- Ruled By: Julius Caesar
Wikipedia: Carthage
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