The Goverment Phases

The Roman Kingdom - 753BC to 509BC

The Roman Kingdom began with the city's founding; in 753BC the settlement of Rome was founded by Romulus, around the Palatine Hill and along the river Tiber in Central Italy. After the settlement was built he permitted men of all classes to come to Rome as citizens, including slaves and freemen without distinction. To provide his citizens with wives, Romulus invited the neighbouring tribes to a festival in Rome where he abducted the young women. Once the city was stable Romulus selected 100 of the noblest men to form the Roman senate as an advisory council to the king.

The kingdom of Rome ended with the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. Lucius used intimidation and violence to maintain control of the population, and as a result the people revolted, subsequently resulting in the end of the Roman Kingdom.

The Roman Republic - 509BC to 27BC

The Roman Republic began in 509BC, where the king was replaced with a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and advised by the Senate. A complex constitution gradually developed, based on the principles of separation of powers. Except in times of dire national emergency where a dictator would be elected to guide the nation out of trouble.

The Republic of Rome ended in 27BC with the first settlement, which made Augustus the first emperor of Rome.

The Roman Empire - 27BC to 476AD

The Roman Empire began in 27BC when Augustus became the first emperor and declared the 'princeps', which simply meant that he would become the leading citizen. The Empire of Rome would last a staggering 503 years before falling to barbarian invasions.

The End of Roman Empire

The fall of Rome occurred not because of one single factor but dozens of individual factors. These include an economic meltdown, barbarian invasions and political instability. The main cause to all of these issues is that the Empire had become too big to control and manage effectively. The economy was suffering due to a multitude of reasons. In 410AD the Visigoths sacked Rome, looting, burning, and pillaging their way through the city, leaving only a trail of destruction. These invasions meant that Rome's territories were shrinking, and thus there was a lower tax income. Civil war was becoming a consistent occurrence, mainly because there was no clear cut succession policy to the throne.