more Roman Empire notes

Assassination of Caesar:

• WHY? because the senators saw Caesar's rise in power as a huge threat to their political viability
• HOW? they lured him to the Senate, stabbing him 23 times, making sure all were involved
• brutus helped
• octavion was next in line
• republic = no longer
• Julius Caesar'sgrand nephew- and adopted son- Octavion takes over at 18! makes a triumvirate with Marc Antony ( an experiences general) and lepidus (politician)
• This is the second triumvirate
• octavion forces the weak Lepidus to retire
• he and marc antony become rivals
• mark antony and cleopatra partner up :
• personally
• militarilly
• politically 
• economically 
• octavion  defeats them at the battle of Actium
• he is now the unchallenged ruler of Rome
• now called "caesar augustus"
• imperator= supreme military leader
• now rome is an empire
• 40 yrs of ruling as a emperor
• pax romana= roman peace
• pax romana lasted 207 years
• octavius gained land in africa and improved Rome:
• build roads
• collect taxes
• establish postal service
•  grain supply
• build aqueducts
• police department
• fire fighters
• caesar augustus died of natural causes
• Tiberius- ruled from AD 14- 37
• an excellent general, but a reluctant emperor
• after son died, he quit on rome
• died at 77
• Caligula- ruled from AD37-41
• he was a cruel tyrant
•  extreme, legendary pervert
• spent tax $ on himslef
• weird and creepy
• Claudius- ruled from 41-54 AD
• possibly had cerebral palsy
• built aqueducts, roads, and canals
• killed  by wife with poison 
• Nero- ruled from AD 54-68
• viewed himself as an artist
• raided temples for $
• wanted to only rebuild rome to be beautiful