Chapter 5 The Roman Republic And The Roman Empire

Chapter 5 Republic – a form of government in which the citizens select their officials

Chapter 5 Patrician – a wealthy landowning Roman citizen

Chapter 5 Plebeian – the poor, working class of Rome

Chapter 5 Senate – the legislative (law making) body of Rome that originally consisted of 300 patricians.

Chapter 5 Tribune – patricians who represented the interests of the plebeians in the senate. There were 10 and all had to vote in favor of a law or it was vetoed. Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus

Chapter 5 Representative Democracy – due to distance and the size of the population, citizens selected representatives to represent their views in government.

Chapter 5 Dictator – in times of crisis in Roman history, a single man was asked to lead the country through the crisis who had complete power. Once the crisis was over, he turned the power back over to the senate. Cincinnatus

Chapter 5 Imperialism – when one nations takes over another nation or area politically, economically and socially.

Chapter 5 Punic Wars – a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage over control of the Mediterranean Sea trade

Chapter 5 Hannibal – the Carthaginian general whose men crossed the Alps and attacked Rome from the north during the Second Punic War.

Chapter 5 Aqueduct – a man-made system used to carry water from one place to another. There were 3 major aqueducts that brought water into Rome.

Chapter 5 Julius Caesar – A Roman general who overthrew the senate and set himself up as a dictator. His assassination paved the way for the creation of the Roman Empire.

Chapter 5 Pax Romana – the 200 years of peace in the Roman Empire that existed from 27 BC – 180 AD. It started with the rule of Augustus who was followed by a series of 5 good emperors. Augustus

Chapter 5 Christianity – a religion founded by Jesus Christ based on the belief that Jesus was the son of God and the Messiah (savior of men who offered them a way to absolve their sins and enter heaven).

Chapter 5 Pope – the head of the Catholic Church. When the Christian church split, it became known as the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox or the Byzantine Church. St. Peter

Chapter 5 Diocletian – felt that the Roman empire was too large to govern so he divided it.

Chapter 5 Constantine – converted to Christianity, issued the Edict of Milan (religious toleration), made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire, made Constantinople his capital in the east.

Chapter 5 Constantinople – the eastern capital of the Roman empire. Become the capital of the Byzantine empire. Located at the crossroads between 3 continents and between the major overland trade routes.

Chapter 5 Byzantine Empire – when the western Roman empire fell in 476, the eastern or Byzantine Empire became the major imperial power in Europe.

Chapter 5 Huns – the barbarian group that brought about the fall of the western Roman Empire in 476 AD.