Roman Republic Became an Empire

¶ … Roman Republic became an Empire for two reasons: change in the governing structure under Julius Caesar and others, and the conquering and then administration of most of the known world surrounding the Mediterranean. Beginning with the Punic Wars, and especially after Hannibal and the Carthaginian invasion of the Italian peninsula, it became clear that in order to survive, the citizenry was more acceptable of a strong military ruler and increased patriotism. The process was economic expansion followed by military hegemony to protect the interests of the state. Each area that Rome conquered provided needed resources for the Empire, but required governing and the military to maintain order. Thus, after Caesar's assassination in 44 BC the worldview of Rome was economic expansion, territorial control, and characterized more by autocratic government and large territorial holdings.

Part 2 -- The Roman Empire in the Third Century AD was characterized by economic weakness and social repercussions to the point where the power of the Roman Empire was really riddled away from within. Most of its Army was non-Roman and therefore not loyal to the Empire. Without a strong state, there was no economic authority, and the large estates would morph into a feudalistic economy. The rise of Christianity and segmentation of the old Empire would eventually change the political and religious spheres, too, since the new Church would essentially fill in the gaps left by the Old Empire. The Church seemed to address the problems by trying to establish political and economic control over the nobility, which would eventually result in the Crusades, etc., but for the first several hundred years, the real power in the Mediterranean moved from Rome to Byzantium/Constantinople.

Part 3- The Eastern part of the old Roman Empire had been divisive with Rome for centuries. In 196 AD it sided against Rome and suffered extensive damage, but by 330 AD it was refounded as the "New Rome" (Nova Roma) by Constantine I. After his death it was called Constantinople and remained the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium. Essentially, it was a nexus point between Europe and Asia, and thus was able to capitalize on trade and economic security from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea; continuing on until the mid-1400s, when it fell to the Ottoman Turks in the 4-6th centuries, many of the former Roman territories in the West were recaptured, beginning in 553 when Justinian reclaimed Carthage. In science, medicine and law, Byzantium took the Greco-Roman culture and added some of the Middle Eastern ideas to have one of the most advanced cultures of the time. While a Christian Empire, it was never united under Christianity, even though the state church became known as the Eastern Orthodoxy. Arianism and Judaism were significant minorities, and there were many sects of Christianity that ebbed during the Byzantium period (e.g. Nestorianism, Myaphysite, etc.).