Rome

The history of Rome starts around 753 B.C., although some may dispute that date, where we have what is commonly called the foundling of Rome. We have a story told by Virgil of Latinus, the king, who promised the hand of his daughter Lavinia in marriage. Through the lineage of Lavinia and Aeneas down through some fifteen generations a daughter is born named Rhea Silvia who is said to be a Vestal virgin. Rhea becomes the mother of twin boys by the god Mars. The boys were sent down the river after their birth but were saved by a she-wolf who fed them like her own cubs. The boys were later found by a shepherd who took them home to his wife. The boys, Romulus and Remus were later found out to be descendants of the king. They fought to bring their grandfather back to his country. The boys then wanted to build a new country for themselves. Based on the sighting of seven vultures they built the city of Rome. Romulus became the king and killed his brother.

At one time all of the Romans had one name. Later they became divided by what they did as warriors. The noblemen were called Patricians, those forming the Council of Government. They were called the Senate. The other families were called Plebeian and during war they fought on foot. They used the spears, the short swords and held the round shields. Rome had organized its people and had military to back the politics. At one point they waged war with several countries and gained control of all of the Mediterranean.

After about 200 years of political strife many fought for power. Gaius Marius took control in 87 BC causing a brutal civil war. Cornelius Sulla was appointed dictator and had a reign for ten years. Julius Caesar had a very strong base in the army. He was appointed dictator, but only had a short reign of one year. He was assassinated on the steps of the theatre. Marcus Antonius assumed control after Caesar because he was one of his lieutenants. Octavian, Caesar’s nephew confronted Marcus which caused the Republic to be at odds because Marcus Antonius gave control of Egypt to Cleopatra. Marcus was murdered at the battle of Actium. This became the golden age. There were many ups and downs. Rome rose and fell during this time because of the many wars and unrest. Nero ruled and victimized many Christians. There were devastating fires. Later under Vespasian, a tough military leader construction of the Colosseum was started. At the end of this time Constantine was the leader and in 410. Rome was a city with no power. Rome fell in 476.

Rome was in ruins in the 6th century. Water was not flowing to the cities because the aqueducts were destroyed. Disease was rampant. Pope Gregory fed the starving and fixed the aqueducts. The Holy Roman Empire lasted over a thousand years. Many Popes tried to bring all of the European powers together, but none were successful. In 1309 The Pope was able to return to Rome. He moved into the safety of the Vatican.

The renaissance saw the city reinvented as the center of the world. National powers such as the Spanish were still waging war. Religious war was going on. The fight against Martin Luther, the Protestant movement was fought. At this time Galileo was forced by the church to say that the earth did not rotate around the sun. Many new theories were discharged, infact the religious groups struggled to restrain freedom of thought but the more they fought it the more ingenious Rome’s artists and architects became.

Napoleon Bonaparte marched on Rome in 1798. Many art treasures were passed into French possession. The Pope left. In 1808 Napoleon occupied the city and in 1809 he annexed it to France. Mazzini and Garibaldi expelled the Papal power in 1848. Intellectual changes began to alter conventional morals and establishments during the 18th century. Moderate ideas were spreading from the liberal Italians. Substantial transformations took place during the 1840’s. Giuseppe Mazzini organized a national revolutionary movement. Much has changed in the transformation, ancient ruins stand next to modern apartments. Rome becomes the capital of Italy in 1917.

600,000 men vanished from Italy during the First World War. The people of Italy resisted the economic downfall. The war produced a super rich and privileged people. Because we had this sudden huge divide between the extremely rich and the poor, there was the opportunity for the rise of Mussolini. The Fascist Party was founded in 1919 and marched on Rome in 1922. The Party’s goals are to create an empire and develop the morally and physically strong ‘new man’ from the ‘ordinary man’. Mussolini took total control of Italy by 1925. The Vatican was recognized as a sovereign state.

Mussolini and the Nazis shaped ideological and military agreements. This led to Mussolini declaring Italy’s entry into World War Two. Rome and Italy suffered intolerably during the early years of the war.

Mussolini caused the people to suffer as a result of the Fascist regime. The Nazis’ took control from Mussolini in 1943. Appalling acts of vengeance were carried out against anti fascists during this time. Following the war, in 1946 a referendum eliminated the monarchy and a republican government was created. The way was paved for Italy’s post-war peace and prosperity.