For other uses, see History of Rome (disambiguation).
Historical states
Roman Kingdom 753–509 BC
Roman Republic 509–27 BC
Roman Empire 27 BC – 395 AD
Western Roman Empire 286–476
Kingdom of Italy 476–493
Ostrogothic Kingdom 493–536
Eastern Roman Empire 536–546
Ostrogothic Kingdom 546–547
Eastern Roman Empire 547–549
Ostrogothic Kingdom 549–552
Eastern Roman Empire 552–751
Kingdom of the Lombards 751–756
Papal States 756–1798
Roman Republic 1798–1799
Papal States 1799–1809
First French Empire 1809–1814
Papal States 1814–1849
Roman Republic 1849
Papal States 1849–1870
Kingdom of Italy 1870–1943
Italian Social Republic 1943–1944
Kingdom of Italy 1944–1946
Italian Republic 1946–present
The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced many modern legal systems. Roman history can be divided into the following periods:
Pre-historical and early Rome, covering Rome's earliest inhabitants and the legend of its founding by Romulus
The period of Etruscan dominance and the regal period, in which, according to tradition, Romulus was the first of seven kings
The Roman Republic, which commenced in 509 BC when kings were replaced with rule by elected magistrates. The period was marked by vast expansion of Roman territory. During the 5th century BC, Rome gained regional dominance in Latium. With the Punic Wars from 264 to 146 BC, ancient Rome gained dominance over the Western Mediterranean, displacing Carthage as the dominant regional power.
The Roman Empire followed the Republic, which waned with the rise of Julius Caesar, and by all measures concluded after a period of civil war and the victory of Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, in 27 BC over Mark Antony.
The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 after the city was conquered by the Ostrogothic Kingdom. Consequently Rome's power declined, and it eventually became part of the Eastern Roman Empire, as the Duchy of Rome, from the 6th to 8th centuries. At this time, the city was reduced to a fraction of its former size, being sacked several times in the 5th to 6th centuries, even temporarily depopulated entirely.[1]
Medieval Rome is characterized by a break with Constantinople and the formation of the Papal States. The Papacy struggled to retain influence in the emerging Holy Roman Empire, and during the saeculum obscurum, the population of Rome fell to as low as 30,000 inhabitants. Following the East–West Schism and the limited success in the Investiture Controversy, the Papacy did gain considerable influence in the High Middle Ages, but with the Avignon Papacy and the Western Schism, the city of Rome was reduced to irrelevance, its population falling below 20,000. Rome's decline into complete irrelevance during the medieval period, with the associated lack of construction activity, assured the survival of very significant ancient Roman material remains in the centre of the city, some abandoned and others continuing in use.
The Roman Renaissance occurred in the 15th century, when Rome replaced Florence as the centre of artistic and cultural influence. The Roman Renaissance was cut short abruptly with the devastation of the city in 1527, but the Papacy reasserted itself in the Counter-Reformation, and the city continued to flourish during the early modern period. Rome was annexed by Napoleon and was part of the First French Empire from 1798 to 1814.
Modern history, the period from the 19th century to the present. Rome came under siege again after the Allied invasion of Italy and was bombed several times. It was declared an open city on 14 August 1943. Rome became the capital of the Italian Republic (established in 1946). With a population of 4.4 million (as of 2015[update]; 2.9 million within city limits), it is the largest city in Italy. It is among the largest urban areas of the European Union and classified as a global city.
^Procopius, Gothic War, III.xxii. "In Rome he suffered nothing human to remain, leaving it altogether, in every part, a perfect desert."
The history of Rome includes the historyof the city ofRome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern...
Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma, Italian: [ˈroːma] ) is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region, the centre of the Metropolitan...
The military historyof ancient Rome is inseparable from its political system, based from an early date upon competition within the ruling elite. Two...
In modern historiography, ancient Rome encompasses the founding of the Italian city ofRome in the 8th century BC, the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), Roman...
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notably in the case of Orthodox Russia. The vocabulary of a "Third Rome", the "First Rome" being Rome in Italy and the "Second Rome" being Constantinople...
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509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establishment of the Roman Empire. During this period, Rome's control expanded from the city's immediate surroundings...
(where a house is now named after him), author of A HistoryofRome (1855), and co-author (with Robert Scott) of the monumental work A Greek–English Lexicon...