ROME (ROMA) – History
The earliest history of Rome has become legendary. Bad Silvia, daughter of the local king Numitor, she had two sons with Mars. The children were to be sacrificed to god, but the rite was not completed. The abandoned boys were found and fed by a she-wolf. Then a shepherd adopted them, who gave them the names Romulus and Remus. The young men marked the city limits on the Palatine Hill, but it soon became clear, that only one ruler can rule here. Disagreement over the interpretation of the signs, which the brothers received from the gods, caused a conflict, in which Romulus killed Remus and v 753 r. BC. became the first Roman monarch.
That is what the legend says, but it seems more likely, that the location of the city was self-imposed. The Tiber could be easily crossed via Isola Tiberina, Rome was therefore a key outpost on the trade routes from Etruria and Campania. Rome remained in the power of kings until approx 507 r. p. n. e., when the people rose against the tyrannical monarch Tarquinius and created a republic, by appointing the first two consuls and introducing more democratic forms of government. During the republic, the city flourished, taking up more and more space and subjugating various tribes living in the surrounding regions: Etruscans in the North, Sabinów in the east, Samnites in the south. W III w. BC. Rome began to expand its influence beyond the borders of present-day mainland Italy, occupying Sicily in the south and territories in North Africa, including Carthage, and becoming the main power in the Mediterranean Sea. However, in internal politics, the history of the republic is a constant feud and mutual struggle between parties among the patrician ruling classes. Everyone wanted to get something from their enormous riches, plundering overseas expeditions flowing into the city; meanwhile ordinary people, that is, the commoners, they experienced no more justice than under the monarchy.
After the murder of Julius Caesar, there was a short period of riots and 27 r. BC. the empire was established, headed by August; it was a triumph for the new Democrats over the old guard. Augustus led Rome into the imperial era, intending - as he claimed - to transform the city from stone to marble. He raised bows, theaters and monuments with splendor befitting the capital of a burgeoning empire. The population has grown to over a million. The population lived in crowded apartment blocks called insulae; crime has proliferated, and the problem of road traffic was on par with today's problem; one writer even complained, that it's hard to sleep at night. It was, however, a period of peace and prosperity: the upper classes rushed idle, luxurious living in sumptuous mansions with plumbing and central heating, and the boundaries of the empire widened, gaining the greatest reach under Emperor Trajan, who died in 117 r. n. e.
It is difficult to accurately set the date of the beginning of the fall of Rome, but it probably happened under Diocletian, who came to power in 284 r. and divided the empire into two parts, eastern and western. The first Christian emperor, Constantine, w 330 r. he moved his seat of power to the east and the intoxicating era of Rome as the capital of the world came to an end. The richer inhabitants followed the court and a series of Goth invasions in 410 r. and the Vandals 40 years later, only a slump sped up. In the sixth century, the city was a devastated and plague-ridden shadow of its former glory.
Rome was saved by the popes. Gregory I (called the great) he sent missionaries all over Europe to preach the Good News and advertise the holy relics of Rome. This dragged the pilgrims - along with the money - back to the city. Over time, the papacy became the natural center of power in Rome. The Pope assumed the title of "Pontifex maximus", which was enjoyed by a high priest in classical times (literally: "Keeper of the bridges". Bridges during the Roman era played a key role in the functioning of the city). Centuries later, Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. He had extensive dominions throughout Europe, but he was subordinate to the pope, which strengthened the position of the city. The Pope became the head, and Rome the capital of the entire Christian world.
Over the next several hundred years, the power of Rome and the papacy frequently waned: Norman king Robert Guiscard plundered the town of 1084 r.; a century later, as a result of a conflict between the city and the papacy, several popes moved to Viterbo; in turn in 1305 r. Pope Clement V, born in France, temporarily relocated his court to Avignon. In general, however, the papal court and the city did well, in which the announcement by Pope Boniface of the eighth year helped 1300 a holy year. The power was gradually concentrated in their hands by several families, which held the most important offices among themselves, including the papal throne. With the growing power of the Pope, Rome gained a new face: churches were built, pagan monuments were discovered and preserved, and artists began to come to the city, to carry out orders for successive popes, who invariably wanted to outshine their predecessors with more monumental structures and works of art. The delicate structure of power collapsed temporarily in the mid-fourteenth century., when Cola di Rienzo took over, posing as the savior of the people from the decadence of rulers. Di Rienzo created the new Roman republic, but using increasingly autocratic methods of governing, it soon lost popularity and was overthrown. The papal-aristocratic alliance returned to power.