History of the city of Rome

The foundation of the city of Rome and the Monarchy

It was in 753 BC that, according to legend, Romulus founded the city of Rome.

Romulus and his twin Remus are the sons of the god Mars and of Rhea Silvia, herself a descendant of Aeneas of Troy.

Thrown into the Tiber on the orders of their uncle, who feared for his throne, the children are rescued by a She-Wolf who suckles them.

Eventually found by a shepherd, Faustulus, they take revenge on their uncle and found a city on the Palatine Hill.

Romulus kills his brother, who had taunted him by leaping over the sacred outline of the city walls.

A community grows but lacks women… The Romans then decide to carry off the women of a neighbouring people, the Sabines, who declare war on them. To find out more about the Rape of the Sabine Women.

The two peoples, under the insistence of the Sabine women who had become Roman through marriage, finally settle together and form a single community.

Seven Etruscan kings succeed Romulus, before the last, Tarquin the Proud, is driven out and the Republic is established around 509 BC. The city is then a city-state.

The Republic:

The Roman Republic is governed by the Senate, which is in the hands of the city's patrician families, despite the symbolism of the famous letters SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus: the Senate and the Roman People.

The early years of the Republic see Rome expand across Italy and frequent conflicts between the patricians and the plebeians until a certain balance of powers is reached.

With its power established over the Italian peninsula, Rome seeks to extend its domination over the Mediterranean and must then fight Carthage. In 146 BC, Carthage is finally defeated and razed. The empire then extends over North Africa, part of Sicily and Spain.

The city has grown, been embellished and then counts some 500,000 inhabitants who occupy the seven hills of the city.

But the city's institutions are no longer suited to this empire that has grown too fast. Revolts and several civil wars undermine the institutions. Finally, Julius Caesar, who has managed to have himself named dictator for life, is assassinated in the Senate itself in 44 BC.

The Empire:

At Caesar's death, a civil war breaks out, opposing for 17 years various factions whose most famous leaders are Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus.

Octavian prevails, takes the name Augustus and becomes Emperor for life.

The Emperors who succeed him lead the Roman Empire to its height in the 2nd century. It extends across Europe, the East and Africa. The city has a million inhabitants and great urban projects follow one another.

But decline is approaching; economic and military crises follow one another. Some emperors manage to restore the situation for a time, such as Diocletian (284–305), who reorganises the empire. Christianity develops.

In 330 Constantine creates a second capital of the Empire, Constantinople, thus preparing the separation of the empire into two entities.

The barbarians invade the Empire and in 410 Rome falls to the Visigoths of Alaric.

During this period, Christianity has become the official religion and the Pope has acquired a certain power. Thus, in 452, Pope Leo manages to persuade Attila to spare Rome.

In 476 the Vandals take the city and the last Emperor of the West, Romulus Augustus, is deposed.

Rome then loses some of its importance but continues to suffer plunder. In the 6th century Rome has only 50,000 inhabitants left, then 25,000 in the 9th century.

To find out more about the Roman Emperors: Roman Emperors: Biographical notes on ALL the Roman emperors.

The Middle Ages:

With the Empire destroyed and the barbarians settled in Europe, Rome has lost its power. Only the Pope, still established here, retains a role. The papacy will from then on fight for its survival by seeking alliances.

In 754, the Pope obtains the support of Pepin the Short, who guarantees him power over the first Papal States. Charlemagne, by having himself crowned by the Pope, will strengthen this alliance and the city will then know a new prosperity.

The Middle Ages are nothing but a succession of power struggles between, on one side, the Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and the noble families of the city, and on the other the Pope. Rome still suffers plunder.

At the beginning of the 14th century the Pope is deposed by the king of France following a conflict. A new Pope, a Frenchman, is appointed and the papal seat is transferred to Avignon. Thus Christendom finds itself divided by the Western Schism until the election in 1417 of Martin V and the definitive return of the papacy to Rome.

The Renaissance:

Under the impetus of Pope Martin V, the city begins to rise from its ashes. The papacy finally succeeds in creating a true Papal State.

Monuments flourish, St Peter's is rebuilt and many churches and palaces are renovated thanks to the money of Christians.

The city becomes prosperous again and its population grows. Michelangelo, Bernini, Borromini and Nicolas Poussin work in Rome. The great builder Popes are Sixtus V, Urban VIII, Innocent X….

Towards Italian unity:

Rome, having become a city of Art, attracts many visitors. But the Pope's power weakens over his lands and the city becomes a republic after the victory of Napoleon I. Despite Napoleon's defeat and the restoration of the Papal States, the idea of Italian unity makes its way.

Finally, in 1870 the city joins Italy and becomes the capital of the kingdom. The city then undergoes new transformations and modernises.