The Roman Empire for many centuries was considered the largest and most powerful state in the world. All roads at that time really led to Rome, and the rulers were adored by the people. Moreover, the Roman Empire was considered the strongest player in international politics, waged successful wars and expanded its territories incredibly quickly.
To whom does the Roman Empire owe its glory, and who managed to turn a crisis state into a successful and powerful "legend"?
Prerequisites for future power
The Roman Empire reached its peak of power during the Flavian dynasty, when the wise and competent emperor Vespasian was in power. However, before that, the country experienced a protracted crisis, which began during the reign of Emperor Caligula.
The cruel emperor went mad with power, planned to put his statue in the Jerusalem temple, so that he would be worshiped as a god and led an absolutely illiterate domestic policy. After the overthrow of Caligula, there were 5 more emperors on the throne, and three of the latter ruled for less than 3-4 months. Why did such an unexpected crisis erupt in the Roman Empire? There were several reasons for this:
- All the emperors occupying the throne were either insane, or weak-willed, or elementary stupidity.
- Against the background of the negative personal qualities of each emperor, one thing appeared in common - apathy and unwillingness to change the life of the people for the better.
- The common people were dissatisfied with the frequent change of emperors and the line of government they chose.
- The emperor was increasingly influenced from outside (for example, Claudius did not make a single decision without the advice of his two wives, very vicious and insidious women).
Against the backdrop of a general dynastic crisis, in 68 AD. A civil war began, in which everyone dreamed of taking the throne. After a year of lengthy speeches and punitive campaigns, the throne went to Vespasian from the Flavian dynasty. It was under him that the Roman Empire reached its greatest power.
The reign of the Flavian and Antonine dynasty
The period from the middle of the 1st century AD. and until the end of the II century AD. has long been recognized by historians as the time of the greatest flourishing of the Roman Empire. The thing is that very wise rulers were in power, in whom people saw first of all a personality.
What measures were introduced by Vespasian and his heirs in order to restore the country after the civil war?
- Minimization of hostilities (for example, under Vespasian, there were practically no wars, since the emperor understood that too much money was spent on them).
- An increase in taxes to replenish the state treasury (Vespasian, Titus and Nerva used every conceivable means to replenish the state treasury, ruined after the civil war).
- Intensive urban development.
- Competent strengthening of the internal order in the state itself.
The next emperor, Titus, continued the line of the reign of his predecessor, Vespasian. Military operations were practically reduced to zero, the life of the common people improved, and new legislative acts were adopted with enviable speed.
The main merit of the Flavian dynasty is urban planning. Under the Flavius, the Capitol was restored, and it was at this time that the construction of the amphitheater began, which is now commonly called the Colosseum.
The next emperor, already from the Antonin dynasty, Nerva achieved reconciliation between the ruler and the senate. This made it possible to reduce the number of internal political conflicts, strengthening the existing model of statehood.
Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius were able, with the help of their competent policies, to make the 2nd century AD. the most successful time in the history of the Roman Empire.
And if Vespasian advocated minimizing the number of wars, then the 4 great emperors became famous precisely as conquerors. By expanding its borders through Assyria and Arabia, the Roman Empire was able to become the richest state in the world. The citizens of Rome were envied all over the world, and every person dreamed of visiting the famous capital.
After the heir of Marcus Aurelius Commodus was not able to govern the country, a new crisis began in the Roman Empire. The rulers were replaced with tremendous speed, and no wise decisions could save the state from a sharp drop in authority.
And yet, the power of the Roman Empire, which lasted a little over a century, still amazes contemporaries and inspires historians.
The school taught about what the Byzantine Empire is, and that in the period from 527 to 565 under the rule of Justinian, it bloomed like a flower and gained strength and power, it is difficult to determine a particular year separately, because he ruled well and at the end of his he had something to be proud of in his life, so for sure the peak can be said that the whole time of his reign was a stormy flourishing.
At the beginning of 527 Justin chose his successor Justinian, his nephew. The young man was not only a relative of Justin, but also very educated at that time. In August 527 Emperor Justin dies, almost forty years of Justinian's reign begin.
The Byzantine Empire reaches its heyday almost immediately after the death of Justin, this is 527. The internal policy of Emperor Justinian was aimed at strengthening his empire, and in this he was successful. He created a set of civil rules, the empire had uniform laws, which meant order.
Justinian was a powerful emperor.
Byzantium gained influence over other states.
As far as I remember, we went through this part of history in the sixth grade, and from it I remember that the Byzantine Empire is a state that took shape in 395 as a result of the final division of the Roman Empire, and Justinian was the Byzantine emperor who ruled the empire from 527 until his death, and we can say that The Byzantine Empire reached its peak from the beginning of the reign of Emperor Justinian and this continued until his death in 565.
The heyday of the Byzantine Empire occurred immediately after Justinian became its ruler. And as long as he ruled his Empire, it flourished so much, it gained weight so much. He began to rule in 525 and his reign ended in 565 due to the death of Justinian. Although the Byzantine Empire was established only in 395. After the division of the Roman Empire. Justinian came to power with the help of his uncle, whose name was Justin. Justin could rightfully make his children emperor, but he did not have them and he decided to put Justinian in the post of Emperor and was not mistaken.
The heyday of the Byzantine Empire under Justinian began in 527 and ended in 565. The Byzantine Empire reached its greatest power during this time under Emperor Justinian. His uncle Justin was poor, he came to Constantinople in search of happiness, he rose from a soldier to their boss. After the death of the emperor, Justin came to the throne, since he had no sons, he declared Justinian's nephew the heir. This is how Justinian became emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
Byzantium came to flourish after Justinian came to the post of Emperor. He came there with the help of his brother-in-law, who had no children and, accordingly, he had no heirs, and therefore Justinian came to his place after his death. And so began the reign of the emperor who led the Byzantine Empire to flourish.
The Byzantine Empire is considered by many to be only a weak reflection of the greatness of the Roman Empire, but it is always worth remembering that Byzantium lasted several centuries longer than the Western Roman Empire. and under Emperor Justinian almost regained the borders of the Roman Empire of the first centuries. The merit in this is undoubtedly the emperor Justinian himself, who was cruel and despotic. Of course, his origin is to blame for this - he made an unprecedented career from a simple guard to the head of the guard and then the emperor. Accustomed to solving everything by force of arms, he waged continuous wars of conquest, regained control over Italy, Egypt and many other provinces, brutally crushed the protests of disgruntled citizens. Heyday, that is, Byzantium acquired the largest size during his reign in 527-65.
Byzantium had the greatest strength and flourishing when Justinian was in power (527565). And he came to power quite by accident. He started as a simple soldier in the guard of the palace, reached the head of this guard, and after the death of the emperor, his uncle Justin, who had no children, was proclaimed lord. He received an excellent education and his power was enormous and unlimited, they said about him that only God was above him. Under nm, the territory of Byzantium almost doubled. The temple of Hagia Sophia was built in the capital - the greatness of the entire empire. He ordered to collect and study the laws of the Roman state, as a result of which the
The Byzantine Empire reached its peak under Justinian, who ruled it from 527 to 565. For his time, he was well educated and knew military affairs from the very beginning, since he began to serve as a simple soldier. His uncle, Justin, who ruled Byzantium before him, did not have direct heirs and choosing an heir made his choice in favor of Justinian.
During the years of his reign, Justinian doubled the possessions of the empire, on the basis of Roman law, a set of laws was developed by which the whole empire lived and they were the same for everyone, by his order the church of Hagia Sophia was erected. During his lifetime, he was compared with God, they said about him that only God is higher than him.
The heyday of Byzantium under Justinian (527565) Byzantium reached its greatest power under the emperor Justinian. That's how he came to power. Justinian's uncle, his name was Justin, was a poor farmer. In search of happiness, Justin appeared in Constantinople, where he made his way from a soldier of the palace guard to her boss. And after the death of the emperor, he was proclaimed ruler of the empire. Having no sons, Justin declared his nephew Justinian his heir, to whom he gave an excellent education.
The power of the emperor of Byzantium was enormous: Justinian was at the same time head of government, supreme judge and commander-in-chief of a large, well-trained mercenary army. In Byzantium, they said about the emperor that he was below only God and immediately follows Godquot ;.
Justinian made an attempt to restore the Roman Empire to its former borders. The Germans then reigned supreme in the Western Mediterranean. In stubborn, bloody wars, the generals of Justinian defeated all opponents one by one and seized their lands (Italy, South Spain, North Africa). The territory of Byzantium almost doubled, although it did not reach the size of the Roman Empire in the 2nd-3rd centuries.
Wars demanded money. A sharp increase in taxes led to an uprising in Constantinople. Angry mobs smashed and burned rich houses and churches. Fires engulfed the entire city. The rebels destroyed the lists of taxes, opened prisons. Confused at first, Justinian took action:
learning that crowds of rebels had gathered at the hippodrome, he sent troops there. The hippodrome was flooded with the blood of tens of thousands of those killed. The rebellion was put down.
Justinian was a zealous Christian. By his order, the church of Hagia Sophia was erected in the capital, which became the pride of Constantinople and the entire empire. The temple was crowned with a huge dome, surpassing the dome of the Pantheon in Rome.
Justinian ordered that the entire empire should live by the same laws. By his order, the decrees and laws ever adopted in the Roman Empire were collected and studied. Those that were outdated were discarded. The best scientists of the empire did a colossal job. As a result, they created a famous work called the Code of Civil Law (it also included laws issued by Justinian himself).
The laws proclaimed the unlimited power of the emperor. One of them said: There is nothing higher and nothing more holy than the majesty of the emperorquot ;.
For hundreds of years, the Code of Civil Law has been studied in European countries. When developing new laws, they were interested in what court decisions could be made in the time of Trajan or Justinian in various disputes between people (for example, because of inheritance or when buying and selling).
The heyday of the Byzantine Empire, as far as I know, occurred immediately after Justinian became the sole ruler. This happened and happened back in 525. And ended in 565 due to the death of the ruler.
Empires that came close to world domination
No issue has generated as much controversy as the controversy over the greatest empires in history. To solve this problem once and for all, we have compiled a list of empires that were very close to world domination. The main criterion for domination is direct and indirect control over the majority of the Earth's population. This means that in order to qualify for our empire influence rating, it is not at all necessary to literally control the entire globe, but simply need to come close to taking control of the majority of the world's population, while having the potential to influence to the rest of our planet.
Portuguese empire.When most people think of colonial empires, Portugal almost never comes to mind. The thing is that Portugal, although for a short time, had a chance to become a global empire, say, to be on a par with the British Empire, which everyone knows. Portugal was in fact the first European country to take colonial exploration seriously and was the first European power to discover India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Brazil, and many parts of Africa. In East Africa, Portuguese troops captured Mozambique, and in South America, Brazil, which was incorporated into his colonial empire and has since spoken only Portuguese. In its heyday, the Portuguese Empire established trading ports far from its shores. Its possessions stretched from India to Arabia, Malaysia to China and even Japan. As a result, Portugal dominated not only trade routes between Asia and Europe, but also trade between different regions of Asia itself. It is amazing that Portugal was able to create such a powerful global empire at such an early stage in history. In many ways, if Portugal had not declined after the 1500s, it is possible that the Portuguese could have amassed even more power than the British Empire. If Portugal had maintained full control of its Asian trade routes, it would have been the richest empire in history. Then, for sure, she would have found the money and resources to conquer India, Africa, China, South America and the rest of the world.
Timurid Empirewas a nomadic empire that became prominent after the collapse of the Mongol Empire. The Timurids controlled vast areas of territory in the west of Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus, Mesopotamia, India, and most of Central Asia. Unlike the Mongols, whose ability to manage the conquered lands, to put it mildly, was hundreds of times inferior to their combat skills.
The Timurid Empire rose in the early 1400s, when they were able to maintain a communication system in their expanses, which provided them with some kind of control. But his army was still inferior to civilized empires. Tamerlane, who was both the founder and absolute ruler of the Timurids, dreamed of restoring the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. The impenetrable armor of his horse archers provided Tamerlane with a quick rise to power. Timur regularly defeated both Arab and Indian armies. The plan to attack the Ming dynasty in China promised him world domination. He would have flown with his archers around the globe, getting all the resources of the Ming dynasties necessary for this. Fortunately for the multi-billion inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, Tamerlane died before reaching China. We can only guess what would have happened if he had reached China.
Nazi Germany.Some historians have concluded that if Hitler had made a few more appropriate decisions in time, he would have won World War II, which would undoubtedly have given Germany a chance at world domination. All that was needed was not to declare war on the USSR so early, but first to deal with Africa, and then to deal with Britain, having completed Operation Sea Lion, then the Nazis would become the undisputed masters of the planet. As a result, the entire Middle East, India and Africa would fall under German control. The Nazis would have been able to maintain this empire with a vast communications network of fleets and jets that no other nation could have countered. In reality, Hitler succeeded in creating a system of alliances that brought the modern European Union to shame. Under Hitler's leadership, many European nations fought for his base goals. Romanians and Hungarians, Germans, Italians, as well as Bulgarians, Slovaks, Croats and Finns - all stood under the Nazi gun. The general euphoria has reached an unprecedented intensity, no one has yet seen such European unity, led by Germany, as a European superpower. In many ways, World War II was the last war in history that could have brought Nazi Germany world domination.
Spanish Empire.The highest flowering of the Spanish Empire fell on the reign of Charles V and Philip II of the House of Habsburg. The legacy of the Portuguese Empire came under the rule of the Spanish crown - these are the Netherlands, the Austrian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the continents of Spain, covering colonial possessions. For a short time the Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese armies marched under the same banner towards the united goal of European dominance. Such a union of states was truly a unique moment in history, and if the Spaniards had not been defeated on the battlefield, it is likely that they could have reached even greater heights. For a time, the Spaniards had the most gold, the best navy, the best armies, and controlled over 13% of the world's landmass. Unlike the Mongols, the Spaniards were closer to world domination due to their superior communication technology, which allowed them to maintain control over large swaths of territory. Evidence of this is the fact that much of the Spanish colonial territory remained under its control for centuries. Unfortunately, despite this, the Spanish Empire lost its territories due to a series of military defeats and uncontrolled inflation due to the accumulation of huge amounts of gold mined from the Spanish colonies. As they say, the greed of the fraer ruined.
Mongol Empire. It cannot be denied that the Mongol Empire was also very close to world domination. During their rise, no other force on the planet could compete with the tactics of the Mongol armies. And, if the Mongols wanted to get into the expanses of Europe with all their fibers, then they would have been there without difficulty, conquering everything around and decapitating the Pope before 1300, and, as they say, goodbye to the European Union! But instead, the greatest achievement of the Mongol Empire was its biggest weakness, an Achilles' heel. Their attempts to manage their massive territories, which included various races and religions, were far from effective. The Mongol Empire, having eaten the first conquests of Genghis Khan, simply burst from gluttony, without waiting for dessert. Despite their superiority on the battlefield, the logistics to keep in touch across a 33 million square kilometer racially diverse empire simply did not exist as early as 1279. However, the Mongol conquerors were able to subdue more than 22% of the world's lands, stretching from China to Poland. Just imagine, every fourth person on the entire planet lived under Mongol rule. This means that for a short time the Mongol Empire came close to world domination.
The article was prepared by © Andrey, the organizer of his own rising culinary empire. Andrei, together with his wife Katya, collect the best recipes from all over the world, try to cook them themselves and share the best they have done on their website and YouTube channel, thus forming a new culinary culture.
The reign of Charles I the Great can be called a whole era of the heyday of the empire. Important events are associated with his name. He received his nickname "Great" during his lifetime, and this is no coincidence. Many major campaigns were led by this smart commander, and there was almost no defeat. It is difficult to say when the empire of Charlemagne flourished, because everything that he undertook and did led to the strengthening and creation of a powerful empire.
Biography of Charlemagne the Great
Charlemagne (April 2, 742/747 - January 28, 814) - Frankish king, eldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon. After his name, the dynasty became known as the Carolingians. Until now, the place of birth is not known, but there are facts confirming that this happened in the city of Aachen. Even during his lifetime he received his nickname "Great".
Beginning of the reign
After the death of his father Pepin the Short, Charles, together with his younger brother Carolman, were anointed to reign. They didn't get along from a young age. The mother tried to make friends with the brothers from infancy, but it was all in vain. After accession to the throne, Charles and Carolman divided the inheritance among themselves. The great brother got the lands in the shape of a crescent, which extended and covered the domain of the younger brother. The enmity from childhood did not fade away between Karl and his younger brother.
Carolman's entourage tried to quarrel them. It got to the point that in 769 the uprising provoked by the lord Gunold was pacified by Charles, the younger brother refused to help the elder. Conflicts escalated at an indefinable pace, were it not for Carolman's death in 771. After this event, Charlemagne began to seek help from his brother's recent allies, and subsequently legalized all the lands belonging to his once departed relative.
War with the Saxons
The war with the Saxons can be said to be the longest and most difficult for the entire reign of Charlemagne. All combat events lasted until 804 and totaled thirty-three years. Constant raids, robberies and robbery forced the king to start a war between the Saxons and Franks. The invasion took place in 772, accompanied by the destruction of the pagan shrine of the Saxons and the fortress of Eresburg. Saxony became part of the Frankish state and adopted Christianity.
War in Italy
In 773-774, at the invitation of Pope Adrian I, Charlemagne began defensive operations against the Lombards. After the latter were defeated, Charles was crowned the Italian throne. Actions immediately followed to confirm the right of the popes to the Church area. Surprising is the fact that after the suppression of the revolt against the pope in 800, the title of emperor for Charlemagne was not approved by the Byzantine government, and only in 814 he was awarded it.
Domestic politics
The entire internal structure of the country was reduced to the feudal system. Charlemagne in his submission had sworn to him to know. They had to appear on the battlefield with their subjects. The king constantly issued decrees in which he recommended that all peasants find themselves a seigneur.
The whole Empire was divided into districts. Each district had its own monarch, appointed from the local nobility. Trials with juries were held on behalf of the emperor. Control over such a system of government was carried out by the so-called "sovereign envoys". Every year, the emperor organized "May Congresses". At these events, Charlemagne presented to the attention of the secular representatives of the church and the nobility, decrees that affected all areas of the life of the empire.
Charles took care of the arrangement of his empire. Forests were cut down, swamps were drained, and cities and churches were built in their place. Agriculture was also not spared. Various steps have been taken to improve it.
Charlemagne devoted a lot of time to the problems of the church. Constantly participated in meetings and discussions, having a good relationship with the pope, took part in decision-making in the appointment of bishops.
The fame of the Great Emperor spread throughout the world. Each ruler considered it necessary to pay tribute to Charles I. Numerous gifts testify to this. One of the most unusual and expensive was the elephant, which was named Abbul - Abbas.
Education
Charlemagne was an illiterate man. But he was always kind to education and science. This fact is evidenced by the fact that in 787 a decree was issued on the establishment of schools. They were created at monasteries. In 789, by decree on education, Charles obliged the entire male population to receive an education without fail, but this decree was never implemented. Karl created a scientific circle, which was called the academy. Subsequently, Latin literature was studied there. The emperor's interest in antiquities and myths made him oblige to write down songs and tales in the folk language. Subsequently, the German grammar created by Karl appeared.
Continuity
In 806, Charles I the Great bequeathed his entire inheritance to his three sons: Louis, Pepin and Charles. But fate decreed as follows: in 810, Pepin died, and in 811, Charles the Young. Louis was the sole heir. It was him, shortly before his death, Charlemagne crowned. It happened in 813. On September 11, the order was given to name Louis emperor and augustus.
Death of Charlemagne
Shortly after passing the title to his son, Charlemagne was stricken with a terrible fever. In early January, acute pleurisy was added to the symptoms, which led to a fatal outcome. The emperor was buried in the palace church of Aachen.
When exactly the empire of Charles I reached its peak, it is difficult to say. The entire period of reign was marked by events that, to one degree or another, testified to prosperity. Numerous campaigns, the internal policy of the state, good relations with the church - all these are the foundations of a strong empire.
