Roman Civil War• Generals and Politicians

formed personal army from loyal legions (Army)

• Series of leaders – power-sharing

agreements

• After series of internal conflicts chaos spreads

• Julius Caesar becomes first absolute rulers

From Republic to Empire: Julius Caesar

• Caesar was a Popular General– Named himself dictator

for life

• Powerful Centralized Government– Building projects

employed poor

– Gave Roman citizenship to conquered peoples

• Alienated aristocrats – Assassinated

From Republic to Empire: Augustus

Rome moves from a republic to an empire under his rule.

– Reformed Military • (Professional, Gave

Land/Money)

– Reformed Government • (Civil Service, Taxes)

– Reformed Society• (Marriage Law, Religion)

– Pax Romana

Roman Law

Roman Law• Twelve Tables and

Codes of Justinian

• Development of civil laws (Rights)

– Laws, Penalties specific

– Exact words not intention

– Applied to everyone in Empire

Roman Fasces

Penalties in Roman law• Fines• Imprisonment (rare)• Slavery (Poor)• Exile (Rich)• Death, plain and simple (Decapitation)

• Death “extreme prejudice” (Crucifixion)

• “he who killed a father or mother, grandfather or grandmother, was punished by being whipped till he bled, sewn up in a sack with a dog, viper and an ape, and thrown into the sea, of if the sea was not at hand- burnt.

• Settled dispute between Patricians and Plebeians

• Held the Society together

• Became part of Roman social culture

• Parts used by future civilizations (Europe, US)

• Regulatory• Whoever is convicted of speaking false witness shall be flung

from (a mountain).

• Only a person committing burglary in the night may be lawfully killed.

• A thief in the daytime may not be killed unless he carried a weapon

• Putting to death... of any man who has not been convicted, whosoever he might be, is forbidden."

• No person shall hold meetings in the City at night.

• Holders of property along a road shall maintain the road to keep it passable; but if it be passable, anyone may drive his beast or cart across the land wherever he chooses.

Personal Injury

If a person has maimed another's limb, let there be retaliation in kind, unless he agrees to make compensation with him.

For breaking a bone of a freeman, the fine shall be 300 asses; of a slave, 150 asses.

Whoever publishes a libel—that is today writes falsely imputed [intending] crime or immorality to anyone—shall be beaten to death with clubs.

Family Law

The provisions of the will of a paterfamilias [head of the household] concerning his property and the tutelage [support] of his family, shall have the force of law.

The father shall, during his who life, have absolute power over his children. He may imprison his son, or scourge him, or keep him working in the fields in fetters {chains}, or put him to death, even if the son held the highest offices of state . . .

Our ancestors saw fit that "females, by reason of levity of disposition, shall remain in guardianship, even when they have attained their majority.

Marriage shall not take place between a patrician and a plebeian.

A dreadfully deformed child shall be killed