-
Period: 751 BCE to 506 BCE
The Roman Kingdom (753 BCE – 509 BCE)
-
750 BCE
753 BCE Traditional founding of Rome by Romulus.
-
509 BCE
753–509 BCE Rome is ruled by a series of Etruscan kings.
-
509 BCE
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
Rome becomes a republic after the last king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, is overthrown. The Roman government is led by elected officials like consuls and senators. -
Period: 509 BCE to 25 BCE
The Roman Republic (509 BCE – 27 BCE)
-
264 BCE
264–146 BCE: Punic Wars
Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. Rome eventually defeats Carthage and becomes the dominant power in the western Mediterranean. -
96 BCE
96–180 CE Five Good Emperors
The period of the "Five Good Emperors"—Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius—marked by relative peace and prosperity. -
42 BCE
44 BCE: Assassination of Julius Caesar
marking the end of the Roman Republic’s stability. -
31 BCE
Battle of Actium.
Octavian (later Augustus) defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra, leading to the consolidation of power under one ruler. -
27 BCE
Augustus
Octavian is given the title Augustus by the Senate, marking the official start of the Roman Empire. Augustus rules as the first emperor. -
Period: 18 BCE to 476 BCE
The Roman Empire (27 BCE – 476 CE)
-
64
64 CE Death of Augustus
His stepson Tiberius becomes emperor.
64 CE: The Great Fire of Rome during Emperor Nero's reign. Nero is later blamed for the persecution of Christians. -
69
69 CE Year of the Four Emperors
a brief period of civil war following Nero's death.
96–180 CE: The period of the "Five Good Emperors"—Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius—marked by relative peace and prosperity. -
117
117 CE Emperor Trajan
At its greatest extent under Emperor Trajan, the Roman Empire stretches from Britain in the west to Mesopotamia in the east. -
Period: 232 to 284
Crisis of the Third Century (235 CE – 284 CE)
The Crisis of the Third Century, a period of military anarchy, civil wars, and economic decline, nearly leads to the collapse of the empire. -
280
Tetrarchy
Diocletian rises to power in 284 CE and reforms the empire, creating the Tetrarchy, a system of rule by four co-emperors to stabilize the empire. -
Period: 281 to 475
Dominate (284 CE – 476 CE)
-
313
313 CE: Emperor Constantine the Great issues
313 CE: Emperor Constantine the Great issues the Edict of Milan, granting religious tolerance to Christians and marking the beginning of the Christianization of the empire. -
323
324 CE: Constantine reunifies
324 CE: Constantine reunifies the empire under his sole rule and moves the capital to Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). -
380
Emperor Theodosius
380 CE: Emperor Theodosius I makes Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire. -
395
Upon Theodosius’s death
395 CE: Upon Theodosius’s death, the Roman Empire is permanently divided into the Western Roman Empire (based in Rome) and the Eastern Roman Empire (based in Constantinople). -
410
The Visigoths
410 CE: The Visigoths, led by Alaric, sack Rome, signaling the empire's vulnerability. -
Period: 410 to 474
The Fall of the Western Roman Empire