How did Rome go from monarchy, to republic, to empire and then fall?

Overthrow of Roman Kingdom

509 BCE

The Roman Republic began when the last Roman King was overthrown. Elected senators then began to make all of the important decisions. Roman hatred of kings is also the reason why future Roman leaders would refuse to call themselves kings.

Gaul Sack of Rome

387 BCE

The city of Rome was raided by Gallic tribes while it was completely undefended. This made the Romans vow that this would be the last time the city was invaded, but the Goths would sack Rome nearly 800 years later.

Destruction of Carthage

146 BCE

The Roman Republic ended the Third Punic War by sacking Carthage. This marked a high point in the Roman Republic's expansion since they finally defeated their greatest rival.

Tiberius Gracchus is murdered

133 BCE

Tiberius was a Roman politician who attempted to start political reforms in the Republic. He was later murdered by rival senators, marking the first time a Roman politician had been murdered for political reasons. This could be considered the start of corruption in the Republican government.

Julius Caesar becomes Dictator

45 BCE

After marching his troops on Rome and winning a civil war, Caesar declared himself dictator for life. He then began to create a new system of government that answered directly to him

Octavian becomes emperor

27 BCE

Octavian became the first Roman Emperor, which marked the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire.

Roman Empire splits

285

The Emperor Diocletian decided that the Roman Empire was too large to manage. He divided the Empire into two parts, the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire.

Capital is moved to Constantinople

324

The Emperor Constantine moved the Roman Capital to Byzantium and renamed the city to Constantinople. This meant that the majority of Rome's resources would be moved to the Eastern Empire

Gothic sack of Rome

410

The Visigoths invaded the Western Roman Empire and eventually marched into Italy itself. This was the first time in nearly 800 years that the walls of Rome had been breached.

Fall of Rome

476

The last Western Roman Emperor was deposed and replaced by an Ostrogothic Warlord. This meant the end for the Western Roman Empire as it was replaced by fractured Germanic Kingdoms

Summary

500

The Republic was created when the kings of the Roman Monarchy were overthrown and replaced by elected senators. After a period of increasing corruption and instability, Julius Caesar became dictator and tried to turn the Republic into an empire. Augustus took power and finished the transformation, permanently changing the Republic into a dictatorship. The Empire lasted a long time, but it eventual declined until the Western Empire finally fell from barbarian invasions.