Generals

[[image:SHield_with_cross.jpg] [[image:julius-caesar-general-dictator-bust.jpg]]The Roman civilization encompassed and encountered some of the most fearsome generals of ancient times. Starting at the beginning of the Roman Republic is Hannibal. He was the Carthaginian General who led his troops through the first two of the Punic Wars. It was only in the second though that Hannibal left his mark. He wanted to take the fighting into Rome so he and his Army of men and elephants marched over the Alps and onto Roman soil. But, by the time they reached the battlefield many men and Elephants had perished at the mercy of the cold and treacherous Alps. Hannibal and the Carthaginians fought valiantly but in the end they lost and Rome was left with a large sum of land to rule. Shortly after the Punic wars were over the Roman Government became unstable and the Republic was beginning to diminish with so many people battling for control over a great empire. Marius and Sulla were two public officials who fought each other for control and eventually Sulla drove Marius into exile and the Roman government shifted into a dictator ship. It wasn’t long before the same process was repeated by an ambitious consul named Julius Caesar. He, General Pompey Crassus the Politician ruled Rome as a triumvirate. Caesar then decided to go for ultimate power and become dictator of Rome. He captured Italy and drove Pompey south with his allies and Julius Caesar appointed himself dictator of Rome. While in rule he made changes that granted citizenship to many, helped the poor, reformed other aspects of Rome to make it a better place. Some senator grew frustrated with the dictatorship and murdered Caesar. Directly after the death of his Granduncle, Octavian Caesar, a.k.a. Augustus came to power in a second triumvirate. Much like his relative, Augustus betrayed his fellow Generals, their names of Marcus Lepidus and Marc Antony. Once Augustus became the uncontested leader he started the Roman Empire by naming himself emperor. During his reign the Pax Romana started and it would live for roughly two-hundred years until Economic and Political instability would set in. Constantine was Rome’s final great general, who was also the last chance for the survival of the Empire. Constantine practiced Christianity and went into battle after having his soldiers paint crosses on their shields, and after the battle was won, he credited the victory the Christian god. The city of Byzantium was captured by Constantine and named Constantinople after him. He succeeded Diocletian, and reinforce reforms put in by him, but it was too little too late. Barbaric tribes had already started invasions, which would combine with the internal instabilities to cause the once great Roman Empire to collapse.