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Roman Empire Facts & Worksheets

Thanks to Augustus Caesar, the Roman Empire was established after he proclaimed himself the first emperor of Rome in 31 B.C.

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The Roman Empire was the most comprehensive governmental and social institution in Western history at its peak. The empire became too large to be controlled by the central authority in Rome by 285 CE, and Emperor Diocletian separated it into a Western and an Eastern Empire. The Roman Empire started with Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor. It ended in the west with the deposition of the final Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, by the Germanic King Odoacer. It is known in the east as the Byzantine Empire until Constantine XI’s death and the downfall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 CE. The Roman Empire significantly impacted western civilization, making enduring contributions to every facet of western culture.

See the fact file below for more information on the Roman Empire. Alternatively, you can download our 25-page Roman Empire worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ROMULUS AND REMUS

  • The legend was that Rome was founded by the twin sons of the Roman God of War, Mars.
  • Left to drown in a basket on the Tiber by a king of nearby Alba Longa and rescued by a she-wolf, the twins lived to defeat him.
  • After killing his brother, Romulus became the first king of Rome, which is named after him.
  • Monarchy was the initial rule, but in 509 BC, the last king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, was overthrown. It was said he was cruel and unbecoming as a ruler.
  • Rome turned from a monarchy into a republic, a world derived from res publica, or “property of the people.”
  • Elected magistrates called consuls managed politics in Rome, including the army.

Overview: The Beginning of the Roman Empire

  • Upon the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Julius Caesar’s nephew and successor, Gaius Octavian Thurinus, was made the first Emperor of Rome and adopted the name, Augustus Caesar.
  • Even though Julius Caesar is frequently considered Rome’s first emperor, this is inaccurate; he never held the title ‘Emperor,’ but rather ‘Dictator.” A title the Senate couldn’t help but bestow him because Caesar had absolute military and political authority at the time.
  • On the contrary, the Senate eagerly bestowed the title of Emperor to Augustus, lavishing acclaim and authority on him for annihilating Rome’s adversaries and bringing much-needed stability.
  • Augustus controlled the empire from 31 BCE until he died in 14 CE. Augustus restructured the city’s laws and, by augmentation, the kingdom and secured Rome’s borders. He also initiated vast building projects (primarily carried out by his devoted general Agrippa, who constructed the first Pantheon). He guarded the empire’s lasting reputation as one of the greatest, if not the strongest, political and cultural powers in history.
  • The Pax Romana (Roman Peace), furthermore recognized as the Pax Augusta, something that he inaugurated, was a previously unknown period of peace and prosperity that would continue for over 200 years.

31 BCE – 305 CE – The High Empire

  • An empire is a system of government in which a single person, an emperor or empress, rules over a group of people. The Roman Empire started during Emperor Augustus’ reign and curtailed the Senate’s influence, transforming it into an organ to assist the emperor.
  • The High Empire is the time between Augustus and Diocletian. The Low Empire, the period between Diocletian and the decline of the Roman Empire in the west.
  • Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero were Augustus’ heirs who succeeded him between 14 and 68. When Emperor Nero died, the hereditary succession got broken, and a civil war broke out in 68. Three emperors struggled for power, and the conflict was won eventually by Vespasian, a member of the Flavian dynasty.
  • The Antonines succeeded the Flavian dynasty (96-193). These emperors followed a policy similar to that of the Flavians. 
  • Septimius Severus (197-235) became the first emperor of the Imperial Severan Dynasty. Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus, and Alexander Severus took their position.
  • The whole strength of Rome, the empire’s capital, waned throughout time. Between 235 and 300, Rome’s primary concern was protecting her boundaries against incessant Barbarian and Sasanian invasions (from Persia). The army took control in 235 due to the strain from these attacks.
  • This period, known as military anarchy, lasted around fifty years. The rulers of this period were only concerned with battling the empire’s adversaries and defending the empire’s frontiers.
  • As a result of the repeated conflicts, the army was incredibly costly to run, and the empire fell bankrupt. As a result, the populace became destitute, and many lost their identities and ideals. Many people are questioning their religious views, especially in light of new ideologies from the east.
  • Diocletian’s pursuit of a constantly increasing Christian minority was a means of ridding the empire of the threats it faced. Diocletian’s pursuit of a continually rising Christian minority was a means of alleviating the kingdom and the dangers it faced.
  • A military insurrection saved the empire and crowned Diocleta as emperor in 284. During his reign, he established the Tetrarchy, a type of administration that shares authority. Diocletian assigned the western areas of the empire to the general Maximian, while the emperor ruled out over eastern regions. He would appoint two Caesars years later.
  • Diocletian was deposed in 305, demonstrating that the Tetrarchic governmental system could not function without a leader.

305 CE – 476 CE – The Low Empire

  • Following Diocletian’s abdication in 305, a series of battles erupted until 312, when Constantine became the only emperor of the west. He was to serve as the united empire’s final ruler, and he established Christianity as the empire’s official religion.
  •  Relocated the empire’s capital to restore the ancient city of Byzantium. Byzantium gets called Constantinople or the City of Constantine on November 8, 324.
  • Constantine’s successor, Theodosius, split the empire among his two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, forming the Western Roman Empire as well as the Eastern Roman Empire. In 476, the Western Roman Empire collapses.
  • However, the other half, known as the Byzantine Empire, endured until 1453, when Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, fell into decline.

The Fall Of The Roman Empire

  • During 376-382 CE, Romans fought the Gothic Wars, a series of conflicts against invading Goths. The Roman Emperor Valens got defeated at the Battle of Adrianople on August 9, 378 CE, and historians see this event as significant in the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
  • There proposed several ideas as to why the empire’s demise, but there is still no consensus on what those distinct elements were. In the book The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon famously stated that Christianity played a vital part in the new religion, destroying the social conventions of the empire that paganism provided.
  • The argument that Christianity was a core cause of the empire’s demise was long before Gibbon; yet, as early as 418 CE, the theologian Orosius asserted Christianity’s innocence in Rome’s decline. According to Orosius, Rome’s collapse got caused chiefly by paganism and pagan customs. Other elements that contributed to Rome’s demise include:
    • Because of the empire’s vastness, there was political instability.
    • The self-interest of the empire’s two parts
    • Barbarian tribes invade
    • Corruption in government
    • Armies of mercenaries 
    • Excessive dependence on enslaved laborers
    • Significant unemployment and inflation
  • The empire’s ungovernable breadth, even when it split into two, made it impossible to control. The Eastern Empire thrived, whereas the Western Empire faltered, and neither considered aiding the other.
  • Eastern and Western Rome considered each other rivals rather than colleagues, working solely for their benefit.
  • The increasing dominance of the Germanic tribes and their repeated invasions of Rome could have been addressed more efficiently if not for corruption in government, particularly among provincial governors, and the Romans’ overall equitable treatment of the Goths.
  • The Roman military, mostly made up of barbarian mercenaries with no ethnic links to Rome, could no longer protect the boundaries as effectively as it previously did, nor could the state impose taxes in the provinces as readily.
  • The currency’s debasement, which began under the Severan Dynasty, continuously supported inflation and enslaved labor, which was prevalent, and robbed lower-class individuals of work, resulting in skyrocketing unemployment numbers.
  • The Visigoths’ entry into the empire in the 3rd century CE, escaping the invasion of Huns, and subsequent revolts have also been considered reasons for their downfall.
  • On September 4, 476 CE, Emperor Romulus Augustulus was ousted by the Germanic King Odoacer, effectively ending the Western Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire survived as the Byzantine Empire until 1453 CE, and while being called early on as simply “the Roman Empire,” it had little resemblance to that entity.
  • The Western Roman Empire was eventually re-invented as The Holy Roman Empire (962-1806 CE). However, that construct was likewise far away from the ancient Roman Empire and was merely an ’empire’ in the name.

The Legacy of the Roman Empire

  • The Roman Empire’s inventions and ideas significantly influenced the lives of the ancient people and are employed in cultures today.
  • The Romans devised or improved road and building construction advances, plumbing indoors, water pipes, and even fast-drying cement.
  • Julius Caesar’s calendar is based on the Western calendar, as are the designations of the days and the months of the year. Even the notion of returning a purchase one learns does not want to begin in Rome, where regulations allowed customers to return defective or unwanted things to the seller.
  • The Romans invented apartment buildings (insula), public bathrooms, locks and keys, newspapers, socks, shoes, a mail system (patterned after the Persians), cosmetics, the magnifying glass, and the notion of satire in literature.
  • During the empire’s reign, substantial advances got made in medicine, law, religion, governance, and the military. The Romans were skilled at adopting and expanding on innovations or notions discovered among the indigenous populations of conquered territories.
  • As a result, distinguishing between an ‘original’ Roman invention and an improvement on an existing notion, method, or equipment is difficult. Yet, it is safe to say that the Roman Empire left an indelible imprint on how people live today.

Roman Empire Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Roman Empire across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Roman Empire worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Roman Empire, which was established thanks to Augustus Caesar after he proclaimed himself the first emperor of Rome in 31 B.C. His reign came to an end with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 C.E.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Imperial Timeline
  • Territorial Expansion
  • Roman Greatness
  • Rockin’ Rulers
  • Punic Wars
  • Conquered Lands
  • Those Who Fought Back
  • Rome Divided
  • Imperials Rulers
  • The Roman Empire

Frequently Asked Questions

How did the Roman Empire begin?

Upon the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Julius Caesar’s nephew and successor, Gaius Octavian Thurinus, was made the first Emperor of Rome and adopted the name, Augustus Caesar. The Roman Empire started with Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor.

What does Pax Romana mean?

The Pax Romana (Roman Peace), furthermore recognized as the Pax Augusta, something that he inaugurated, was a previously unknown period of peace and prosperity that would continue for over 200 years.

What ended the Roman Empire?

It ended in the west with the deposition of the final Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, by the Germanic King Odoacer. It is known in the east as the Byzantine Empire until Constantine XI’s death and the downfall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 CE. 

Why did the Roman Empire fall?

According to Orosius, Rome’s collapse got caused chiefly by paganism and pagan customs. Other elements that contributed to Rome’s demise include the empire’s vastness, political instability, the self-interest of the empire’s two parts, Barbarian tribes invading, corruption in government, armies of mercenaries, excessive dependence on enslaved laborers, and significant unemployment and inflation.

What legacy did the Roman Empire leave?

The Roman Empire’s inventions and ideas significantly influenced the lives of the ancient people and are employed in cultures today. The Romans devised or improved road and building construction advances, indoor plumbing, water pipes, and many more. Distinguishing between an original Roman invention and an improvement on an existing idea is difficult. Yet, it is safe to say that the Roman Empire left an indelible imprint on how people live today.

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Use With Any Curriculum

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