How did the Roman's gain territory?

Answer 1

Rome's expansion was very gradual and occurred over some 450 years. Its reasons varied from time to time. It was mostly due to military success. Rome fought and won many wars which occurred at different times and for different reasons. It was not the result of a grand design of imperial expansion. Rather, Rome, during the period of the Roman Republic stumbled on finding herself with an empire and was ill equipped to deal with this. It eventually fell under the weight of Imperialism and was replaced by the absolute rule by emperors.

The efficiency of the Roman army was an important factor in Rome's military success. Another important factor was Rome's alliances. When Rome gained control over most of central Italy and part of southern Italy by defeating the Samnites of southern Italy in the Three Samnite Wars ((343- 341 BC, 326- 304 BC and 298-290 BC), many peoples in this area made alliances with Rome, a few of them were annexed and the Samnites were forced into an alliance. The allies had to supply soldiers for Rome at their expense. The system worked because Rome supported the ruling elites and she shared the spoils of war, which could be considerable. Moreover, she fought to protect her allies. The allies provided at least 60% of the pool of military manpower available to Rome. This amounted to what has probably the largest military pool in the Mediterranean. Therefore, strength in numbers was an important factor.

Rome took over the Greek city-states of the heel and toe of Italy as a result of defeating an attempt to invade Italy by the Greek king Pyrrhus in the Pyrrhic War (275-270 BC). Rome won the Three Punic Wars against Carthage (264-241 BC, 218-201 BC and 149-146 BC). After the first was Rome Sicily, Sardiniaand Corsicafrom the Carthaginians. In the second war they defeated the Carthaginians in Spain and took over their territory in southern Spain. The Romans annexed this and eastern Spain as Roman provinces in 197 BC, On the third war Rome destroyed Carthage and seized her home territory, Tunisia and eastern Libya. The Romans also turned Illyricum(on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea) into a client with the Three Illyrian Wars (229/28 BC, 219 BC and 168 BC).

Rome fought a war against the Seleucid Empire (Roman-Seleucid War, 199-198 BC) and won. The Seleucids lost their territories in what is now Turkey. Rome gave many of these territories to the (Greek Kingdom of Pergamon (in western Turkey), which was an ally of Rome. She defeated the Galatians (Galatian War, 189 BC) and turned Galatia(in central Turkey) into a client kingdom. Cappadocia(also in central Turkey) became an ally of Rome. In 146 BC, after having fought several wars in Greece to help Greek states allied to her, Rome annexed mainland Greece. In 133 BC the last king of Pergamonbequeathed his kingdom to Rome. In 74 BC the last king of Bithynia(in north-western Turkey), who was also a Roman ally, did the same. The Romans fought the Third Mithridatic War (73-63 BC) against the Kingdom of Pontus(in north-eastern Turkey and its ally, Armenia. Rome won and annexed the eastern part of this kingdom and merged it with Bithynia. She turned Armeniainto a client state. In the same year (63 BC) she annexed Syriaand turned Judeainto a client state.

In the 120s BC Massalia (Marseilles), a Greek city in southern France which was a Roman ally, was attacked by Gallic tribes. Rome intervened and annexed southern France as the province of Gallia Narbonensis in 121 BC. In 58-50 BC there were the Gallic Wars in which Julius Caesar set out to conquer Gaul (France, Belgium, Holland south of the River Rhine and Germany west of the Rhine). This is the first instance of a deliberate conquest.

Augustus, the first Roman emperor, completed the conquest of central and western Spain, a process which was the result of local fighting against the Romans and losing their wars, in the last of such wars (CantabrianWars, 29-19 BC). In 15 BC he conquered Rhaetia(eastern Switzerland and part of southern Germany) because he considered this Alpine area as a buffer for the defence of Italy. He annexed Judeaon the request of the local Jews who were fed up with the misrule of the Herodian dynasty. He also set out to conquer the interior of Illyria, which led to the Great Illyrian Revolt (6-9 AD). The Romans also intervened in Moesia (central and eastern Bulgaria) to help an allied tribe for an attack. Moesia was joined into a military district together with Macedonia. They also conducted operations in Thrace(in south-eastern Bulgaria and north-western Greece) and turned it into a client kingdom. In 16 BC he annexed Noricum(most of Austria and part of Slovenia) because it had joined a raid on Italy by their neighbours. Under Augustus successor, Tiberius, Illyricum was divided into Dalmatia and Pannonia and the Moesia was separated from Macedonia as a province. In 6 BC Augustus promoted the conquest of GermaniaMagna(central Germany. By 6 BC the Romans had advanced to the River Elbe. However, three Roman legions were slaughtered by an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. This led to the Romans withdrawing from this area.

Only two other emperors carried out further conquests: Claudius and Trajan. Claudius ordered the conquest of southern Britain in 46. It is thought that he did this to bolster his political position in Rome, which was week. Vespasian ordered the conquest on Northern England because of a rebellion there. He annexed the client states of Lycia and Pamphylia (in Turkey), Thrace, Noricum and Mauretania (northern Morocco). Trajan waged war against the Dacians who were raiding the empire and conquered Dacia (part of Romania). He then fought a war with the Persians and conquered Mesopotamia(Iraq). His successor Hadrian gave Mesopotamia back to the Persians. After this there were not any further conquests.

Answer 2

Rome's expansion was very gradual and occurred over some 450 years. Its reasons varied from time to time. It was mostly due to military success. Rome fought and won many wars which occurred at different times and for different reasons. It was not the result of a grand design of imperial expansion. Rather, Rome, during the period of the Roman Republic stumbled on finding herself with an empire and was ill equipped to deal with this. It eventually fell under the weight of Imperialism and was replaced by the absolute rule by emperors.

The efficiency of the Roman army was an important factor in Rome's military success. Another important factor was Rome's alliances. When Rome gained control over most of central Italy and part of southern Italy by defeating the Samnites of southern Italy in the Three Samnite Wars ((343- 341 BC, 326- 304 BC and 298-290 BC), many peoples in this area made alliances with Rome, a few of them were annexed and the Samnites were forced into an alliance. The allies had to supply soldiers for Rome at their expense. The system worked because Rome supported the ruling elites and she shared the spoils of war, which could be considerable. Moreover, she fought to protect her allies. The allies provided at least 60% of the pool of military manpower available to Rome. This amounted to what has probably the largest military pool in the Mediterranean. Therefore, strength in numbers was an important factor.

Rome took over the Greek city-states of the heel and toe of Italy as a result of defeating an attempt to invade Italy by the Greek king Pyrrhus in the Pyrrhic War (275-270 BC). Rome won the Three Punic Wars against Carthage (264-241 BC, 218-201 BC and 149-146 BC). After the first was Rome Sicily, Sardiniaand Corsicafrom the Carthaginians. In the second war they defeated the Carthaginians in Spain and took over their territory in southern Spain. The Romans annexed this and eastern Spain as Roman provinces in 197 BC, On the third war Rome destroyed Carthage and seized her home territory, Tunisia and eastern Libya. The Romans also turned Illyricum(on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea) into a client with the Three Illyrian Wars (229/28 BC, 219 BC and 168 BC).

Rome fought a war against the Seleucid Empire (Roman-Seleucid War, 199-198 BC) and won. The Seleucids lost their territories in what is now Turkey. Rome gave many of these territories to the (Greek Kingdom of Pergamon (in western Turkey), which was an ally of Rome. She defeated the Galatians (Galatian War, 189 BC) and turned Galatia(in central Turkey) into a client kingdom. Cappadocia(also in central Turkey) became an ally of Rome. In 146 BC, after having fought several wars in Greece to help Greek states allied to her, Rome annexed mainland Greece. In 133 BC the last king of Pergamonbequeathed his kingdom to Rome. In 74 BC the last king of Bithynia(in north-western Turkey), who was also a Roman ally, did the same. The Romans fought the Third Mithridatic War (73-63 BC) against the Kingdom of Pontus(in north-eastern Turkey and its ally, Armenia. Rome won and annexed the eastern part of this kingdom and merged it with Bithynia. She turned Armeniainto a client state. In the same year (63 BC) she annexed Syriaand turned Judeainto a client state.

In the 120s BC Massalia (Marseilles), a Greek city in southern France which was a Roman ally, was attacked by Gallic tribes. Rome intervened and annexed southern France as the province of Gallia Narbonensis in 121 BC. In 58-50 BC there were the Gallic Wars in which Julius Caesar set out to conquer Gaul (France, Belgium, Holland south of the River Rhine and Germany west of the Rhine). This is the first instance of a deliberate conquest.

Augustus, the first Roman emperor, completed the conquest of central and western Spain, a process which was the result of local fighting against the Romans and losing their wars, in the last of such wars (CantabrianWars, 29-19 BC). In 15 BC he conquered Rhaetia(eastern Switzerland and part of southern Germany) because he considered this Alpine area as a buffer for the defence of Italy. He annexed Judeaon the request of the local Jews who were fed up with the misrule of the Herodian dynasty. He also set out to conquer the interior of Illyria, which led to the Great Illyrian Revolt (6-9 AD). The Romans also intervened in Moesia (central and eastern Bulgaria) to help an allied tribe for an attack. Moesia was joined into a military district together with Macedonia. They also conducted operations in Thrace(in south-eastern Bulgaria and north-western Greece) and turned it into a client kingdom. In 16 BC he annexed Noricum(most of Austria and part of Slovenia) because it had joined a raid on Italy by their neighbours. Under Augustus successor, Tiberius, Illyricum was divided into Dalmatia and Pannonia and the Moesia was separated from Macedonia as a province. In 6 BC Augustus promoted the conquest of GermaniaMagna(central Germany. By 6 BC the Romans had advanced to the River Elbe. However, three Roman legions were slaughtered by an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. This led to the Romans withdrawing from this area.

Only two other emperors carried out further conquests: Claudius and Trajan. Claudius ordered the conquest of southern Britain in 46. It is thought that he did this to bolster his political position in Rome, which was week. Vespasian ordered the conquest on Northern England because of a rebellion there. He annexed the client states of Lycia and Pamphylia (in Turkey), Thrace, Noricum and Mauretania (northern Morocco). Trajan waged war against the Dacians who were raiding the empire and conquered Dacia (part of Romania). He then fought a war with the Persians and conquered Mesopotamia(Iraq). His successor Hadrian gave Mesopotamia back to the Persians. After this there were not any further conquests.