The Roman Republic was the period when Rome had no king and no emperor, and was run by elected officials and the Senate. Tradition dates it from 509 BC to 27 BC. In that time Rome grew from one city into the ruler of the Mediterranean.
Key takeaways
- Under the Republic two consuls were elected each year, so no single person held power for long, in theory.
- On our map the Republic grows from 131,515 km² in 264 BC to 1.97 million km² in 44 BC.
- By 133 BC Rome already held 13 provinces, all of them won by a republic and not an emperor.
- The Republic ended in civil war, and Augustus, the first emperor, took power in 27 BC.
How the Roman Republic works
The Roman Republic began, according to tradition, in 509 BC, when the king Tarquin the Proud was expelled and Rome decided to have no more kings [1]. In the king's place came two consuls, each elected for one year, each able to block the other by a veto [1]. A body of older men, the Senate, advised them and grew to be the centre of government [1]. The Latin phrase res publica means "the public thing", which is where our word republic comes from.
Power was shared out on purpose. Magistrates held office for a short time, so nobody could settle in as a ruler. In practice, wealthy families supplied almost every consul and senator, and ordinary citizens had a smaller say. Historians disagree about how democratic the system really was.
The Republic is also the age of conquest. Rome beat its neighbours in Italy, fought Carthage in the Punic Wars, and took over lands around the Mediterranean. Those lands were governed as provinces, each under a governor sent out from Rome. That is a lot of power to hand to individuals, and it eventually broke the system. Generals with loyal armies began to fight each other in civil wars. Julius Caesar was named dictator for life in February 44 BC and was assassinated that March [1]. After his heir Octavian beat Antony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BC, the Senate gave him the title Augustus in 27 BC, which is often seen as the end of the Republic [1].
So the Republic did not end on one day, and nobody abolished the Senate or the consuls. Both carried on under the emperors, but with far less power [3].
An example from our data
The slider shows the Republic's growth in three steps. At 264 BC the outline covers about 131,515 km², with no provinces yet (0). By 133 BC it is about 805,540 km² and 13 provinces are held. By 44 BC, after the conquest of Gaul, it is about 1.97 million km² with 28 provinces. Each outline is built from stated methods: the provinces Rome held for the last two. Switch on Provinces to see them, and read the full story in how the empire grew. The provinces page lists the province outlines, which are drawn as they stood in AD 200.
The thing people get wrong
People often say Rome "became an empire" when Augustus took over. But Rome ruled an overseas empire for generations before that. The Republic already controlled land in Spain, Africa, Greece and Asia by 133 BC. What changed in 27 BC was how Rome was governed, not whether it ruled other peoples. "Empire" in the sense of one ruler came later; "empire" in the sense of ruling others came much earlier.
Roman Republic vs Roman Empire
| Roman Republic | Roman Empire | |
|---|---|---|
| Head of state | Two consuls, elected each year | One emperor, usually for life |
| Role of the Senate | Centre of government | Still meets, but the emperor holds the real power [3] |
| Map extent | 1.97 million km² at its last date, 44 BC | 4.88 million km² at the peak in AD 117 |
For the full comparison, see the page on the Roman Empire and the Roman Republic.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Roman Republic begin?
Traditionally in 509 BC, when the last king was thrown out. Some modern historians think the change was slower or more violent than the stories say.
How did the Roman Republic end?
Through civil wars. Julius Caesar was made dictator for life in 44 BC and murdered the same year, and his heir Octavian became Augustus in 27 BC.
How much of the map was Roman in the Republic?
About 1.97 million km² by 44 BC, the year Caesar died. That figure is measured from outlines rebuilt from the provinces Rome held.
Sources
- Roman Republic, Wikipedia.
- Roman Republic, World History Encyclopedia.
- Roman Empire, Wikipedia.
- Every figure from our own map is worked out from the datasets on the data sources page (checked against Ancient World Mapping Center outlines and Pleiades).