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ROME
(ROMA)
At the death of Domiziano,
to avoid political discontinuity, the transmission of power
was established through the principle of adoption which substituted
that of inheritance. Nerva (96-98), Traiano (98-117) who conquered
Dacia (land of the Daci or Getae) and Arabia, Adriano (117-38)
which reinforced the possession in Britannia (vallo di Adriano),
Antonino Pio (138-61) and Marco Aurelio (161-80) were examples
of political capacity and wise administration.
The principality
returned to inheritance with the succession of Marco Aurelio
Commodo’s son (180-92). The high military costs to protect
the borders, famine and pestilence; to which the civil war
between the military for the succession of the throne was
added, weakened the Empire. During the term of Settimio Severo
(193-211), notwithstanding the administrative and army reform,
a profound crisis began, which continued right up to the term
of Diocleziano (284-305). With the constitution antoniniana
(Latin: "Constitution (or Edict) of Antoninus")
of Caracalla (212) (whose real name was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus),
an opportunity was given to all subjects of the Empire allowing
them Roman citizenship, therefore putting into action the
livelling and balancing of the huge territorial organism towards
its formal completion. In the meantime, the diffusion of Christianity
amongst the ruling classes and that of the same imperial court,
accepting Church rule as its main purpose of life, not only
religious but also ethical, was a dangerous adversary, which
the Emperors battled against by use of continued persecution.
After the reform of Diocleziano which defined a new territorial
and administrative Imperial Asset by separating military and
civil powers and placing its basis by use of tetrarchy, the
division of the Empire in the Occidental and Oriente areas
and the recognition of Christianity, or at least the legally
tolerated religion religio licita (Milan edition, 313) apart
from that of Costantino (306-337), the Western Empire saw
the reinforcement of the authority of the Roman Church and
progressive economic and political decline. Reunified by the
same Costantino, the Empire was divided yet again by Teodosio
(379-395) between his sons Onorio (395—423) and Arcadio.
The continual infiltration of the German population, the solidarity
offered them by the servile classes and farmers burdened by
high fiscal pressures, the feuds between the proprietors of
provincial land and the military army commandants, weakened
the border defence which left her open to invasion by the
Unni and Goti (pillage of Rome by Alarico, 410) until the
deposition of Romolo Augustolo (476) brought about by Erulo
Odoacre. The constitution of the Roman-Barbaric kingdoms,
in particular that of the Italian peninsular touched by the
Ostrogoth Teodorico, who in 493 deprived Odacre of all authority,
favoured the rise of Papal power around the conspicuous ecclesiastic
patrimony. Many bloody political and religious conflicts broke
out regarding the election of the pontiff. Disturbed by the
Greek-Gothic war, Rome underwent a drastic demographic and
territorial decline. Occupied by the Byzantine General Narsete
(552), the City recovered under the Papacy of Gregorio Magno
(590-604) therefore freeing itself from the oriental (eastern)
interference after the Monotelita schism (2nd half of the
7th Century) and the popular revolt of 725 and 726-29. In
754, to face the Longobards aim of expansion, the Papacy began
a political alliance with the French (Pipino, King of France,
became Patrician of the Romans) culminating in the recognition
by Rome of that part of the church and universal monarchy
(Coronation of Carlo Magno, Natale 800); due to this a vast
dominion in central Italy was formed under a Pontifical authority
(Church State).
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Art City
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BARCACCIA'S FOUNTAIN |
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PONTE SISTO ON TIBER |
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VITTORIANO |
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