The Roman Republic in 2 minutes

Welcome to quick revision. This is the history of the Roman Republic in two minutes. The city of Rome was founded in 753 BC by the legendary figure known as Romulus. Originally, it was ruled by seven kings, but the last one was overthrown in 509 BC. The city of Rome then became a republic in which, every year, people voted for who would rule over them. The highest position you could be voted into was known as the consulship, and two people were consuls each year. Between 400 to 300 BC, Rome militarily conquered most of Italy. Rome then had three wars, known as the Punic Wars, with the powerful city of Carthage, which was located in North Africa. In the Second Punic War, a famous Carthaginian general, called Hannibal, invaded Italy. Even though Hannibal won a series of stunning battles, he failed to defeat Rome. At the end of the Third Punic War, in 146 BC, Rome finally defeated Carthage and became the most powerful state in the Mediterranean. Beginning from 100 BC, the people who became consuls used their military power to try and take over the Roman Republic. Civil war broke out, with powerful consuls fighting each other to become the ruler of Rome. In 49 BC, one of these men, called Julius Caesar, marched his army into Rome and took control of the entire Republic. But, in 44 BC, other Romans assassinated him. Thirteen years later, Julius Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, won another civil war and was declared the sole ruler of Rome. Instead of being assassinated, Octavian became the first emperor of Rome. He was renamed Augustus and turned the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.