Italy (Roman epoch)

At the time ancient Rome, in the last centuries of the Republic then under the Empire, the concept of Italy does not correspond exactly to the country now defined by the same term. In the Antiquity, the concept of Italy evolved/moved to manage to indicate the Italic peninsula in its totality, of Brindisi until the the Alps but never related to the islands. It was already about a territory very vast and marked at the beginning by a very great ethnic diversity and social. In spite of the diffusion of the romanisation, this Italy unified by Rome always kept strong local particularisms and one could speak for it about incomplete identity.

Roman Italy: an exception vis-a-vis the provinces

In Antiquity, one never regarded the Sicily and the Sardinia as belonging to Italy. In the same way, under the empire, a part as of current Italy depended on the provinces of the Alps: the Alps Cottiennes or Rhétie. The limits of Italy, in the north of the peninsula, indeed, were changeantes: many people disputed the territory of it: people Italiotes, Ligure, Etruscan then Celtic and Romains. The Celte presence was sufficiently strong and influential so that the north of our current Italy was a long time regarded as part of the Gaulle and was named Gaulle Cisalpine or Gaulle Transpadane. For this reason it was the only part of the peninsula which was indeed a Roman Province, the province de Gaulle Cisalpine. After César however this province disappears, becoming with whole share a piece of Italy.

The territory of Italy, which was the first field of expansion of the Roman power, was integrated into the empire incipient according to variable methods: Roman and Latin colonies, treated alliance ( Foedus ), confiscation of the territory. Never however Italy was regarded as a province, this term being reserved with the nonItalic administration of the territories. If the word provincia is sometimes used by some of our sources in relation to functions in Italy it is never in its administrative or technical direction but in its broadest direction, that of " concerning district a magistrat" , thus at the time late the Digeste he speaks about the provincia of the Préfet about the City, thus also finds one under the Republic the term provincia used for the management of the forests of the peninsula. Even when Italy did not have any more any privilege compared to the provinces, after the Tétrarchie, the Roman capacity always avoided the word province, him substituent that of area ( regio , regiones ).

Indeed after the social War the destiny of the Italians and the Romans did not make any more that one and the peninsula was strongly distinguished from the other territories controlled by Rome. The advent of the empire initially reinforced this situation, Italy enjoying an unequalled prestige, privileges strong at the same time as of an hegemonic position military but also economic in the the Mediterranean. The progressive integration of the provinces to the Empire, them legal and cultural romanisation, their economic development and social, relativized this Italian exception rather quickly. The 2nd century of our era marks a turning: the weight of the provinces clearly exceeds that of Italy in many fields, the administration of Italy approaches that of the provinces. The difficulties of the 3rd century and the reforms post-tetrachic put definitively fine except, even if the weight of last prestige remains. The distance of the emperors, the foundation of a new capital in the East and divisions born of the cruel invasions see Italy again divided to enter the Top Moyen-âge.

The work of Auguste

The reorganization augustéenne completed the integration of old Cisalpine in Italy: the areas north of the peninsula, from Ligurie in Transpadane (current Venezia) entered Italy fully. The latter saw herself divided into eleven administrative areas.

Regio I Latium and Campania
Regio II Apulie and Calabria
Regio III Lucanie and Bruttium
Regio IV Samnium
Regio V Picenum
Regio VI Ombrie and Ager Gallicus
Regio VII Étrurie
Regio VIII Aemilia
Regio IX Ligurie
Regio X Venezia and Istrie
Regio XI Transpadana

Italy is then the most privileged part empire: all its free inhabitants are Roman citizens and are exempted direct tax, except for the new tax on the heritages created to finance the military needs (retirement of the veterans).

Under the Empire

as from the 2nd century

The place of Italy in the empire, at the second century, lost its preponderance. The romanisation of the provinces, and for unquestionable well started integration their elites within the orders equestrian and senatorial reduced the exceptional character of Italy. Even if the Italians remain majority with the senate almost until the end of the century, the entry the provincial ones changed gives it political. The second century sees the empire controlled by emperors resulting provincial families: Trajan, Hadrian and Marc Aurèle resulting from Spain, Antonin the Piles of Narbonnese. As of the first years of the century, Trajan has to regulate the presence of the senators in Italy, obliging them to have an important part (a third) their grounds in Italy: according to Pline the Young person (VI, 19), certain senators lived indeed in Italy as in a hotel trade, such of the travellers. Measurement had only one limited effect and was reiterated by Marc Aurèle but to a lesser extent (a quarter of the grounds).

Other factors which ensured its preeminence on the empire change little by little into an inflection which lasts throughout the century and started at the first century. The legions from now on fixed at the borders of the empire, in provinces moved away, regionalize little by little their recruitment. The share of the Italians in the army decreases, that of provincial increases, even if the Italians never gave up the posts of officer like those of centurions, the traditional areas of military recruitment in Italy are put more at contribution only exceptionally, at the time of the creation of new legions for example, as it was the case under Marc Aurèle.

For a long time these observations were supported by the table of Roman Italy on the decline, touched by an economic serious attack, depopulation and finally incompetent to be opposed to competition provinces. If it is true that in certain fields of the provinces knew to collect before assured markets by Italy like the sigillée Céramique, it is difficult to extrapolate a general situation. The displacement of the productions of sigillée of Italy as a Gaulle also corresponds to emergence on the Rhine of the request of the legionaries. In addition one can, with Moses Finley, to minimize the total importance of these productions in the ancient economy. Conversely part of the researchers regard them as a marker of more important but less visible economic displacements in our sources. Sometimes from this point of view some building sites for exemplary excavations received a very strong exposure and seemed to summarize the destiny of Italy and its economy at the second century. It is the case of the villa of Settefinestre towards Cosa, which sees its productions declining then is abandoned towards 160 - 170. There still it is be likely to generalize the history - even brilliantly reconstituted - of only one area, and to want to draw some from the lesson for all Italy. Other areas show on the contrary an agrarian and economic dynamism, like the area of Aquilée. It also seems that the many imports should be included/understood coming from the provinces not as the sign of a decline of Italy but rather like the resultant of the disproportionate size of the Roman market and of a technological situation which made that certain maritime transport with long distance was more economic than surface transports with average outdistances. Italy only has it cannot nourish Rome, the imports give an account of this fact more than of a decline which one pains more and more to see at the second century. In the same way the demographic decline is not placed any more before the Peste antonine and the consequences of the latter are discussed and not very clear.

The place symbolic system of Italy is hardly reached either, and it is the object of the solicitude of the emperors who reside for the majority on his territory except for the emperors engaged in wars (Trajan, Marc Aurèle) and of Hadrian, traveller by taste and perhaps by political will. The institution of the food foundations by Trajan, very as much as with the need to help certain not very fortunate Italians testifies to the solicitude of the emperor for the Italian ground and its citizens. Nevertheless this solicitude had also a reverse: a control deepened on the municipal autonomy of the many cities of the peninsula. It is through the institution of the curators that it appears. One does not interpret however any more today the curator like the expression of an imperial will of seizure on the cities, and one knows better, since work of F. Jacques, the distance which it can have with the city that it must supervise punctually. The principle of a monitoring by the administration imperial was essential however.

Did Hadrian want to still deepen it? He entrusted Italy to four consular carrying the title of legates of majestic propretor, title used for the governors of province. The outcry raised in the senate made that measurement was cancelled by its successor. She however met a real need: the areas of Italy needed a more hierarchical administration, in particular in the field of civil justice (right of the supervisions). Also Marc Aurèle created it into 165 the legal ones ( iuridici ) which exerted in districts with geographical cutting enough changing. The zone located in the 100 miles around Rome depended as for it on the prefect on the City which saw its prerogatives increased under the Sévères. Out of this zone, and for serious businesses or concerning with the interests of the emperor, or with questions of maintenance of law and order, the Préfet of the court could intervene, as they did it towards 168, forcing the city of Saepinum to respect the right of the pastors transhumants.

With many regards the second century is for Italy one century of transition, of retreat of its preeminence, but to in no case the decline that a historiography exceeded with desired seeing until in the years 1970, while being based amongst other things on the theses of Mr. Rostovtseff.

starting from the end of the 3rd century

From the Crisis of IIIe century, the situation of the empire worsens constantly. The economic problems, the cruel incursions and the civil wars led to an almost complete disintegration of the empire. It was saved by Dioclétien (284-305) and the Division of the Roman Empire is consumed under Constantin I {{er}}. In 330, Rome remains capital of the Western part, but Constantinople becomes the capital of the Byzantine Empire and made moved the administration and the imperial court towards Constantinople. It also makes move the Italian fleet based with Misenum and Ravenne for the Bridge. Constantin supports also the diffusion of the Christian religion (313, edict of Milan) by removing the brakes with this diffusion, and is really combined with the church.

Christianity becomes the only official religion of the empire in 380 under Théodose I {{er}}. After the death of this last in 395, the Roman Empire of Occident is made up only of Italy. The Western capital is moved of Mediolanum with Ravenne in 402. Alaric, king of the Visigoths, puts at bags Rome in 403, seven centuries after the last bag. Italy of North is attacked by the Huns of Attila, and Rome put again at bag by the Visigoths in 410.

According to the Notitia dignitatum , after the Years 420, the Western Empire with the Africa and the Illyrie is managed by a praetorio Prefectus Italiae , a vicarius , and a comes rei militaris . The areas were controlled by eight consulares , two correctores and four praesides .

The emperors, directing cruel forces, control little their borders and their coasts which are perpetually attacked. In 496, with the death of Romulus Augustule, the Western Empire disappears. Italy remains controlled by Odoacre a few years, then it is divided into several kingdoms. The Reunification of Italy will reproduce then only at the 18th century