The Roman Empire is a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The Roman Empire is considered to have begun with the creation of the Principate in 27 BC when Augustus began skillfully centralizing power, bringing an end to the Republic of Rome in fact but not appearance. Roman citizens would go on considering themselves under a republic for another 300 years.
The Latin term Imperium Romanum (Roman Empire), the best-known Latin expression was the word imperium denotes a territory known as homoland, indicates the part of the world under Roman rule. Roman expansion began in the days of the Republic with their war with Carthage, but reached its zenith under Emperor Trajan. At this territorial peak, the Roman Empire controlled approximately 5,900,000 km² (2,300,000 sq mi) of the earth's surface.[1]
From the study this history we may also learn how a good government is to be established; for while all the emperors who succeeded to the throne by birth, except Titus, were bad, all were good who succeeded by adoption; as in the case of the five from Nerva to Marcus. But so soon as the empire fell once more to the heirs by birth, its ruin recommenced.[2]
In the late 3rd century AD, after the Crisis of the Third Century, Diocletian established the practice of dividing authority between two emperors, one in the western part of the empire and one in the east, in order to better administer the vast territory. For the next century this practice continued, with occasional periods in which one emperor assumed complete control. However, after the death of Theodosius I in 395, the two halves were permanently divided between his two sons, Honorius ruled in the west while Arcadius ruled in the east.[3] While the Eastern Empire flourished after the empire was divided the western had internal problems from the begin which lead to a civil war which would lead to the Western Roman Empires downfall in 476 AD when Odovacar took power.[4] The Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453 with the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks.[5] When the Eastern Empire collapsed it gave birth to the successor state Empire of Trebizond. The Empire of Trebizond was conquered by Ottoman Turks in 1461.