Fall of the Roman Empire (in the West) Section 6

Problems of the Empire Emperors faced population decline, unrest, and attacks Civil War and violent deaths of emperors Legions were no longer able to successfully defend Rome’s borders Travel became unsafe Population decreases due to a great plague Taxes rose, but money declined in value Coins were minted containing copper and lead reducing their value Merchants raised prices Inflation (a rise in prices that decreases the value of money) *Some people reverted to bartering

Diocletian *Also creates an ordered society where everything was controlled by the government. Ex. Sons had to follow trades/positions of their fathers & peasants were permanently tied to the land they farmed Named emperor by the army in A.D 284 – an able administrator He divided the empire in two, realizing it was too large. Maximian ruled the west while he took the east

Diocletian Continued Ended lawlessness in the empire and drove out invading barbarians (by greatly increasing the size of the army). Tried to improve commerce and manufacturing through setting price and wage controls in an effort to stop inflation

Constantine Became sole emperor of a reunited empire in AD 324 His reign is know for two great achievements: *New (Christian) Capitol City - Constantinople *Protection of Christians By A.D. 400, however, two empires again existed (east and west), with the west growing constantly weaker.

The Germans The most important enemies attacking the Romans were the Germanic tribes that lived beyond the Rhine and Danube Rivers Exs. Ostrogoths, Vandals, Visigoths, etc. Many Germans moved peacefully into the empire due to pressure from the Asiatic tribe further east called the Huns *Attila being the most famous Hun leader (“Attila the Hun”)

Visigoths Defeat Romans in A.D. 378 @ Battle of Adrianople Sack Rome itself in A.D. 410 under their leader Alaric *He dies shortly thereafter and they migrate to Spain

One Germanic tribe caused senseless destruction of everything in their path and were called the Vandals *They sack Rome in 455 AD **An undeserved reputation…?

While the eastern part of the empire regrouped and regained strength, the west weakened further. In A.D. 476 the last Roman Emperor in the West was overthrown by the Barbarians (Germans). His name was Romulus Augustulus *Odoacer, the Germanic leader who overthrows Romulus Augustulus

Results of Rome’s Decline Literacy declined Knowledge declined People fled from the cities Libraries were destroyed Because the Germanic tribes were unable at that time to hold and rule such a large empire, the former Western Roman Empire fell into anarchy, chaos, and many smaller kingdoms

Why Rome Declined -Army The once mighty legions became plagued by poor leaders & lack of discipline Military interference in the choice of the emperor also hurt the stability of the empire * Too many assassinations!

Barbarian Invaders Not until the empire was already declining, however, were the barbarians able to break through the frontiers

Political Weakness Many soldiers lost a sense of loyalty to Rome and instead served whomever could pay them the most Rome tried to control a large empire with a government set up to run a city state. There was no civilian control of the military

Economic Decline After Trajan’s rule the Roman government could no longer maintain itself on rich plunder from foreign wars. Government expenses were heavy. Taxes had to finance construction of public buildings, maintain the army, and run two (east & west) governments. Decreased revenue ($) led to unrepaired roads & increase in banditry Increasing danger in travel led to a decrease in trade Wealth was concentrated in the hands of too few!

Social Changes ~ Early Romans, though uncultured, were hard working and very patriotic ~ Romans of the later empire lost this patriotism ~ Divide between rich and poor becomes greater and greater, causing bitterness and lack of loyalty to Rome