Fall of the Roman Empire
The Fall of the Roman Empire 1. A Century of Crisis a. Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”) came to an end with Marcus Aurelius (AD ) b. Pax Romana began with the rule of Augustus (Octavian) and lasted for 200 years c. The rulers that followed were unable to manage the large empire and its growing problems. d. Result: The Roman Empire began to decline
4 Factors That Weakened Rome 1. Political 2. Social 3. Economic 4. Military
The Fall of the Roman Empire b. Political i. Moving the capital to Byzantium (Emperor Constantine) ii. Government began to be controlled by military iii. Terrible emperors such as Nero, Commodus, & Caligula murdered and impoverished their people
The Fall of the Roman Empire 2. Problems a. Economic i. Trade was disrupted by hostile tribes and pirates ii. No new gold or silver sources = raise taxes iii. Created more money = inflation (bad) iv. Soil in Italy and Western Europe became increasingly less fertile
The Fall of the Roman Empire c. Social i. People were slowly losing their confidence in the Empire ii. Contrast between the rich and poor was still very wide iii. Decline in interest in public affairs
The Fall of the Roman Empire d. Military i. Low funds for defense ii. Mercenaries (foreign soldiers) hired who accepted lower pay iii. Soldiers were less disciplined and loyal
The Fall of the Roman Empire 3. Reforms were attempted by a. Emperor Diocletian (284 AD) i. Ruled with iron fist and limited personal freedoms ii. Doubled size of army iii. Tried to control inflation iv. Divided empire in two: Greek Speaking East & Latin Speaking West
The Fall of the Roman Empire b. Emperor Constantine a. Embraced Christianity due to a vision he had at the battle of Milvian Bridge; victory at Milvian Bridge made him sole ruler of Rome b. First Christian Roman emperor c. Issued the Edict of Milan which allowed Christians to worship freely d. Moves capital of the empire east to Byzantium (far away from the Germanic tribes) e. New city is later renamed Constantinople (in modern day Turkey) f. Eastern empire flourishes due to trade and wealth
The Fall of the Roman Empire 4. Western Empire Falls because… i. Internal (government, social) problems ii. Separation of the Western Empire from the wealthier Eastern Empire iii. Outside invasions
The Fall of the Roman Empire c. Germanic Invasions i. Mongol nomads, The Huns, forced Germanic peoples on the empire’s borders to push into Roman lands ii. Last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, ousted by Germanic forces in 476 AD
The Fall of the Roman Empire Result: The Western Roman Empire was no more, but the Eastern Empire would continue to thrive as a region known as Byzantium (Istanbul)
The Byzantine Empire
The Western Empire ends in 476 A.D. The Middle Ages (Dark Ages) Begin. But, in the East, the Eastern Empire becomes the Byzantine Empire and lasts more than 1,000 years. The capital of the Byzantine Empire is Constantinople.
Why Did the Byzantine Empire Survive? Large Army Blending of Cultures Constantinople’s Location was favorable for trade and defense. Strong Government
Emperor Justinian
Justinian Builds the Hagia Sophia One of the most famous architectural structures is the Hagia Sophia, which was the religious center of the Byzantine Empire. Hagia Sophia means “holy wisdom.”
Why Did the Byzantine Empire Decline (Fall)? Mysterious Plague of Justinian Broke out in 542 A.D. killing thousands each day Plague returned every 8-10 years, decreasing the population The Crusades Armies of knights from Western Europe pillaged the capital Invasions Frequent attacks from all sides shrank the size of the empire Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453