2. The Fall of Rome Chapter 1-2

3.  AD 180 Marcus Aurelius died  Commodus (his son) became emperor  AD 192 he was killed  Severans, emperors, ruled  Stayed in power by paying army well  Ignored problems of crime and poverty The Fall of Rome (p. 144)  The Decline of Rome

4. The Fall of Rome  Political and Social Problems  AD 235: last Severan ruler died  Gov’t became unstable  50 years: 22 different emperors  Poor leadership, gov’t officials took bribes, wealthy stopped paying taxes, fewer schools and many were enslaved

5. The Fall of Rome  Economic and Military Problems  AD 200s- economy eroded  Trade routes became unsafe  Less food grown, hunger spread  Fewer goods were purchased  Inflation: rapidly increasing prices Put less gold coins, people didn’t want to use money  People began to barter: exchange goods  Invasions: Germanic tribes raided farms and towns, Persia from the East began using Germanic soldiers who were not loyal to Rome

6. The Fall of Rome  Diocletian’s Reforms  In AD 284 Diocletian=emperor  Introduced Reforms- political changes  Divided Rome into four parts Appointed rulers to each  Slowed inflation Set prices and wages  More goods were generated Ordered workers to remain at jobs until death  People ignored the reform  Diocletian didn’t have enough power to make them obey

7. Fall of Rome  Constantine  AD 305 Diocletian retired  Constantine, general, became emperor in AD 312  Issued several orders Sons had to follow in the footsteps of their fathers  Empire continued to decline in west  Moved capital from Rome to the Greek city of the Byzantium  Constantinople (today Istanbul) Built Hippodrome and many palaces

8. Fall of Rome  Rome Falls  Constantine died in AD 337  Fighting began  Theodosius (emperor) gained control and stopped the fighting  Died in AD 395  Roman Empire was divided Western Roman Empire  Capital: Rome Eastern Roman Empire  Capital: Constantinople

9. Fall of Rome  Rome is invaded  No longer able to hold back Germanic tribes  Germanic groups: Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Angles, and Saxons  AD 300s: Huns defeated Ostrogoths  Visigoths sought protection from the Eastern Roman Emperor  Visigoths and Romans didn’t get along  Visigoths defeated Romans in AD 378

10. Section 2-Daily Lesson Notes 9 II. Rome Falls (pages 149–151) Click the map to view a dynamic version.

11. Fall of Rome  Rome is invaded  Rome can no longer defend itself  AD 406- Rhine River froze Germanic troops crossed the river and entered Gaul  AD 410- Visigoth leader, Alaric, captured the Rome  First time conquered in 800 years  AD 455- Vandals entered Rome 12 days stripping buildings and burning them English word vandalism

12. The Fall of Rome  Rome Falls  AD 400s- Germanic leaders held high posts in Rome’s gov’t and army  Odoacer- AD 476- Germanic general took control, overthrowing 14 year old Romulus Augustus  Last Roman emperor- often marked the end of the Western Roman Empire  Odoacer controlled Rome for 15 years  Visigoths seized the city and killed Odoacer  Set up a kingdom in Italy under Theodoric

13. The Fall of Rome  Rome Falls  Other Germanic kingdoms arose  AD 550- Western Roman Empire faded  Many Roman beliefs and practices remained in use  Germanic rulers adopted Latin, Roman laws, and Christianity.  Eastern Roman Empire prospered Became known as the Byzantine Empire Lasted more than 1,000 years

14. The Fall of Rome  The Legacy of Rome  Legacy: something that someone leaves to future generations of people  Words in the English language  Ideas about gov’t  Systems of laws  Buildings

15. The Fall of Rome  Roman Ideas and Gov’t Today  Law: all people are equal  Innocent until proven guilty  Republic made up of equal citizens

16. The Fall of Rome  Roman Influence on Culture  Alphabet is similar  22 to 26 letters  Latin shaped languages in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and Romania  Scientist, doctors, and lawyers use Latin phrases  Still read works of Virgil, Horace, Livy, and Tacitus  Architecture (p. 152)

17. The Fall of Rome  Christianity  Major religion in the world today.  Began in the Roman Empire  Gov’t adopted the religion in AD 300s  Helped grow and spread.