1. The Birth of Christianity and the Fall of the Roman Empire

2. I. Life of Jesus
Jesus was born in the Roman province of Judea in a city called Bethlehem around 4 BC.
History of Jesus is from the Gospels in the New Testament
His followers were twelve men called disciples, which means student or pupil.

3. Jesus would preach justice, compassion, and the coming of God’s kingdom
He would teach in parables or moral stories.
Jesus angered the Jewish and Roman leaders because he forgave those who broke religious law, associated himself with sinners, and many claimed he was the “Messiah.”

4. Jesus was arrested as the Romans saw him as a threat to their authority
Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion.
According to the Gospels, he resurrected 3 days after his death.
According to Christians, this proved Jesus’ divinity

5. II. Birth of Christianity
Early Christians were converted Jews
Gentiles or Non-Jews would be accepted into the religion by Apostle Paul.
Paul would spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire because of the Roman Roads.
Rome was tolerant of many religions but would not let them inspire rebellion or challenge authority.

6. III. Persecution of Christians
When Gentiles joined the Christian movement, Rome became concerned
Christians refused to worship the emperor
Christianity appealed to slaves and women which caused alarm
Nero blamed the Christians for the fire in Rome in 64 AD.
For the next 250 years, Christians would be tortured and killed for their beliefs. (Crucifixions, burnt alive, fed to lions, etc)

7. IV. Christianity spreads throughout the Roman Empire
Constantine claimed the throne after a civil war broke out for control of Rome
In a battle for control of Rome, Constantine had a vision of a cross in the sky with the words “In this sign you will conquer.”
He commanded that crosses will be placed on all shields and battle flags
Constantine would then stop the persecution of Christians and advance the power of Christians in the Roman Empire
In 380 AD, Emperor Theodosius would make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire

8. V. Economic Decline
Poor farming tactics caused food shortages and prices increase
Taxes were too high, that people stopped paying them
Without tax money, the army was not being paid so the empire relied on Germanic mercenaries.
Slave labor=Worker unemployment
Roman currency becomes less valuable through inflation

9. VI. Diocletian Tried economic reforms liked fixed prices on food
Ignored the Senate for absolute control
Put soldiers on empire’s borders
Divided empire into two parts (Eastern and Western)

10. VII. Constantine After civil war, Constantine reunites the empire
Moves capital of the empire to Byzantium and renames it Constantinople (Today it is Istanbul)
After his death, the empire would split once more

11. VIII. Germanic Invasions
Asian nomadic warriors known as the Huns would drive Germanic tribes to search for new land and protection in the Roman Empire.
Without proper defenses the Germanic tribes would attack different parts of the empire.
Visigoths would ask for protection from the Romans, but were treated very badly and forced to pay high food prices.
Germanic Tribes
Ostrogoths-defeated by the Huns
Visigoths-Rebelled and attacked Rome
Angles and Saxons-would settle in the British Islands
Franks-settle in Gaul or present day France
Vandals-conquered Spain and northern Africa. Would vandalize the city of Rome.

13. In 410 AD, Visigoths led by Alaric captured Rome, marking the 1st time Rome was conquered in 800 years.
Again in 455 AD, Vandals would enter Rome and loot the city.
A Germanic General Odacer took control from the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, in 476 AD marking the historic fall of the Western Roman Empire

14. IX. Byzantine Empire
Rome’s Eastern Empire would endure for 1000 more years
Stronger economically thanks to the convergence of trade between Asia, Africa, and Europe
Cities were much larger and better fortified in the East
The Black Sea would also serve as a natural barrier between Constantinople and potential invaders

17. E. Justinian Justinian would serve as Emperor from 527-565 AD
Justinian was successful in reuniting parts of the Roman Empire, but would not have enough money to keep the territory.
Justinian Code - Revised and created a uniform code of laws based on Roman Law. (Marriage, Slavery, property ownership, women’s rights, etc)
Wife Theodora influenced him to give divorced women rights and Byzantine wives could own land.

18. X. Rise of the Catholic Church
The Church of Rome would survive the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and would become the Roman Catholic Church.
With no emperor in the West, the Pope would begin to accumulate power.
The Pope claimed he was the head of all Christian churches including the Byzantine Empire, which caused a feud since the Emperor was the head of the Church in the East
The Two sides would not help each other militarily when outsiders would invade
The Pope turned to a loyal Germanic Tribe, the Franks and their leader Charlemagne
The Pope would make Charlemagne the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, which angered the Byzantines
The two sides excommunicated each other which caused a split into two churches:
Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church