1. The Disentegration of Rome’s Empire
From Commodus to Romulus Augustulus

2. The Julian-Claudian Dynasty: Poisoned; Stabbed; Poisoned; Suicide
Tiberius
r 14-37
Caligula
r 37-41
Claudius
r 41-54
Nero
r 54-68

3. He initiated the adoptive system to provide for competent rulers
Emperor Nerva r 96-98
He initiated the adoptive system to provide for competent rulers
Roman Emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became Emperor at the age of sixty-five, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the rulers of the Flavian dynasty
On 18 September 96, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy involving members of the Praetorian Guard and several of his freedmen. On the same day, Nerva was declared emperor by the Roman Senate. This was the first time the Senate elected a Roman Emperor. As the new ruler of the Roman Empire, he vowed to restore liberties which had been curtailed during the autocratic government of Domitian.
A revolt by the Praetorian Guard in October 97 essentially forced him to adopt an heir. After some deliberation Nerva adopted Trajan, a young and popular general, as his successor. After barely fifteen months in office, Nerva died of natural causes on 27 January 98. Upon his death he was succeeded and deified by Trajan.

4. The Five Good Emperors:
Nerva, 96-98
Trajan,
Hadrian,
Antoninus Pius,
Marcus Aurelius,

5. The Empire at its height, c 250

6. Commodus r
His rule was one of debauchery, paranoia and insanity
Had Rome renamed as colonia Commodiana
Believed he was Hercules reborn
Most infamous act: slaughtered physically handicapped people dressed up as mythical enemies of the gods
Commodus succeeded his father as Augustus in 180. His rule of twelve years quickly degenerated into debauchery, paranoia and insanity. He actually believed he was Hercules reincarnated and participated in gladiatorial contests. The empire was directed by his unscrupulous favorites while the emperor amused himself in whatever decadent way he saw fit. His assassination in 192 A.D. was viewed as a blessing by most Romans of the day.

7. The Crisis of the 3rd Century Anarchy and Disorder:
From , there were 26 Soldier Emperors, 25 of whom died violent deaths
Referred to as “Barracks emperors” their power was derived from the military which sold itself to the highest bidder. [Thank you Marius!!!]
Military mutinies, civil wars and exploitation of t replaced protection of the borders.

8. Signs of trouble: Internal unrest – poor, slaves, Gaul, Egypt & Judea
Largephysical empire- slow transportation and communications
Landed nobility squandered wealth
Manual labor seen as degrading
Little incentive for innovation -10 million slaves
Govt kept grain prices low
Erosion of independent farmers accelerated
Overgrazing and Deforestation
Tide of rationalism gave way to mystery religions
Internal unrest – besides transference of power; dissident elements in Gaul, Judea; Egypt
Slow transportation and communications – roads were built for movement of foot soldiers were often too narrow for commercial carts and too steep, contributing to higher cost of goods
Landed nobility squandered wealth – tradition considered it unworthy for a gentleman to engage in business so no investment in commercial enterprises- w/o stimulus of capital investment, the economy could not grow – like USA in great recession – banks sat on billions, Republicans would not give funds
Manual labor seen as degrading- only slaves did manual work- unproductive lower class
Little incentive for innovation – hire more slaves
Govt kept grain prices low – artificially low prices discouraged farmers from planting more crops and expanding grain production – exploitation from areas like Egypt fostered resentment.
Erosion of independent farmers accelerated – farmers went to towns and cities where bread and circuses kept them in constant dependency – “the dole” – Mitt Romney’s remark about 47% of americans rely on govt handouts.
Tide of rationalism gave way to mystery religions – various cults from Persia, Babylon, Syria and Egypt;
Possessed common elements: secret initiation rites; purification through baptism to achieve a rapture or state of ecstasy uniting with their deity; Communion- a sacred meal; god seen as a savior who who would protect them from misfortune and ensure their soul’s immortality.
People felt that their god could provide what reason, natural law, and civic affairs could not: a sure way to overcome life’s misfortune and discouragements and a guarantee of immortality and a sense of belonging to a community of faithful.

9. Two Emperors who tried to contain the awesome forces of disintegration:
Diocletian ( ) and Constantine ( ) Both faced the problem of threats to the borders from the Germanic tribes and from Persia.
They also had to deal with the on-going, internal economic crises that was eroding the high standard of living which had characterized the Pax Romana

10. Diocletian ( )
To insure production of goods, farmers, artisans and unskilled workers had reside in their present location, hold their job for life and pass it on to their children
Fixed prices on all goods, grown or manufactured

11. Diocletian, The Tetrarchy, 285-305
In 285, Diocletian (from Yugoslavia) gave himself Thrace, Asia Minor and Egypt;
Co-emperor Maximian , shared title of Augustus and ruled Italy, Africa and Spain. Two subordinated were given the title Caesar- Galerius ruled the Balkans and Constantius ruled Gaul and Britain.

12. United the Empire under his rule
Constantine,
) was
United the Empire under his rule

13. First emperor to embrace Christianity – Milvian Bridge conversion

14. In 324, Constantine moves East
In 324 the Roman Emperor Constantine was very concerned about the barbarian invasions, which were literally at the gates of Rome. So Constantine moved the Empire’s capital to a little known Greek colony called Byzance.
As the Western Empire fell apart and disappeared in 476, the Eastern Empire based in Byzance or Constantinople survived until Byzance became the great city of Constantinople. The Eastern Empire or Byzantium founded a rich culture based on Greek traditions and Christianity. Byzantium has also left us its own story thanks to one of its greatest writers, the historian Anna Comnena, the daughter of the emperor Alexius.

15. The Germanic Tribes c. 362

18. Battle of Adrianople, 378
Rome faced its worst defeat since the Battle of Cannae (Hannibal)
The Emperor Valens was captured and killed
The Goth cavalry was superior over the Roman foot soldiers
Significance: Rome could no longer secure its borders against new tactics of warfare

19. Theodosius, The last Emperor who could claim to rule both East and West Upon his death, the empire was divided between his two sons, Arcadius (East) and Honorius (West)
Arcadius paid of the threatening Goths to attack his brother in the west. Under Alaric the Goth, they did just that, attacking Rome in 410.

22. End of an Empire: 476
Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman Emperor was deposed by a German chieftain named Odovacer who claimed the western crown for himself.

24. Rome’s last gasps… Theodoric the Great 489-526
After killing Odovacer ….an Ostrogoth king ruled Italy from Rome…Theodoric.
His rule was enlightened, peaceful and just- praised by Romans & barbarians.
Retained the Roman Senate, civil service and schools. Old, aristocratic families still held high positions in the government
From the 6th to the 8th centuries, Europeans struggled to overcome the disorder created by the break-up of the roman empire. In the process a new civilization, combining the Greco-Roman tradition with Christianity and Germanic culture evolved.

25. The real end of Rome… Germanic leader named Totila
By 544 Totila had established control of northern Italy at Ravenna.
In 546, his Gothic army sacked Rome, destroying baths, sewers, aqueducts, temples and government buildings.