1. An Empire DividedRome

2. Life isn’t as wonderful as we thought…  Rome was too BIG.  Emperors couldn’t just go to any part of the Empire whenever they wished in a timely fashion. Hadrian was gone for 5 years overseeing Britain!  Decisions could not be made or enacted quickly.  Diocletian decides Rome must be Divided!  His governmental reforms work so well that he later resigns as Emperor! The map above shows the division of Rome. One empire in the east and one in the west. Each half was then divided again, creating four parts, each with an emperor.

3. Rome Byzantium

4. Constantine  Maxentius and Constantine both rule in the west. Maxentius held Rome and was a hated leader.  The two go to war, Constantine wins after receiving a vision.  Constantine then defeats the east and reunites the empire.  Constantine who had been known for extreme persecution of Christianity, one year after his victory issues the edict of Milan which grants freedom of religion in Rome.  The Empire later adopts Christianity as the official religion.  Constantine renames Byzantium to Constantinople.

5. The Empire Crumbles  Rome took a long time to fall apart.  Marcus Aurelius is considered the last of the “good emperors.”  Marcus died 180 A.D., but the Empire lasted until 476 A.D.  The last 50 years had 22 emperors, 20 of them died violently.  Bad Leaders  Most of the emperors after Marcus were very good generals, but not good at government.  They would steal from the treasury.  Buy extravagant things.  Take power away from the Senate.

6. Size of the Empire  The Empire was huge! Almost the entire known world was under control of the Romans. Conquered people were rebelling.  Also, barbarians were attacking Rome from every direction!  Most of them choose to attack the Western Roman Empire

8. Mercenary Army  The army used to be made up of volunteers. Often you could defend where you were from. Now the army worked for whoever paid them the most.  This kind of army isn’t loyal and isn’t motivated to win.  Often these mercenaries were barbarians.  They wanted land for payment, but Rome often wouldn’t pay.  In return, they repeatedly sacked Rome.

9. The Economy  Rome didn’t have any other places to conquer, so there was no new wealth.  Taxes were the only source of income. The army was very expensive.  Also many people did not have work, while also having food hard to find.  The government started making more money, and using less silver in the coins. There was more money, but it wasn’t as valuable. This is called inflation.