1. Lesson 5 Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

2. The Empire Declines After the emperor Marcus Aurelius died in AD 180, the Roman Empire entered a long period of decline. The emperors that followed cared more about increasing their own wealth and power than about the welfare of the Roman Empire.

3. Emperors For Sale In 235, the army took control and auctioned the seat of emperor to the highest bidder. The army began to control the fate of the Roman Empire by putting their favorites in office. As the army battled for power, it grew weaker as a fighting force. Many Romans refused to serve in it, so they had to hire mercenaries. These mercenaries had little loyalty to the Roman Empire. There were raids on border towns that were not stopped. Roads were unsafe and trade slowed.

4. The Empire Divides Finally, a strong emperor came to power, Diocletian. He helped to restore order and strengthen the economy. To help govern the widespread Empire more effectively, Diocletian divided it into two parts.

6. The City of Constantine In AD 324, the emperor Constantine united the Empire again. He built a new capital on the site of an old Greek city named Byzantium. The new capital became known as Constantinople. This was in the eastern half of the Roman Empire and later became known as the Byzantine Empire. After Constantine’s death, the Empire was split in two (an east and a west) and the division became greater as the years passed.

7. Christianity Divides Christianity was introduced to this region and was being widely accepted and practiced. Constantine was the first Christian emperor. Eastern and western Christian churches were developing different traditions. In the east, the emperor was the head of the church. In the west, the pope was the leader of the Roman church and had authority over all Christians, including the emperor.

8. Final Days of Rome Conditions in the western half of Rome were desperate. Many invaders such as the “barbarians,” Huns, Visigoths, and Vandals attacked. These groups pillaged Rome, taking riches and treasures with them. Decline of the Roman Empire: Greedy selfish emperors Provinces unprotected from attack Corrupt generals Murder of senators and powerful Romans Civil wars destroy towns-farms-trade Lack of food- no jobs-homes Army made up of foreigners, soldiers treated poorly Barbarians attacked and drove Romans out

10. The Fall The final blow to the Roman Empire can in 476 when a powerful soldier named Orestes named his young son emperor. A German ruler confronted Orestes and demanded that HE be given control of the empire. Orestes refused and was killed. The days of the Roman Empire were over. As Rome declined, the Byzantine Empire became even more prosperous. When Rome fell, Constantinople became the center of Roman power and would keep its power for another thousand years after the fall of Rome.

11. Your ticket out of the door… Get a Think Pad piece of paper and construct a question about today’s lesson using one of the following words. Pretend you are making up a question that would be on the ancient Rome test. Write the answer to your question on the back of your sticky note. ImagineExplain InventRate ConsiderCompare RecommendFormulate ConstructWeigh AnalyzeContrast