The Fall of Rome
The Roman Empire
Building an Empire As Rome grew the government changed from being ruled by kings to a republic
Republic Rule by elected officials
Over time the republic became corrupt and Rome changed their government again Rome became an empire
Roman Emperors The first emperor was Augustus
He created the powers that future emperors would have Declare war Raise taxes Punish lawbreakers Nominate public officials Influence the Senate Lead religious festivals
Some emperors used their powers for good Others used their powers only to make themselves more powerful
Laws and Citizenship The empire lasted so long because of its laws
Laws were written down and put on display so everyone knew the laws
Only Roman citizens were protected by the laws Citizens – the people who could participate in government Only citizens could vote and hold office Citizens had to pay taxes and serve in the army
Roman Advancements
Roman engineers improved life in the empire They built durable roads and bridges that still exist today
They built aqueducts to carry water from mountains to Roman cities
Engineers of today copy their designs
Architects creates buildings that were not only useful but they were beautiful as well They borrowed ideas from the Greeks and served as an example for future civilizations
Artists tried to make their art realistic
Roman philosophers focused on how they could improve people’s lives
Stoics were a group of philosophers that taught people not to be concerned with possessions and should focus on having a virtuous life
They influenced people to perform civic and act for the good of the city and not for personal gain
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Problems Threaten the Empire
Emperors had given up some Roman territory because they feared the empire had become to big to defend Tribes of Germanic warriors constantly attacked Rome’s northern borders, while Persian armies were always attacking in the east
Internal Problems There weren’t enough farmers to feed the people because so many men belonged to the army
Disease was rampant throughout the empire killing large amounts of people
Taxes increasingly went up to help the defense of the empire
Diocletian became emperor in the late 200s
He believed that the empire was too big for one emperor to rule so he divided the empire in half, ruling the eastern half A co-emperor was left to rule the west
After Diocletian, Constantine became emperor, moving the Roman capital to east He named the new capital Constantinople
Barbarians Invade Rome
After Constantine moved the capital Germanic tribes began raids on Rome’s northern borders
The Huns, warriors from Asia began new raids into the Roman Empire
The Visigoths, also known as the Goths also attempted raids on the Roman Empire
Romans tried to keep the Goths away from Rome by paying them not to attack This idea worked until the Romans stopped making payments In 410 the Goths invaded and sacked (destroyed) Rome
The fall of Rome caused many other barbarian groups to invade the western half of the empire Vandals, Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Franks
To defend Rome military leaders took power away from the Emperor
Military leaders were so busy fighting with each other for power invading hordes overthrew the last emperor 476 is considered the end of the western Roman Empire
Factors in Rome’s Fall
There were many causes for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire
Barbarian Invasions
Corruption of Government Officials
Inflation and a Weakening Economy
The Military’s Ability to Remove Emperors
The Vast Size of the Empire
The Byzantine Empire
Emperors Rule from Constantinople
Justinian Justinian ruled the remaining Roman Empire from 527 to 565
He wanted to reunify the Roman empire His army was able to retake Italy
He also wanted to rid Rome of laws that were out of date or unchristian
All laws became organized into one legal system called Justinian’s Code It ensured fair treatment for all
Because of these things Justinian made many enemies and he decided to leave Constantinople
Before he left his wife, Theodora convinced him to stay and fight his enemies With Theodora’s help Justinian was able to end riots, kill his enemies and retain his throne
After Justinian’s death the eastern empire began to decline due to invasions by barbarians, Persians and Muslims Later emperors lost all the land that Justinian had regained in the west
Despite all of this the eastern empire remained until 1453 Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople and ended the eastern Roman Empire
A New Society
After Justinian’s death many things in the empire changed People stopped speaking Latin and started speaking Greek
People stopped thinking of themselves as Romans and called their new society the Byzantine Empire
Because Constantinople was located between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Seas it was a strategic trading port
It was influenced by the people they traded Outside influences mixed with Greek and Roman culture to create the new Byzantine society
The Byzantine emperor had a lot of influence over his people He was considered both the head of government and the head of the church People believed he was chosen by God to lead the empire and the church
Byzantine Christianity
Christianity was central to the lives of Byzantines Almost everyone that lived in the empire was Christian
People in the east and west interpreted the religion differently Over time difference led to a split between the two regions
Christians in the east formed what became known as the Orthodox Church This created a split between eastern and western Europe