The End of the Empire pp. 361-365

Bell Ringer Who or what is speaking? Christianity was based upon my teaching. I am the holy book of Christianity. We are followers whom Jesus chose to receive special training. I wrote about the Resurrection and about salvation in my letters.

Main Ideas Many problems threatened the Roman Empire, leading one emperor to divide it in half. Rome declined as a result of invasions and political and economic problems. In the eastern empire, people created a new society and religious traditions that were very different from those in the west.

The Big Idea Problems from both inside and outside caused the Roman Empire to split into a western half, which collapsed, and an eastern half that prospered for hundreds of years.

If you were there… You are a former Roman soldier who has settled on lands in Gaul. In the last few months, groups of foreigners have been raiding local towns and burning farms. The commander of the local army post is an old friend, but he says he is short of loyal soldiers. Many troops have been called back to Rome, You don’t know when the next raid will come. How will you defend your lands?

Building Background Though the Roman Empire remained large and powerful, it faced serious threats from both outside and inside. Beyond the borders of the empire, many different groups of people were on the move. They threatened the peace in the provinces—and eventually attacked the heart of the empire itself.

Problems in the Empire By the 200s, emperors had given up some of the land the Roman had conquered. They were afraid that the empire had become too big to defend. (they were right)

External Threats Tribes of Germanic warriors attacked Rome’s northern borders Persian armies invaded the east Romans defended for 200 years, but at great cost.

Internal Threats People near the borders left their lands because of outside threats. To grow enough food, Romans invited Germanic farmers to farm Roman lands. (these are the same people who threatened to the North) They moved further into Rome, elected their own leaders, and ignored the Roman Emperor.

Other Internal Problems Disease killed many Romans. Gov. increased taxes to pay for defense Romans looked for a strong emperor and found one.

Division of Empire Diocletian -emperor in late 200s Divided empire into two parts because the empire was too big for one person to rule Ruled the eastern half Named a co-emperor in the west

Constantine Reunited the empire for a short time Moved the capital to modern day Turkey Constantinople-new capital city Rome was no longer the real center of power.

Exit Slip With a group create an emperor debate between Diocletian, who wanted the empire to be divided and Constantine, who wanted the empire to be united. The debate should be like that of the Presidential debates that have been on TV. You will need someone to play Diocletian, Constantine, a moderator, and the crowd. The debate should primarily be about whether or not the empire should be divided. The “emperors” should be able to back up their answers with good reasons.

Bell Ringer What emperor wanted to split the Roman Empire up to help manage it? What emperor wanted to reunite the Roman Empire?

Brainstorm What do you think caused the Roman Empire to fall?

The Decline of Rome Early Invasions The Huns-fierce warriors from Central Asia Attacked a group called the Goths Goths couldn’t defend so they fled to Roman territory Romans fought to keep the Goths from invading the city of Rome They even paid them to not attack Stopped making payments in 408 The Goths destroyed Rome in 410

The Fall of the Western Empire The Gothic victory inspired other groups to invade the western part of the empire. The Vandals, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Franks all launched attacks. Attila the Hun led the Huns into Roman territory in the east. Rome needed strong leaders to defend. Military leaders took power away from the weak emperors in 450s. They fought amongst themselves for power and a foreign king took over Italy. This marks the end of the Western Roman Empire.

Why did Rome fall? The size of the empire was too big Communication was difficult Social changes-different religions weakened them because they were no longer united Corruption (the decay of people’s values) in the gov. Wealthy citizens went to the country and raised their own armies City life was hard Rome’s population decreased Schools closed Taxes and prices soared

A New Eastern Empire Despite the fall of Rome, the eastern empire grew in wealth and power. Its people created a new society that was different form the society in the west.

Justinian Emperor who ruled from 527-565 Wanted to reunite the Roman Empire Armies conquered Italy and much of the land around the Mediterranean Also passionate about the law and the church Ordered officials to remove any out-of-date or unchristian laws Organized all laws into new legal system called Justinian ‘s Code Helped guarantee fair treatment for all

Made many enemies 532 uprising threatened to make him leave Constantinople Theodora (his smart and powerful wife) convinced him to stay and fight He crushed the revolts After he died, invaders began taking over. In 1453 the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople and brought an end to the Eastern Roman Empire

Byzantine Society Historians call the society that developed in the Eastern Roman Empire the Byzantine Empire, after Byzantium, the Greek town Constantinople had replaced. People spoke Greek instead of Latin. Non-Roman influences took hold here. Christianity was important 1000s- there was a split in Christian Church In the east was the Orthodox Church

Exit Slip Write the answers to the following questions as we go through the rest of the PowerPoint.

Short Answer Who was the ruler of the Roman Empire in the late 200s that wanted to split the Empire? Who was the fearsome leader of the Huns? What do we call the decay of people’s values? Which Roman emperor had passion for the law and the church?

Short Answer 5. Who was Justinian’s smart and powerful wife? 6. What do historians call the society that developed in the eastern Roman Empire?

True or False Convinced that the empire was too big for one person to rule, Constantine divided it in two. The new capital of the Roman Empire was Constantinople. The Huns led by a fearsome leader named Attila, raided Roman territory in the east.

True or False 4. Emperor Justinian was unable to reconquer parts of the fallen empire. 5. Historians call the society that developed in the eastern Roman Empire the Byzantine.

Cause and Effect Chart Causes Events Effects Military Leaders take Power Wealthy Citizens Flee Rome

Cause and Effect Chart Causes Events Effects Weak emperors; growing power of military Military Leaders take Power Leaders fight among themselves; Rome falls Corrupt government ignores the citizens Wealthy Citizens Flee Rome Taxes and prices rise; rich create private armies