The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire The Roman empire was a powerful empire and lasted 500 years Pax Romana: Peace of Rome was prosperous era lasted 200 years Latin language unified the empire

The Empire Grew Rome had a large powerful military. Romans conquered territory and formed provinces. Governors made sure Roman laws were followed in the territories

Benefits to living in a Roman Territory Protection from enemies Trade brought wealth to empire Taxes paid for army, aqueducts, roads

Trouble begins in A.D.161 Shortage of food (famine) Huns destroy countryside Law and order breaks down Roads and bridges destroyed; trade routes unsafe Economic Problems Disruption of trade Inflation (money loses it’s value) Political Many struggle to become emperor Gov’t officials are corrupt Civil war and unrest; break down in law and order

Repairing the Empire Diocletian comes to power in 284 A.D. To make governing easier, he split empire into four sections (two empires) capital of Western Empire was Rome, capital of Eastern Empire was Byzantium Each section had it’s own capital, ruler, and government He tried to boost economy by setting the price of goods and wages that were paid to workers. Diocletian did not have enough power so his reforms failed

Constantine Constantine became emperor after Diocletian and he tried to stabilize empire but the west continued to decline He moved the capital to the Greek trading town of Byzantium Byzantium was the perfect location and Constantine had it rebuilt just like Rome and renamed it Constantinople He became a Christian and allowed Christianity in the empire

Western and Eastern Empires Western Roman Empire is invaded and finally destroyed by barbarians in A.D. 476 Germanic general Odoacer took control of Rome and later the Franks took power The Eastern Empire survived (renamed the Byzantine Empire) and lasted until 1453 (another 1000 years!) The capital of Constantinople is, today Istanbul, Turkey

The Decline and Fall of Rome

BrainPOP Fall of the Roman Empire…watch and learn https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/falloftheromanempire/

Reasons for the Fall Social Disloyalty, lack of patriotism, corruption Contrast between rich and poor Decline in population due to disease and food shortages Economics Disruption of trade Inflation; crushing tax burden Poor harvests; shortage of food Military/Frontier Threat from invading tribes Decline of patriotism and loyalty among soldiers Use of mercenaries who were not loyal to Rome Political Instability, constant power struggle between leaders Military interference in politics Civil war and unrest; break down in law and order Division of empire; impoverished West Empire

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

Emperor Justinian (EAST) Emperor from 527-565 Tried to restore the Roman Empire by invading Western Europe and northern Africa He conquered too much too quickly; empire not able to hold new territory after he died Wife Empress Theodora convinced him to give women more rights and helped him keep his throne

Justinian’s Law Code Decided laws were disorganized and difficult to understand; he ordered legal scholars to reform the law code This became known as the Justinian Code They’ve had a great influence on the laws of almost every country in Europe

Byzantine Church In the Byzantine Empire, the emperor controlled the church and the government Pope in Italy claimed he was the leader of all Christian churches, but Byzantines rejected this idea. When Italy was invaded and Byzantines refused to help the Pope, the Pope turned to the Franks who were Roman Catholic The Frankish king, Charlemagne, stopped the invasion and in return, the Pope gave Charlemagne the title of Holy Roman Emperor.

Byzantine Church After centuries of tension, Pope and Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other and two branches of Christianity separated Under the Pope, churches of the Western Roman Empire became the Roman Catholic Church In the east, under the emperor and Patriarch church became the Eastern Orthodox Church This schism (separation) between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches still exists today.

Byzantine Civilization Byzantine Empire lasted for 1000 years They depended on trade (center of trade between Europe and Asia) Emperors supported artists and architects Hagia Sophia was the religious center of the Byzantine Empire (built under Justinian) Mosaics are pictures made from many bits of colored glass or stone

Hagia Sophia (9 min)

Hagia Sophia ( 3 min)