1. Title for your notes on PAGE 30 of your notebook: The Fall of Rome
…and it didn’t fall in a day, either.

2. Military Causes Invasion by Germanic tribes, beginning 200s AD
200s: Visigoths moved South and West into the Emipre
400s
Vandals moved West into the Empire
Angles and Saxons invaded the British isles
: Huns invaded (under leadership of Attila)

3. Economic Causes High Taxes to fund…
Hiring people to control provinces
“Bread” (free food) and “Circuses” (free gladiator, chariot racing entertainment) to appease poor, unemployed population
Small farmers lost land to wealthy “latifundia” (large farm) owners, then moved to join poor, unemployed city population
A population decrease from civil war, invasions, and plague meant less people to collect taxes from
Taxes were raised again, angering people, creating a vicious cycle

4. Social Causes
Roman values of loyalty and duty to Rome began to decline
Hired solders fought instead of citizen soldiers: their loyalty was purchased and easily swayed
Non-Romans were hired to lead provinces
Wealthy got richer, poor got poorer

5. Political Causes Diocletian split the empire into East and West in 293
Western half “fell” in 476 AD when the Visigoths sacked the city of Rome
Eastern half survived, had political instability (22 emperors from A.D.)
Constantine legalized Christianity, his successor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of Rome
Constantine established a capital of Eastern Rome at Constantinople.
Eastern Rome became the Byzantine Empire

6. The literal “fall” of Rome: 476 A.D.
Rome’s decline was gradual and multi-causal
Officially, (game show answer here) the city of Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in 476 A.D.

7. Political Cartoon
Complete a political cartoon on ONE of the causes of the fall of Rome.
Use the template.
Then, glue or staple it into your notebook ON PAGE 31!