1. Section 5 10/26/2015 1 John 3:16

2. Political and economic causes led to the decline of the western Roman Empire 10/26/2015 2 John 3:16

3. Inflation—a rise in prices corresponding to a decrease in the value of money 10/26/2015 3 John 3:16

4. Diocletian Constantine Theodosius I Alaric Attila Odoacer 10/26/2015 4 John 3:16

5. Constantinople Today, known as Instanbul 10/26/2015 5 John 3:16

6. During A.D. 200s, Germanic tribes began to overrun the western half of the empire Germanic tribes were always a threat to the Empire 10/26/2015 6 John 3:16

7. The five good emperors had brought peace and prosperity Marcus Aurelius died in A.D. 180 and “Pax Romana” ended 10/26/2015 7 John 3:16

8. Emperor Commodus, Marcus Aurelius son, spent large sums of money on his own pleasures Bankrupted the treasury His troops killed him 10/26/2015 8 John 3:16

9. From A.D. 192 to A.D. 284, army legions installed 28 emperors only to kill most off in rapid succession— most couldn’t’ measure up Rome’s armies were busier fighting each other that they were defending the empire’s borders; Germanic tribes repeatedly and successfully attacked the empire 10/26/2015 9 John 3:16

10. Political instability led to economic decline, leading the government to mint more coins and sparking inflation (printing too much money devalues the money—it has much less worth) Also, there was less volume of precious metals in the coins Merchants raised prices to get more of the coins Warfare disrupted production and trade, and destroyed farmland forcing many out of business 10/26/2015 10 John 3:16

11. To keep the army on the field, government had to keep increasing wages To raise money, they taxed the farmers/landowners Landowners abandoned their lands because they couldn’t meet expenses Result—worsening food shortage 10/26/2015 11 John 3:16

12. During the late A.D. 200s and early A.D> 300s, the emperors Diocletian and Constantine struggled to halt the empire’s decline; their efforts succeeded in the east by only briefly delayed the Germanic tribes’ invasion of Rome in the west 10/26/2015 12 John 3:16

13. General Diocletian came to power by slaying the murderer of the preceding emperor He realized the empire was too large for one person to oversee and divided the empire into east and west provinces 10/26/2015 13 John 3:16

14. Edict of Prices Froze wages Set prices for goods Penalty of death if defied Didn’t work—citizens sold goods through illegal trade Stopped farmers from leaving their lands Workers had to remain at the same job their entire lives—couldn’t avoid taxes 10/26/2015 14 John 3:16

15. Came to power in A.D. 312 Reinforced Diocletian’s reforms Chained workers to keep them on the farms Sons had to follow fathers in their jobs IN A.D. 330 he moved the capital of the eastern empire to the Greek town of Byzantium and re-named it Constantinople 10/26/2015 15 John 3:16

16. During Theodosius’s rule, the western half of the empire suffered further internal problems; in A.D. 395, according to a provision in Theodosius’s will, the eastern and western parts of the empire became separate empires—the Byzantine and Roman empires 10/26/2015 16 John 3:16

17. Beginning in the late A.D. 300s, Germanic people migrated into the Roman Empire in search of a warmer climate and better grazing land, a share of Rome’s wealth, and an escape from the Huns— nomadic invaders from central Asia 10/26/2015 17 John 3:16

18. Germanic warriors lived mostly by raising cattle and farming small plots; the only unifying factor among these Germanic groups was their language, for which the Romans labeled them barbarians— their language sounded like babbling to the Romans They were poor, even compared to Romans Warrior groups were composed of warriors, their families and a chief 10/26/2015 18 John 3:16

19. During the late A.D. 300s and 400s, a variety of Germanic groups extended their hold over much Roman territory; the most important of these groups, at first, were the Visigoths, who managed to capture Rome in A.D. 410 before retreating into Gaul Alaric, their chief, led his people into Italy, capturing and sacking Rome After his death, they retreated into GAul Others included the Ostrogoths, Vandals, Franks, Angles, and Saxons 10/26/2015 19 John 3:16

20. Led by their chief, Attila, the Huns raided the eastern empire—from Central Asia In A.D. 451 the Romans and the Visigoths combined to fight and stop the Huns in central Gaul Attila turned his attention where he plundered larger cities. Eventually plague and famine took their toll in the Huns who retreated after Attila died in A.D. 453 10/26/2015 20 John 3:16

21. With Italy weakened, nothing was left to stop Germanic tribes from taking over Vandals raided and thoroughly sacked Rome German soldier Odoacer (OH-duh-way-suhr) seized Rome and overthrew Emperor Romulus Augustulus and named himself king of Italy Because Odoacer called himself king and never named a substitute emperor, people refer to A.D. 476 as the year in which the Roman Empire fell 10/26/2015 21 John 3:16

22. Caused by a complex interaction of events The new Germanic rulers accepted the Latin language, Roman laws, and the Christian church In the Byzantine Empire, aspects of Roman culture were gradually supplanted by Hellenistic culture 10/26/2015 22 John 3:16