Bellwork

• What caused the fall of the Roman Republic? Think about what might have also lead to the issues about the Roman Empire collapsing.

World History

Section 3, Unit 6Ancient Rome p. 4

Objectives

• Identify the causes of the fall of Rome

• Discuss why the empire was forced to move to Constantinople

• Examine the role and movements of the invaders, including the Huns

Decline

• Historians generally agree that the Roman Empire began to decline around 180 A.D., after the rule of the last of the Five Good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius. The rulers over the next century were incapable of dealing with the problems facing the empire. – Some were brutal to their people and only

served to hasten the decay.

• Here is a short video about the decay of Rome.

Loss of Resources• During the Pax Romana,

three sources of prosperity– (1) bustling trade patrolled by Roman soldiers, (2) farms with enough food to feed the cities, and (3) gold and silver– were in plentiful supply.

• However, by the third century A.D., all three sources of prosperity evaporated. Roman

Grain

Inflation

• Costly wars against hostile tribes outside the nation, combined with the wealthy continually spending money on luxury goods, caused a draining of the empires gold and silver reserves.

• Since the expansion ended, there were no new sources of metal, which were considered currency at the time.

Inflation (cont.)

• Desperate to pay for it’s mounting expenses, the government raised taxes and started minting coins that contained less and less silver.

• It hoped to create more money with same amount of precious metals, but soon the economy suffered from inflation, a drastic rise in prices in an economy.

How did this happen?

As the government began to mint more coins, the amount of coins increased.

If the value of money falls, then what will happen to prices?

Because they flooded the market with too many coins– with few precious metals in them– they made the value of money fall.

Prices rise because the money is less valuable and cannot buy as much as it was able to previously.

If you do not understand, please say something.

Agriculture

• Agriculture faced many serious problems. Harvest in Italy and western Europe became increasingly meager because overworked soil lost it’s fertility and farmland was destroyed by warfare.

• The higher taxes imposed by government almost caused many poor farmers to abandon their lands.

• As well, the use of slaves discouraged improvements in technology regarding agriculture.

Food shortages

• Between the loss of soil, warfare, and lack of technology, the empire experienced serious food shortages and eventually, disease spread and the population declined.

Military troubles

• The empires’ economic crises was worsened by the growing military troubles.

• Throughout the third century, Germanic tribes repeatedly overwhelmed the Roman legions guarding the northern frontiers.

• At the same time, Persia threatened Roman territory in Syria and Anatolia. – The issue reached it’s height when in A.D. 260,

the Persians captured the Roman Emperor Valerian, which only caused more instability for the Empire.

Military Trouble (cont.)

• In the army, discipline and loyalty had collapsed. Soldiers, who once gave their loyalty to Rome, began to only be loyal to their commanders, who fought among themselves for the throne.

• To defend against the increasing threats to the empire, the government began to recruit mercenaries (foreign soldiers who fight for money) to fight. – However, unlike Roman soldiers, the mercenaries

felt little sense of loyalty to the empire, despite accepting a lower pay than the soldiers.

Roman Politics

• For a time, Romans were willing to lose their lives to protect the republic. However, conditions in the later centuries of the empire caused citizens to lose their sense of patriotism. They became indifferent to the empire’s fate.

Roman Politics (cont.)

• Romans had once considered holding a political office to be an honor.

• However, by 200’s A.D., few people chose to serve the government out of fear they would lose more money to pay for the government services (such as paying for public circuses and baths out of their pockets) than what they would earn in the position itself.

Roman Politics (cont.)• Only the armies

became actively interested in politics. Between 235-284 A.D., armies in the provinces and in Rome proclaimed 50 generals to be emperors of Rome.

• Of these so-called “barracks emperors,” 26 won the approval of the senate. – 25, however, died

violently.

Diocletian

• In 284 A.D., Diocletian, a strong-willed army leader, became the new emperor.

• With amazing boldness, he restored order in the empire and increased it’s strength.

Diocletian

• He governed as an absolute ruler and severely limited personal freedoms.

• Diocletian doubled the size of the Roman armies, drafted prisoners of war, and hired German mercenaries.

Diocletian

• Diocletian set fixed prices on goods to control inflation.

• He ordered farmers to remain on their lands and other workers to stay in their jobs for life.

• To restore the prestige of the Roman emperor, he proclaimed descent from the Ancient Roman Gods and, because of his views of Christianity as a threat, he passed decrees to persecute the Christians.

Diocletian• Diocletian believed the

empire was too big and complex for one ruler.

• In his most significant reform, he split the empire into the Greek-speaking East (Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt) and Latin-speaking West (Italy, Gaul, Britannia, and Spain).

• He took the eastern half for himself and appointed a co-ruler for the West, General Maximian.

Eastern and Western Rome

Diocletian’s Empire

• Each emperor also selected an assistant, who would be their successor.

• While Diocletian shared authority, he kept overall control.

• His half of the empire, the East, included most of the empires great cities and trade centers– Jerusalem, Alexandria, Byzantium– and was far wealthier than the West.

Effect of Diocletian’s reforms

• Diocletian’s reforms slowed the decline of the empire. The borders became safe again and the empire’s prestige was restored. However, because of ill health, Diocletian had to retire in position in A.D. 305.

Failed Succession

• However, Diocletian’s plans for orderly succession failed. Civil War broke out immediately after his retirement. By 311, four rivals competed for power. – Among them was a young commander

named Constantine. He would soon prove to be a great leader, and he would be the one who would end the persecution of the Christians.

Constantine

• In A.D. 312, Constantine fought three rivals for the title of Emperor.

• He marched into the Tiber River at Rome to battle his chief rival. On the day before his battle, Constantine prayed for divine help.

Constantine

• He reported that he then saw a cross of light in the heavens bearing the inscription, “In this sign, conquer.”

• Constantine ordered his troops to put the cross on their shields.

Constantine’s victory

• Constantine and his troops were victorious in the battle. He gave credit to his success to the help of the Christian God.

• In the next year, after becoming Emperor, he announced an end to Christian persecution and declared Christianity a religion approved by the emperor.

Constantine (cont.)

• Constantine gained control of the western part of the empire in A.D. 312 and continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletians. In 324, Constantine also secured control of the East, thus restoring the concept of a single ruler.

• However, Constantine would soon make a decision that would have a greater consequence to Rome than almost emperor before him.

Byzantium• In 330 A.D., Constantine

moved the capital of Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium in present-day Turkey. The new capital stood on the Bosporus Straight, strategically located for trade and defense purpose on crossroads between West and East.

Byzantine Mosaic

Constantinople• With Byzantium as

its capital, the center of power in the empire shifted from Rome to the East.

• Soon, the new capital was protected by massive walls and filled with imperial buildings similar to that of Rome.

Constantinople

• The city was given a new name– Constantinople– “City of Constantine”.

• After Constantine’s death, the empire would once again be divided– the East would survive, but the West would fall.

Invaders Attack Rome

• The decline of the Western empire took many years.

• It finally collapsed due to the worsening of internal problems, the separation of the Western empire from the Eastern empire and outside invasions.

Germanic Tribes• Since Julius Caesar’s rule,

Germanic peoples had gathered on the northern borders of the empire and many settled in to a peaceful farming life.

• Some had assimilated to Roman society, such as speaking Latin and becoming Christians.

• However, many groups continued to be nomadic– groups that move from place to place.

Germanic Tribes

• From 376-476, huge numbers of Germans poured into Roman territory– groups such as Ostrogoth's, Visigoths, Franks, Angles, and Vandals.

• Gradually, they overwhelmed the structures of Roman society. They would drive the last Roman emperor from the empire.–We will talk about the last Roman emperor

in a few slides.

The Huns

• The main reason the Germanic invasions occurred was due to the Huns.

• The Huns were a fierce group of Mongol nomads from central Asia who began to invade the eastern ranges of the Roman empire.

• Their movements forced the Germans towards Rome.

The Huns (cont.)

• Notice carefully that as the Huns moved West, the Germanic tribes moved farther west and began to attack Rome.

• Constantinople, however, would survive the attacks.

Germanic Invasions

• Germanic peoples fled the Huns and sought refuge in Roman lands. Western Rome could not prevent the sudden influx of Germans.

• By the early fifth century, the city of Rome became vulnerable to attack.

• Although it had been almost 600 years since a foreign army– Hannibal of Carthage– had threatened Rome, the Visigoths, led by their king Alaric, began a campaign to seize the city.– In 410, they stormed Rome and plundered it for

three days.

Attila the Hun• While the Germans

assaulted the empire, the Hun’s united under a powerful chieftain, Attila, and with 100,000 soldiers terrorized both halves of the empire.

• In the East, Attila’s army attacked and plundered 70 cities, but failed to scale the high walls of Constantinople.

The Huns

• The Huns, who were initially indirectly responsible for the flooding of Germans into Roman territory, swept into the West.

• In 452, Attila’s forces advanced against Rome, but they were weakened by famine and disease.

The Huns

• As a result, Pope Leo I was able to negotiate with Attila and persuading him to leave Italy. –What exactly the negotiations specified

is unknown, but some suspect it was either a large sum of gold or that Attila was more worried about his men than trying to sack Rome.

Germanic Invasions Continue

• In 453, Attila died and the Huns were no longer a threat to Rome. Despite this, the Germanic Invasions continued.

• In 455, the Vandals sacked Rome, leaving it in chaos.

• Famine struck hard and the population fell from 1 million to 20,000 people.

Rome’s Last Emperor

• The Western Roman Emperor was almost completely powerless.

• The Germanic Tribes fought against one another for control of the Western provinces and wasted little time with Rome.

Rome’s Last Emperor• The last Roman

emperor was a 14 year old boy named Romulus Augustus. In 476, he was deposed by a German general named Odoacer (oh-doh-ay-sur) and sent into exile.

• After that, no emperor even pretended to rule Rome and the entire western half of the Empire crumbled. Romulus surrendering his crown

to Odoacer.

Rise of Byzantine Empire

• The eastern half of the empire, however, came to be called the Byzantine Empire, with Constantinople as it’s capital.

• Not only did it survive what occurred, but flourished for another 1,000 years. It preserved the heritage of the Greeks and Romans and the leaders saw themselves as heirs to the power of Augustus Caesar.

Influence of Rome

• Although Rome’s political power in the West ended, its cultural influence, though ideas, customs, and institutions, continued to be deeply embedded in western civilization.

• Rome would ultimately prove to define western cultures that would grow from the German tribes that conquered the once powerful empire.

Change of the Roman Empire

Anything with a “-” in front of it denotes “B.C.”As you can see, the empire changes and around 405 AD, we see that the Empire splits. Overtime, however, the empire begins to weaken and all that is left is Constantinople.

Fall of Rome

Individual Factors

Political office seen as a

burden, military interference in

politics, civil war occurs, empire is divided, Capital

is moved to Byzantium

Decline in interest in public

affairs, low confidence in

empire, disloyalty, lack of patriotism, class

warfare

Poor harvests, disruption of trade, no war plunder, gold

and silver drain, inflation, high

taxes, widening gap between rich

and poor

Threat from Germanic tribes and Huns, low

funds for defense, problems

recruiting, decline in

patriotism and loyalty

FactorsPolitical Social Economic Military

Review Video

• Please watch the following video and take note on what you recognize from it.

Questions?

• If you have any questions, please ask now.

Review1. Why did inflation occur in Rome? 2. Why couldn’t Rome protect itself against Germanic invasions?3. Why did Constantine, unlike his predecessors, support

Christianity?4. Why did the Germans move westward and how did their

movements into the empire contribute to the fall of Rome?5. How did Diocletian attempt to make succession to the throne

less complicated? Did it work? 6. What effect did splitting the empire have on the Rome

including: (1) why do you think the empire lasted another 200 years, (2) the effect of moving the capital to Constantinople, and (3) how do you think the split helped the Germans capture Rome.

7. In a short response, what do you think is the primary reason Rome fell: political instability (splitting of the empire, civil war, etc.) , social changes (decline in interest in Rome and lack of patriotism, etc.), economic issues (inflation, loss of gold, high taxes, etc.) , or military issues (lack of loyal soldiers, invasions, etc)? Write at least 3 sentences as to why you think your choice is the most significant.

Next Lesson

• In the next lesson, we are going to complete the unit on Rome by talking about how Rome and Greece are both the foundations of Western Civilization.