Roman and Byzantine Empires

Chapter 9.3(pages 270-276)

&Chapter 10.1

(pages 284-289)

The Fall of RomeAbout 200 – 500 A.D.

Ancient History?

• The empire of Rome had been at its strongest between 120 A.D. and 270 A.D.

• During the following 200-300 years, Rome slowly loses power, and eventually collapses completely

• We consider this point in history as the switch between “ancient” (what you learned in 6th grade), and “modern” (what you will learn from this point forward)

Fall of Rome476 AD (CE)

Ancient History Middle Ages

Renaissance

Modern Era

500 1500

Fall of Byzantine Empire

“Dark Ages”

What went wrong?

• Commodus “The Mad”:– Lived from 161 to 192– Took power in 180 after the death of his father, Marcus

Aurelius.– Was only 18 years old when he took power– After the deaths of brothers, he was the only option left for

Emperor.– His father knew he was not qualified to be emperor– Known as one of the worst Roman emperors to have ever

lived.– Was assassinated on New Year’s Eve in 192.– His time in power is known to mark the official “fall” of

Rome.

Commodus’s Bad Decisions:

• Commodus was a bad leader because:– He was too young when he took power– He made poor choices– He allowed others to destroy his power– He did nothing while people tried to take over Rome– He made decisions without checking with the Senate

first (because the Senate was used to be asked, they did not take this well, he also could have avoided many of his bad decisions if he had asked for their help)

– He bribed the army to support him, instead of earning their support.

– He had bold, extravagant and savage ways (like really loving the bloodshed of the gladiator games and even taking part in the games himself).

The 5 Reasons Rome Falls:

1. Weak Corrupt Rulers: Even after Commodus, other rulers were not very good, they often stole money to make themselves rich, and didn’t know how to run an empire. There were many emperors during the fall of Rome, most were assassinated like Commodus.

2. A Mercenary Army: Mercenary = Soldiers from other countries who fight for the hiring country for pay, not because they are loyal to or from that country. Not being loyal to that country would cause them to switch sides or not fight very hard.

3. The Size of the Empire: The empire was too large for the Emperor and his armies to keep up with and keep defended from outside attacks.

4. Serious Economic Problems: Rome ran out of money after they stopped conquering new lands. Couldn’t pay their army or feed their people. Led to Inflation = an economic situation in which more money circulates, but the money has less value.

5. Efforts to Stop the Decline: The Emperor Diocletian finally divides the Empire in half (east and west half) in order to make it more manageable to rule over.

1. Weak, Corrupt Rulers2. A Mercenary Army3. The Size of the Empire 4. Serious Economic

Problems5. Efforts to Stop the

Decline

*There are many other small reasons too. Many things contributed to the fall of Rome

Emperor Constantine

• Lived from 278 until 337• Thought that the Christian God helped his army win the

battle for control of Rome after its “fall”.• Emperor of Rome from 312 until 337. (Only ruled the

Western half of Rome at first).• Strongly encouraged the spread of Christianity (after

thousands of years of a Polytheistic lifestyle in Rome)• This is about 300 years after the birth of Jesus Christ. But

Christianity (the religion started by Jesus) had only just become widely popular.

Constantine’s Success in Rome:Religion• Freedom of Religion – (313)

Constantine declared that all people in Western Rome can practice any religion they want, allowing them to be Christian for the first time in Roman History.

• Spread of Christianity – Constantine keeps the Christian church strong, he builds new churches, and works with church leaders.

Rebuilding• Control of Eastern Rome –

(324) he declares that Eastern Romans can practice their religion freely too.

• Moving the Capital City – (330) Constantine moves the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium partially because that’s where he grew up, and partially because the area was more powerful.

• Capital City – eventually became known as Constantinople meaning “the city of Constantine”.

Rome Constantinople

The Real End of Rome:Inside of Rome• Constantine can’t keep

the east and west together before his death.

• Last Roman Emperor – 14 year old Romulus Augustulus. Sent to work on a farm after German “barbarians” break through Rome in 476.

Outside of Rome• Constantine’s death

makes it an easy target for outsiders to attack.

• German Tribes known as “barbarians” take over Rome in the 400s

• Famous German “barbarian” tribes = Visigoths and Vandals.

The Byzantine EmpireAbout 500 – 1450 A.D.

Why Byzantine?

• The area was what was left of the fallen Roman Empire.

• Constantine had moved the capital of Rome here less than 200 years before.

• The area had been called “Byzantium” before it was renamed “Constantinople” after the Emperor Constantine.

• Even after the fall of Rome, Constantinople stayed strong, with large markets, public squares, paved roads, a cathedral, a palace, public baths and even a circus.

• About ½ million people lived there. They were called “Byzantines”.

• The area was a major center for trade because it was on a strait, or a narrow passage that links two bodies of water.

The Age of Justinian:

Justinian, the Emperor• Lived from 483 – 565• Became Emperor in 527• Known as one of the

greatest Byzantine Emperors

• He was energetic, never gave up, and cared for the poor because he had come from a poor family.

Justinian’s Code (Laws)• A system of laws created

by Emperor Justinian.• Justinian noticed that

when he took power, the old Roman laws were unorganized and didn’t make much sense.

• Justinian re-writes the laws to make more sense for the new Byzantine Empire.

• They are still used as the basis for many modern legal systems in Europe.

The End of the Byzantine Empire:Problems with Religion• Justinian Dies in 565 leaving the

empire weak.• Eastern Byzantines and

Western Romans practiced Christianity differently (The Pope was only recognized in Western Rome)

• Arguments between the two sides led to a schism, or split.

• The Christian Religion became 2 branches of Christianity: The Roman Catholic Church in the West, and the Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Church in the east.

The Fall of Constantinople• Even though the Byzantine

Empire had one more period of greatness from 900 to 1050 under Emperor Basil II, the Empire could not hold off outside invaders.

• 1050-1100: Muslims from the East gain power

• 1170: Wars with Europeans from Venice (Italy)

• 1200s: Constantinople attached by Christian Crusaders.

• 1260: The Byzantines regain power for a short time.

• 1453: 70,000 Turks surround Constantinople, attack, and take the city.

• Later: New leaders rename the city Istanbul and it becomes a center of Muslim culture and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (still in existence today).

The EndQuestions, Repeats?