Section 5

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Political and economic causes led to the decline of the western Roman Empire

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Inflation—a rise in prices corresponding to a decrease in the value of money

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DiocletianConstantineTheodosius IAlaricAttilaOdoacer

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ConstantinopleToday, known as Instanbul

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During A.D. 200s, Germanic tribes began to overrun the western half of the empire

Germanic tribes were always a threat to the Empire

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The five good emperors had brought peace and prosperity

Marcus Aurelius died in A.D. 180 and “Pax Romana” ended

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Emperor Commodus, Marcus Aurelius son, spent large sums of money on his own pleasures

Bankrupted the treasuryHis troops killed him

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Edict of PricesFroze wagesSet prices for goodsPenalty of death if defiedDidn’t work—citizens sold goods through

illegal tradeStopped farmers from leaving their landsWorkers had to remain at the same job their

entire lives—couldn’t avoid taxes

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Came to power in A.D. 312Reinforced Diocletian’s reformsChained workers to keep them on the farmsSons had to follow fathers in their jobsIN A.D. 330 he moved the capital of the

eastern empire to the Greek town of Byzantium and re-named it Constantinople

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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

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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

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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 RomansWarrior groups were composed of

warriors, their families and a chief

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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 GaulAlaric, their chief, led his people into Italy,

capturing and sacking RomeAfter his death, they retreated into GAul

Others included the Ostrogoths, Vandals, Franks, Angles, and Saxons

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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

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With Italy weakened, nothing was left to stop Germanic tribes from taking over

Vandals raided and thoroughly sacked RomeGerman 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

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Caused by a complex interaction of eventsThe 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

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