The Decline of The Decline of the the

Roman EmpireRoman Empire

Ch. 6 section 4Ch. 6 section 4

Problems in Rome Economy Agriculture Military

Bad Rulers Historians agree that Rome began its decline at

the end of the reign of the last of the Five Good Emperors.

Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 161-180) was the last ruler. Marcus Aurelius’ son, Commodus, was

incompetent and brutal. Other Emperors that followed were incompetent

also.

Prosperity Vanishes Romans had grown accustomed to a life of

prosperity. Rome’s treasuries were enriched with gold

and silver. They grew enough grain to feed the

population. During the 3rd century, prosperity vanished.

Economic Problems Hostile tribes and pirates disrupted trade. Wars were costly. The wealthy spent money on goods from

China, India, and Arabia. This spending drained the empire of gold and

silver.

The empire’s expansion came to an end.

Raised Taxes In effort to pay for the rising cost of

defense, the government raised taxes. They also began making coins with less

and less silver. The economy soon suffered from massive

inflation – a drastic drop in the value of money combined with rising prices.

Agricultural problems Harvests became smaller

The soil was overworked and lost its fertility. Farmland was destroyed by warfare

Higher taxes made poor farmers abandon their lands

Cheap slave labor discouraged improvements in technology

Serious food shortages resulted Disease spread and population declined

Military Upheaval Discipline and loyalty collapsed Soldiers gave their loyalties to their

commanders instead of Rome. The commanders fought for themselves to

become emperor of Rome.

Mercenaries The government began to recruit

mercenaries, foreign soldiers who fought for money.

Mercenaries accepted lower pay than Romans.

They had no loyalty to Rome. They were only in it for the money.

Roman Politics Decay People lost their sense of patriotism. Holding a political office used to be an

honor and a means for gaining wealth. By the 200s, local officials usually lost

money because they had to pay for costly public circuses and baths out of their own pockets.

Roman Chariot races (what they called a ‘circus’)

The Roman Circus

Roman public baths

Roman Public Toilets

Diocletian became Emperor in 284 Restored the Roman

Empire Increased its strength In order for this to

happen, he had to rule as an absolute ruler (having total power) and limit personal freedoms.

Diocletian’s reforms Doubled the size of the Roman armies

Drafted Prisoners of War Hired German mercenaries

Set fixed prices for goods. Ordered farmers to remain on their lands

and other workers to stay in their jobs for life.

Passed a decree to persecute Christians.

Divinity Claimed he descended from the Roman Gods, as

the son of Jupiter. When he appeared in public, trumpets heralded. He made people kneel before him and kiss the

hem of his robe. His shoes and clothing were adorned with

precious gems. He wanted it to seem as ‘crime against the gods’

to kill him.

Rome Divides Diocletian divided the empire in the Greek-

speaking East (Greece, Anatolia, and Syria) Latin-speaking West (Italy, Gaul, Britannia, and

Spain) He took the Eastern half for himself and

appointed General Maximian as ruler of the West. Each ruler had an assistant, which was to be their

sucessor.

While Diocletian shared authority, he kept overall control.

His half of the empire included the wealthiest cities.

Division of the Roman Empire

Diocletian became ill and retired in 305 A.D.

His successor was supposed to take over, but instead a Civil War broke out.

Four leaders emerged who fought for the throne.

Constantine Constantine took control of the western part

of the Empire in 312 AD. In 324 AD, Constantine also gained control

of the East, thus restoring the concept of a single ruler.

He won the Western half, after praying to the

Christian God, remember?

This is the same Constantine that legalized Christianity.

Capital moves In 330 A.D., Constantine moved the Capital

from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium, in what is now Turkey.

With the capital in the East, the center of power shifted from Rome to the newly named city of Constantinople.

After Constantine’s death, the empire would divide again.

This time the East would survive, but the West would fall.

Invaders in the Western Empire From 376-476 AD, large numbers of

Germanic tribes poured into Roman territory.

They overwhelmed the structures of Roman society.

Eventually, they drove the Roman emperor from the throne.

The Huns Fierce Mongolian nomads from central

Asia. Invaded Europe They destroyed everything in their path. They were feared by many people.

In order to run away from the Huns, people sought refuge in Rome.

When the Rhine River froze during an especially cold winter in 406, Vandal warriors and families swarmed across the ice into Rome.

The Western Empire was so disorganized, it couldn’t stop them.

Rome became vulnerable to attack. More than 600 years had passed since the

attacks from Hannibal. The Visigoths invaded Rome in 420 and

plundered the city for 3 days

The Huns become a threat The Huns unite under a powerful chieftain,

Attila. His armies terrorized both the Eastern and

Western empire. In the East, his armies attacked and

plundered 70 cities. But, they failed to take Constantinople.

Attila the Hun

The Huns weaken Attila’s army advances on Rome, but they

were weakened by disease and famine. Attila died in 453. The Huns were no longer a threat. The Germanic Tribes continued to attack.

The story is that he died from a nosebleed on his wedding night. Attila suffered from chronic nosebleeds throughout his life. On his wedding night, he became so drunk that he suffocated in his own blood.

In 455, Vandals attacked Rome, leaving it in chaos.

Famine struck and population dropped to 20,000.

The Roman emperor in the West had become powerless Spain belonged to the Visigoths North Africa was conquered by the

Vandals. Gaul was overrun by competing tribes

(Franks, Burgundians, and Visigoths) Britannia was invaded by Angles and

Saxons. Italy was falling victim to the Ostrogoths.

The last Roman Emperor 14 year old boy, named Romulus

Augustulus. In 476, German general, Odoacer, exiled

him to the castle of Lucullus in Campania After that, no emperor even pretended to

rule Rome and the western provinces. The western half disappeared.

Now known as Egg Castle, or Castelo do Ovo, or Castell dell’Ovo

It is called Egg Castle because a Roman poet, named Virgil, supposedly buried a magical egg in the castle’s foundation.

He said as long as the egg is never disturbed, the Castle would not be destroyed.

Romulus Augustulus His name was

originally Romulus Augustus, but it became Augustulus to mean,' Little Augustus’.

Romulus Augustulus’ Crown

Byzantine Empire The Eastern half came to be known as

Byzantine Empire. It survived and flourished. It preserved the Greek and Roman culture

for another 1,000 years. They ruled from Constantinople and saw

themselves as heirs to the power of Augustus Caesar.

The Byzantine Empire

The empire ended in 1453, when it fell to the Ottoman Turks.

Even though Rome’s political power in the West ended, its cultural influence, continued to be deeply embedded in Western civilization.