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The Empire in Crisis 3rd century
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century
Crisis of the 3rd Century fall 476 1. Legions deciding emperor
2. Economic No new conquests, so no new money
3. Rise of Christianity
4. Plagues
5. German invasions
6. Classical civilization based on Slaves
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century Start of the Collapse
234-284 CE 22 emperors as province legions declare their general emperor.
Legions defensive on boarders of empire
Romans and Italians not joining army.
Legions recruit German tribes
Great Wall of China 214 BCE
As China builds the Great Wall, the Huns move west, the German tribes push into the Roman Empire.
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century Start of the Collapse
In the East, the Sarssinian Persians take back Mesopotamia.
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century Economy
Economy begins to collapse.
With no new lands conquered, less money for empire.
Trade slows as the Persians and Germans attack more.
Romans did not pay taxes, so emperors put more pressure on the provinces to pay more.
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century Economy
Also, gold and silver mines run out, emperors debase coins causing inflation.
Out in the provinces people start to use barter again.
Plagues hit killing 10 percent of population
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century Start of the Collapse
The emperors were expected to give out free wine, money, food, games in the cities.
Emperors expected to have bigger fancier courts and build bigger public buildings everywhere.
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century Start of the Collapse
The tax collectors in provinces become more repressive.
As the legions in the provinces protected them less.
Reforms of Diocletian Splits the
Empire 294
Reforms of Diocletian Splits the
Empire 294
Reforms of Diocletian Splits the
Empire 294
Reforms of Diocletian Splits the
Empire 294
West always spoke LatinRoman Catholic ChurchLatin Alphabet
East usually spoke GreekEast Orthodox ChurchCyrillic and Greek Alphabets
Reforms of DiocletianReforms of Diocletian
Rome reduced to Second class city Milan became the new Imperial military capital and Ravenna became Imperial play city in West (later Venice)
Byzantium capital in the EastGreek city-state
Reforms of DiocletianReforms of Diocletian
2 emperors with 2 assistant emperors
Reorganized Empire into Diocese
People could not move around freely
You had to have one of your sons replace you in the same profession
Hired more German tribes for the army
Get rid of the mystery religions like Christianity
Reforms of ConstantineReforms of Constantine
Rome and Western spoke LatinRoman Catholic Church led by Pope
Constantinople Istanbul todaySpoke GreekOrthodox Christian ChurchLed by Patriarch Greece, RussiaBaltic States today
Constantinople
(renames Byzantintium in 330)
Constantinople
(renames Byzantintium in 330)
Constantine the 13th Apostle 312 – 337 CEConstantine the 13th
Apostle 312 – 337 CEContinued reforms
Made Christianity legal
Converted on his deathbed
Edward Gibbon’s Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire blamed the fall on Christianity, decadence, and loss of Roman virtue.
Constantine the 13th Apostle 312 - 337
Constantine the 13th Apostle 312 - 337
Christianity had been an illegal religion as they would not worship Roman Gods or the
Emperor.
Christianity had been an illegal religion as they would not worship Roman Gods or the
Emperor.
AS economy and security broke down.
Stoicism, rationalism, and philosophy broke down.
People flocked to mystery religions, the most successful Christianity.
Jewish religious leader Jesus Christ
Christianity
All people poor and rich equal to God
Salvation threw faith in one God, like Plato's all powerful celestial God.
A day of judgment like Osiris, but for the world.
Christianity
Love not only your friend but even your enemies
Jewish Torah becomes OLD TESTEMET
JC teaching THE NEW TESTEMENT
Christian Charity help everyone
Christian Charity
St. Peter first bishop of Rome.
In a time of economic crisis, Christian bishops were often the only honest people with money helping everyone.
Christianity breaks with Judeaism
35 CE Saint Paul the great organizer of the early church.
Admitted non Jews.
Spread of Christianity
Many join monasteries places to pray all day and concentrate on salvation
People give up possessions and prayed.
St Augustine wrote Confessions, combined Greco-Roman belief that knowledge and virtue are the same with the Christian idea that even knowledgeable people sin.
Constantine
Edict of Milan freedom of worship, and established the Emperor as head of Church.
Pope of Rome head of church in
West, Patriarch of Constantinople head of church in the East.
Theodosius I 375-395 CE
Closed classical schools through out the empire and outlawed the Olympics and other games.
By 400 CE, Christians intolerant to pagan religions.
Old temples ripped down, statues smashed.
Aristotle outlawed.
In Rome Popes destroy the forum, old temples, and the
coliseum
In Rome Popes destroy the forum, old temples, and the
coliseum
They use parts of the coliseum to build St Peters Church.
Heresy
By 415 BCE, Christians fought each other over doctrinal disagreements.
Is Christ a god? Nestorians Christ was mostly man. Arians God more powerful than
Christ.
Emperors settled these questions at great Ecumenical councils of the Church, and declared a universal or Catholic Church.
Nicene Creed Christ begotten but equal to God.
Barbarian Invasions: 4c-5c
Barbarian Invasions: 4c-5c
Late 4th C provinces
As the economy collapsed, the economy in the provinces became barter again.
Roman tax collectors hated.
Late 4th C provinces
Legions were made up of barbarians with no loyalty to Rome, and could not protect towns against barbarian invasions.
Locals people looked to local nobles to protect them.
Local nobles expand their villas to be self sufficient, including their own blacksmiths, justice systems, food supplies, and warriors.
Town and cities decline.
Towns became small forts surrounded by walls.
Wallace Handrill fall of Roman empire because of the Germans.
378CE Emperor Valens killed in battle against the Ostrogoths
Adrianople August 9, 378
Strategic ContextThe Visigoths and Ostrigoths conspire to assassinate Roman Emperor Valens but fail; the Romans consequently negotiate a truce with the Persians, who they are fighting and march against Fritigern’s combined Gothic force. So far, the Goths are usually able to extricate themselves from dangerous situations after being gradually pushed out of Thrace. They retreat towards Adrianople and establish their traditional defensive position when the Romans arrive.
Stakes+ A Roman victory would force the Goths backwards into the path of the ferocious Huns, putting their survival in doubt.
+ A Gothic victory would destroy the only major Roman army in the region, opening up the Eastern Roman Empire to pillaging and possible conquest. By Jonathan Webb,
2009 ©
No Image
Available
Adrianople, 378Strength
Romans
Well
Goths
Well
50,000 cavalry
10,000 infantry
Fritigern
20,000 cavalry
40,000 infantry
Emperor Flavius Valens
By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©
Valens deploys his army in a standard formation with his infantry legions in the center flanked by his cavalry, which includes horse-archers. Fritigern deploys his force on a sizeable hill, his infantry launching attacks from the protection offered by the ring of wagons where the soldiers’ families are. His cavalry is away foraging so he seeks to delay the Romans until the decisive force arrives.
Fritigern tries to delay the Roman assault by sending envoys to open negotiations but Valens, believing the Gothic cavalry to be away on a time-consuming raid, resolves to attack. The Goths quickly set fire to the adjacent fields to impede the attack which results in the discomfort of the heavily-armoured Romans and a choking cloud of smoke over the battlefield.
Romans(Valens)
Romans(Emperor Flavius
Valens)40,000 infantry20,000 cavalry
Goths(Fritigern)
Goths(Fritigern)
10,000 infantry50,000 cavalry
NN
Valens strongly believes the Gothic cavalry are not returning so he patiently sends his horse-archers to harass the Goths. The Gothic infantry are not amused and counters, driving the Roman cavalry back. This provokes a premature, undisciplined attack by a Roman infantry force which is repulsed and driven back by superior Gothic numbers and position.
Fritigern tries to delay the Roman assault by sending envoys to open negotiations but Valens, believing the Gothic cavalry to be away on a time-consuming raid, resolves to attack. The Goths quickly set fire to the adjacent fields to impede the attack which results in the discomfort of the heavily-armoured Romans and a choking cloud of smoke over the battlefield.
Seeing a part of his army already in combat, Valens orders a full assault and the Roman infantry soon become deeply engaged in fierce fighting along the hill. Despite high casualties and not being able to be supported by cavalry, the Romans push the Goths back beyond their wagons on the Gothic right.
The Gothic heavy cavalry arrive at the peak of combat and drive the outclassed and outnumbered Roman cavalry from the field. The Gothic cavalry, hidden by the looming smoke, swoop around the Roman infantry while the Gothic infantry feel the shift of momentum and launch a counterattack to push the Romans off the hill. The Roman infantry try to flee but the majority are surrounded.
The Romans are so tightly surrounded that they can hardly draw their weapons; only when many have already fallen can the Roman infantry fight back with any effectiveness or try and escape. The massacre continues for hours as the Roman infantry fight for survival. Some Romans manage to escape but are inevitably destroyed along with their commander.
Romans(Valens)
Goths(Fritigern)
NN
Romans(Emperor Flavius
Valens)40,000 infantry20,000 cavalry
Goths(Fritigern)
10,000 infantry50,000 cavalry
Adrianople, 378Casualties & Aftermath
Romans: Goths:
40,000
or
67%
2,000
or
3%
By Jonathan Webb, 2009 ©
Rpme’s worst defeate since Hannible
Theodosus wins against the Goths and invites them into the empire. Roman emperors higher Gothic cavalry rather than legionaries.
The Visogoths revolted in 378.
Visigoths sack Rome in 410 then settle in Spain
Early Germanic Kingdoms
Early Germanic Kingdoms
395-423 CE
Emperor Honorius moves the western court to Ravenna then Venice.
Hired Stilico (Ostrogoth) as chief general of the western empire.
Rome is sacked many times.
Vandals sack Rome 455 then settle in North Africa
Early Germanic Kingdoms
Early Germanic Kingdoms
476 CE the last emperor of West Romulus Augusts abdicates
Eastern Empire (Byzantine) continues till 1453 CE
Classical age Slave society
Classical society did not develop technologies, because the rely so much on slaves.
Alexandria developed steam engines, yet no one put them on trains.
Early Germanic Kingdoms
Early Germanic Kingdoms
Schools, trade, roads, building tech all but disappeared in the west.
City and town life reduced to almost nothing as people run to Nobles estates.
On horseback, Nobles build castles and protect their local populations who become serfs.
With no political structure German tribes break down into thousands of warring states called the Dark Ages.
The Eastern or Byzantine Empire continues on till
1453.
The Eastern or Byzantine Empire continues on till
1453.
History of the Byzantine Empire [2 vols]: Alexander Vasiliev
END SEMESTER 1
The Western Tradition - 04 From Bronze to Iron.wmv
Study Hard and Good Luck !!!!!!!Study Hard and Good Luck !!!!!!!
Causes of Fall
Political Burden not reward Military interference Civil war Division of empire Moving of capital
Social Decline interest in
public affairs Disloyalty, lack of
patriotism Rich v. poor
Causes of Fall
Economic Poor harvests Disruption of trade Inflation Tax burden Rich v. poor
Military Threat from German
tribes Low funds Problems recruiting
The Empire in Crisis 3rd century
Economy Poor harvests Gold and Silver
mines empty coins made with
cheap metal Inflation Tax burden Rich vs. poor
Military Threat from
European tribes More taxes needed cannot protect
people Problems recruiting
Hellenistic
Mystery religions grow in popularity.
Only the Jews kept their traditional religions.
Jews had an exclusive relationship with Yawee or Jehovah.
Jews had nationalism.
The Rise of ChristianityThe Rise of Christianity
The Beginnings of Christianityin Bethlehem
The Beginnings of Christianityin Bethlehem
Jesus’ MissionJesus’ Mission
Agony in the Garden
Agony in the Garden
CrucifixionCrucifixion
BaptismBaptism
The Resurrection:The Church Triumphant
The Resurrection:The Church Triumphant
one life
Choose between good or evil
Belief in afterlife in Heaven or Hell
Rich people are evil and will most likely go to hell
one life
Choose between good or evil
Belief in afterlife in Heaven or Hell
Rich people are evil and will most likely go to hell
St. Peter: The rock of the Church
St. Peter: The rock of the Church
