The Fall of Rome

• Diocletian stepped down as emperor in 305 AD• For 7 years, Roman generals fought for power, and

Constantine won• In 313 AD Constantine controlled the Western Empire,

and Licinius controlled the Eastern Empire• They declared freedom of religion. Christians could now

freely practice their religion (Constantine was a Christian and he believed God helped win important battles)

• In 324, Constantine defeated Licinius and took control of the whole empire

• Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire

The Fall of Rome

• Constantine was a strong believer in Christianity

• In 325 he stopped the church from splitting apart in the east and the west

• He built many places of worship for Christians

• He built the church in Jerusalem on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried

• He built the church of St. Peter in Rome

The Church of Jerusalem St. Peter’s Church in Rome

The Fall of Rome

• In 330 AD, Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium (in modern day Turkey)

• The Empire was split again• The western half of the Empire was no longer

powerful or important• Byzantium became a rich and powerful city. Its

name was changed to Constantinople• From 370- 450 AD, the Western Empire is

continually attacked

The Fall of Rome

• After Constantine’s death, the western part of the empire was conquered.

• In 410, the Visigoths captured Rome. • In 455, the Vandals captured Rome. • In 476, the last Roman emperor was defeated by the

Visigoths. The Visigoths controlled the city of Rome and fought to defend it from the Huns.

• The Western Empire was controlled by Germanic tribes of people

• Constantinople and the eastern empire continued to exist.

• Constantinople became the capital of the Byzantine Empire