Fall of Rome
FALL OF ROMAN EMPIRE
Third century AD, Rome faced many problems Came from within and from the outsideMarcus Aurelius – He marked the end of Pax Romana (180 AD)
ECONOMYTrade became disrupted – tribes invadedRome reached their limit of expansion so could not depend on more gold and silver Economy suffered from inflation – prices rose, value of money droppedSoil lost its fertility – led to food shortagesDisease
MILITARY AND POLITICALMilitary in disarray Roman soldiers gave allegiance to their commanders, not RomeRoman Empire hired mercenaries – foreign soldiers who fought for money. Paid less than Roman soldiersCitizens also lost loyaltyWith everything happening, they just didn’t care
Diocletian• Became emperor 284 AD• Strict ruler/reforms – limited freedoms• Restored order • Doubled the army• Believed the empire had grown too big
• Divided empire into East (Greek) and West (Latin)
• He keeps overall control, but shares power in West• He rules the East • Became ill – civil war broke out
CONSTANTINE Takes over in 312 ADRestored back to one ruler againMoved the capital city from Rome to Byzantium
CONSTANTINE
City took on a new name of ConstantinopleAfter his death, empire divided again!
• East survived• West fell
W E S T E R N E M P I R E C R U M B L E S
370 AD – invaded by Mongol nomads from N Asia – HunsGermans attacked from the North
WESTERN EMPIRE CRUMBLES
Attila the Hun• United the Huns• 100,000 soldiers• Terrorizes both East/West Empires• 70 cities plundered in East -- Constantinople survives• Advanced on Rome in 452 AD
• Didn’t conquer – Famine - Disease
EASTERN EMPIRE REMAINSFinal emperor – Romulus Augustulus (14)
West is completely gone, East is renamed -Byzantine Lasted 1000 yearsPreserved Greek and Roman Culture
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