The Fall of the Roman Empire

1
The Fall of the Roman Empire

• Section 5

2
The Decline

• Poor Management
• The Severans motto, Pay the soldiers and ignore
  everyone else.
• Rome ruled by whoever had the largest army
• Invasions
• Civil Wars
• Plague

Caused the Roman economy to collapse
3

• Roman state depended on hired Germanic Soldiers
  not loyal to Rome
• Diocletian and Constantine try to revive Rome
• Late Roman Empire new governmental structure,
  rigid economic and social system and a new
  religion Christianity
• Divided empire into 4 sections

4
Attempts to save the economy

• Issue strict wage and price controls didnt
  work
• Issue edicts forcing people to stay at their jobs
• PROBLEM jobs become hereditary and small farmers
  go into debt to large landowners

5
Constantine

• In 324 becomes the sole ruler of Rome
• New capital, Byzantium renamed Constantinople
• New Rome
• Center of the Eastern Roman Empire
• One of the worlds largest cities

6
New capital, Byzantium renamed Constantinople
7
The Empire had two capitals, Rome in the west
(Latin speaking) and Constantinople in the east
(Greek speaking).
8
Invasions

• Huns moved into Eastern Europe, pressured the
  Germanic Visigoths
• Visigoths moved South, crossed into Roman
  territory
• Were allies w/Romans but, revolted and sacked
  Rome in 410
• Vandals sacked Rome in 455
• 476 fall of the Western Roman Empire (Eastern
  empire still continues)

9
410 Rome sacked by the Visigoths
10
(No Transcript)
11
German Angles, Saxons and Jutes take Britain
12
Germanic Tribes GermansGoths Visigoths Vandals S
kull of aGermanBarbarian
13
German Nations
14
Roman Empire at its peak
15
Rome at the end
16
Why did the Roman Empire Fall?

• Christianity weakened Romes military virtues
• Roman values declined as non-Italians gained
  prominent positions
• Lead poisoning from water pipes caused mental
  decline

17
Why did the Roman Empire Fall?

• Slavery held Rome back from advancing
  technologically
• Romes political system proved unworkable

The End