The Fall of the Roman Empire

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The Fall of the Roman Empire

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Weak Roman Government

• Poor leaders weakened the government
• Frequent fights for power
• Many officials took bribes
• Talented people chose not to serve due to dangers
  of government life

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Social Problems

• Plague (disease) spread throughout Rome, killing
  1 in 10
• Famine There was not enough food to feed people

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Economic Problems

• Income and wages fall due to inflation and lack
  of work.
• Wealthy Romans stop paying taxes
• No taxes, no money

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Dividing the Empire

• The empire was to divide it in half to save the
  empire.
• Created two empires
• Western Empire Europe/ North Africa
• Eastern Empire Turkey/ Asia.

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Christianity

• Began in the 1st century A.D. as a breakaway
  Jewish sect
• Focused around the spiritual leader Jesus of
  Nazareth.
• Jesus was put to death by the Roman provincial
  government.

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Christianity

• Followers of Jesus spread Christianity throughout
  the Roman Empire.
• Persecuted first by the Jewish People.
• Nero had Christianity made a crime punishable by
  death.

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Constantine

• Constantine (312 CE) united the empire again
  under one ruler
• First Christian emperor
• Stopped the persecution of Christians

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Rome invaded

• Western Empire unable to hold off German tribes
  on its borders
• German tribes wanted warmer area, Roman riches,
  and to flee the Huns

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The Fall

• Rome was defeated in 476 CE
• Western Empire was divided into many kingdoms
  that adopted many of the customs of Rome

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Eastern Roman Empire

• Although the Western Empire fell in 476 CE, the
  Eastern Roman Empire continued to prosper for
  1,000 more years
• Became known as the Byzantine Empire