The Fall of the Roman Empire

1
The Fall of the Roman Empire

• Chapter 6, Section 4

2
A Century in Crisis

• End of Marcus Aurelius reign as emperor (A.D.
  161-180) brought about end of Pax Romana. Rulers
  after Marcus Aurelius had no idea how to deal
  with the giant empire and its problems.

3
Romes Economy Weakens

• Hostile tribes and pirates disrupt trade.Empire
  at limit of expansion and lacks new sources of
  gold and silver.
• empire raised taxes as a result
• empire minted coins with less silverinflation
  resulted

4
Romes Economy Weakens

• Agriculture faced serious problems
• Harvests were increasingly meager because soil
  lost fertility.
• Years of war destroyed farmland.Serious food
  shortages, disease, and population decline
  resulted.

5
Military and Political Turmoil

• Roman military in disarray
• less disciplined soldiers
• allegiance to commanders, not to Rome itself
• recruiting of mercenaries who were less loyal to
  Rome
• Less loyalty among average citizens
• Earlier Romans cared more about the Republic.
• Later Romans lose their sense of patriotism.

6
Emperors Attempt Reform

• Diocletian Reforms the Empire
• Becomes emperor in 284.
• Severely limits personal freedoms.
• Doubles size of Roman army.
• Controls inflation by price fixing.
• Divides the empire
• Greek speaking East (takes for himself)
• Latin-speaking West (appoints a co-ruler)
• Kept overall control.
• Retired in A.D. 305, but civil war broke out.
• Four rivals competed for control, including the
  commander Constantine

7
Emperors Attempt Reform

• Constantine Moves the Capital
• A.D. 312 Constantine gains control of the western
  part of the empire.
• A.D. 324 he secures the eastern empire and the
  system of a single ruler.
• A.D. 330 Constantine moves the capital from Rome
  to Byzantium on the Bosporus Strait between
  Europe and Asia.
• The center of power shifts from Rome to the east.

8
The Western Empire Crumbles

• Germanic Invasions
• A.D. 370 the Huns move into Europe causing the
  Germanic peoples to flee into Roman territory.
• A.D. 410 Germans invade and overrun Rome itself
  and plunder it for three days.Attila the Hun
• In 444 the Huns unite under Attila and terrorize
  both halves of the empire.
• In 452 the Huns advance against Rome, but fail in
  conquering the city due to famine and disease.
• Attila dies in 453.

9
The Western Empire Crumbles

• An Empire No More
• 14-year-old emperor Romulus Augustulus ousted by
  Germananic forces in 426.
• Roman power in the western half of the empire
  ceases to exist.
• The eastern half of the empire comes to be called
  the Byzantine Empire, and flourishes for 1,000
  years.
• The Byzantine emperors ruled from Constantinople.
• The Byzantine emperors saw themselves as heirs to
  the power of Augustus Caesar.