Transcript The Disintegration of the Roman Empire

What internal and external problems destroyed Rome?
From the end of Diocletian’s
reign as emperor in 305 CE
until 312 CE there was fighting
in the Roman empire (chaos
and disunity…)
In 312, Constantine became
emperor.
Constantine set to work
improving the economy,
stabilizing the workforce, and
strengthening the military.
The empire continued to
decline.
In 330 CE, Constantine
moved the capital from
Rome to the Greek city of
Byzantium (buh ZAN tee
uhm) in present-day Turkey.
Constantine renamed the
city Constantinople.
Constantine died a few years
after (we’ll hear more about
him later) and Theodosius
took power in
Constantinople.
Theodosius found the
empire difficult to govern.
The empire covered a vast
area and faced threats
from both inside and
outside its borders.
Theodosius decided that
the eastern and western
parts should become
separate empires.
This division took place in
395 CE.
One empire was the
Western Roman Empire
with its capital in Rome.
The other empire became the
Eastern Roman Empire, with its
capital city at Constantinople.
Many Germanic tribes migrated
from northern Europe during the
late A.D. 300s looking for better
farmland and trying to escape the
Huns, a fierce group of warriors
from northern Asia.
As the Huns entered Eastern
Europe, one Germanic tribe, the
Visigoths, asked the Roman
government for protection.
The Visigoths were allowed to
settle just inside the empire’s
border and received protection
from the Roman army.
The Romans treated the
Visigoths badly. They charged
them high prices for food and
enslaved some of their people.
The Visigoths tired of the poor
treatment, and in A.D. 378, they
rebelled, fighting and defeating
the Roman legions at Adrianople
(AY dree uh NOH puhl)
Their victory encouraged attacks
on the Roman territory of Gaul.
In A.D. 410, the Visigoth leader
Alaric led his people into Italy
and captured Rome itself.
The Visigoths looted the city’s
government buildings and
private homes.
Rome’s conquest by Alaric
made it clear that the empire
would not last forever.
Another Germanic group, the Vandals, attacked Roman lands in
Spain and northern Africa.
In A.D. 455, the
Vandals entered
Rome. They
overcame the
Romans living
there, and spent
almost two
weeks stealing
valuables and
burning
buildings.
The Roman Empire had
started to hire mercenaries
in the A.D. 200’s, and many
of these mercenaries were
Germanic.
By the mid A.D. 400’s
several of the high posts in
the Roman government
were held by Germanic
leaders.
In A.D. 476, the Germanic
general named Odoacer (OH
duh WAY suhr) had enough
support from soldiers that
he was able to take control.
Odoacer overthrew the
western emperor. Historians
often use this event to mark
the end of the Western
Roman Empire.
No Roman emperor ever again
ruled from Rome.
Odoacer controlled Rome for
almost fifteen years. The
Germanic peoples, however,
continued to fight amongst
themselves.
During Odoacer’s rule, a group
of Visigoths attacked the city of
Rome, seized the city and killed
Odoacer.
They set up their new kingdom
in Italy under their leader,
Theodoric.
Elsewhere in Europe, other
Germanic kingdoms arose and
came to power.
The Western Roman Empire
ceased to exist.
However, Roman culture did
not disappear. These new
leaders adopted the Latin
language, Roman laws, and
Christianity.
Read infographic on p.
355 of textbook.