Transcript CLASSICAL AGE - ROME The Lead to the Decline of the Roman Empire.

CLASSICAL AGE - ROME
The Lead to the Decline of the
Roman Empire
Main Concepts
Evaluate the main causes of the Roman Fall
Discover Rome suffers an economic and military
decline.
Evaluate why as people’s loyalty and service to
the empire decrease, only the armies remain active
in politics.
Evaluate the Split of the Empire
Evaluate the various invasions of Rome and their
consequences
Conclude with the legacy of Rome
A Century of Crisis
A.D. 161-180 – reign of Marcus Aurelius,
last of Five Good Emperors
A.D. 180 – Marcus Aurelius dies and
Roman empire begins its decline (officially)
Rulers that followed weakened Roman
empire (successions were short and quick,
no real Emperor to make changes)
Rome’s Economy Declines
1. Pax Romana: Roman Peace
a. Trade flourished
b. Gold and silver taken from conquered
territories added to Rome’s wealth
c. Surplus of food
d. More Provincials were granted Roman
citizenship (never happened before)
2. Above listed resources disappeared in 3rd
century A.D.
Rome’s Economy Declines
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Trade was disrupted
Wars were frequent and a financial drain
Wealthy overspent on luxury items
Gold and silver supplies drained
No new sources of precious metals
Rome’s Economy Declines
8. Efforts to cover expenses
a. Taxes raised
b. Minted coins contained less silver
9. Inflation, severe drop in value of money
plus a rise in prices, resulted
Rome’s Economy Declines
10. Food sources dwindle
a. Western harvests meager due to
overworked soil
b. Farmland destroyed by warfare
c. High taxes forced small farmers to
give up their land
d. Cheap slave labor discouraged technological
improvements
Rome Faces Military Upheaval
1. Military crisis contributed to economic
woes
2. Roman armies were constantly at war
with invaders, “barbarians”
3. Use of mercenaries caused collapse in
loyalty to the empire
Roman Politics
1. Lack of loyalty was key in feelings of
indifference
2. Political office no longer an honor
3. Only armies active in politics
The Empire Splits
Diocletian institutes many reforms, creating
an Eastern and Western Empire, but fails to
ensure orderly succession.
Constantine moves the capital of the Roman
Empire to Byzantium, shifting the center of
power east.
Emperors Attempt Reform
1. Roman empire survived another 200
years.
2. Empire’s life prolonged by emperors who
divided it
a. Eastern
b. Western
Diocletian Reforms the Empire
1. A.D. 284 – Diocletian becomes emperor
2. He restored order and increased the
empire’s strength
3. Diocletian governed as an absolute ruler
4. He limited personal freedoms
Diocletian Reforms the Empire
5. Reforms
a. Drafted prisoner of war and hired
German mercenaries
b. Set fixed prices for goods
c. Ordered farmers and workers to
remain on their farms and jobs for life
d. Personally proclaimed he was a descendant
of Roman gods
e. Persecuted Christians
Diocletian Reforms the Empire
f. Divided empire
1. Greek-speaking East
2. Latin-speaking West
3. Appointed himself co-ruler of west
4. Each ruler chose an assistant who
was to be their successor
6. A.D. 305 – Diocletian retires and civil war
erupts
Constantine Moves the Capital
1. A.D. 312 – Constantine gains control of
Western empire
2. A.D. 324 – Constantine takes control of
Eastern empire
3. A.D. 330 – Constantine moves capital
from Rome to Byzantium (bih –ZANshee-uhm)
a. Strategic for trade and defense
b. City renamed Constantinople
Lasted till 1453 with the Ottoman Rule
Invaders Overrun the Western
Empire
Western Roman Empire in decline for many years
Causes of final collapse
a. Internal problems
b. Separation of West from East
c. Invasions
A.D. 376-476 – Germanic invasions
a. Drove out Romans From Germany because
noticed how weak Roman was. Provinces began to
take advantage of crumbling West
The Huns Move West
1. German invasions were result of the Huns
moving into Europe –The Huns were
already coming from the East but saw
resistance in Eastern Empire so decided to
skip East and go West
2. Huns were Mongol nomads from central
Asia
Germanic Invasions
1. Winter 406 – Rhine River froze allowing
warriors to cross on ice
2. 410 – Alaric (AL-ur-ihk) crosses Alps to
attack Rome
Attila the Hun
1. 444 – Huns unite under Attila
(AT-uhl-uh)
2. Attila attacked both western and
eastern
halves of empire
•
It was because of the Walls
erected in Constantinople that Attila
was unable to sak the city
3. A.D. 452 – Attila’s attack on
Rome foiled by famine and disease
a. Pope Leo I negotiates their withdrawal
4. 455 – Gaiseric saks Rome
In 451, he began a devastating attack on the
Western Empire. It took a combined force
of Romans and Visigoths(they were fighting
each other first) to narrowly defeat him at
the Battle of Chalons, saving Rome from
complete collapse. Although Attila
continued to attack Italy, he never seriously
threatened Rome again before his death in
453.
Rome’s Last Emperor
1. Roman emperor of west becomes
powerless
2. Romulus Augustulus – last Roman
emperor and their power in west
disappears
3. Eastern half of empire becomes
Byzantine
4. Byzantine empire flourishes until 1453
KEY IDEAS
The Roman Empire splits in two.
Economic, military, and political decay and
outside invaders bring down the Western
Roman empire, but the Eastern half survives
FOOD FOR THOUGHT (*cough cough
exam*) Why do you think the East
flourished and survived longer than the
West?
Why did Rome actually Fall?
Quick Review of key points
Economic Reasons
Military
Political
Social
Economic Reasons
1. Gap btw Rich and Poor
2. Impoverished people got sick of being part
of the COLONI (sold when land was sold)
3. Larger states became self sufficient and
thus less dependence on Manufacturing
4. Lower class couldn’t afford good so
purchasing power declined as well as trade
Military Reasons
1. Roman Republic
• Armies were servants to Rome
2. Roman Empire
• Armies made and unmade Emperors
3. Reliance on Barbarian Troops
• Not loyal to the Empire
• Interested in collecting booty not expanding nor
defending Rome
Political Reasons
Decline in Patriotism
No democracy
Citizens lost their voting power to the state
Loyalty was devoted to a particular Emperor
and not Rome
East/West Split
Problems regarding loyalty and Religion
Diocletian split the Empire for administrative
purposes
Politics Con’t
Western Rome officially fell in 476 CE with the
last Emperor: Romulus Augustus
No successions
Murders, forced suicides and civil wars
normally accompanied the change in Emperor
Social Reasons
Population Decline
Hunger, Plague (Bubonic), Wars(Germanic,
British, Huns, etc)
Decline in Intellectual Culture
No public service or intellectual pursuits
Ppl spent most of their leisure time watching
Chariot races and gladiators NOT education
Decline Con’t
Divide in Religion
Eastern and Egyptian cults took away the
popular status of traditional Roman Faith
(Judean Cults, Christian Cults)
Christianity directly challenged the issues of
imperial Divinity
Most Emperors after 313 CE were Christian and
thus the Western Roman Empire began to fall and
become more of a Catholic Center vs Empire.
LEGACY OF ROME
Admin of the Empire
Christianity
Architecture
Engineering
Historians
Jewish Diaspora
Literature
Roman Law
Romance Language
Roman Law
Transmission of Greek
(Hellenistic) Culture
Taking and adapting
invention and putting them
to good use (essentially
stealing and copying)