Transcript The Rise of Christianity & Fall Of The Roman Empire

Fall Of The Roman Empire
Mr. Ermer
World History
Miami Beach Senior High
Roman Decline
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The last of the Five Good Emperors—Marcus
Aurelius dies in A.D. 180
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Civil wars follow for next 13 years
Emperor Septimius Severus told his sons: “pay
the soldiers, ignore everyone else”
Severan emperors known for militaristic rule,
and brutality
235-284: Throne held by whoever can take it by
force
22 emperors of this period, most die violently
Constant invasion also caused problems
Economic & Military Problems
 3rd
Century: Invasions, civil wars and
plague almost ruins Roman economy
 Plague
causes less people to trade & soldiers
 Farm production down, armies ravage them
 Money loses value
No money to recruit and pay soldiers
 Germans fill in the gap, but have little
loyalty to generals, or the empire
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Diocletian & Constantine
Introduce Late Roman Empire with new
governmental, economic and social
structures—along with new religion +
 Diocletian believes empire too big to rule,
divides empire into four parts, each ruled
by own ruler—emperor still highest auth.
 Bureaucracy expanded, army reorganized
 Wage and price controls to help inflation
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New Empire=New Capital
Constantine builds new capital city in east
 Picks site of old Greek city Byzantium
 Renames city “Constantinople” (Istanbul)
 Had excellent strategic position
 Became his “New Rome” and capital of
Eastern Roman Empire, as the empire
continues to split between East and West
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An Empire Divided Cannot Stand
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Empire splits between East and West
 Western
capital=Rome
 Eastern capital=Constantinople
Western empire under attack by Germans
 350-400: Huns, tribe from Asia, and
pressures Germanic Visigoths, moving
them into Roman territory, become allies
of Rome against Huns—revolt soon after
 410: Visigoths sack Rome
 455: Vandals sack Rome
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The Fall of Rome
A.D. 476: Emperor Romulus Augustulus is
the last emperor of Rome, deposed by
German general
 Germanic kingdoms replace empire
 Eastern, Byzantine Empire survives
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Byzantine Empire lasts another 1,000 yrs
Many reasons are given for the fall of
Rome, none fully explain it.
Reasons Given For Fall of Empire:
Christianity’s embrace of spiritual life
 Non-Italians eroding Roman values
 Lead poisoning causes mental decline
 Plague kills 1/10 of population
 Failure to advance technology b/c of
slavery
 Inadequate political system for large
empire
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Chapter 2, Lesson 2 Review:
• On page 30, write and answer questions 1-5