Transcript Fall of the Roman Empire

Major Eras of European History
Classical Era (Greece and Rome) 500
B.C.- 600 A.D.
Middle Ages (time of knights and
castles) 500 A.D. – 1500 A.D.
Early Modern Era (time of powerful
kings and exploration) 1500 A.D. –
1776 A.D.
The Fall of Rome and the
beginning of the Middle
Ages.
Contributing Factors
•Plague
•Size – barbarian attacks
Fall of the Roman Empire
Rome was the most
powerful empire the
world had ever seen.
Its architecture was
Hellenistic and its
road system was as
impressive as that of
the Inca in S. America
Roman Empire at its height 117 C.E.
Roman legal accomplishments
Rome had a
republican democracy
sometimes
Rome had a senate
where patricians could
represent people
Rule of Law
It means nobody is
above the law, not
the king, not the
senate, not the
people, not the
police.
Laws are written
down and must be
respected
Contributing Factor
Disease
The Black Plague was a deadly disaster, the
people quickly drove the Italians from their
city. But the disease remained, and soon
death was everywhere.
Bodies were left in empty houses, and there
was no one to give them a Christian burial."
Bubonic plague “Black plague”
It was called the black
plague because of the
dark spots found on its
victims
Coffins were rare, most were
buried in mass graves!
Why was Rome so affected by
the Plague?
Contributing Factor
Barbarians
Rome was besieged by
various tribes from
modern day Germany
and France.
At the height of Roman Empire (RE) the
authority of Rome covered much of the
known world.
Stretched from Britain, North Africa and
Egypt; from Spain to the Black Sea and Asia
Minor.
Barbarians
The barbarians desired the good life enjoyed by the
Roman citizens.
Barbarians wanted to enjoy not destroy the benefits of
the Roman Empire but were not going to be excluded.
The conflict of interests (who controls the wealth and
power) caused instability in the Roman Empire.
Outwardly, RE appeared strong, well run, rich and
everlasting; however, in reality it was fragmented,
corrupt and stagnating & at war under constant threat
of attack.
How could such a powerful , well organised structure with highly
skilled and disciplined arm be defeated by the barbarians?
Internal Problems
No established means of
choosing an emperor
Lack of interest in govt.
Unjust taxation
Growing gap between rich and
poor
Decline in manufacturing
trade, employment and general
prosperity
Food shortages
Farms falling into disuse
Inflation
Impacts
The Emperor gained power through automatic
succession to the throne.
The army challenged the Emperor’s right to rule
and there were assassinations withinin the
empire. (20 died through assassination or civil
wars)
Govt instability & the fact that ordinary people
had no say led to the increase in lawlessness
within the Empire.
Lower & middle classes (ordinary people) had to
pay a greater share of tax.
The rich bribed officials. Rich became richer,
the poor, poorer.
Soil was exhausted- quantity and quality
dropped off. Years of nutrient depletion.
Although the fall of the Roman
Empire did not happen overnight,
the fall is considered as the
beginning of the Middle Ages or
Dark Ages.
This powerpoint was kindly donated to
www.worldofteaching.com
http://www.worldofteaching.com is home to over a
thousand powerpoints submitted by teachers. This is a
completely free site and requires no registration. Please
visit and I hope it will help in your teaching.