Transcript File

Collapse of the Roman Empire
Post Roman Empire
Image Source:
http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/pl/playmobil--romanwarriors-4271.jpg
Big Picture
 What are common causes for the collapse of massive
empires?
 Since 750 B.C., the Roman Empire was the largest, richest,
most powerful and technologically advanced empire in the
ancient world.
 Stretching from Britain to Syria, over ¼ of the world’s
population lived in it.

Picture souce: http://www.mitchellteachers.org/WorldHistory/AncientRome/Images/MapRomeEmpireAtHeight.jpg
What Happened?
 What caused the Roman Empire’s downfall?
 Government and emperors were Corrupt.
 It was too Large and had too many different cultures
to control.
 The military, once unstoppable, had grown weak.
 In 330, Emperor Constantine moved the capital to
Constantinople (Present Day City in Turkey Called
Istanbul)  ; a huge blow to the city of Rome.
 Finally, the main cause:
VIKING raiders from the
(North).
 Germanic tribes like the Visigoths, Vandals, and Franks swept
into Roman territory- pillaging, robbing, and destroying.
 In 476, the last Roman Emperor was overthrown, and the
Roman Empire ceased to exist.
 Image source:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/2/2d/200707170835
24!Invasions_of_the_Roman_Empire_1.png
The Middle Ages
-What do you know about this time period?
-What do you think life will be like for people following the
collapse of the Roman Empire?