The Fall of Rome

1. The Fall of Rome

2. Background – growth of the empire • At its height the Roman Empire included all the land around the Mediterranean Sea. The empire in the early 100s stretched from Britain all the way south to Egypt, and from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Persian Gulf. • But the empire did not stay that large for long. By the end of the 100s emperors had given up some of the land the Roman army had conquered. These emperors feared that the empire had become too large to defend or govern well. As later rulers discovered, these emperors were right.

3. Roman Empire

4. 1. Problems in the Empire • The Roman emperor had immense power and responsibility. The Roman government depended on the abilities of the emperor, but many later emperors were corrupt* and ineffective leaders. • *meaning that they acting dishonestly, and only worried about getting money and power for themselves

5. 2. Problems in the Empire • The cost of defending and managing such a huge empire was very high. To pay for this, the empire raised taxes drastically. Inflation* and unemployment led to economic difficulties. • *Inflation is basically when the prices of things go up, but you make the same amount of money.

6. Inflation

7. 3. Problems in the Empire • Even as emperors were giving up territory, new threats to the empire were appearing. Tribes of Germanic warriors* such as the Franks, whom the Romans called barbarians*, attacked Rome’s Northern borders. At the same time, tribes from Asia, including the Huns, were invading in the East. Eventually, these tribes successfully invaded the city of Rome. • *The term “Germanic Peoples” means many different tribes that lived in northern Europe and were not part of the Roman Empire, such as the Franks, Goths, and Vandals. These people were often nomadic. • *A barbarian is someone who is uncivilized, savage, doesn’t have any manners.

8. Invasions

9. 4. Problems in the Empire • The Romans struggled with problems within the empire as well. Because so many Romans were needed in the army, not enough people were left to farm. To grow enough food, the Romans invited Germanic farms to grow crops on Roman lands. These farmers often came from the same tribes that threatened Rome’s borders. Over time, whole Germanic communities had moved into the empire. They chose their own leaders and ignored the emperors, which caused problems for the Romans. • Later, Roman armies relied on paid soldiers. These soldiers were often recruited from non-Roman peoples, who were less loyal than Roman citizens.

10. 5. Problems in the Empire • In the late 200s, the Roman emperor was convinced that the empire was too big for one person to rule, so he divided it. The two halves of the Empire are called the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire is also known as the Byzantine Empire. • Not long after that emperor left power, Emperor Constantine reunited (brought back together) the two halves of the Roman Empire for a short time. Constantine also moved the empire’s capital to the east. He built a grand new capital city there. The new capital was renamed Constantinople (it used to be called Byzantium),which means “the city of Constantine.” Although it was still called the Roman Empire, the power of the Empire had moved from Rome to the East.