The Decline of the Roman Empire

1. The Decline of the Roman Empire • The last good emperor, Marcus Aurelius died in 180 AD. • His 18 year old son Commodus became emperor • Commodus was a terrible emperor • He ignored the Senate, had bad advisors, and would rather fight in the Colosseum as a gladiator than rule. • He was assassinated in 192 AD

2. The Decline of the Roman Empire • After Commodus was killed, Generals fought, bribed, and made deals to be emperor. The Praetorian Guard was often involved in the changing of the emperor. • Rome had 29 different emperors from 180-284 AD. Unstable leadership would eventually lead to the fall of the Empire • During this time, the Senate weakened, the army weakened, and the power of Rome weakened.

3. The Decline of the Roman Empire • A main reason for the decline of the Empire was the weakening of the army. Rome was too big to rely only on Roman soldiers. • Rome also relied on a mercenary army. Mercenaries were foreigners who were paid to fight. • The mercenary army was unreliable. If they were losing, they would quit the Roman side and join the other side. • The Empire had become too big to defend. This was another reason for the fall of the Empire. • Without a strong army, Rome was attacked by other peoples like the Saxons, Goths, Vandals, Franks, and others.

5. The Decline of the Roman Empire • In the Empire, inflation made things like food too expensive for people to buy, and the government no longer could afford to give away free grain. This was a third reason the Empire collapsed. • In 284 AD, the emperor Diocletian divided the Empire in two • Diocletian ruled the eastern half, and his favorite general, Maximianus, ruled the western half. • Diocletian was the first emperor in 100 years who worked to strengthen Rome. • He built forts, improved the army, and changed how the people were taxed. • But, none of his efforts could stop the decline of Rome.