Key Terms – The End of the Roman Empire

1. Inflation Colosseum The Five Good Emperors The Edict of Milan Constantinople Key Terms – The End of the Roman Empire • Claudius • Nero • Circus Maximus • Marcus Aurelius • Commodus • Diocletian • Constantine • The Huns • Atilla the Hun

2. Reign of Claudius • Following a tumultuous succession after Augustus, Claudius would become the 4th Emperor of Rome. • Would be known for expanding Roman territory into Britain. • Would also be a well known academic; would be killed by his wife.

3. Nero • Nero would be the next emperor after Claudius. • Nero would be known for constructing the Circus Maximus → a massive race track within the city of Rome. • Would be the first emperor to persecute Christians. • Would also be known for the burning of Rome. • Would be killed by Roman officials.

4. The Five Good Emperors • After another period of tumult, including a year in which there were four emperors, the reign of the Five Good Emperors would begin. • The Five Good Emperors → the reigns of Nerva, Hadrian, Trajan, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius

5. Marcus Aurelius • The reign of Marcus Aurelius would mark the end of a great period for Roman Emperors. • Marcus Aurelius would manage to maintain peace in Rome and have the longest reign since Augustus.

6. Commodus • Upon the death of Marcus Aurelius, his son Commodus would take the throne. • Commodus was known for spending more time in gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum than being emperor. • The Colosseum → massive structure constructed during the Flavian Dynasty used for gladiatorial combat and battle re-enactments. • Commodus would be killed by a gladiator and mark a period ofweak rulers

7. Diocletian • The reign of Diocletian brought temporary promise to the Roman Empire. • Diocletian would make sweeping reforms to attempt to solve the problems within Rome. • Reforms were: • Splitting the empire in half • Doubling the size of the army at the borders • Price and wage control • Raising the prestige of the emperor

8. Constantine • Upon the death of Diocletian, Rome would return to a tumultuous time until the reign of Constantine. • Constantine would be responsible for large reforms that would change the empire. • He would: • Issue the Edict of Milan which provided religious freedom and made Christianity a state religion • Move the empire to Byzantium in the East and rename it Constantinople

9. Constantinople • Constantinople → formerly Byzantium, located on the Bosporous and Dardanelles. • Was selected for a few reasons: • Located at a major trade crossroads • Easily defended due to the many water ports.

11. Economic Decay • Expansion by later emperors of the Roman Empire brought about many forms of decay to different parts of the Roman infrastructure. • Economic decay came in the form of deflation and subsequent inflation. • Coinage lost its silver content as emperors removed the silver to pay for luxury items and other goods from other territories. • As a result of the deflation (loss of value) of currency, inflation (rise in prices) resulted. • Cost of items grew to enormous amounts, more people ended up on the Roman welfare system.

12. Political Decay • The position of emperor suffered greatly as the years progressed. • The position of emperor was manipulated by the Praetorians → selected their own emperors who were usually inexperienced and inferior • The position of emperor was auctioned off at some points → led to emperors who had no military or political experience and were ultimately removed by the military. • Other positions in the empire lost prestige • Tax collectors would stop collecting or working on the basis that if they were unable to collect the taxes in the region, they had to pay for them.

13. Military Decay • With the movement of tribes of the north and east into the Italian peninsula, the Roman army suffered. • Troops were dying at higher rates and recruitment slowed down → led to the hiring of mercenaries. • Mercenaries were hard to keep loyal since they were mostly from outer tribes who did not share Roman sensibilities.

14. The Huns • An Asian tribe known as the Huns began to move in from the east and threatened Rome. • Attila the Hun → leader of the Huns, responsible for pushing other tribes into the Western Roman Empire.

15. The Fall of Rome (for now) • The combination of many forms of decay and the invasion of tribes into the Italian peninsula led to the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire. • Many historians mark 476 A.D. As the traditional fall of the Western Roman Empire. • New tribes would emerge such as the Franks, the Lombards, the Anglo Saxons in Britain and the Germanic tribes in Central Europe.