THE FALL OF ROME

1. THE FALL OF ROME 7TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES WHITE HOUSE HERITAGE MR. DEFOREST

2. ROME’S DECLINE • PAX ROMANA- “PEACE OF ROME” – MARCUS AURELIUS IS THE LAST OF THE FIVE “GOOD” EMPERORS. • POLITICAL CORRUPTION, ECONOMIC FAILURE, AND ALL OUT INVASIONS WILL DESTROY THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE. • ROME’S BORDERS STRETCH FROM THE SANDS OF PERSIA TO THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND. THEIR INFLUENCE IS FELT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

3. DIOCLETIAN • ROMAN GENERAL THAT BECAME EMPEROR IN 284 C.E. • INTRODUCED MANY REFORMS; OR POLITICAL CHANGES DESIGNED TO MAKE THINGS BETTER. • BUILT FORTS AROUND THE BORDERS. • SET MAX. FOR WAGES AND GOODS TO PREVENT SOARING PRICES. • OFFICIALS WERE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR TAXES. • CREATED TETRARCHY- FOUR PART EMPIRE DESIGNED TO DIVIDE CENTRAL POWER AND RUN MORE EFFICIENTLY. EACH HAD IT’S OWN EMPEROR ANSWERABLE ONLY TO DIOCLETIAN.

4. DIOCLETIAN (2) • DIOCLETIAN TRIES TO ENACT MORE LAWS TO PRESERVE THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE; BUT IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE MASS OF CORRUPTION THAT IS TEARING ROME APART. • AFTER THE DEATH DIOCLETIAN, ROME’S LAST GREAT HOPE OF SALVATION LIES WITH CONSTANTINE THE GREAT.

5. CONSTANTINE THE GREAT • ROMAN GENERAL THAT DEFEATS HIS RIVAL, MAXENTIUS AT THE BATTLE OF THE MILVIAN BRIDGE IN OCTOBER 312 CE. • THE CHI-RO AND “IN HOC SIGNO VINCES” : A SIGN CONSTANTINE PAINTED ON THE SHIELDS OF HIS SOLDIERS AND TRANSLATED “IN THIS SIGN, CONQUER.” • CHI= X AND RO= P. SYMBOL NOW OF CHRISTIANITY. • MOVES CAPITAL TO BYZANTIUM, LATER RENAMED CONSTANTINOPLE.

6. CONSTANTINE THE GREAT (2) • SYMPATHETIC TO CHRISTIANITY, AND DECLARES THE EDICT OF MILAN (313 CE) ALLOWING CHRISTIANITY TO BECOME LEGAL AND GUARNTEEING THE RIGHTS OF ITS WORSHIPPERS WITHIN THE EMPIRE. • CONSTANTINE CAMPAIGNED NEARLY MOST HIS REIGN: DEFEATING WOULD BE EMPERORS AND DEFENDING THE FRONTIER. AS HE WAS PLANNING HIS CAMPAIGN INTO PERSIA, HE TOOK DEATHLY ILL. REALIZING HE WAS ABOUT TO DIE, HE WAS BAPTIZED. THUS, BECOMING THE FIRST CHRISTIAN EMPEROR OF ROME.

7. EAST AND WEST • CONSTANTINE REINFORCES THE REFORMS OF DIOCLETIAN (SONS OF FARMERS BECAME FARMERS, ETC), AND THEODOSIUS REINFORCES THOSE OF CONSTANTINE. • AFTER THE DEATH OF CONSTANTINE, THEODOSIUS REALIZES THAT ROME IS INDEED TO LARGE AND ORDERS THAT THE EMPIRE BE OFFICIALLY SPLIT ON HIS DEATH. • THEODOSIUS DIES IN 395 C.E. AND THE EASTERN AND WESTERN EMPIRES ARE BORN.

8. GERMANIC INVASIONS • VISIGOTHS ASK FOR WESTERN ROMAN LAND AND PROTECTION FROM THE HUNS, FIERCE WARRIORS FROM ASIA, AND IN RETURN THEY WOULD PROVIDE MILITARY SERVICE. • THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE AGREES BUT TREATS THE VISIGOTHS BADLY. DUE TO THIS TREATMENT, THE VISIGOTHS REBEL AND DEFEAT THE ROMAN ARMY AT ADRIANOPLE AROUND 378 C.E. • UNDER KING ALARIC, THE VISIGOTHS ARE VERY SUCCESSFUL AGAINST THE ROMAN AND IN 410 C.E. THEY SACK THE CITY OF ROME. THIS ATTACK OPENS THE DOOR FOR OTHER ATTACKS. IN 455 C.E. ROME IS SACKED AGAIN, THIS TIME BY ANOTHER GERMANIC GROUP – THE VANDALS. THIS IS WHERE THE TERM “VANDALISM” COMES FROM.

9. THE FALL OF THE WEST • BY THE MID- 400’S, THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE WAS BEING ALMOST COMPLETELY RAN BY GERMANS. • IN 476 C.E. ONE GERMAN GENERAL, ODOACER, GAINS ENOUGH SUPPORT THAT HE OVERTHROWS THE 14 YEAR OLD EMPEROR, ROMULUS AUGUSTULUS, AND DECLARES HIMSELF RULER. THIS ENDS ROMAN RULE IN ROME AND ESSENTIALLY DESTROYS THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE.

10. AFTERMATH… • AROUND 500 C.E., GENERAL THEODORIC AND AN ARMY OF VISIGOTHS DEFEAT ODOACER. THEY CREATE A NEW KINGDOM IN ITALY WITH THEODORIC AS THEIR KING. • WESTERN ROMAN LANDS ARE EATEN UP BY GERMANIC TRIBES. THE FRANKS TAKE GAUL(FRANCE), THE HUNS SETTLE PARTS OF GERMANY, THE ANGLES AND SAXONS TAKE BRITANNIA(ENGLAND), AND THE VANDALS CONTROL PARTS OF SPAIN AND NORTH AFRICA. • THE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE THRIVES AND SURVIVES FOR ANOTHER 1,000 YEARS.

11. ROME’S LEGACIES • LEGACIES OF ROME • REPUBLIC FORM OF GOVERNMENT (EX. SENATE AND REPRESENATIVES). ELECTION OF LEADERS. • LATIN- ROOT FOR MANY LANGUAGES (FRENCH, SPANISH, ITALIAN, PORTUGUESE, AND ROMANIAN. • HISTORY – TACITUS, VIRGIL, AND LIVY. • ARCHITECTURE - ROMAN DESIGN FOR MANY OF OUR OFFICIAL BUILDINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. • CONCRETE – ROMAN INVENTION FOR CONSTRUCTION STILL VALUED TODAY. • ROADS – ENABLED SWIFT ACCESS THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE. • CHRISTIANITY – A MAJOR WORLD RELIGION STILL WORSHIPPED THROUGHOUT THE GLOBE.