Decline and Fall of Ancient Rome: Rise of Christianity & Empire's Fragmentation

1. Ancient Rome Chapter 7 Section 5: The Fall of Rome Pages 213-217

2. Introduction • Year 312 AD, the emperor is Constantine. • As he was about to go into battle he looked to the heavens hoping for victory, he thought he saw a cross on the sun through the clouds. • The next day Constantine had a cross put on all of his soldier’s shields. • In the battle he had an overwhelming victory. He took that as a sign from the new Christian God and vowed to become a Christian. • Whether this is a story or not, Constantine played a big part in spreading Christianity throughout Rome.

3. The Empire Crumbles • Constantine could do little to save the empire. • Before his rule, there had been 125 years of corrupt and inept leaders. • There is no one single event that led to the decline. • However, nothing was the same after the death of Marcus-Aurelius the last of what is called “the good emperors”. He was known for his wisdom. • His son, was savage, loved the bloodshed of the Gladiators and had to bribe his army to support him.

4. Weak and Corrupt Rulers • The following emperors were almost always good generals in battle but not good politicians. • They did not do things for the people, but instead stole from the treasury, to enrich themselves and pay off soldiers for protection. • The senate lost its power and even the emperors were not safe. • In the span of 100 years, Rome had a series of 29 emperors, all of whom left Rome worse off than when they started.

5. A Mercenary Army • Once, the Roman Army was made up of extremely loyal soldiers that would follow the emperor into battle and lay down their life for them. • With lazy and incompetent leaders, the only way they can get an army to fight for them is to pay them. So they have no loyalty to Rome.

6. The Size of the Empire Too big to rule? The Roman Empire • The empire had grown too large to be ruled from one place. • The farthest parts of the empire; Asia, Africa, and Northern Europe all became targets for attack from tribes once conquered by Rome.

7. Bad Money Problems • Once they stopped conquering new lands, the money stopped coming in as well. • Emperors tried to raise money through taxes. • However, there was high unemployment. • With a weak army unwilling to fight without pay, they were weak, hungry, and defenseless.

8. Trying to Stop the Decline • Some emperors like Diocletian, tried to stop the decline by persecuting the Christians. • He did some positive changes too. • He built new forts at the borders and improved tax collecting. • He split the empire into two sections; east and west. • The east was more wealthy and stronger. • The west (Europe) was weaker and poorer. • Diocletian, who was never very fond of the city of Rome, would remain emperor in the east

9. Romans Accept Christianity • For 7 years generals would battle each other for power, until Constantine came out the winner. • A year later, convinced that the Christian God helped his troops win the war to control Rome, Constantine proclaimed freedom of religion. • Christianity soon became the official religion of the Roman Empire. • During his rule, Constantine continually worked to strengthen the Christian Church. • In 330 AD he moved his capital to the eastern side of the empire, to Constantinople.

10. The Fall of Rome • After Constantine's death the forces pulling it apart were too strong. • Invaders swept across its borders and into Rome. Mostly, Germanic tribes from the north. • They captured and looted Rome. • The last emperor was only a 14 year old boy.

11. Constantinople Continues • Even after the fall of Rome, the eastern part of the empire stayed strong. • Its capital, Constantinople, remained the center of another empire to follow, the Byzantine Empire. • That lasted even longer, it lasted another 1,000 years.