Fall of the Roman Empire
Mr. Lawrence
The Power Structure Crumbles• The Roman Economy begins to
weaken as expansion ends– Inflation ensues because of a lack
of Natural Resources– Raising taxes– Bandits attack trade routes– Also the Food supply begins to
shrink• The Military begins to fail due to
the of new practice of hiring Mercenaries in the place of Romans
Reforming Emperors• Diocletian– Strong-willed and military minded – Realizes the empire cannot be run
by one man and splits the empire in two leaving himself in charge
•Constantine- Legalized Christianity in an attempt to unify the Empire- Moved the Capital from Rome to Constantinople
Barbarian Invasions• The first group to invade are the Germanics
• Many tribes come across the border seeking protection in exchange for military service
• However, the Romans treat them poorly and they revolt against the Empire, ending in the sacking of Rome by Alaric in 410 CE
Attila the Hun• Attila the Hun would
also attack both the Eastern and Western Empires
• Causing fear in the Empires and causing more distrust in the Roman Government
Christianity• Constantine
hoped to unite the Empire and bring peace by making Christianity the Religion of the Empire.
• However, He only brought more problems to a lack of loyalty to Rome
The Legacy of Rome• Greco-Roman Culture: Was
born out a mixture of the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds– Today this is called Classical
• Latin Language• Modern Architecture• Roman Law