The Decline of the The Decline of the
Roman EmpireRoman Empire
Crisis
• After the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180, the golden age of the Pax Romana ended.
• Political violence, civil wars, and instability became the rule in the next 100 years.– 22 emperors total
“Bread and Circuses”
• Many emperors tried to distract the Roman masses of people from serious political issues by giving them free bread and entertaining them.– Circus Maximus
• Horse and chariot races
– Colliseum• Gladiator fights
Circus Maximus
Colliseum
• http://podcasts.howstuffworks.com/hsw/podcasts/csotp/2011-01-21-csotp-colosseum.mp4?_kip_ipx=1469016428-1324401293
Emperor Diocletian
• (284 A.D.) To make the empire easier to govern, he divided it into two halves—the eastern and western empire.
• He kept control of the wealthier eastern part himself, but appointed co-emperors and caesars.– This is called a tetrarchy, or govt.
by four rulers
Adoption of Christianity
• Christians had been persecuted early on.
• Christian church became more structured by utilizing a clergy, or church leaders.
Adoption of Christianity
• How did Christianity attract followers?
1.Message was personal and offered salvation.
2.Similar to other religions and Jesus was a human figure that was easy to relate to.
3.Fulfilled human need to belong.
Adoption of Christianity
• Christians had become too strong to blot out by force.
Emperor Constantine• (312) Gained throne.
• Constantine became the first Christian emperor and was baptized late in his life.
• He issued the Edict of Milan– Proclaimed official tolerance
and no more persecutions.
Constantine
• He built the new capital of Constantinople in the eastern empire on the site of the Greek city of Byzantium.
• Diocletian and Constantine’s reforms enlarged the army and civil service, which drained public funds.– Population declined so tax base was not
big enough to pay for these.
• Massive inflation, or rapid increase in prices
Foreign Invasion
• The Germanic peoples invaded.– Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals,
etc.
• The Huns, a nomadic people from Asia, fought fierce battles to dislodge the Germanic peoples in their path.
• So the Huns and Germanic peoples attacked and Rome had to surrender Britain, then France and Spain.
The Pantheon
Foreign Invasion
• Attila the HunAttila the Hun embarked on a savage campaign across much of Europe and the western Roman empire.
• He sent more Germanic peoples fleeing into the Roman empire.
• (476) OdacerOdacer, a Germanic leader, ousted the emperor of Rome.
• Eastern Roman Empire survived for another 1,000 years.