The Roman EmpireWhat do you think happened to the Roman

Empire?

Rome: Age of Empire

Following the 4th period of expansion came the Early Empire (14-180 A.C.E.)This period was a time

of prosperity, internal peace, and high levels of trade

Christianity was created during this time

At first, the empire saw the new religion as a threat

Late Empire [3-400 CE]• During this time, Constantine became the

first Christian emperor in 312 CEHe legalizes ChristianityFollowing him, Theodosius the Great made

Christianity the empire’s official religion

Due to the large size of the empire, it was split in half: East and West

The Western Empire kept the capital of RomeThe Eastern Empire changed it’s capital to

Byzantium which later became Constantinople

THE FALL OF ROME: THE END OF THE EMPIRE

The Western Empire fell to several different Germanic tribes

The Western Empire became early Western Europe

[~4-5-600 CE]loosely-knit nation

states led by Germanic Kings.BrittaniaCeltsVisigoths & OstrogothsHungarians

The East lives on as the Byzantine Empire

European Kingdoms and Feudalism

What do you think the term ‘feudalism’ means?

The ChurchThe church gained

power when the Roman Empire fellIn the Catholic church, the Bishop of Rome claimed to be the leader, or the PopePope comes from

the Latin word papa, or “father”

CharlemagneCharlemagne, a Germanic king, expands his

kingdom to create the Carolingian Empire once called the “Kingdom of Europe” He was the first Germanic king crowned

the king of the “Roman Empire” When this kingdom fell apart, it led to a

need for local protection which created Feudalism

Feudalism

King

Lord

Knight

Vassal

England:Brittanic Tribes The AnglesIn 606 William of Normandy conquered England and

became KingMonarchy- a form of government where all the

power is an individual ruler, monarch or king/queen - often “chosen by god”

The King became too powerful so King John created the…

Magna CartaMonarch’s power was limited, not absolute

English parliament also emerged Dealt with taxes, politics, and passed lawsRepresentatives from all over the land

Holy Roman EmpireGermanic King, Otto I,

crowned emperor of the Romans in 962

The empire tried to rule German and Italy because Italy was the center of the “Holy Empire”Hence the name “Holy

Roman Empire”But, the empire lost

power in Germany while trying to rule Italy and then lost all power

Byzantine Empire and Crusades

What were the Crusades? What were they fighting for? Do you know any movies that

talk about the Crusades?

Byzantine EmpireByzantine Empire

lasted until 1453It was a Christian and

Greek state Spoke Greek; Religion

was ChristianityCreated the Eastern

Orthodox ChurchThe empire had many

threats from abroad including trouble with Muslim empires

CrusadesThe Byzantine Empire wanted to take back

Jerusalem and the “Holy Land” (Palestine)Went on crusades to attempt to conquer this landOnly the 1st crusade worked, it went downhill

from thereThe crusades resulted in increased trade, a

weakening of feudalism, and a strengthening of the King’s power

From this time three nation-states arose: Spain, England, and France