FALL OF ROME
The sad, sad, story!!!!!!
INTRO- ROME BEFORE THE
“FALL”
Although the Roman government in the form of the Byzantine Empire will
survive for another thousand years, the so-called barbarians overran western
Europe
Rome’s fall will bring tremendous changes to Europe
Most all of civilization will be destroyed
THE BARBARIANS
Increasing pressure from outside the empire- foreigners want to move it
They speak a language based on Common Germanic therefore the Romans
called them German (actually a wide array of tribes)
So many come in and become farmers and soldiers that the Latin word for
soldier is Barbarus
They came to Rome in such numbers that Rome was becoming an empire of
immigrants
BARBARIANS CONTINUED
They did not want to speak Latin nor did they want to live by Roman law and
pay Roman taxes
THE HUNS
From Mongolia
Tough soldiers
Spread terror far and wide
No real history of them as they wrote nothing down and did not care what
history would say of them
THE GOTHS
Visigoths- Western Goths
Ostrogoths- Eastern Goths
Lived in Eastern Europe
Afraid of the Huns
Ostrogoths taken by Huns
Visigoths run to Rome
Rome lets them in but treats them like second class citizens
Visigoths demand fair treatment- went on a rampage and defeated and
massacred the Roman legions
CONT
The defeat and death of the Roman legions was crushing for Rome
Alaric rose to power among the Visigoths and advanced on Rome
Other barbarians begin to attack
The vandals
The Angles and the Saxons
Sack of Rome
SACK OF ROME
Visigoths sack Rome in 410 CE
Plunder city for three days
Some good news Alaric dies
Negotiate with Rome- moved to Spain and France (Gaul)
BACK TO THE HUNS
Marching through and enslaving eastern Europe
Attila the Hun- “The Scourge of God” Seeps across Europe and into Rome
Romans abandon Rome except Pope Leo I
Speak with Attila- and Attila goes away!!!!!!!
Later Attila dies on honeymoon and plague hits the Hun army…ha ha ha
VANDALS ARE BACK!!!
Vandals had fled to Africa (Carthage)
Vandals take to piracy and disrupt trade.
Vandals sack Rome!!!!! 455 CE
Prolonged physical ruin, a destruction so complete and indiscriminate that we
now have the work vandalism
Rome does not recover from this
•FINAL FALL OF ROME
German general Odovacar deposes the “last Roman Emperor” ironically
name Romulus Augustulus
But what caused this fall of Rome????
Population decline
Economics and slavery issues
Lack of innovation
Over taxation
Debasing the coinage
Poor harvests
Unequal land distribution
THERE IS MORE!!!!
Ineffective emperors
Influences of generals
Decrease of money flowing into the empire
Lack of civic responsibility
Non-Romans as soldiers
Vastness of the empire
Barbarians
WHERE THERE ATTEMPTS TO
SAVE THE EMPIRE? YES
Diocletian
Divided empire
Persecuted Christians
CONSTANTINE
Established second capital
Converted to Christianity
Allowed its practice in the empire
Edict of Milan