CHAPTER 6 SECTION 4
THE DECLINE OF THE
ROMAN EMPIRE
Preview:
What do you think might have
been the most important factor
in the decline of the Roman
Empire?
A CENTURY OF CRISIS
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Empire declined after the reign of the five Good
Emperors
1. Nerva – began custom of adopting heir
2. Trajan – had vast building program
enlarged social welfare
empire reached its largest extent
3. Hadrian – consolidated earlier conquests
reorganized the bureaucracy
4. Antoninus Pius – reign largely a period of
peace and prosperity
5. Marcus Aurelius – brought empire to height of
economic prosperity
defeated invaders
Rome suffers an economic and military decline
1. collapse of the economy
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collapse of trade and coinage
too many people and not enough food
no one took care of the field
higher taxes caused inflation-drop in value of money and rise
in prices
cheap slave labor - inferior technology
disease spread – population declined
2. collapse of society
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breakdown of social classes
3. barbarian invasions
military troubles - discipline loyalty had collapsed
use of mercenaries - defend against threats against empire
- no sense of loyalty
4. Collapse of civil administration political corruption
Diocletian and
Constantine Brought
Temporary
Reforms
EMPERORS ATTEMPT REFORM
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Diocletian became emperor in A.D. 284 (absolute ruler and
limited personal freedoms)
a. forced farmers to keep farming b. set fixed prices for goods
c. double size of army to protect borders
d. tried to restore status of emperor by claiming divine
authority
Felt Christians a threat - passed decrees to persecute them
Divided empire into Greek-speaking East
and Latin-speaking West
1. Diocletian ruled the East and
General Maximian the West
The Tetrarchs
Reforms slowed decline. Diocletian retired due to ill health
Civil war break out and four rivals compete for power
CONSTANTINE
 The
Battle of the Milvian Bridge
- defeated Mexentius
 The “conversion of Constantine”
 Gain control of western part of empire A.D. 312
 The Edict of Milan – A.D. 313
 Secure control of the East A.D. 324 - single ruler
 The Capital moved from Rome to the Greek city
of Byzantium
strategically located for trade and defense purposes
between West and East - shift the center of power to
the East
 Constantinople – new name
 Constantine died in 22 May, 337 at Nicomedia, shortly
after his baptism by the Arian bishop, his friend
Eusebius of Nicomedia.
 Empire divides again: the East survives, the West falls
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INVADERS OVERRUN THE WESTERN EMPIRE
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Internal and economics
problems and invading
tribes bring down the
Western Roman Empire
1. invasions of the Huns
led by Attila
- fierce Mongol nomads
from central Asia
- destroyed various
regions
2. invasion of Italy and
other provinces of Rome by
the Goths (Germans)
- Visigoth leader Alaric
seized Rome in 408
– Rome plundered and
sack AD 410
3. in 444 A.D. Attila terrorized
both halves of the empire
- failed to climb high walls of
Constantinople
- advanced against Rome, but
weak by famine and disease
-Pope Leo I negotiates their
withdrawal in 452 A.D.
- Attila dies in 453 A.D., but
the Germanic invasions
continue
Rome’s last emperor was a 14 year-old boy
named Romulus Augustulus
- sent into exile by a German general
- Roman power in the west ceased to exist
- eastern half became the Byzantine Empire
- it preserved the Greek and Roman heritage
- empire lasted until 1453, when it fell to the
Ottoman Turks
Although Rome’s power is gone, its cultural
heritages continues in Western civilization.
Greco-Roman culture refers to as classical culture.
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