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Home , 300s (decade), Comes, Emperor, Franks, Goths, Huns

The End of Two Roman

Soltesz’s Notes on the text

The Roman finally got too big to rule or defend effectively. Even with an excellent system of roads, communication across the empire was limited to the speed of the fastest horses. It could take weeks, even months, for news or orders from to reach the edges of the empire.

* ruled Rome during the late 200s AD. He decided to split the empire and added a co- in the . This made two smaller sections with rulers closer to the action, but also cause the Eastern and Western halves of the empire to drift apart.

After Diocletian, other either reunited or split the empire several times.

*Constantine, who ruled in the AD, reunited the empire, but moved the capitol to in Minor. The of Rome was no longer the seat of power.

End of the Western Empire

For years, Rome had been battling with on its borders. Julius had conquered , which is modern- day . Later emperors had invaded and conquered the southern part of Great Britain. Those areas to the of were inhabited by Germanic tribes, and they were not happy to join the empire. They resented being conquered and took every opportunity to strike back at the Romans.

The were fierce fighters from eastern Asia, who were building their own empire as the was crumbling. By attacking the Germanic tribes ( and ) the Huns drove them further into Roman territory. In turn, the fought the Romans for territory. Eastern Rome kept the Goths from settling, pushing them further to the . But Western Rome was weaker and paid (money) to the Goths to keep them from attacking. Eventually, the tribute payments stopped and Germanic tribes overthrew the emperor in 476 AD. They declared one of their own the of Italy, ending the Western Empire.

End of the Eastern Empire

When Constantine moved the capitol city to the east, he chose to place it in the city of Byzantium. Then he remamed the city after himself: . However, the earlier name stuck to the eastern part of the Roman empire. So the eastern Roman empire became known as the and was ruled from the city of Constantinople. The Byzantine Empire lasted until the 1450s AD when it was conquered by the Islamic .

8 Reasons Why Rome Fell https://www.history.com/news/8-reasons-why-rome-fell UPDATED: JAN 29, 2019 · ORIGINAL: JAN 14, 2014 EVAN ANDREWS Some emphasis added by C. Soltesz 5/10/20

1. Invasions by tribes The most straightforward theory for Western Rome’s collapse pins the fall on a string of military losses sustained against outside forces. Rome had tangled with Germanic tribes for centuries, but by the 300s “barbarian” groups like the Goths had encroached beyond the Empire’s borders. The Romans weathered a Germanic uprising in the late fourth century, but in 410 the Visigoth King Alaric successfully sacked the city of Rome. The Empire spent the next several decades under constant threat before “the Eternal City” was raided again in 455, this time by the . Finally, in 476, the Germanic leader staged a revolt and deposed the Emperor Augustulus. From then on, no would ever again rule from a post in Italy, leading many to cite 476 as the year the Western Empire suffered its deathblow.

2. Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor Even as Rome was under attack from outside forces, it was also crumbling from within thanks to a severe financial crisis. Constant and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor. In the hope of avoiding the taxman, many members of the wealthy classes had even fled to the countryside and set up independent fiefdoms. At the same time, the empire was rocked by a labor deficit. Rome’s economy depended on slaves to till its fields and work as craftsmen, and its military might had traditionally provided a fresh influx of conquered peoples to put to work. But when expansion ground to a halt in the second century, Rome’s supply of slaves and other treasures began to dry up. A further blow came in the fifth century, when the Vandals claimed North and began disrupting the empire’s trade by prowling the Mediterranean as pirates. With its economy faltering and its commercial and agricultural production in decline, the Empire began to lose its grip on .

3. The rise of the Eastern Empire The fate of Western Rome was partially sealed in the late third century, when the Emperor Diocletian divided the Empire into two halves—the Western Empire seated in the city of , and the Eastern Empire in Byzantium, later known as Constantinople. The division made the empire more easily governable in the short term, but over time the two halves drifted apart. East and West failed to adequately work together to combat outside threats, and the two often squabbled over resources and military aid. As the gulf widened, the largely Greek-speaking Eastern Empire grew in wealth while the -speaking West descended into economic crisis. Most importantly, the strength of the Eastern Empire served to divert Barbarian invasions to the West. Emperors like Constantine ensured that the city of Constantinople was fortified and well guarded, but Italy and the city of Rome—which only had symbolic value for many in the East—were left vulnerable. The Western political structure would finally disintegrate in the fifth century, but the Eastern Empire endured in some form for another thousand years before being overwhelmed by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s.

4. Overexpansion and military overspending At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the River in the , but its grandeur may have also been its downfall. With such a vast territory to govern, the empire faced an administrative and logistical nightmare. Even with their excellent road systems, the Romans were unable to communicate quickly or effectively enough to manage their holdings. Rome struggled to marshal enough troops and resources to defend its frontiers from local rebellions and outside attacks, and by the second century the Emperor was forced to build his famous wall in Britain just to keep the enemy at bay. As more and more funds were funneled into the military upkeep of the empire, technological advancement slowed and Rome’s civil infrastructure fell into disrepair.

5. Government corruption and political instability If Rome’s sheer size made it difficult to govern, ineffective and inconsistent leadership only served to magnify the problem. Being the Roman emperor had always been a particularly dangerous job, but during the tumultuous second and third centuries it nearly became a death sentence. thrust the empire into chaos, and more than 20 men took the in the span of only 75 years, usually after the murder of their predecessor. The —the emperor’s personal bodyguards— assassinated and installed new sovereigns at will, and once even auctioned the spot off to the highest bidder. The political rot also extended to the Roman , which failed to temper the excesses of the emperors due to its own widespread corruption and incompetence. As the situation worsened, civic pride waned and many Roman citizens lost trust in their leadership.

6. The arrival of the Huns and the migration of the Barbarian tribes The Barbarian attacks on Rome partially stemmed from a migration caused by the Huns’ invasion of Europe in the late fourth century. When these Eurasian warriors rampaged through , they drove many Germanic tribes to the borders of the Roman Empire. The Romans grudgingly allowed members of the Visigoth tribe to cross of the and into the safety of Roman territory, but they treated them with extreme cruelty. According to the historian , Roman officials even forced the starving Goths to trade their children into slavery in exchange for dog meat. In brutalizing the Goths, the Romans created a dangerous enemy within their own borders. When the oppression became too much to bear, the Goths rose up in revolt and eventually routed a and killed the Eastern Emperor during the in A.D. 378. The shocked Romans negotiated a flimsy peace with the , but the truce unraveled in 410, when the Goth King Alaric moved west and sacked Rome. With the Western Empire weakened, Germanic tribes like the Vandals and the were able to surge across its borders and occupy Britain, and .

7. and the loss of traditional values The decline of Rome dovetailed with the , and some have argued that the rise of a new faith helped contribute to the empire’s fall. The of Milan legalized Christianity in 313, and it later became the state in 380. These decrees ended centuries of persecution, but they may have also eroded the traditional Roman values system. Christianity displaced the polytheistic Roman religion, which viewed the emperor as having a divine status, and also shifted focus away from the glory of the state and onto a sole deity. Meanwhile, and other leaders took an increased role in political affairs, further complicating governance. The 18th-century historian was the most famous proponent of this theory, but his take has since been widely criticized. While the spread of Christianity may have played a small role in curbing Roman civic virtue, most scholars now argue that its influence paled in comparison to military, economic and administrative factors.

8. Weakening of the Roman legions For most of its , Rome’s military was the envy of the ancient world. But during the decline, the makeup of the once mighty legions began to change. Unable to recruit enough soldiers from the Roman citizenry, emperors like Diocletian and Constantine began hiring foreign mercenaries to prop up their armies. The ranks of the legions eventually swelled with Germanic Goths and other barbarians, so much so that Romans began using the Latin word “barbarus” in place of “soldier.” While these Germanic soldiers of fortune proved to be fierce warriors, they also had little or no loyalty to the empire, and their power-hungry officers often turned against their Roman employers. In fact, many of the barbarians who sacked the city of Rome and brought down the Western Empire had earned their military stripes while serving in the Roman legions.

Ancient Rome The Fall of Rome https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_rome/fall_of_rome.php

Rome ruled much of Europe around the Mediterranean for over 1000 years. However, the inner workings of the Roman Empire began to decline starting around 200 AD. By 400 AD Rome was struggling under the weight of its empire. The city of Rome finally fell in 476 AD.

The Peak of Roman Power

Rome reached its peak of power in the 2nd century around the year 117 AD under the rule of the great Roman emperor . Virtually all of the coastline along the was part of the Roman Empire. This included Spain, Italy, France, southern Britain, , , , and northern Africa.

Gradual Decline

The Fall of Rome didn't happen in a day, it happened over a long period of time. There are a number of reasons why the empire began to fail. Here are some of the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire:

 The politicians and rulers of Rome became more and more corrupt  Infighting and civil wars within the Empire  Attacks from barbarian tribes outside of the empire such as the Visigoths, Huns, , and Vandals.  The Roman army was no longer a dominant force  The empire became so large it was difficult to govern

Rome Divides into Two

In 285 AD, Emperor Diocletian decided that the Roman Empire was too big to manage. He divided the Empire into two parts, the Eastern Roman Empire and the . Over the next hundred years or so, Rome would be reunited, split into three parts, and split in two again. Finally, in 395 AD, the empire was split into two for good. The Western Empire was ruled by Rome, the Eastern Empire was ruled by Constantinople.

The "fall" of Rome discussed here is referring to the Western Roman Empire which was ruled by Rome. The Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire and remained in power for another 1000 years.

The City of Rome is Sacked

The city of Rome was thought by many to be unconquerable. However, in 410 AD, a Germanic barbarian tribe called the Visigoths invaded the city. They looted the treasures, killed and enslaved many Romans, and destroyed many buildings. This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome had been sacked.

Rome Falls

In 476 AD, a Germanic barbarian by the name of Odoacer took control of Rome. He became and forced the last emperor of Rome, , to give up his crown. Many historians consider this to be the end of the Roman Empire.

The Dark Ages Begins

With the fall of Rome, many changes occurred throughout Europe. Rome had provided a strong government, education, and culture. Now much of Europe fell into barbarianism. The next 500 years would be known as the Dark Ages of Europe.

Interesting Facts about the Fall of Rome

 The Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantium, fell in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire.  Many poor people were to see Rome fall. They were starving to death while being taxed heavily by Rome.  Near the end of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome was no longer the capital. The city of (now Milan) was capital for a while. Later, the capital was moved to .  Rome was sacked once again in 455 AD by Geiseric, King of the Vandals. The Vandals were an Eastern Germanic tribe. The term "" from the Vandals.

1) Under which Roman emperor did the Roman Empire reach its peak? Trajan Constantine Diocletian 2) Around how long was Rome the major power in Europe and around the Mediterranean Sea? 100 years 400 years 500 years 1000 years 3) When the Roman Empire was split into two separate empires, what city was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire? Rome Constantinople 4) What is the common name for the Eastern Roman Empire? Byzantium Empire Ottoman Empire Persian Empire 5) Which group of barbarians sacked Rom in 410 AD signaling the start of the fall of Rome? Huns Visigoths Franks

6) What caused Rome to decline and eventually fall? Corrupt politicians and civil wars within the empire The empire became too large to govern Barbarian tribes began to attack many Roman including Rome itself All of the above None of the above 7) What period of history began after the fall of Rome? The Dark Ages The The Industrial Revolution The Scientific Revolution 8) What year is considered to be the end of the Western Roman Empire and the fall of Rome? 347 AD 410 AD 476 AD 614 AD 9) True or False: The Fall of Rome happened very quickly in a matter of a few years. TRUE FALSE 10) Who was Odoacer? The last emperor of Rome The Roman Emperor who decided to split the empire into two more manageable empires The barbarian who overthrew the last emperor of Rome and brought an end to the Roman Empire The leader and general of the Huns