THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE By: Nathan Monroe, Nick Soldan, Sucher Sumanta, Branden Sanchez, Colin Bailey In the year 1349 there occurred the greatest epidemic that ever happened. Death went from one end of the earth to the other, on that side and this side of the sea, and it was greater among the Saracens than among the Christians. In some lands everyone died so that no one was left. Ships were also found on the sea laden with wares; the crew had all died and no one guided the ship. The Bishop of Marseilles and priests and monks and more than half of all the people there died with them. In other kingdoms and cities so many people perished that it would be horrible to describe. The pope at Avignon stopped all sessions of court, locked himself in a room, allowed no one to approach him and had a fire burning before him all the time. [This last was probably intended as some sort of disinfectant.] And from what this epidemic came, all wise teachers and physicians could only say that it was God's will. And as the plague was now here, so was it in other places, and lasted more than a whole year. This epidemic also came to Strasbourg in the summer of the above mentioned year, and it is estimated that about sixteen thousand people died. “Internet History Sourcebooks Project.” Internet History Sourcebooks, 1349, sourcebooks.fordham.edu/jewish/1348-jewsblackdeath.asp. PRIMARY SOURCE PLAGUE - was also known as "The Black Death" or the "Bubonic Plague" -It was believed that around 75-200 million people died from the plague -The plague was Europe and Asia around the 1300s -Was an extremely contagious disease - Was spread by a bacillus called Yersina Pestis -Traveled through infected fleas and rats -Not long after it struck Messina, the Black Death spread to the port of Marseilles in France and the port of Tunis in North Africa. Then it reached Rome and Florence, two cities at the center of a web of trade routes. By the middle of 1348, the Black Death had struck Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and London. The Germans -ORIGINALLY CAME FROM SCANDANAVIA AND WERE A SMALL MINORITY OF FARMERS - THE WESTERN GERMAN TRIBES CONSISTED OF THE MARCOMANNI, ALAMANNI, FRANKS, ANGLES, AND SAXONS, WHILE THE EASTERN TRIBES NORTH OF THE DANUBE CONSISTED OF THE VANDALS, GEPIDS, OSTROGOTHS, AND VISIGOTHS - GERMAN TRIBES WERE CLAN-BASED, WITH BLOOD-LOYALTY THE BASIS FOR ALL BONDS -AFTER CAESAR HAD CONQUERED GAUL UP TO THE RHINE, EXPANSION SPACE WAS CURTAILED FOR THE NOMADIC TRIBES, CAUSING PRESSURE ON THE BORDERS. SOME GERMANS CAME INTO CONTACT WITH ROMAN CIVILIZATION AT BORDER GARRISONS. -CHANGES TOOK PLACE IN THE TRIBES OVER THE LAST 250 YEARS, THEY WERE MORE A LETHAL WARRIOR GROUP -AT THE SAME TIME, AS INTER-TRIBE CONFLICT INCREASED, SPURRED IN PART BY THE DESIRE TO PARTAKE OF ROMAN MATERIAL CULTURE -AROUND 200 SMALL TRIBES BEGAN TO FORM INTO SUPRA-TRIBAL GROUPS -BY THE 300S THERE WAS A CONTINUAL BELT OF BARBARIC TRIBES ALL ALONG THE ROMAN LIMES FROM THE NORTH SEA TO THE BLACK SEA -THESE TRIBES BEGAN TO SETTLE SLOWLY INTO THE ROMAN EMPIRE UNTIL THEY HAD A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SETTLING THERE AND REVOLTED AGAINST THE EMPIRE. THIRD-CENTURY CRISIS: SERIES OF INVASIONS • Also known as the Imperial Crisis, in the 3rd century Rome almost fell due to many problems including plague, invasions, civil wars, and economic depression • The Roman Empire broke into 3 separate states: • The Gallic Empire • The Palmyrene Empire • The Roman Empire • Civil wars broke out in Mediterranean sea area between these Empires • By the time Constantine emerged in 324 BC the three empires were back united https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1z8Q92Xdc8 SETTLEMENT OF GERMANS WITHIN THE EMPIRE AS "FEDERATES" They settled first in northern Europe outside of Roman and Celtic land. They discov ered iron and had contact with Greek and Roman tools which led to that the Goths had more advanced weapons. Romans and Germans have been fighting against each other ever since Julius Cease had conquered Gaul (modern day southern France) Soon after steppe nomads started invasions across central Asia, they brought pressure to the entire whole of Europe. Because of this, the Goths began to migrate westward, pushing more into Roman territories. These huge invasions upset the rough balance of power that was existent between Rome and the Goths, so the Goths started forming their own states. Floods in Germany during around 500 BCE cause Germanic people to emigrate to Rome Huns were the steppe people who inv aded Europe from central Asia. Later the Huns arriv ed in Europe around 370 C.E and defeated and displaced the Alans, Ostrogoths, and Visigoths. • After the Roman Empire recaptured the Gallic and Palmyrene empires they spit into Eastern and Western empires because it was too great of a land mass to govern by one capital • The Western Empire was governed by Rome and the Eastern by Constanople • Both Empires were still under the name of the Roman Empire • The Eastern Empire eventually adopted Greek over latin becoming less like the Roman Empire • After many barbarian attacks the Roman Empire finally fell DIVISION INTO EASTERN AND WESTERN EMPIRES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR7PYeE6kCU CAUSES FOR THE FALL – EXPENSIVE MILITARY ▪ Maintaining an army to defend the border of the Empire from barbarian attacks was a constant drain on the government. Military spending left few resources for other vital activities, such as providing public housing and maintaining quality roads and river systems. Frustrated Romans lost their desire to defend the Empire. The empire had to begin hiring soldiers recruited from the unemployed city mobs or worse from foreign counties. Such an army was not only unreliable, but very expensive. The emperors were forced to raise taxes frequently which in turn led again to increased inflation ▪ The benefits of being a Roman Soldier was being financed by the government, receiving 300 denarii a year. Equivalent to $1.75 in U.S currency. Depending on your rank in the roman army, you will get paid more and be exempt from duties than an ordinary soldier ▪ The Roman Empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Euphrates River in the Middle East. With so much territory to protect, they couldn't handle it. Even with their excellent road systems, the Romans were unable to communicate quickly enough to manage their holdings. Rome struggled to keep enough troops and resources to defend its frontiers from local outside attacks. Thus losing their some of their territory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcbedan5R1s Roman Army Structure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5e7cl19Ha0 Daily life of a Roman Soldier NO FIXED SYSTEM OF IMPERIAL SUCCESSION Augustus, the first Roman emperor, could never establish a clear imperial succession system. The result: When the time came to replace an emperor, there were numerous rivals for the throne competing with one another. Sometimes, the potential emperors had an incentive to end the service of the ruling emperor prematurely so that they could take the throne for themselves. This is part of the reason behind the long record of imperial assassination plots. The imperial succession was a fragile, unstable system. The 1st leader of the Imperial period was Augustus, who was from the Julian family of Rome. The next four emperors were all from his or his wife's (Claudian) family GERMANIC TRIBES " BARBARIANS" Rome had tangled with Germanic tribes for centuries, but by the 300s “barbarian” groups like the Goths had reached beyond the Empire’s borders. The Romans had 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 Vandals. The Germanic leader Odoacer staged a revolt and deposed the Emperor, Augustulus. From then on, no Roman emperor would ever again rule from a post in Italy, leading many to cite 476 as the year the Western Empire suffered ending. 410 SACK OF ROME • In the year of 410 Rome was invaded by a Germanic tribe called the Visigoths, they were being led by their king, Alaric. • Alaric had led many warriors of the Visigoth tribe to Rome and conquered it. This was the first time in almost 800 years that Rome ever fell to an enemy. • The previous sack of Rome was by the Gauls in 387 BCE • The sack of Rome proved as a major impact of the fall of western Rome. ▪ Even though Roman rule continued in the East, Odoacer took over and ▪ Augustus, the last emperor of the Western ended the first Original Roman Empire. Roman Empire, was overtaken by Odoacer, a German Barbarian, who was also the king ▪ The Western Roman Empire ended in of Italy. 476 C.E. ▪ Odoacer defeated the powerful father of Augustus, Orestes, at Piacenza, and then took over Ravenna, the capital of the Western Empire. 476 ABDICATION OF LAST WESTERN EMPEROR Statue of Augustus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6jPzN_LjAk BIBLIOGRAPHY Mark, Joshua J. “The Crisis of the Third Century.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 22 Sept. 2018, www.ancient.eu/Crisis_of_the_Third_Century/. Southern, Pat. “History - Ancient History in Depth: Third Century Crisis of the Roman Empire.” BBC, BBC, 17 Feb. 2011, www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/thirdcenturycrisis_article_01.shtml.Andrews, Evan. “8 Reasons Why Rome Fell.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Jan. 2014, www.history.com/news/8-reasons-why-rome- fell.