The Decline of the Roman Empire

1
The Decline of the Roman Empire
2
The Empires ProblemsPolitical Instability

• The death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD brought an
  end to the Pax Romana
• Between 192-284 army legions installed 28
  emperors only to kill most of them off
• Armys were busier fighting each other than
  defending the empires borders

3
Economic Decline

• Political instability led to economic decline
• Warfare disrupted trade and destroyed farmland
  causing food shortages that made food prices very
  high
• Government printed more coins to make it easier
  to pay its soldiers, but by making more money
  (and the new money contained less precious
  metals) it caused inflation (rise in prices)

4
Moral Decay

• People lost their faith in Rome and in the family
• Unsuccessful Reforms
• During the 200-300s Diocletian and Constantine
  tried to stop the empires decline
• Reforms preserved the eastern empires government
  for over 1000 years, but was not as successful in
  the west

5
Diocletian

• Came to power in 284
• To hold back invasions he raised the number of
  legions in the army
• He divided the empire into two regionseastern
  and western because he realized the empire was
  too big for one person to have control

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• He issued the Edict of Prices which froze wages
  and set maximum prices on goods
• His reforms were unsuccessful

7
Constantine

• In 330 AD Constantine moved the capital of the
  Roman Empire to a Greek town called Byzantium,
  built a great capital and renamed the city
  Constantinople
• Allowed Christianity (and all other religions) to
  be practiced in the Roman Empire

8
Barbarian Invasions

• Germanic tribes entered the Roman Empire for many
  reasons
• Migration to warmer climates and better grazing
  land
• Some wanted Romes wealth
• Most came because they were fleeing the Huns,
  fierce nomadic invaders from central Asia

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• Each warrior group consisted of warriors, their
  families and a chiefthe chief governed the group
  and led warriors into battle
• Many bands unified only by language
• Visogoths, one Germanic tribe, attacked Rome and
  captured the city, but retreated after their
  leader died
• The Huns, a group of nomads from central Asia led
  by Attila, conquered much of Europeeventually
  retreated after Attila died

10
End of Western Empire

• Rome ceased to have an emperor in 476