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The Fall of the Roman Empire

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The Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 6, Section 4 A Century in Crisis End of Marcus Aurelius reign as emperor (A.D. 161-180) brought about end of Pax Romana. – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: The Fall of the Roman Empire


1
The Fall of the Roman Empire
  • Chapter 6, Section 4

2
A Century in Crisis
  • End of Marcus Aurelius reign as emperor (A.D.
    161-180) brought about end of Pax Romana. Rulers
    after Marcus Aurelius had no idea how to deal
    with the giant empire and its problems.

3
Romes Economy Weakens
  • Hostile tribes and pirates disrupt trade.Empire
    at limit of expansion and lacks new sources of
    gold and silver.
  • empire raised taxes as a result
  • empire minted coins with less silverinflation
    resulted

4
Romes Economy Weakens
  • Agriculture faced serious problems
  • Harvests were increasingly meager because soil
    lost fertility.
  • Years of war destroyed farmland.Serious food
    shortages, disease, and population decline
    resulted.

5
Military and Political Turmoil
  • Roman military in disarray
  • less disciplined soldiers
  • allegiance to commanders, not to Rome itself
  • recruiting of mercenaries who were less loyal to
    Rome
  • Less loyalty among average citizens
  • Earlier Romans cared more about the Republic.
  • Later Romans lose their sense of patriotism.

6
Emperors Attempt Reform
  • Diocletian Reforms the Empire
  • Becomes emperor in 284.
  • Severely limits personal freedoms.
  • Doubles size of Roman army.
  • Controls inflation by price fixing.
  • Divides the empire
  • Greek speaking East (takes for himself)
  • Latin-speaking West (appoints a co-ruler)
  • Kept overall control.
  • Retired in A.D. 305, but civil war broke out.
  • Four rivals competed for control, including the
    commander Constantine

7
Emperors Attempt Reform
  • Constantine Moves the Capital
  • A.D. 312 Constantine gains control of the western
    part of the empire.
  • A.D. 324 he secures the eastern empire and the
    system of a single ruler.
  • A.D. 330 Constantine moves the capital from Rome
    to Byzantium on the Bosporus Strait between
    Europe and Asia.
  • The center of power shifts from Rome to the east.

8
The Western Empire Crumbles
  • Germanic Invasions
  • A.D. 370 the Huns move into Europe causing the
    Germanic peoples to flee into Roman territory.
  • A.D. 410 Germans invade and overrun Rome itself
    and plunder it for three days.Attila the Hun
  • In 444 the Huns unite under Attila and terrorize
    both halves of the empire.
  • In 452 the Huns advance against Rome, but fail in
    conquering the city due to famine and disease.
  • Attila dies in 453.

9
The Western Empire Crumbles
  • An Empire No More
  • 14-year-old emperor Romulus Augustulus ousted by
    Germananic forces in 426.
  • Roman power in the western half of the empire
    ceases to exist.
  • The eastern half of the empire comes to be called
    the Byzantine Empire, and flourishes for 1,000
    years.
  • The Byzantine emperors ruled from Constantinople.
  • The Byzantine emperors saw themselves as heirs to
    the power of Augustus Caesar.
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