The Fall of Rome

Life Sucks and Then Your Empire of 1000 Years Crumbles Before You in a Heap of

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’ves

Review

We’ve discussed the rise of Rome Romulus and Remus The Punic Wars

The unintentional Empire? The Republic The Fall of the Republic and rise of the Empire

Julius Caesar

Review Cont.

Culture and life The coliseum Adoption of Hellenistic culture

Not sure read about it because it is on the quiz

Leaders Good and bad Constantine

Review Con’t

Christianity It’s foundations Persecution It’s adoption by Constantine Council of Nicea

The Division of Rome

Diocletian Empire is getting to big to control Eastern Empire is under siege Divides Rome into two

Western Empire: Rome Eastern Empire: Constantinople

Hope to alleviate tensions and stresses on Empire

Not so much

Division Cont.

Eastern Empire begins to flourish Many from West move east to avoid infighting,

taxes, and poor economy Western Empire begins it’s decline

The Fall of Rome

Rome began in 750 BCE It ends in 476 CE

Vandals sack Rome that year and the Western Empire falls

WHY????

Corruption

By 400 CE the Western Empire had become corrupt Too many leaders

became power hungry The declining economy

and added taxes do not see advancements in Rome, but in officials pockets

The Senate and Leaders were bought and sold

Economy

Mother nature affects the economy Lands become baron Large ownership

pushes many off lands With increased

population in cities, less jobs

Added to all this was ever increasing taxes

Pay for repairs Military

Culture

By 400 CE the culture of Rome was not what it once was Lost was the grandeur

and replaced by decay Schools and arts are

under funded or not funded at all

Art is in decay Lack of innovation

produce a lack of expanding culture

Invasion

Barbarians from the north constantly pose a threat Army is maintained at a

high cost Begin to actually recruit

barbarians to fight barbarians

Where do loyalties lie? Military becomes over

expanded and incapable of maintaining borders

Fat and Lazy

Society becomes fat and lazy Recruit other to fight

wars Lack of attention paid to

the government Allows corruption to

run rampant Look for the easy life

rather than working hard like generations before

Society begins to fall apart

Eastern Empire Pull, Western Empire Push People leave West for East

The best and the brightest go east Leave West with any real chance of innovation

maintaining culture/society While West crumble the East actually expands

and gets extremely wealthy

Christianity

The rise and power of the Catholic church drastically changes Roman Society Though east is

catholic, the influence is minimal

More devotion to church than to Empire

Can you blame them?

The End

In 455 CE the Vandals from the north invade Crush through Italy and enter Rome Sack the city However allows churches to continue

476 CE Odoacer of German, but soldier of Rome kills last Western Emperor Western Empire Falls in 476 CE

Not All Over

Constantinople and the eastern Empire will continue and flourish for another 1000 years

In 1453 the Ottoman Turks will take Constantinople

Rome though, as we have seen, ended long before