Fall of Rome

By:Jacob Rayfield, Robert

Hampton, & Nidonte Butlef

The Power of the Emperor

In 36B.C. Octavian became the sole ruler of Rome
He was given great power over the government, became first
emperor
Octavian wanted to return power to the senate, senate refused
Marked the change from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire
The emperor would now choose a successor(Rodriguez)

Growing Unrest
New emperors chosen by senate if emperor dies
Common for emperors to be assassinated by the military
Most emperors were hated as tyrants
Many would go insane and be murdered
The Roman people felt distanced and were not loyal to the
emperor(Rodriguez)
From 235 to 284 there were 25 emperors, each quickly replaced
Empire went through military and economic troubles, and a large
plague

Fracturing of the Military

Each army under control of a governor
They acted as generals, and were controlled by the emperor
Armies were loyal to the governors, not Rome
Provinces of Rome lived in a feudal state
The strongest armies had great power, and would assassinate and
choose the successors of emperors

Failing Economy

Massive spending and heavy inflation crippled the economy

Slave labor and an open economy caused widespread
unemployment
Wealth was concentrated in Rome, welfare efforts only in
major cities
This created a large divide between Rome and the majority
of the impoverished provinces, they grew disloyal

Frivolous Spending

The Roman government sponsored many events to keep

those in Rome happy instead of dealing with problems
Nearly one third of the Roman budget went to sponsoring
the gladiator games
This spending alienated the poor, the slaves, and those who
lived far from the capital

Division of Power
In 293 Diocletian separated Western and Eastern Rome
After the death of Constantius Chlorus in 306, civil war broke out
For 50 years the next emperor was decided by armies fighting each
other for control

Changing Demographics

The Huns in the East pushed barbarians towards Roman

territory
Many of these barbarians became citizens and joined the
military
Christianity spread through many of the poor provinces
Citizens viewed their provinces as their home and saw
Rome as a leech

Military Changes
Attention was turned to the new threat of invasion in the north and
east
Many soldiers and officers were killed in wars, leading to a shortage
of leadership and men
Soldiers questioned what they were fighting for
By 395 the position of emperor was largely powerless, in complete
control by the military

Collapse of Government
After significant military defeats governors
hired mercenaries to replace the men in their
armies
Rome could not afford to pay for the armies
and the armies would eventually turn to
attack Rome itself
The central government of Rome controlling
the armies fell apart, and each province was
left to govern itself
This would evolve into the dark ages and lead
to the feudal system

BACKGROUND
Rome was first attacked in the year 190 A.D
First attacked by the Vandals

Attacked for almost 220 years, until 410 A.D

Barbarian Groups from Northern Parts of Europe
Such groups as Vandals, Franks, Lombards, and Visigoths

Groups attacked Rome because it was huge, and held many vital resources
Visigoths had a major part in the defeat of Rome

ROUTES TAKEN BY ROMAN ATTACKERS

VISIGOTHS
Main group responsible for the defeat of Rome
Started their attacks on Rome in the year 378

Involvement began after a famine took place in 376

Romans failed to provide food or land to visigoths
After the famine, Visigoths were angry and planned their revolts

ALARIC I
Visigoths emperor during the Roman defeat
Previous emperor Theodosius dies in 395
After Theodosius death, Alaric I took over
Became the Visigoths most famous emperor
First led invasions in the year 391

Leading a mix of goths and other barbarian groups

DURING THE VISIGOTHS ATTACK

Alaric marched to Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Empire.
Captured inhabitants and sold them to slavery

First invaded Rome, the western empire capital in 401

Second invasion in late 408
Starvation and hunger spread through the area

In 408, Alaric was given 5,000 pounds of gold and 30,000 in silver
Final invasion was on August 24, 410 A.D

ROMAN DEFEAT
Accompanied by other barbarian groups
Roman Army was weak during the attack
Romans accepted defeat
Visigoths kingdom spreads
Alaric I dies later of fever in 410 A.D.

CASUALTIES AND
OUTCOMES

Western Empire Romans fled to North Africa

Other citizens joined the Visigoth empire
Over 600,000 deaths occurred from the Attack
Several ruins from Ancient Rome exist today
Ruins are still being found

After Rome
Rome is sacked in 476 A.D.
Germanic tribes divided land between warlords.
Major tribes/kingdoms:
Visgioths
Ostrogoths
Angles and Saxons or Anglo-Saxons
Franks

Germanic Tribes

Europe After Rome

Some Germanic tribes merged governments with the
Romans, but did not allow them to participate.
Germanic groups began to unite smaller tribes together to
create kingdoms.
These kingdoms fought for several hundred years to
expand and maintain borders.

Eastern Rome
After the fall of Western Rome, Eastern
Rome made a new name for itself, The
Byzantine Empire.
Founded by Emperor Constantine.
Capital was located in Constantinople.
Constantinople became the center of all
trade in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Emperor Justinian
Emperor Justinian ruled from 527-565.
Conquered much of the land surrounding the
Mediterranean.
Because he expanded Byzantium so quickly, they faced the
same problem old Rome had.
At the time of Justinians death, the Byzantine Empire was
the largest and most powerful.

Byzantium Under Justinian

After Justinian
During his reconquest of the west, a
plague broke out in Egypt.
Plague slowly works its way into
Byzantium.
Stops extremely fast reconquest in its
tracks.

Constantinople
After Byzantium lost its newer provinces, the Empire
became centered around trading.
Constantinople became the hub of all trade between
Europe and the Middle East.
Constantinople was the wealthiest city in the world at this
time.
The Byzantines made their money mostly from the spice
trade, but also luxury items.

The Last of The Byzantines

The Byzantine Empire ruled for over 1,100 years.
Empire became divided over religion and involvement with
the crusades.
Constantinople fell in May of 1453 to the Ottoman-Turks.
The Byzantines stayed around but were no longer a major
empire, and held very little power and land.

References

"Indo-European Chronology: The 5th Period." Indo-European Chronology: The 5th Period. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
<http://indoeuro.bizland.com/project/chron/chron4.html>.
"Sassanids vs Byzantines." - All Empires. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=sassanids_byzantines>.
"Byzantine Empire." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/byzantine-empire>.
"The Fall of the Roman Empire." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.ushistory.org/civ/6f.asp>.
The Decline. roman-empire.net n.p. n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Rodriguez, Tommy. The World of the Ancient Romans. TheAncientWorld. The Ancient World, 2013. Web. 30 Oct.
2014.
Alchin, Linda. Causes for the Fall of the Roman Empire. TribunesandTriumphs. Siteseen Ltd., 2014. Web. 25 Oct.
2014.
"The Fall of Ancient Rome." The Fall of Ancient Rome. History Learning Style, 1 Jan. 2014.
Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Visigoths." Visigoths. TheMiddleAges.net. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2014
"The Fall of Rome." Eyewitness to History.com. Communications. Inc. 2007. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire." Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire. Mr. Giotto's Online Textbook,
2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
Alaric I, King of the Visigoths, Accepts the Surrender of Rome, 410. Digital image. Look and Learn History Picture
Library. N.p., 14 June 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.