Chapter 1 - Fall of the Western Roman Empire PDF

# **Chapter 1 - Fall of the Western Roman Empire** The saying goes that Rome was not built in a day, and that is absolutely true. However, it is equally true that Rome did not fall in a day. The Roman Empire had been in decline for decades - or even centuries depending on how you define the decline...

# **Chapter 1 - Fall of the Western Roman Empire** The saying goes that Rome was not built in a day, and that is absolutely true. However, it is equally true that Rome did not fall in a day. The Roman Empire had been in decline for decades - or even centuries depending on how you define the decline of an empire - and it was the rotting away of the empire that ultimately led to its end. Without the constant attacks though, the Roman Empire would probably have continued to drag on until it finally broke down on its own. The fall was inevitable, but the end of this long era of European history was an event that entirely changed the face of Europe. ## **Internal Decline** While the role of external forces was the obvious cause for the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was helped along by the changes within Rome itself. Some historians point to the fall of the Roman Republic as the template that the fall of Rome would follow centuries later. Rome had become increasingly secular and greedy, leading to leaders placing their interests over that of their country. Those in power fought with each other to gain more power after Emperor Valens died in 378 CE. Instead of working to strengthen their empire, those in power focused on fighting amongst themselves in a desperate bid to gain more power for themselves and their families. This meant that they were not interested in securing the borders or fighting off the Germanic tribes, as the Roman citizens in authority were more interested in expanding their own power within the city. Many of them likely believed that once Rome was under their control, they would be able to retake the territories that Rome had lost, not realizing that they all lacked what previous leaders had had: a dedication to Rome and its betterment. There was also another growing problem within the city that is often overlooked - the rise of Christianity. For several centuries, Christians were used as entertainment in arenas where they would not put up a fight. What had started out as purely another spectacle ended up changing the way many people would think. The dedication of the Christians' belief in nonviolence, even to the point of allowing themselves to be killed instead of putting up a fight, was something that Romans began to find inspiring. It attracted more followers who were ready to believe in something outside of themselves, something that the people in power lacked. The effect of Christians on the fall of the empire is perhaps best summed up by Edward Gibbon: >A candid but rational inquiry into the progress and establishment of Christianity may be considered as a very essential part of the history of the Roman empire. While this great body was invaded by open violence, or undermined by slow decay, a pure and humble religion greatly insinuated itself into the minds of men, grew up in silence and obscurity, derived new vigour from opposition, and finally erected the triumphant banner of the cross on the ruins of the Capital. The very people whose deaths were treated as entertainment for the masses would eventually come to rule over most of the lands that Rome had once conquered. The ideals and values taught by Jesus would lead to the rise of Christianity all over Europe during the Middle Ages. It would also be the end of Christianity as it was originally preached. Warping the values that had gained the religion so much attention, men would turn it into a new power structure. However, while Rome was still intact, Christians remained steadfast in their beliefs, putting that above nearly all else. ## **Prelude to the Fall** Rome had begun its decline long before the 5th century CE. Emperors like Nero and Caligula had shown the cracks in the elite, that the rulers were growing too complacent and careless. Inequality had always been rampant, but the demise of the empire would not be because the lower classes would rise up against the Romans in power. Instead, it would be the Germanic tribes that had long fought against the Romans who would start to chip away at the crumbling empire. Almost 100 years before Rome fell, the Romans were fighting against nomadic Germanic tribes. The farther north a Roman traveled, the less "civilized" the world would seem to them. To the north of the Roman border along the Danube-Rhine were the people Romans considered to be barbarians, the people that they never successfully conquered. Since the time of Julius Caesar, the empire had fought with these people without any definitive victory. As if to distinguish between their "civilized" version of society and the unconquered people to the north, the Romans came up with the term barbarian. It was derogatory as it was based on the Romans' thinking that the Germanic tribes sounded like they were saying "bar bar bar" when they spoke. The term was a childish attempt to make the same sounds without bothering to recognize that it was an entirely different language with its own culture. Over time, those sounds would evolve into the word barbarian. Today, the word has two different connotations. It means someone uncivilized, but it also represents something akin to the noble savage. Neither is particularly flattering or accurate, but works of fiction, such as Conan the Barbarian, have helped to elevate the term to be a bit more representative of the kind of harsh life these people lived. Some emperors would try to buy control of the barbarians by offering money for them to become part of the Roman Empire. Some emperors tried to get them to join the Romans, giving them lands to settle if they would be willing to become Roman citizens. This latter method, in particular, seems to have worked as the northern people did move south and settle. But despite becoming Roman citizens, they never really gave up their own culture. The Goths were a particularly dangerous group that Rome seemed willing to ignore as the group migrated to the northern border of the empire. The intentions of the Goths seem to have been to settle in the Roman Empire as a way of improving their own very harsh lives. Rome did not view them as a threat, despite the large numbers of Goths who migrated into the empire. The tensions between the Romans and Goths began to mount when Rome appeared to be disinterested in hearing the requests of this large group of people. The Huns posed a particular threat to the Goths, but Rome seemed unwilling to do anything to help them. As the number of Goths grew, it became difficult to provide for them. To compound the problem, the Goths could see the corruption among the Roman officials, and the extortion for basic goods was unacceptable to the people. Though many of the Goths were Christian, their patience while awaiting permission to settle on Roman lands reached its limit. Emperor Valens delayed giving an answer as he tried to gain more information about the number of people planning to migrate, and this excessive delay compounded their sense of panic. The Huns continued to press closer to the Goths and winter neared, which meant that if they did not settle soon, they would not be able to grow their own crops. The delay from the emperor was taken poorly, and they moved into the territory without his permission. Their arrival was met by skirmishes and fighting that would grow into a five-year war. This led to one of the most notable encounters which occurred in 378 CE at the Battle of Hadrianopolis (also known as Adrianople). The Roman Emperor Valens led a large number of men to face off against a Gothic army that was far larger than the Roman army. Not only would the Romans lose roughly two-thirds of their army (estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000 men), but the emperor himself was killed in battle, all within the span of less than 24 hours. Peace would see the Goths becoming a part of the Roman Empire, but there remained a good bit of tension between them. Some Gothic leaders would rise up to fight against Rome, though most would try to find their own place in the empire, safe from the threats they had faced living in the north. It would be one of the Gothic leaders who had fought as a Roman commander earlier who would eventually bring the city to its knees. As the Romans tried to recover from such a catastrophic defeat, the Germanic tribes were able to chip away at the edges of the kingdom over the next century, claiming lands for themselves. These successor kingdoms would mark the obvious decline of the empire as Rome lost territories that it had gained under so many famous military leaders. Slowly but surely, the Germanic people who fought against the Romans were reclaiming what had once been theirs. As Rome began to lose lands, they increasingly pulled their military back from areas that they felt they no longer controlled. In Gaul and Britain, the nobles lost their estates, and without them, Roman culture nearly entirely disappeared in the two areas. ## **Rome Falls** The man who would bring about the end of the Western Roman Empire was a Goth (a part of the western tribes called the Visigoths) who had worked alongside other Romans. Straddling the divide between the Germanic tribe and Roman allegiance, he has a unique place in history for many reasons. Since there were many contributing factors to the fall of Rome, this man's name is not nearly as well known as it should be. The man who would accomplish what no one before him had done for hundreds of years was called Alaric. He was many things, including a Christian. But he was also very determined and fought for what he thought was right. Rome had promised him and his people the lands in the Balkans, and he sought to get the land and some support for his people. As the emperor remained silent on his consent, Alaric began to make further demands, including a demand that his people would be given Roman citizenship. His intention was to secure their future. Emperor Honorius would respond with a denial of the request. Each request was met with a refusal. Seeing no other way to have the promised fulfilled, Alaric amassed an army of Goths, former slaves, and Huns and headed to Rome. They moved over the Alps and into Italy with very little resistance. As a former Roman commander, Alaric knew how to keep an army engaged and organized, making him an incredibly formidable opponent. Emperor Honorius was an incompetent emperor who focused on himself instead of the empire, and his military prowess was nonexistent. As Alaric and his army neared the city, the emperor was safely housed in his own villa in Ravenna, outside of Rome. He failed to understand the threat posed by the formidable adversary and largely continued to ignore the requests, even as the army neared the city. Alaric did not attack the city in the early days. Instead, he had his army camp outside of Rome, blocking any goods from entering or exiting the capital. His army was unaffected (they could take whatever goods were meant to go into the city), but the Romans were not so fortunate. Without food and water, the city became weak. The man who wanted only what had been promised to him and his people would enter Rome as its conqueror in 410 CE. Alaric and his army would only remain in the city for three days, but by the time they left, they had entirely sacked the city. As a Christian, he did not allow the basilicas of St. Paul and St. Peter's to be touched by his army. Emperor Honorius would send 6,000 soldiers to try to defend the city, but they were no match for Alaric and his men. This led to many people seeing this as a sign from the gods or Christian god. Those who believed in the Roman gods saw it as a sign that they had failed. Christians, such as St. Augustine, would say that it was a reminder from their god that humans were flawed and that suffering was a part of their god's plan. Rome would limp along for about another half century, with the power struggles and economic decay finally reaching its inevitable destination in 476. The last Roman emperor was Romulus Augustulus, a boy of 12 years old when he became emperor. It was his father Orestes who put him in the position to be a puppet emperor. Augustulus was appointed in 475, and his short reign ended in 476 when Odoacer, a German warlord, killed Augustulus' father. Odoacer made his way to Milan where the puppet emperor lived. Augustulus was offered retirement and a pension as he was sent away. As a result of losing their emperor, the Roman Senate decided not to seek another, instead writing to their eastern counterpart: > The majesty of a sole monarch is sufficient to pervade and protect, at the same time, both East and West. The west no longer required an emperor of its own; one monarch sufficed for the world. Although 476 CE has become the designated end to the Western Roman Empire, it had been in steady decline for much longer. The deposition of the emperor simply acted as a suitable marker to end this particular chapter of European history. ## **All Was Not Lost** By the 5th century, the Roman Empire had extended far beyond Western Europe. It reached east along what is now the western Middle East and into Africa. Rome had not been at the center of the empire for several centuries. While the Romans certainly considered themselves the hub of their empire, there were many other places in the former empire that were largely unaffected by the fall of the city. As acknowledged by the Western Roman Senate, there was another part of the empire that remained fully functional and far more capable than Rome had been by the end of its reign. The Roman Empire had two capitals at the time Rome was attacked. The second capital was to the east, and it was called Nicomedia. During the last centuries of the Roman Empire, there would be Roman emperors who lived in Nicomedia that would never visit Rome, and the words of the Roman Senate would be ignored in Nicomedia. In this part of the empire, the people in power focused on keeping a strong military. The city of Rome seemed to have conquered all of their potential rivals, so they settled into a tentative complacency. The Germanic tribes on their northern border never stopped being a problem, but the leaders seemed to have felt that the tribes were not a significant threat. However, the eastern part of the Roman Empire had enemies on several sides. Retaining a much stronger military power was essential to repel attacks from their eastern and southern borders. When Rome fell to the Goths, the entire eastern portion of the empire remained intact and was able to continue living as they had been living. They would become the protectors of European history (particularly the information about the Roman Empire which it had been a part of) and would become the new stewards of progress while Western Europe divided into what would become new countries with different power structures.