The Fall of the Roman Empire: Crisis and Late Empire PDF

The Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 5.3 Crisis in the 3rd Century 1) Civil Wars and Military Dictatorships 193 – 235 CE- Severan Rulers ○ Civil wars led to military anarchy ○ The Roman imperial throne was occupied by anyone who had the power to seize it ○ 20 of 22 emperors met a...

The Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 5.3 Crisis in the 3rd Century 1) Civil Wars and Military Dictatorships 193 – 235 CE- Severan Rulers ○ Civil wars led to military anarchy ○ The Roman imperial throne was occupied by anyone who had the power to seize it ○ 20 of 22 emperors met a violent death Reasons for the Fall of Rome- Crisis in the 3rd Century 2) Outside Invasion External Threats ○ East- Sassanian Persians made inroads into Roman territory ○ North- Germanic tribes poured into the empire Crisis in the 3rd Century 3) Economic Decline Plague created new problems for the Roman Empire ○ Created a labor shortage ○ Decline in trade and small industry ○ Farm production deteriorated Ravaged by invaders or defending Roman armies ○ Monetary system began to collapse Debased coinage and inflation Reduced the amount of soldiers being recruited from the empire Germans were now being recruited into the Roman army The Late Roman Empire – 300s & 400s CE Return of the Roman Empire (briefly) ○ Emperors Diocletian and Constantine revived the Roman Empire in the 4th century CE Characteristics included: A new governmental structure A rigid economic and social system A new state religion ○ Christianity The Late Roman Empire – 300s & 400s CE The Reforms of Diocletian and Constantine ○ Strengthened and expanded the administrative bureaucracies of the Roman Empire Hierarchy of officials exercised control at various levels of government ○ The army was enlarged New mobile units were created to quickly aid the defense of the frontiers ○ Constantine constructed a new capital in the east at Byzantium (Constantinople) Developed for defensive reasons Strategic location for military and economic purposes The “New Rome” Included Roman characteristics- forum / palaces / amphitheater The Late Roman Empire – 300s & 400s CE The Reforms of Diocletian and Constantine ○ Civil service was enlarged Drained most of the public funds (including a new, larger army) Population was stagnant within the empire Tax base could not be expanded ○ Issued mandates that forced people to stay in their designated vocations ie…bakers and shippers became hereditary occupations ○ Fortunes of free tenant farmers declined Bound to the land by large landowners who bought them out The End of the Western Roman Empire – 476 CE After Constantine’s death- the Roman Empire increasingly divided between East and West ○ Permanent separation in 395 CE ○ The East remained healthy under “Byzantine” emperors ○ The West began to further decay into non-existence Germanic tribes increasingly moved in and challenged Roman authority In the late 4th century CE, the Germanic tribes came under new pressure as the Huns from the East encroached upon their lands ○ Possibly a branch of the Xiongnu (invaders of Han China) 378 CE- Germanic Visigoths (looking to flee from the Huns) crossed the Danube in to Roman territory and settled as Roman allies ○ Due to horrible treatment by the Romans, the Visigoths revolted and defeated the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople The End of the Western Roman Empire – 476 CE 410 CE- increasing numbers of Germans crossed into Roman territory ○ Visigoths spread out into Spain and Gaul, and eventually, sacked the city of Rome itself ○ Vandals poured into southern Spain and Africa 455 CE- Vandals sacked the city of Rome as well Mid-5th century CE- the Roman western provinces were completely under Germanic control ○ Began to establish independent kingdoms 476 CE- General Odoacer (German) deposed the Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus ○ The official end to the Western Roman Empire Causes of the Fall of the Roman Empire 1) The rise of Christianity ○ Emphasis on a spiritual kingdom undermined Roman military virtues and patriotism 2) Traditional Roman values declined ○ Non-Italians gained prominence in the empire 3) Lead poisoning caused by water pipes and cups made of lead ○ Mental decline among the population Causes of the Fall of the Roman Empire 4) Slavery caused stagnation in technological development 5) Unworkable political system 6) Weakened military state ○ Lack of funding ○ Lack of recruits 7) Economic problems ○ Unemployment ○ Lack of tax revenue