Chapter 5Section 5

Decline and Fall

Learning ObjectivesThe students will be able to:

• Summarize the main causes for the fall of the Roman Empire.

Reasons for the Decline

• Invasions

• Civil War

• Plague

Diocletion (284-305 AD) and Constantine (306-337 AD)

• Divided empire into 4 parts

•Divided the Empire into the Greek East, and Latin-

speaking West

Moved the Capital to Byzantium, renamed it

Constantinople

The reforms of Diocletian & Constantine

• Strengthened the administrative bureaucracies

• Enlarged the army

• Set wage & price controls to fight inflation

• Forced people to remain in their designated jobs

• Their reforms were based on control

• Temporarily successful

• In the long run they stifled the vitality of the Late Roman Empire

Barbarian Invasions

http://ditto.com/search_results.asp?ss=barbarians&ipp=12&pr=15&ViewStyle=compact

• Huns – from Asia; moved into eastern Europe & put pressure on the Visigoths

• Visigoths – Germanic; moved south & west into Roman territory

• Vandals – poured into southern Spain & Africa

•Visigoths first to sack Rome in 410

•Vandals sack Rome in 455

Barbarian Invasions

Romans fighting Barbarians

Skull of aGermanBarbarian

Roman Soldier Goth Warrior

Western Roman Empire Falls

• 476

• Romulus Augustulus was removed from office by the Germanic head of the army

• Constantinople & the Eastern Empire lasts another 1000 years

Constantinople

Ruins of the Roman Forum

FINIS