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What caused the Roman empire to fall?

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inflation, weakened military, movement of capital, split of empire

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The Roman Empire Officially ends in...

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476 CE

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3 phases of decline of Roman Empire

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The crisis of the 3rd century, the reforms of Diocletian and Constantine, and invasions

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Crisis of the 3rd century: Economic reasons

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-trade disrupted by barbarians and pirates -too much import not enough export -made more money -poor harvests

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Crisis of the 3rd century: Military reasons

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-attacks from the Persians and Goths -soldiers fight for money -used Barbarians for military

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Crisis of the 3rd century: Political reasons

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-Roman pride decreased -Lless taxes coming in -17 emperors murdered and 2 forced by Senate to commit suicide

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Diocletian

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emperor of Rome (284-305) who divided the Roman empire into east and west (286) in an attempt to rule the territory more effectively, appointed two rulers for each section with direct sub-rulers for each, appointed a co-emperor which lead to power struggle, army leader and the son of a slave who tried to restore order to the empire

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Why did Diocletian divide the empire in two?

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If two people reside over both, it could become more organized.

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Diocletian reforms

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1. doubled the size of the army to secure the borders 2. all sons had to take over their fathers businesses to guarantee economic stability 3. price and wage controls to try and beat inflation 4. ordered persecution of Christians to restore faith in Roman gods 5. presumed manners of Persian king 6. split the empire into east and west to improve administration

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Were Diocletian's reforms successful?

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No, but they did stop the decline of the empire and protected the borders so there were less invasions for a while.

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Constantine the Great

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emperor of the western Roman empire who moved the capital to the east and named it after himself, moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium, adopted the Christian faith and ended the persecution of Christians (280-337), made Christianity a state religion

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How did Constantine come into power?

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He was one of four people competing for power after Diocletian. He fought Maxentius at the Tiber River. He believed that Christianity helped him win (saw cross in the sky).

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Constantinople

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the new capital of Byzantine empire located between Europe and Asia in the eastern Roman empire, named after Constantine, it was good for controlling trade of Asia and Europe as well as controlling who came in and out of the two countries

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Constantinople

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the imperial capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire

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Golden Horn

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nickname for Constantinople because it was shaped like a horn and brought in lots of trade (money, gold) because of its access to the Mediterranean, Black, and Aegean seas

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What was the reason why the Eastern part of the empire survived?

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movement of the capital to the East (Constantinople)

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What are some advantages of the capital of the Roman Empire being moved to Byzantium?

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crossroad for trade, easy to defend, strongly Christian

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What was the importance of Constantinople from a trading perspective?

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It was the largest city, center of the empire, and had east access.

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Alaric

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Visigothic invader who took over Rome after helping them fight the Huns

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Odacer

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person who finally took down the Roman Empire

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What was the code of law? Why was it necessary?

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Combination of laws from the Roman Empire, organized laws (basis for the entire legal system in Europe)

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Inflation

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the rise of prices caused by decrease in value of money

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Byzantium

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the west was called this after the western and eastern empire split

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Byzantine Empire

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eastern half of Roman empire

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Justinian

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first of emperor of Byzantine emperor that regains Western part of Roman empire, rebuilds and beautifies Constantinople, ordered the creation of the Justinian code

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Theodora

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Justinian's wife who used to be a dancer in the circus and was a Monophysite, empress that influenced her husband to give more rights to women, led reforms in social services, advocated for public works, and increased the rights of women

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What was the main goal of Justinian?

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to reestablish the Roman Empire and bring back all they lost from the barbarians

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Who was the leader of Justinian's army? What did he accomplish?

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Belasarius restored the Italian Empire but only for a few hundred years.

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Justinian Code

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a revised version of basic Roman law divided into 4 parts (Code, Digest, Institutes, Novellae)

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Code

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1st part of Justinian Code, contained useful Roman laws

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Digest

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2nd part of Justinian code, summarized legal opinions

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Institutes

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3rd part of Justinian code, was like a textbook that told people how to use laws

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Novellae

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4th part of Justinian code, contained laws made after 534 A.D.

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Hagia Sophia

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The greatest church built by Justinian across from imperial palace in Constantinople. It had four pillars with huge dome, over 4 acres of gold tiles and silver candelabra. It also had many windows so that it was always full of light.

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Pope

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head of the Christian church in the west, in the western Roman Empire he controlled the bishops and priests

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Roman Catholic church

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church of the Western Roman empire

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Eastern Orthodox church

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church of Eastern Roman empire, heavily influenced daily life

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Icon

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an image or statue of Jesus, Mary, or any of the saints

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Iconoclasts

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people who believed worshiping icons were the same as worshiping idols

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Heresy

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opinion that conflicts with church beliefs

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Excommunication

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removal or ban from the Christian church community

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Emperor Leo III

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emperor that orders destruction of icons

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Mosaic

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artwork or picture made of pieces of stone, glass, or other materials

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Ottoman Turks

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group of people that capture Constantinople and bring Byzantine empire to an end

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Julius Caesar

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Roman general and dictator. He was murdered by a group of senators and his former friend Brutus who hoped to restore the normal running of the republic.

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Octavian (also known as Caesar Augustus)

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the first Roman emperor and a descendant of Julius Caesar, introduced the Pax Romana, a time of peace and unity for the Roman Empire

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Romulus and Remus

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Sons of Latin princess and god Mars that were abandoned and cared by she-wolf. Romulus kills Remus and becomes the first king of Rome.

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Aeneas

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Famous Trojan prince that discovers Latins while looking for promised land.

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Dido of Carthage

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the founder and queen of Carthage, who fell in love with Aeneas and killed herself when he abandoned her

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Hannibal Barca

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Carthaginian General who invaded northern Italy by bringing elephants over the Alps. Was defeated by Cornelius Scipio Africanus in Battle of Zama.

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Cornelius Scipio Africanus

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Roman general that won the Battle of Zama at the end of the 2nd Punic War.

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Battle of Cannae

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A major battle of the Second Punic War, taking place on 216 BCE near the town of Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage under Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Empire using double envelopment strategy.

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Battle of Zama

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the battle in 202 BCE in which Cornelius Scipio Africanus decisively defeated Hannibal at the end of the second Punic War.

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Gaul

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Modern day France conquered by Caesar

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Trajan

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Roman emperor and adoptive son of Nerva and who brought Rome to its greatest size in year 117 CE

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Hadrian's Wall

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Wall built by Hadrian, split Rome from Brittania, kept soldiers and barbarians from entering Roman lands

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Marc Anthony

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Caesar's best friend who fell in love with Cleopatra after Caesar's death, committed suicide

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Cleopatra

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Queen of Egypt, wife of Julius Caesar and mother of Caesarion, committed suicide with Mark Anthony after Caesar's death

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Pompey

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Roman general and statesman who quarrelled with Caesar and fled to Egypt where he was murdered

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Pompeii

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Roman city which was buried during an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE

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Cicero (106-43 BCE)

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a Roman statesman and orator remembered for his mastery of Latin prose, assassinated in 43 BCE

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General Marius

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His men were called Marius's mules. He gave more power to the army in his reorganization of the army and created a volunteer army (regardless of land ownership), rewarded soldiers with land.

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Crassus

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rich man who defeated Spartacus, crucified 6,600 slaves on the Alpennine way

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Sulla (138-78 BCE)

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Roman general and dictator, hated Julius Caesar

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Vandals

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one of a group of Germanic tribes who invaded and destroyed territory in the Roman empire

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Huns

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fierce, nomadic people from Asia led by Attila, warlike people who migrated from Eastern Europe into territory controlled by Germanic tribes, forcing them to move into areas controlled by Rome

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Attila the Hun (405-453 CE)

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emperor of the Huns from 434 CE until his death in 453 CE. He was leader of the Hunnic Empire which stretched from Germany to the Ural River and from the River Danube to the Baltic Sea. He was a legendary general who forced the Goths and Visigoths into increased contact with the Romans.

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Franks

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Germanic people who lived and held power in Gaul. Their leader was Clovis and he would later bring Christianity to the region. Franks had united into one kingdom and they controlled the largest and strongest parts of Europe.

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Clovis

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king of the Franks of 480 CE who unified Gaul and established his capital at Paris and founded the Frankish monarchy, adopts Christianity.

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Goths

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Germanic tribe made up of the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths who threatened invasion to the empire

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Anglo Saxons

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invaded Britain and give England its name and language

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10 theories on Rome's Decline

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1. Excessive Military Spending to Defend the Empire 2. Inferior Technology 3. Inflation 4. Political Corruption 5. Rise in Christianity 6. Unemployment 7. Urban Decay 8. Barbarian Invasions 9. Decline in Morals and Values 10. Environmental and Public Health Problems

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King Pyrrhus

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Greek general of the Hellenistic era. He was king of the Greek tribe of Molossians, of the royal Aeacid house (from 297 BCE), and later he became King of Epirus (306-302, 297-272 BCE) and Macedon (288-284, 273-272 BCE). He was one of the strongest opponents of early Rome. Some of his battles, though successful, cost him heavy losses (bad victory)

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Corvus

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a hinged gangplank with a sharp iron spike at the end used by the Romans

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Punic Wars

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A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 BCE); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.

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Hamilcar Barca

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Hannibals father, a general in Carthage's army, he told Hannibal to always hate the Romans and seek to destroy it

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Veni, vidi, vici

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"I came, I saw, I conquered" - Julius Caesar in the Battle of Zela 47 BCE

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Marcus Aurelius

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philosopher (stoicism), opposed war but had to defend the empire, wrote "Meditations" personal reflections of his beliefs, ruled at the end of the Pax Romana

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Period of 5 good Emperors

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Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius, known as the Five Good Emperors, were a series of excellent emperors who ruled in Rome from 96-180 CE. following the Flavian Dynasty. So called because they succeeded in winning the support and cooperation of the senate, which is something their predecessors had failed to accomplish.

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Pax Romana

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era of peace ushered by Augustus

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Battle of Adrianople

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376 CE, victory by the Goths that started the final collapse of the Western Roman Empire

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Roman accomplishments

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roads, aqueducts, engineering, language, sculptures, laws, etc..

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Aqueducts

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a system of bridges and canals that carries water from place to place

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Domes

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a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere

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Laws

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rules of society that are enforced by government

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Western Roman Empire

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the western part after the Roman Empire was divided in 395 CE, collapsed first (476 CE)

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Eastern Roman Empire

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also known as Byzantine Empire, continuation of Roman empire after it was divided in 395 CE

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Byzantine Empire

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a continuation of the Roman Empire in the Middle East after its division in 395 CE

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Byzantium

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the city was later renamed Constantinople and briefly became the imperial residence of the classical Roman Empire, this ancient Greek city was located at the crossroads of three continents and was an ideal location for the Roman capital

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Princeps

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first citizen, word 'prince' comes from it

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Consul

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the highest elected office of the Roman Empire and an appointive office under the Empire.

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Tribune

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in ancient Rome an official elected by the plebeians to protect their rights

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Senate, Senator

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in ancient Rome the supreme governing body, originally made up only of aristocrats

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Republic

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a political process in which the people control the government through elected political officials, indirect democracy of elected leaders

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Province, Provincials

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from Latin word 'provincia' which means 'to conquer'

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Centuries

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the Roman military was organized into legions of 6,000 men and these smaller units

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Mediterranean Sea

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the Roman Empires encircled this at their height

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the Alps

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the Roman peninsula was protected by water in the South and by this physical feature in the North

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Characteristics of Roman art

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realistic life-like

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How were mosaics different from Classic Roman art?

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different style and texture

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Where were mosaics most likely to be found?

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in Christian churches in Constantinople

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Peganism

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the religious custom or belief during ancient Roman times when Christianity was outlawed

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Stoicism

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not a religion but a philosophy of doing good for others and for society

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Why was Christianity viewed as a problem?

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distracted from pagan warship

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Over-expansion of the Roman Empire led to

answer

weak frontiers, possible invasions, and inefficiency in government

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Concrete roads

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made trade easier and helped Christianity spread faster

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Patriarchs

answer

In the Byzantine Empire, the Emperor had direct control of these religious figures, who in turn managed priests.

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