The fall of the Roman Empire

8. THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE - In the 3 rd century Ad, the Roman Empire entered a crisis:

-

Politics: -

-

The economy: -

-

The wars against the Germanic people increased the influence of he army.

The emperor began to rely more on mercenaries, who were not under his control.

Due to the Roman expansion had ended , there were fewer slaves to work in mining and agriculture.

There was fall in production and trade.

Society: -

Urban life declined.

The Empire increased the taxes and many people left the cities because they couldn’t pay them.

They went to work on villas, which they had been country homes for rich people, but now people grew food to survive.

8. THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE -

CHRISTIANITY In the 1st century AD, the folowers of Jsus of Nazareth founded Chrisianity.

-

Christianity was a monotheistic religion.

-

Christians believed in only one God.

-

According the Christianity, people should love each other and would receive eternal life if they followed their religion.

-

During the 3rd century AD, Christianity spread through the Empire.

-

They were persecuted by Romans, because hey refused to worship the emperor and serve in the Roman army.

-

They practised their religion in private homes or underground passageways called catacombs.

-

In 313 AD, the emperor Constantine allowed reliegious freedom with the Edict of Milan.

-

In 380 AD, the emperor Theodosious made Chrisianity the official religion of the Empire., with the Edict of Thessalonika.

8. THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS -

From the 3rd century AD, there were many invasions by Germanic people.

-

Romans called these people barbarians, or foreigners.

-

Migrationswere caused by: -

Population growth, which made Germanic people look for new areas to settle.

-

The pressure from other people further east (he Huns of Attila), which forced Germanic people to migrate towards the west and south.

-

Rome was too weak to resist, for that reason Roman emperors made a series of agreements with Germanic chieftains (foedus), They were granted territory inside he Empire.

-

The Western Roman Empire ended in the 5 th century AD.

-

In 476 AD A Germanic chieftain (Odoacer) deposed Romulus Augustus, the last Roman emperor in the West.

8. THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

-

In 395 AD the emperor Theodosious divide the Roman Empire between his wo sons(Arcadius in the east, Honorious in the west).

-

Rome remained the capital of the western empire and Constantinople became capial of the eastern empire.

-

The eastern empire survived the invasions and became known as he Byzantine Empire, because the capital city (Constantinople) was founded over the remains of Byzantium (an ancient Greek colony).

-

Byzantine civilisation was influenced by Greek and Roman culture.

-

The Greek language was the official language in this empire.

-

The Byzantine emperor Justinian reconquered part of the territory of the Western Empire.