Global I Notes

Mrs. Hollis/Ms. Mizgalski

Fall of Rome

7.5, 7.6, 10.1: The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Religion in the Roman Empire

Ch. 7, Section 5

Practiced Polytheism

Allowed for religious tolerance

Must honor the gods/emperor of Rome

Jews and the Roman Empire

Jews: Lived in Judaea

Zealots: Wanted own independent state

Lead a rebellion against Rome (66-70 A.D.)

Christianity

Jesus of Nazareth: teacher who wandered the countryside with disciples (followers)

Teachings of Jesus

Teachings: Jewish tradition

Rome and Jesus

Romans: threatened by Jesus

Lead to an uprising

Spread of Christianity

Beliefs spread throughout empire

Paul

Romans adopt Christianity

300 A.D. Church too big: Rome accepts Christianity

Constantine (312 A.D.)

Declared support/baptized on deathbed

Theodosius (391 A.D.)

Made Christianity official religion of the empire

Roman Christianity

Roman Christian church began to organize

Priests – Bishops – Patriarchs – Pope

Peter – 1st Pope

Council of Nicaea:

Trinity

The Fall of the Roman Empire
Chapter 7 Section 6

Fall of an Empire

Why did taxation increase in the Empire? Who did this hurt the most?

What reforms did the Emperor Diocletian try to institute?

Inflation

= rise in price caused by decrease in value of $

No more expansion = no more new money.

Defense of borders and civil wars cost $$$$

Daily life becomes harder for people

Diocletian

General – made emperor in 284 AD

Realized empire was too large for one person to govern

appointed co-emperor and 2 assistants: he controlled East

Attempted to improve the economy

Keys: defense and security of the Empire

Constantine

Won civil war in 324 AD and reunited empire.

Supported Christianity after vision on battlefield – eventually won battle.

Created Constantinople

Empire weakens after his death in 337.

Two Empires

A.D. 400: Two Empires exist

West: Grew weaker

East: center of power and wealth

German tribes become a problem

Goths

Goths –flood into empire in late 300s.

After poor treatment – crush large Roman army at Adrianople

Eastern emperor Valens killed in battle

410 – King Alaric takes Rome

first time in 800 years.

Vandals

Sneak into border during Goth problems

429 – invade North Africa

455 – sack Rome

Today: Vandal – means terrorize, destroy, steal, etc.

Vandal’s Sack of Rome

Huns

Nomads from Asia

Attila: greatest Hun leader

Took much of modern Austria and Hungary from Rome

Lost to combined barbarian/Roman force in Gaul

Aftermath

476 – Romulus Augustus: last emperor in West

“Fall of Roman Empire”

Eastern Empire remains until 1453

Learning declined – libraries destroyed and technology lost

Europe slips into Dark Ages

Causes of Decline: Military

Barbarians pushing East

Needed land to live on

Romans need troops

Dependent on Barbarian recruits

Generals: overthrowing one another to be emperor.

Loss of loyalty to Rome

Causes: Political

Empire too large to control

Burden of public service

Corruption/Unstable leadership

Government failed

Causes: Economic

Too expensive to defend borders

Expansion stopped: no new $

High Taxes

High Inflation

Causes: Social

Class differences

Rich had power: Poor unhappy and growing

Loss of patriotism

Loss of Values

Result: Europe in decay for 1,000 years till Renaissance in 1500s.

Chapter 10 Section 1:

The Byzantine Empire

Growth of the Byzantine Empire

  • Justinian: attempted to revive power of Roman Empire
  • Justinian Code: collection of Roman law into four parts
  • Basis of Byzantine law; established legal framework of future European systems
  • Advised by his wife Theodora and general of the army, Belisarius
  • Ex. Status of women, Nika Revolt
  • Empire grew to its largest under Justinian

Strengths of Empire

  • Strong central government with emperor and efficient and skilled gov’t officials
  • Create alliances through marriage w/ foreign powers
  • Strong army and navy; chemical weapons “Greek Fire”
  • Constantinople; wealthy capital, strategic location to control sea trade between Asian and Europe
  • Imperial taxes raised huge revenues

Christian Church

  • Differences in church practices led to split in the church of the West and East
  • Patriarch of Constantinople- most powerful church leader in East
  • Icons- holy picture of Jesus, Virgin Mary, or saints
  • Iconoclasts- icons in church is like worshipping idols; believe that is wrong

Iconoclastic Controversy

  • 787 A.D.- Pope calls a council to allow icons in church
  • Those who refuse (iconoclasts) are heretics and excommunicated
  • Heresy- opinion conflicts with church teachings
  • Excommunication- no longer a member of the church
  • Led to the split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054

Major Disagreements

Roman Catholic

  • Priests forbade to marry
  • Accept icons
  • Pope; supreme authority of church
  • Accepted that the Holy Spirit combines with both Father and Son in Trinity

Eastern Orthodox

  • Priests allowed to marry
  • Initially rejected, later accepted icons
  • Reject supremacy of Roman pope
  • Maintained supremacy of the Father in the Trinity

Decline of the Empire

  • After Justinian’s death in A.D. 565, they had many wars
  • Many groups began to take land away from the empire
  • Ex. Muslim Empire in Middle East & Africa
  • Western Europe defends Byzantine 1096-1099 (1st Crusade), then seizes capital in 1204 (4th Crusade)
  • Ottoman Turks took Adrianople, then Constantinople in 1453
  • Byzantine Empire collapsed