An empireisalargeterritoryinwhichseveralgroups of peopleareruledby asinglegovernmentor leader. Theterritorycanbeseveralthousandsmilesawayfromthatleaderor government.However,theterritorymuststill followthelawsof thatparticulargovernment.If agovernmenthasenoughterritoriesthenallthelandandpeople theyruleisconsideredanempire.

Oneof thegreatestempiresinworldhistorywastheRomanEmpire.Romeisacityinthecountryof Italy whichisinthecontinentof Europe.EventhoughRomewasjustacityitruledterritoriesthatwerethousandsof milesaway.TheRomanEmpirewaspowerfulfor over500 years,from27 B.C.E.to476 C.E.Atitsheightof power in117 C.E.Romeruledwhatismostof thecontinentof presentday

Europe,partsof theMiddleEastor whatwascalledAsiaMinor,and mostof NorthernAfrica,includingEgypt.TheRomanEmpire controlledthewholeMediterraneanworldduringthisera(timeperiod).

TheRomanEmpiremadelawsfor morethan50 million people.AllthepeopleintheempirehadtofollowRomanlawsand usethesamelanguageinbusinessandgovernment.Thatlanguage wasLatin.

Therewasonepersonthatwasinchargeof theempire.He was calledanemperor.Rome’sfirstemperorwasCaesarAugustus. Hewasmadeemperorbecauseheendedmorethan100 yearsof civil war.Acivilwariswhendifferentgroups fromthesamecountryor empirefightagainsteachotherso thatonegroup canhavemore power.Augustuswasalsoresponsiblefor expandingtheempire.

WhenAugustusdiedin14 C.E.manypeoplethoughtthattheRomanEmpirewouldlastforever.However, by theyear476 C.E.theempireweakenedanditwassplitintotwohalves,thewesternandeasternempires.In 476C.E.,thewesternhalfof theempiredisintegrated(brokeapart).TheEasternhalflastedfor another1000 years, and was known as the Byzantine Empire.

Therewasnotonesingleor specificreasonfor thefallof thewesternhalfof theRomanEmpire.Instead manyhistorianspointtoanumberof differentproblemscombinedthatbroughtaboutthefallof theRomanEmpire. Therewere3 mainreasonsfor thefallof Romewhichare:politicalinstability,economicand social problems,andfinallyaweakeningof thefrontierorborder.

For centuriestheempirewas politicallylucky.Theemperorsandotherleadersof theempirewereverysmartand extremelygood atrunningagovernment.However,therewasaperiodwhentherewereseveralweakandunreliable emperors.Furthermore,themethodsthatwereusedtotransferpowerfromoneemperortoanotherwerenotverygood.Whenanemperordiedthendifferentgroups withintheempire foughteachothertohaveeitheroneof theirfriendsor familymembers. Thismeantthatthemostqualifiedor bestleaderswerenotchosenasthe newemperors.Insteadthosethathadthelargestarmies,or themost influentialfriendsor familymembersbecamethenewemperors.

OftenthePraetorianGuard,theemperor’sprivatearmy,chosethenew emperor.Theyhadthebestequippedarmyintheempire.Theyfrequently chosethepersonwho wouldofferthemthelargestreward,ratherthan selectthepersonwho wasthemostqualified.

Twoof themostnotorious(famousforbeingbad) emperorswereCaligulaandNero.Theyweresaidtowastehugeamountsof moneyon publicwork projects,likebuildingstatues,stadiums,andpalaces.Thismeantthattherewerebeautifulbuildingsin theempirebutoftentimesmanypeoplewouldgo hungry. Nero was also famous for persecuting early Christians and feeding them to lions in the Coliseum for entertainment. In addition to Nero, the emperor Diocletian led the largest persecution against the Christians in the history of the Roman Empire. Diocletian ruled from 284-305 and was famous for raising the status of Emperor to that of a god-like figure, expanding Rome’s military greatly, and expanding Rome’s tax system to pay for his increase in military and government. He essentially reformed the government and brought temporary stability- although the stability would not last after his rule.

For aperiodof timemanyemperorswereoftenassassinatedasdifferentgroups withintheempiretriedto gainpower.Withinaonehundredyearperiodtherewere37 differentemperors.Outof those37 emperors,25 wereassassinated(murdered).So manydifferentemperorsmeantthattherewasnotastrongandstableleadertoheadthe greatempirefor anextendedperiodof time.

Otherreasonsfor thefallof Romewereeconomicand socialproblems. In orderfor Rometopay foritshugearmytheempirehadtotaxallitscitizensveryheavily.Such hightaxesforcedmaypeopleintopoverty. Sincetherewereso manypeople in poverty, they couldnotbuy asmanygoods, and tradeand theeconomysuffered.

Therewerealsoothersocialproblemsintheempireatthesametime.Therewascorruptionamongtheleadersof theempire.Oftenpeopleinpositionsof powerstolefromtheempireor tookbribestoshow favoritismtoindividualpeopleinsteadof servingallthepeopleof theempire.Suchcorruptionmeantthatmany peoplewereashamedtobepartof theempire.Thisshameledtoadeclineinthesenseof loyaltythatpeoplehadtowardstheempire.For centuriesmanypeoplewereveryproud toconsider themselvespartof theempire.However,theintroductionof thesocialproblemsof corruption,crime,andunemploymentmeantthatpeopledidnottakeprideinbeing aRomancitizen.

External problems also led to the fall of the Roman Empire. Anotherproblemthatledtofallof theempirewastheweakeningof theempire’s frontiersor borders.Thehugesizeof theempiremadeitverydifficulttodefend.It sometimestookweeksfor leadersinRometocommunicatewiththegeneralsthat weredefendingtheborders.Bythe300’s C.E.’stheNon - Romantribesnorthof the DanubeRiver,known astheGermanictribes,wereinvadingandstealingfood andothergoods fromtheempire.

In 330 C.E.theemperorConstantinetookastepthatchangedthefutureof Roman Empireforever.Hemovedthecapitalof theempirefromtheItaliancityof Rome tothecityof Byzantiumwhichwas850 mileseastandnotindangerof invasion fromtheGermanictribes.HerenamedthecitythecityNewRome.Itwaslater calledConstantinople,aftertheemperorConstantine.TodaythatcityitisknownasIstanbulandislocatedinthecountryofTurkey.

AfterConstantine’sreign(timeinpower)wasover,powerintheempirewas usuallydividedbetween2 differentemperorsoneinthewestandoneintheeast. Romeremainedthecapitalof thewesternhalfof theempireandConstantinoplewasthecapitalof theeastern empire. TheemperorsinRomeconstantlyfound themselvesthreatenedby invadingGermanictribes.Finally,in410C.E.oneof thesetribesattackedandlooted(stolefrom)Rome.In 476, thelastemperorof Romewasdrivenfromhis throne.Afterthefallof thewesternhalfof theRomanEmpire,Europesplitintoseveralsmallkingdomsthatwere ruledby differenttribes.

In theEasttheempirecontinuedfor another1000 years.TodaywecalltheeasternempiretheByzantine Empire.However,afterRomefellitdidnotmeanthatthegreatnessof Romancivilizationended.Theinfluenceof theRomanEmpirelivedon throughmedievalandmoderntimes.Therearemanyinstitutionsandideasthatwehave inour societytodaythatwerestartedintheRomanEmpire.Thingslikeour moderngovernment,architecture,art, language,law,andphilosophywereallstartedor improvedby theRomans.If itwasnotfor theinfluenceof the RomanEmpireour modernsocietyasweknow itwouldbeverydifferentthanitistoday.

1. Whatisanempire?

2. Whatcountryandcontinentisthecityof Romelocatedin?

3. Betweenwhich2 dateswasRomeapowerfulempire?

4. WhichthreeregionsdidtheRomanEmpirecontrolatitsheightof power?

5. What did the Eastern half of the Roman Empire become known as? How long did it last?

6. Accordingtothereading,whatwere3 reasonsfor thefallof theRomanEmpire?

7. Whatare some examples of political instability in the Empire?

8. What are some things that Diocletian is known for?

8. Whywereso manydifferentemperorsunhealthyfor theEmpire?

9. Whywerethebordersof theempiredifficulttodefend?

10. WhoinvadedandstolefromtheRomanEmpire?

11. WhatdidtheemperorConstantinedo thatchangethefutureof theRomanEmpire? Why did he do this?

12. Whatisthecityof Byzantiumknown astoday?

13. Whendidthewesternhalfof theempireend?

14. What6 thingsinmodernsocietywereinfluencedby Romanculture?

To Complete as a Class:

Reasons for the Fall of Rome
External Reasons (happening outside of the Empire): / Internal Reasons(happening inside of the Empire):

Crash Course Video (Fall of the Roman Empire- Episode 15) Questions:

1)What year was the city of Rome conquered by barbarians in?

2)Who did Rome incorporate into the Roman Army that were not Romans?

3)How did people living in Byzantium identify as?

4)What was the goal of the Council of Nicea in 325?

5)Who is the most famous Byzantine emperor?

6)What famous building did Justinian build that was a church but is now a mosque?

7)Who ruled the church in the Roman Catholic Church in the west? Who ruled the Greek Orthodox church in the east?