The Fall of Rome?

Weaknesses

The Roman Empire had always been weaker than it appeared

Rome’s huge frontiers were difficult to truly defend

Usually at war on two fronts—against the Germanic tribes to the north and the Parthians (Persia) to the east

Around 250 A.D., the Empire was politically unstable—civil war left it vulnerable

The Germans

Many different nations and tribes—spoke similar languages

◦ Vandals, Franks, Visigoths, Burgundians, etc.

Tradition of trade and contact with the Romans

Population growth and pressure from other groups (the Huns)

◦ Germans increasingly raided and migrated into Rome

Traditional image—rampaging hordes of barbarians!

Reality—more likely families migrating in search of more farm land

Diocletian

Soldier of humble origins who became emperor—sought to restore order and defend empire from German raiders

Divided the empire into 4 units (the Tetrarchy), each with its own emperor◦ Easier to defend

Tried to control inflation with the Edict of Prices

Traditional imperial values—persecution of Christians and glorification of the ruler

Diocletian and his palace in Split, Croatia

Constantine

After Diocletian retired, the other 3 co-emperors began competing for power

After years of civil war the general Constantine emerged victorious

Claimed that the Christian God had helped him win—granted toleration to Christians in 313 A.D.

Began to worship the Christian God, while continuing to worship the Roman sun god◦ Baptized on his death bed

Moved capital to the East—Constantinople◦ City of Rome fell into decline

Split between West and East

After Diocletian and Constantine, another series of power struggles between rivals for throne

German migrations continued, and German and Roman culture increasingly mixed in the West◦ Roman army relied on German mercenaries

The East had always been Greek in culture and language

After 395, the empire permanently between East and West

The Last Emperor

The Western emperors lost control of all territory except for Italy in the early 400s◦ Local rulers took control of the provinces

◦ The biggest loss was losing North Africa to the Vandals—loss of grain shipments

German soldiers made up most of what was left of the Roman Army in Italy

In 476, the Visigothic-Roman general Odoacer deposed the last Western emperor and became king of northern Italy

Was it really a fall?

In many areas of the empire, administration simply passed from Romans to Germans—although local rulers no longer took orders from Rome

Daily life and culture remained similar

◦ Roman law

◦ Trade routes

◦ The Church took over administration and care for the poor

◦ The Latin language (French, Italian, Spanish, etc.)

A mixed Latin-German-Christian culture emerged—Medieval civilization

And in the East, the emperors didn’t lose power at all…