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Period: 150 to 476
The Fall of the Roman Empire (150CE-476CE)
The Fall of the Roman Empire
When Theodosius died in 395 A.D., he left the Roman Empire to Honorius and Arcadius, his 2 sons. However, the young emperors were weak and at had no interest in ruling. With that said, the line for new emperors was being made because everyone was seeking power. The death of Theodosius marked The Fall of the Roman Empire.
The Fall of the Roman Empire -
235
The Plague (A.D. 235-284)
The Plague
In the third century AD, the population rapidly decreased between AD 235-284 with the outbreak of the plague. The plague was said to have killed 20 percent of the Empire’s population. One of the greatest plagues was known as The Plague of Cyprian. This plague caused the population to decline, making it hard for Emperor’s to raise taxes and assemble armies.
The Plague -
Period: 235 to
The Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 AD)
After Emperor Alexander Severus was assassinated, many military generals fought to take his place. By doing so, they couldn’t properly defend the land, and ended up having frequent raids. During this time, since the empire was so divided, there were multiple civil wars and about 35 emperors. The economy also suffered, however it was not too stable to start with. The Roman Empire was reunited by Aurelian, and the crisis truly ended because of the reforms of Diocletian. http://goo.gl/Ut5GK -
272
Constantine (272-337)
Constantine
Constantine was the first Christian emperor. A day before a fight with Maxentius, Constantine prayed to the Heavens and they miraculously beat Maxentius’s army, 3 times Constantine’s army. On his deathbed, he baptized many and proclaimed Jesus is the Lord. He made Christianity the official religion of Rome. -
406
The Crossing of the Rhine
The Rhine River was one of the Roman Empire’s main boundaries. It and the Danube River formed most of the empire’s northern frontier. In 406, many barbarians crossed over it onto Roman territory. Some of the barbarians that went on this expedition were the Vandals, Alans, and the Suebi. This crossing was one of the major events involved with the fall of the Roman Empire, and it resulted in the demolition in many cities and chaos between civilians. http://goo.gl/LKWlf -
410
The Sack of Rome
When Rome was no longer the capital of the empire, the Sack of Rome occurred. Many believed that Rome was eternal, and this event proved them wrong. Italy was invaded in 408, and soon after it was besieged again. Alaric, the commander of the first two sieges, attacked for the third time, and the gates to Rome were opened by barbarians. The city was ransacked. Rome getting defeated was a rarity, and this was the first time it happened in 800 years. http://goo.gl/5ihDJ -
451
The Battle of Chalons
VideoThe years before AD 450, Rome started losing its power and grasp on the outer provinces of its empire, displaying Rome’s advancing weakening. The same year the sister of an emperor offered herself to marry Attila the Hun with the Western part of the empire as her dowry. Attila the Hun accepted but wanted her shipped to him, to which the emperor refused. Attila promptly started planning for a war. He went through cities and destroyed them heartlessly. He was eventually defeated by the Visigoths. -
475
Romulus Augustus
Romulus Augustus
Augustus was the last Western Roman emperor whose reign last from AD 475 to AD 476. He was appointed emperor of Rome by his father, Orestes, at a very young age. Orestes went to Italy after his ‘boss’ died. Eventually Orestes got Western Rome to himself when the previous emperor left. Being only part Roman, Orestes wanted his son to rule thinking Romulus would be more accepted than himself.To his dismay, Romulus was far from being accepted. -
Roman Empire Splits in Half (395 A.D.)
The Split
In AD 394-476, Theodosius 1 was the last Emperor of both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. When he died in 395 AD the Roman Empire Split into 2 halves; The Eastern and Western Empire’s. The Eastern Half included the city of Byzantium (Turkey/Parts of Asia). The Western Half included the city of Rome (Europe/North Africa). During this period, the city of Rome was attacked by Visigoths in 410 AD and by the Vandals in 455 AD. -
Diocletian and Tetrarchy
Diolcetian
Diocletian ruled Rome from 285-305 A.D. During his reign he realized that the empire was too vast for one to rule. Rulers before him had split the empire into Western and Eastern divisions although Diocletian was the first to split the empire into four parts, known as terarchy. This system worked by having two Augustii ruling each part. They were assisted by two junior emporers called Ceasers, who eventually later replaced the Agustii. -
Battle of Adrainople
Video
Starting on August 9 AD 378,it marked the start of the end of Rome. Valens, the emperor of Eastern Rome, let Visigoths, a tribe, settle along the Danube because the Huns, another tribe, was ruining them. Although, the Visgoths were not treated well.This led to a mass uprising.Valen came to fight without waiting for his nephew ruling the Western half. Due sheer mass and cavalry, the Visgoths and the Gothic tribes won. Valen was killed during the battle. -
Execution of Stilicho
Flavius Stilicho was a General for the Roman Empire. He fought in many wars, and was loyal to his land. However, towards the end of his life, he wasn’t as loyal has he has been. He left the Rhine River unprotected, letting barbarians cross it and cause havoc. Because of this mistake, there were multiple revolts in Britannia and Gaul, and he could never got his reputation back. Later, he sent his subordinte to deal with what he couldn’t, attempted to seal off the Alps, and as a whole unsuccessful
