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 Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire      

Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  • The  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  has  been  romanticized  in  history  for  the  last  1500  

years  • In  our  imagination  it  was  a  single  event:  

– The  barbarians  sacked  Rome  – Civilization  collapsed  bringing  an  end  to  the  Classical  Era  – The  Dark  Ages  began  and  would  last  for  1000  years      

• In  reality,  Rome  began  a  steady  decline  dating  back  to  the  end  of  the  2nd  century  CE  

• The  decline  increased  rapidly  by  the  5th  century  but  only  in  the  western  half  of  the  Empire  

• When  the  “barbarians”  finally  defeated  the  (Western)  Roman  Empire  it  was  simply  the  final  blow  to  a  structure  rotten  to  its  core  

• The  fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  can  be  attributed  to  a  number  of  factors  including:  1. The  Split  of  the  Empire  into  West  and  East  2. Government  corruption  and  political  instability  3. Economic  problems  and  overreliance  on  slavery  4. Overexpansion  and  military  expenditures  5. Weakening  of  the  Roman  Legions  6. Christianity  and  the  loss  of  traditional  values  7. The  migration  and  invasion  of  “barbarian”  peoples  

 Splitting  the  Empire  

• 293  CE  –  Emperor  Diocletian  split  the  Empire  into  East  and  West  • After  a  series  of  civil  wars  in  the  3rd  century  in  which  Diocletian  emerged  

victorious,  he  believed  this  divide  was  necessary  to  maintain  order  • This  divided  created  a  huge  disadvantage  for  the  West  as  the  wealth  of  the  

Roman  Empire  lay  in  the  east  • Trade  with  other  wealthy  civilizations  such  as  Persia,  India,  and  China  would  

flow  into  the  Eastern  Roman  Empire  but  not  the  West  • Though  Emperors  would  later  attempt  and  sometimes  succeed  in  ruling  both  

halves  (i.e.  Constantine  the  Great)  the  Empire  would  effectively  remain  divided    Government  Corruption  and  Political  Instability  

• Romans  never  created  an  effective  system  for  choosing  a  new  emperor  • Political  favors  would  be  given  out  by  the  new  emperor  to  those  who  had  given  

him  the  title  

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• Civil  wars  were  endemic  in  the  3rd  and  4th  centuries  between  competing  emperors  further  weakening  the  Empire    

• The  Praetorian  Guard  (Emperor’s  personal  body  guard)  would  play  a  major  role  in  selecting  the  emperors  

• 193  CE  –  the  Praetorian  guard  strangled  the  emperor  and  installed  a  new  one  • Over  the  next  century  Rome  had  37  emperors  –  25  of  whom  were  assassinated  • The  Praetorian  Guard  even  sold  the  throne  to  the  highest  bidder  on  occasion  

 Economic  Problems  

Inflation  • Once  Rome  stopped  conquering  new  lands,  the  flow  of  gold  into  the  Roman  

economy  decreased  • Gold  was  being  spent  for  and  used  in  luxury  goods  –  less  gold  to  use  in  coins  • The  amount  of  gold  per  coin  decreased  –  the  coins  became  less  valuable  Unemployment  • For  centuries,  the  wealthy  used  slaves  on  large  farming  estates  called  latifundia  • Regular  Roman  farmers  could  not  compete  with  prices  and  lost  or  sold  their  

farms  • They  flooded  Rome  and  poverty,  along  with  crime,  skyrocketed  Slavery  • Rome’s  economy  was  based  on  slave  labor  to  till  the  fields,  build  the  

infrastructure,  and  mine  resources  such  as  iron,  silver,  and  gold  • When  the  Empire  stopped  expanding  there  was  no  longer  a  fresh  influx  of  

conquered  peoples  to  enslave    Overexpansion  and  Military  Expenditure  

• Rome  expanded  rapidly  in  the  first  and  second  centuries  CE  –  stretching  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Persian  Gulf  

• Incredibly  difficult  to  administer  and  defend  • Rome  struggled  to  maintain  enough  troops  and  resources  to  quell  local  

rebellions  and  defend  against  outside  attacks  • The  4th  and  5th  centuries  saw  new  peoples  from  outside  the  Empire  invading  and  

migrating  into  the  Roman  world  • Military  spending  increased  leaving  little  for  public  works  such  as  road,  bridge,  

and  aqueduct  repair    Weakening  of  the  Roman  Army  

• Rome  owed  its  power  to  its  military  and  the  Roman  legionnaire  who  was  the  heart  and  soul  of  that  military  machine  

• The  Roman  soldier  was  a  citizen  who  had  a  stake  in  defending  and  expanding  the  Empire  

• As  the  Empire  became  increasingly  corrupt  with  the  rich  getting  richer  there  were  not  enough  regular  Roman  citizens  to  fill  the  army  

• Foreign  mercenaries  were  needed  to  help  defend  the  Empire  –  unprofessional,  unreliable,  and  very  expensive  

• By  the  5th  century  the  Roman  army  was  a  shadow  of  its  former  glory  and  incapable  of  defending  against  the  invading  and  migrating  “barbarians”  

 

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Christianity  • 313  CE  –  the  Edict  of  Milan  legalized  Christianity  • 380  CE  –  Christianity  became  the  state  religion  • Christianity  displaced  the  polytheistic  Roman  religion  which  viewed  the  

emperor  as  having  divine  status  • Shifted  focus  away  from  the  glory  of  the  state  and  onto  a  sole  deity  • Bishops  and  other  church  leaders  took  an  increased  role  in  political  affairs,  

further  complicating  governance  • Christianity  as  a  contributing  factor  to  the  fall  of  Rome  remains  controversial  • Some  historians  see  the  new  religion  as  fundamentally  changing  the  cultural  

fabric  of  Rome  – War,  strength,  conquest  (Mars)  

  replaced  with  – Love,  forgiveness,  charity  (Christ)  

• Others  argue  Christianity's  influence  pales  in  comparison  to  other  factors  such  as  military,  economic,  and  administrative  

 “Barbarian”  Invasions  

• Barbarian  –  a  term  used  to  describe  anyone  or  any  group  that  was  not  Greco-­‐Roman  

• Beginning  in  the  4th  century  and  increasing  in  the  5th  century,  many  Germanic  groups  began  migrating  into  Roman  territories  

• There  are  a  number  of  possibilities  for  this  migration  including  climate  change,  population  increases,  and  migrations/invasions  of  other  groups  further  east  such  as  the  Huns  

• The  Roman  military  was  incapable  of  stopping  this  movement  of  people  • At  times,  Rome  would  hire  some  of  these  groups  to  defend  against  other  groups  • Rome  could  have  strengthened  itself  by  incorporating  these  peoples  into  the  

Empire  • Instead,  Roman  xenophobia  and  cruelty  kept  these  new  peoples  oppressed  

forcing  them  to  fight  • Three  barbarian  generals  would  play  major  roles  in  the  fall  of  the  Western  

Roman  Empire  • Alaric  the  Goth  • Attila  the  Hun  • Odoacer  I  

 The  Goths  

• The  Goths  were  a  Germanic  tribe  whose  origins  are  unclear  – Some  accounts  have  them  migrating  from  Scandinavia,  others  from  north  

of  the  Black  Sea  • It  is  believed  they  were  the  first  Germanic  tribe  to  convert  to  Christianity  • The  Roman  historian  Pliny  the  Elder  wrote  of  them  in  75  CE  • They  were  later  defined  by  the  Romans  as  Visigoths  (Western  Goths)  and  

Ostrogoths  (Eastern  Goths)  • 378  CE  -­‐  The  Battle  of  Adrianople  –  The  Romans  were  defeated  and  Emperor  

Valens  was  killed  by  the  Visigoths  –  the  Roman  Army  would  never  recover    

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   Alaric  I  

• Alaric  was  a  general  and  then  king  of  the  Visigoths  from  395-­‐410  CE  • The  Goths  had  moved  into  Roman  lands  from  the  east,  pushed  by  other  tribes  • They  had  fought  for  and  against  the  Romans  as  they  tried  to  find  a  new  home  

within  the  borders  of  the  Empire  • Many  Goths  would  fight  as  soldiers  in  the  Roman  Army  and  some  would  settle  in  

Roman  towns  and  cities  • The  majority  of  the  Goths  remained  with  Alaric  in  makeshift  villages  and  camps  

constantly  on  the  move  but  feeling  safe  amongst  their  own  people  • Growing  hatred  and  racism  towards  “barbarians’  amongst  Roman  citizens  led  to  

two  events  that  would  provoke  the  Goths  into  action:  • The  arrest  and  execution  of  the  Roman  General  Stilicho  who  had  

promised  land  to  Alaric  in  exchange  for  helping  defend  the  Empire  • The  massacre  of  tens  of  thousands  of  wives  and  children  of  the  Goths  

serving  in  the  Roman  military  by  the  Roman  population  • 30,000  Gothic  soldiers  defected  from  the  Roman  military  and  joined  Alaric    • Alaric  would  lay  siege  to  Rome  

• Did  not  intend  to  take  it  but  instead  wanted  to  force  the  Romans  to  keep  their  promise  

• Rome  was  no  longer  the  capital  of  the  Western  Roman  Empire  as  it  was  overcrowded  and  dirty  –  the  new  capital  was  Ravenna  

• The  city  was  still  an  important  symbol  to  the  Roman  people  • The  Romans  delayed  and  made  more  promises  only  to  break  them  • August  24,  410  CE  –  Alaric  entered  Rome  and  the  Goths  would  sack  the  city  over  

three  days  • Rome  would  never  recover  from  the  psychological  damage  

 The  Goths  

It  should  have  been  different  • The  Goths  could  have  helped  save  Rome  • Alaric  had  not  wanted  to  fight  Rome,  he  had  wanted  his  people  to  settle  in  and  

become  part  of  the  Empire  • Racism  towards  “barbarians”  led  to  horrible  suffering  for  the  Goths  • Alaric  forced  Rome  to  its  knees  because  he  had  no  other  option  • Historical  accounts  say  that  Alaric  made  sure  the  Goths  treated  the  inhabitants  

of  Rome  humanely  as  they  plundered  Rome’s  treasures      The  Huns  

• The  Huns  were  a  nomadic  tribe  whose  origins  and  even  appearance  remain  a  mystery  

• They  were  expert  horsemen,  seeming  to  be  one  with  their  steeds,  rarely  seen  dismounted    

• They  are  thought  to  be  responsible  for  “The  Great  Migration”  as  various  groups  moved  west  into  Roman  territory  to  escape  their  brutality:  Included  Goths,  Alans,  Vandals  

 

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 Attila  the  Hun  

• Ruled  the  Huns  from  434  until  his  death  in  453  CE  • Before  Attila’s  time  the  Huns  had  moved  west  from  central  Asia  and  entered  

Roman  territory  • The  Romans  and  the  Germanic  tribes  were  completely  unprepared  for  the  Hun  

style  of  warfare  –  the  mounted  archer  • The  Empire  was  forced  to  pay  hundreds  of  pounds  of  gold  a  year  to  the  Huns  to  

stop  them  from  destroying  Roman  towns  and  villages  • 451  CE  -­‐  A  combined  Roman  and  Visigoth  army  would  barely  defeat  Attila  at  

Orleans  in  modern-­‐day  France  • 452  CE  -­‐  Attila  marched  on  Rome,  devastating  many  Italian  towns  on  the  way    • According  to  legend  Pope  Leo  went  out  to  confront  Attila  and  convinced  the  Hun  

to  turn  back  with  the  fear  of  god  • In  reality,  Italy  was  suffering  through  a  famine  and  there  was  little  food  to  

supply  the  Hunnic  army  • Attila  died  at  his  wedding  celebration  the  following  year  

 Odoacer  

• Germanic  general  who  lived  from  433-­‐493  CE  • Odoacer  and  his  army  was  the  hired  military  might  behind  the  last  two  Western  

Roman  emperors  • 476  CE  –  Deposed  the  last  emperor,  Romulus  Augustulus  (still  a  boy)  and  made  

himself  king  of  the  Italian  Peninsula  • Roman  power  in  the  West  was  officially  over  and  476  is  the  traditional  date  

given  for  the  fall  of  the  Western  Roman  Empire    The  Dark  Ages  

• The  Western  Empire  would  now  be  ruled  and  fought  over  by  Germanic  warlords  • Roads  and  bridges  were  left  in  disrepair,  fields  left  untilled  • Cities  could  not  be  maintained  without  produce  from  farms,  trade  and  business  

ceased  • People  left  the  cities  and  returned  to  an  agrarian  lifestyle  in  the  country  • The  Dark  Ages  in  Western  Europe  had  begun  

 The  Byzantium  Empire  

• The  Eastern  Roman  Empire  would  remain  for  another  thousand  years  • This  Eastern  Empire  was  not  a  world  that  Julius  or  Augustus  Caesar  would  have  

recognized  • It  was  a  Christian  Empire  almost  from  its  beginning  when  Constantine  I  moved  

the  Roman  capital  to  Constantinople    • Heavy  cultural  influences  from  the  Middle  East  along  with  Greek  becoming  the  

main  language  would  make  the  Byzantium  Empire  a  very  un-­‐Roman  world    Justinian  The  Great  

• Eastern  Roman  Emperor  –  527-­‐564  CE  • Some  historians  consider  him  the  last  true  Roman  emperor  • Last  emperor  who  spoke  Latin  as  a  first  language  

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• Attempted  to  resurrect  the  imperial  power  of  the  Roman  Empire  • Would  reconquer  and  briefly  hold  parts  of  the  old  Western  Empire  including  

Rome  and  Italy  • 541-­‐542  CE  –  the  Plague  of  Justinian  would  cripple  the  Byzantium  Empire,  

devastate  the  army,  and  cut  short  Justinian’s  reconquest  of  the  West  • All  of  the  gains  in  the  West  would  be  lost  after  the  death  of  Justinian  • Justinian  The  Great  would  be  most  famous  for  his  law  code  –  the  Code  of  

Justinian  –  which  would  lay  the  framework  for  laws  that  would  influence  the  world  for  centuries