roman decline what’s going on, circa 200’s ce? –christianity spreading –marcus aurelius dies...
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Roman Decline• What’s going on, circa 200’s CE?
– Christianity spreading– Marcus Aurelius dies in 180Pax Romana
comes to an end– Aurelius’ son, Commodus takes over
• Comparable to Nero
Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus
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Roman Decline• Time of political instability and unsuccessful
reforms• Diocletian (ruled 284-305)
– Emerged as ruler from political struggle– Saw the empire as too big—a single center would not
work– 293 CE- divided the empire in quarters—2 in the west
and 2 in the east• Governed by him and 3 appointed partners
– Called “tetrarchy” or rule by four
• Diocletian was the supreme ruler and the other 3 were loyal to him
• Maximian was the most powerful leader in the west, Diocletian in the east
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WESTWESTEASTEAST
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Political Instability means Economic Instability
• Inflation was a problem in the empire– People hoarded food and goods, as a result
• 301- Diocletian issues the Edict of Prices– Wage and price controls– Set maximums for the prices for about 1000 goods
and services– Forbade hoarding– Ineffective…why?
• Merchants did not cooperate• Hard to enforce
• Raised taxes, esp. for elites
*Diocletian was also responsible for a massive persecution against Christians in 303.
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Constantine• Ruled 312- 337• Edict of Milan—313, proclaimed free choice of
religion• Tried to enforce Diocletian’s reforms• 330- moved capital to Byzantium and renamed in
Constantinople (Istanbul today)– Significant because it “shifted” the empire east
Theodosius• Ruled 379- 395• 391- Banned polytheism• Died in 395, and willed east and west to be
separate
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Germanic Tribes• Will bring decline to the west• Franks, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Visogoths,
Lombards, Huns, Celts, Angles and Saxons• Moved into the empire in the west• 2 major reasons for their migration into the
western empire:– Fleeing attacks of the Huns– Joining Roman prosperity
• First migrations encouraged by Roman emperors (Germanic men could serve in the Roman army)
• By the 370’s, Germanic peoples were flooding into the empire, and western gov’t could not absorb them or defend against them
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• Germanic bands began settling in Roman territory in the 4th century
• Were warrior groups
• 378- Visogoths defeat Roman army at Adrianople, and killed the eastern emperor
• 410- Visogoths invade, capture and sack Rome
• Romans and Visogoths combine forces to fight the Huns in 451 in Gaul
• Huns (under Attila) sacked Italy
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476—Why this date matters
• Huns leave Italy/Rome destroyed• 455- Vandals raid Rome• 476- Odoacer (OH-duh-WAY-suhr), a Germanic
soldier, overthrew Romulus Augustus and took Rome– Then named himself king of Italy
• This date is considered the end of the Roman empire…but is it really?
{What remains in the east? Culture?}