The Romans pt IIFall of the Republic

The Roman Empire

Fall of the Roman Empire

Fall of the Roman Republic

►Between 133B.C.-44B.C. bitter disputes divided the Romans.

► Powerful Senators wanted to keep their many new possessions and a popular movement called for reforms.

Early Reforms in Rome

► Gracchus called for land reform:

I. limit size of large estates.

II. Giving land to unemployed farmers.

III. Require all landowners to fight in the Army.

Gracchus was murdered by 300 landowners that didn’t like his ideas.

The Rise of the GENERALS!!!► Triumvirates = ruled by three

1st triumvirate= 60 B.C.E.=53 B.C.E.

Pompey---- Politics

Crassus-----Money

Caesar------Army

54 B.C. Crassus would lead his army into Palestine and invade Parthia where he will lose his Army and his life!

49 B.C.E. Caesar will march back into Italy.

Cross the Rubicon river, defeat Pompey, and control all of Rome.

Rule of Julius Caesar

►Rules from 49 B.C.E.-44B.C.E.

► “Beware the Ides of March” March 15, 44 B.C.E.

►Caesar is assassinated for the crime of Ambition

► Enter into the 2nd

Triumvirate

►

2nd Triumvirate

► 44-B.C.E. – 31 B.C.E

Octavian ----- great Nephew of

Julius Caesar.

Lepidus ------- friend of Octavian

Marc Antony--- leader of the largest

army in Rome.

► 31 B.C.E. Antony and Lepidus are

killed in the civil war and Octavian

comes out to be the leader.

Augustus Caesar

► 27 B.C. Octavian offers to resign,

the Senate realizes how important

he is to their power and award the

title “ the Exalted One” . He

changes his name to Augustus and

claims the office and title of Caesar,

Emperor of Rome.

► Augustus would rule from

27 B.C. – 14 B.C.

► The time period 27 B.C.- 180 A.D.

is known as the Pax Romana or

Roman Peace.

Pax Romana► Very stable government

established in Rome.

I. First four Emperors were

from August family.

II. Belief in the City of Rome

as Eternal.

III. Increase of trade and

Commerce through out the

Empire.

IV. Improved social

conditions.

The Emperors ofthe Pax Romana

► The first few Emperors after Augustus died were from his family.

► Later finding someone to rule from the family became to difficult.

► There are 5 Bad Emperors and 5 good Emperors.

► The Last Good Emperor was Marcus Aurelius,161 A.D.

► He dies in 180 A.D. this ends the Pax Romana.

Rise of Christianity

► During the Pax Romana, a new

religion spread across the Roman

world

► At first, it was one of many

religions practiced in the empire

► By 395 it was the official religion

of the empire

► The Romans were very tolerant of

different religious beliefs, as long

as 1. the people were loyal to the

Emperor and 2. they worshiped the

Emperor.

Christianity continued

► The Jews of Palestine were

among many whose religion

was tolerated.

I. The Romans respected their

belief in one God.

II. Excused them from

worshiping the emperor.

III. Allowed the Jews to

enforce traditional laws.

Christianity Continued

► Many Jews, however resented Roman rule and believed that a Messiah, or savior from God, would come to liberate them.

► The Zealots (religious fanatic), believed that armed resistance was the best way to get rid of the Romans, but the Romans responded to the violence with severe punishment.

► In the year 66 the Jews rose in revolt.

The Jewish revolt

► In 70 C.E. The Romans

responded by:

I. the destruction of

Jerusalem.

II. Abolished the Jewish state.

III. Enslaved and dispersed

Jews through the Roman

world.

Life and Teachings of Jesus

► Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem in Palestine 4B.C.

► What information we have about this man comes from the 4 Gospel books of the Bible Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John.

1. Gospel = The Good news of The Kingdom of God.

2. Jesus was despised by Jewish leaders, but well thought of by most Roman officials.

3. Crucified 29 A.D.

Appeal of Christianity

► A simple, direct message

appealed to both rich and

poor. The hope in the one

God who loved people

regardless of social standing.

► Equity, dignity, and the

promise of Eternal life were

comforting teachings.

► The teachings of moderation

and discipline echoed Greek

and Roman philosophies.

Fall of The Roman Empire180 A.d.-476 A.D.

Rome becomes an

international city.

Taxes on the people

increased.

Unfavorable balance of trade.

(More imports than exports)

Roman money devalued.

Roman citizens lost respect

for their government.

Break Down of Unity► Romans never figured out a

good system of succession.

► After Marcus Aurelius, civil wars broke out and for the next 50 years the Empire had at least 26 weak rulers.

► During this time: Roman authority diminished, corruption weakened the civil service, law and Order declined.

► In 284 A.D. The Roman Army in the east elected General Diocletian as Emperor.

Breakdown of Unity

► Diocletian = 284-305, Divides the Empire into Eastern and Western, Reforms Army and Civil Service.

► Illness forces Retirement in 305.

► Civil War breaks out.

► Constantine = 312-337, Reunites Eastern & Western Empires, builds new capital at Byzantium… Renames city Constantinople. Before his death in 337 converts to Christianity, by 354 Christianity becomes the official religion of the Empire.

Collapse of the Empire

The Germanic Peoples of Eastern

Europe

► The Germans were made up of many different groups of displaced tribes from the collapse of the Parthian, Scythian and Iberian Empires of the Black Sea area.

► Many of these tribes had earlier migrated north of the Rhine and Danube rivers.

► They included: White Huns( from the Caucasus Mountains), Vandals, Ostrogoths (eastern Goths), Visigoths (western Goths), Saxons, Angles, Jutes, and Franks.

► They moved into the eastern part of the Empire looking for a new homeland.

The tribes of the Germans

► These tribes not only fought the Romans, they frequently fought each other.

► One tribe, the Visigoths, sought protection inside the Roman Empire. In 376 they received permission to cross the Danube.

► Then in 378, the Romans regretted their act of kindness when the Visigoths began ransacking local towns. The Romans sent and Army against them.

The tribes of the Germans

Sacking of Rome by the Vandals

► 378 A.D. At the Battle of Adrianople the Visigoths defeated the Romans.

► This defeat signaled to the other German tribes that the Romans were no longer unbeatable.

► In 410 A.D. the Visigoths, under General Alaric sacked the city of Rome.

► The Vandals, another German tribe migrated through Gaul into Spain before Settling in the North African city of Carthage.

► From the sea the Vandals sacked Romein 455 A.D.

The “Fall of Rome”

► In 476 A.D. the Hun King, Odoacercaptured Rome and forced the Emperor Romulus Augustulus to give up the throne!

► While modern day historians consider the year 476 A.D. the date for the fall of the Roman Empire, the entire empire did not collapse. Just the Western portion, The Eastern Empire survived for another 1000 years.

Causes of Decline

► Political = Roman citizens gradually lost respect for the Roman ideal. They lost a since of Patriotism and Duty to Rome.

► Economic = A sense of entitlement in the Empire, devaluating currency, heavy taxes, and high unemployment all contributed to declining prosperity.

► Social Causes = Loyalty and Civic Pride that once unified the Empire decayed.

► Many Romans no longer believed

they had a stake in the Empire.

►