end of the roman empire
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Social Studies for 9th EGBTeacher: Mauricio Torres
The end of
THE EMPIRE
Beyond the borders of the empire, many different groups of people were on the move. They threatened the peace in the provinces - and eventually attacked the heart of the empire itself
Thought he Roman Empire remained large and powerful, it faced serious threats from both outside and inside.
Building Background
At its height the Roman Empire included all the land around the Mediterranean Sea. In the early AD 100s, the empire stretched from Britain south to Egypt and from the Atlantic Ocean all the way down to Mesopotamia.
But it did not stay that large for long. By the 200s, some emperors had given up some land. They feared the empire had become too large to control and defend.
Time proved them right!
Problems in the Empire
The End of the Empire: Problems
1Internal Threats 2External
Threats 3Division of
the Empire
External Threats1
Exte
rnal
Thr
eats
InvasionsTribes of fierce Germanic warriors attacked Rome from the north. At the same time Parthians, were attacking from the East. For 200 years, the Romans fought bravely, but at a great cost!
2 Internal Threats
Inte
rnal
Thr
eats
MigrationAs these barbarian warriors invaded the north, nervous Romans fled from the borders into the South, leaving the lands abandoned. Without farmers, Romans had to invite some of the same Germanic tribes into their territory in order to farm the land and produce food!• Over time, entire communities
moved in and started to mix with Roman citizens.
• They usually chose their own leaders and ignored the emperors.
Inte
rnal
Thr
eats
Famine and DiseaseAnother problem was the many diseases that swept through the empire, killing many Romans.
In order to be able to defend itself, the government had to continuously raise taxes in order to pay for the defense of the empire.
3 Division of the Empire
As desperate romans sought for strength and leadership, they found
DIOCLETIAN
Div
isio
n of
the
Empi
reDiocletianHe became emperor in the late 200s. He was deeply convinced that the empire was too big for only one man to rule it. To solve this issue, he divided the empire in two administrative regions: east and west. • While he ruled in the east, he named Maximian
co-emperor.
Not long after his death, Constantine rose to power after a struggle with Maximian’s succesor. He rejoined the empire for a short time and moved the capital to the east, into modern day Istambul. • This city was named after him: Constantinople.
Although it was still called “Roman Empire”, power was no longer in Rome. It had now moved to the Hellenistic east.
Identify:• What problems did Rome
face in the 100s and 200s?Make inferences:• Why do you think power
moved to the east when Constantine moved the empire’s capital?
Interpret:• Look at the map on your
left. Why would Constantine move the capital to this geographical location?
ASK YOURSELF
Lets have a debate! Choose a side: support Diocletian in his decision to divide the empire or gather together with others in order to reunite the empire back together.
Oral Activity: Division Debate
Think about the pros and cons, and write them down to help you debate!!