A Troubled Empire

The last of the five emperors was Marcus Aurelius, who reigned during a time of peace and progress which was called the Pax Romana. Almost a century of confusion and violence came.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Political Confusion

While in this time, the government of Rome grew weak, while the army grew to be exceedingly strong. An emperor was required to provide his supporting soldiers progressively bigger payments in order to maintain his amount of power. Soldiers would turn against the emperor if these payments were not made. As legion fought legion to install a new emperor on the throne, civil wars then broke out. Rome had 22 different emperors over a period of nearly 50 years, ending in the year 284. Most of them were killed by the military or their security. During this time, Roman society also experienced hardship. Many Romans stopped honoring the good principles of responsibility, bravery, and honesty. Government officials who were dishonest accepted bribes, and few intelligent people desired to take elected positions. Education's popularity and support decreased, and many rich Romans just stopped making tax payments. The population of the empire now takes in a good amount of slave laborers.

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Economic Weaknesses

During the 200s A.D., Rome's economy suffered as a result of its weak government. Foreign invaders and Roman soldiers attacked crops and disrupted trade. Food shortages and price increases were caused by these attacks. People made fewer purchases because they had less money to spend. The cost of Egyptian wheat increased from seven or eight containing to 120,000. As profits fell, several merchants were forced out of business. Workers lost their jobs. The government created more coins in order to reverse this slump. However, the government had a limited amount of gold and silver. The new coins value decreased because they contained fewer of these valuable metals. For their items to produce the same profit, farmers and business owners kept raising their price. These actions caused inflation. People started trading, as the value of Roman coins fell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invasions

As Rome continued to fight, the Germanic tribes invaded the western empire and the Persian army invaded the east. People who lived in cities built reinforced walls around them. With less money, the government began hiring Germanic soldiers. However, the Germanic soldiers had no loyalty to the Empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who Was Diocletian?

In the year 284, a general by the name of Diocletian became king. He made changes to improve things. Diocletian built walls along the empire's borders to protect it against invasion. He divided the massive empire into four sections, each with an emperor, to further operate effectively. The final say in all of their issues belonged to him. Diocletian made efforts to improve the economy as well. In order to stop prices from growing higher, he fixed maximum pricing for jobs and products. He ordered that employees remain at their current jobs until they passed away in order to increase productivity. Local authorities were also held personally liable by Diocletian for the taxes that their towns had to pay. Diocletian's reforms failed in spite of his best efforts. Diocletian was not a strong man, and people violated his orders, and did not have the power to reinforce them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fall of Rome

In the year 305, Diocletian abandoned office then conflict came upon in the empire once again. Conflict resumed until another general named Constantine became emperor in A.D. 312.

 

 

 

Constantine's Rule

To make the economy better, Constantine made several orders to reinforce Diocletian's rules. Constantine also wanted a stable workforce and military. Which basically means, the workers sons had to follow their fathers' business. The sons of farmers had to take after them, and the same for soldiers kids.

The empire weakened despite Constantine's reforms. In the year 330, Constantine moved the capital from the dying city of Rome to Byzantium, a Greek city in modern-day Turkey. The name Constantinople was given to this city. A few years after Constantine's passing, Theodosius became the next ruler of Constantinople. Theodosius found it challenging to rule the empire after gaining power. Threats came from both inside and outside the empire's borders as it controlled a wide territory. Theodosius saw that the empire had grown too big to be ruled from a single location. Theodosius planned that the eastern and western regions should become different empires after his death. In the year 395, this division took place. The Western Roman Empire was however one empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Germanic Invaders

Many Germanic tribes migrated from northern Europe in the late 300s and early 400s A.D., and they fought in war to increase their control over Roman territory. Some people were looking for better land for farming and raising livestock. However, many were running from the Huns, a violent tribe of warriors from Asia's Mongolia. The Huns invaded Eastern Europe toward the end of the third century. One Germanic tribe, the Visigoths, requested protection from the Roman Empire because they were afraid of a Hun attack. They were allowed to live close to the empire's boundary by the Romans. They were guarded by the Roman army in this location. The Visigoths committed their loyalty to the empire in exchange. They promised not to begin an inner war on the empire. But the Romans mistreated the Visigoths.

They sold them food at ridiculous prices and made some of their people slaves. Roman demands finally drove the Visigoths to fight. They faced the Roman legions in battle at Adrianople in 378, and they succeeded. More invasions on Roman territory followed the Visigoths' victory. Gaul, which is now France, was quickly conquered by Germanic tribes. The Visigoth leader Alaric then led his army into Italy and overtook Rome in the year 410. Both the city's public and private buildings were looted by the Visigoths. Alaric's conquest of Rome demonstrated that the empire would not survive permanently, according to common belief among Romans.
Another Germanic tribe called the Vandals invaded Roman territories in northern Africa and Spain. Then they traveled to Italy and arrived in Rome in the year 455.They were successful in defeating the nearby Roman population. The Vandals burned down buildings and took valuables for approximately two weeks. Every part of Rome's management had been taken over by the Germanic people. Germanic soldiers had been serving the Roman government for generations by the middle of the fourth century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roman Emperor Forced Out

Many Germanic leaders occupied powerful positions in Rome's government and army. The Germanic general Odoacer was able to gain power in A.D. 476 thanks to the soldiers assistance. The western emperor, Romulus Augustulus, a 14-year-old boy, was overthrown by Odoacer. No Roman emperor ever again ruled from Rome after Odoacer took power. After then, the ancient Roman Empire was ruled by outside forces. History experienced an important turn at this time.
For over fifteen years, Odoacer ruled Rome. However, the Germanic peoples continued in their internal conflict. A group of Visigoths assaulted the city of Rome while Odoacer was in power. After a long fight, they took control of the city and killed Odoacer. In Italy, they set up a new kingdom under their leader, Theodoric. other Germanic kingdoms emerged and came to power elsewhere in Europe. The Western Roman Empire was no no longer in existence. The Western Roman Empire had been replaced by a group of Germanic-ruled areas by the year 550, but Roman civilization survived. The Latin language, Roman rules, and Christianity were all accepted by the new Germanic kings of Western Europe. The Eastern Roman Empire thrived in the eastern Mediterranean. It lasted for over another thousand years and was known as the Byzantine Empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rome's Legacies

We are still surrounded by traces of ancient Roman influence. The legal and governmental systems we have now are still based on Roman ideas. Roman power brought both peace and order, which helped in the quick growth and spread of Christianity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rome's Influence on Law and Government

Roman ideas are a big influence on many legal ideas in the United States. We share the Roman belief that everyone is treated equally by the law. We therefore hold that a person is considered innocent until and unless proven guilty. Like the Romans, we want justice from our judges.
Ancient Rome is where the republican system of government first began. In a republic, certain citizens choose the leaders. Today, many nations, including the United States, are democratic republics. However, we think that a republic works best when all adult individuals vote, participate in government, and try to make their communities better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rome's Cultural Impact

The Latin alphabet, which now contains 26 letters instead of the previous 22, is commonly used in Western nations. Latin, the language of the Romans, is the root of the Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian languages. There are Latin roots in many English words. Lawyers, doctors, and scientists all have a good knowledge of Latin phrases. The literature we read and appreciate is still inspired by the Romans. Still appreciated and studied today are the great Roman authors like Virgil, Horace, Livy, and Tacitus. The Romans from past are also very important in architecture and building. Domes and arches inspired after Roman architecture are often seen in state capitals, including Washington, D.C. Modern construction still uses a lot of the Roman-invented concrete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ancient Rome and Christianity

A significant world religion is Christianity. The Roman emperors introduced it in the late third century A.D. after it began in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. These emperors supported and spread the new religion. The early Christians were able to move quickly and safely throughout the empire because to the Roman road system. As a result, Christian ideas were shared widely to different populations. Christianity continued to gather new followers even after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

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