began with the death of

Marcus Aurelius (the last

of the Five Good Emperors)

failed to choose an able ruler upon his

death in 180 CE

became emperor after Marcus Aurelius

took place in three stages:

1. crisis of the 3rd century
2. period of revival
3. fall of the western part of the empire to
invaders

period during which the empire was

confronted with numerous problems that
left the empire gravely weakened:
1. economic decay
2. military decay
3. political decay

increased trade over routes patrolled by the

Roman Army and the Roman Navy

gold and silver collected as plunder from

conquered territories

increase in grain production to feed the

population in the cities

CAUSE: weakening of sources of prosperity

attained during the period of Pax Romana
disruption of trade due to barbarian raids and
pirates on the Mediterranean sea lanes
drain of Romes gold and silver to buy luxuries
such as spices, perfume, rubies, pearls and silk
from Arabia, China and Japan
decline in grain production due to loss of
fertility of planting fields (overworked soil)

RESULT: radical rise of prices of

commodities (inflation)

CAUSE: threats coming from barbarians

(non-Roman citizens) at the empires
frontiers especially along the Danube River
CAUSE: decline of moral values of Roman
Army (fought strictly for money and not out
of loyalty to the empire)

CAUSE: rise of military men (generals) as

emperors

POLITICAL:
1. political office was seen as a burden, not
a reward
2. military interference in politics
3. civil war and unrest
4. division of empire
5. transfer of capital to Byzantium

SOCIAL:
1. lack of interest in public affairs
2. low confidence in the empire
3. disloyalty, lack of patriotism, corruption
4. contrast between the rich and the poor

ECONOMIC:
1. poor harvests
2. disruption of trade
3. no more plunder from war
4. drain of gold and silver
5. inflation
6. crushing tax burden on the people

MILITARY:
1. threats from Persians and barbarians
2. lack of funds for defense
3. problem in recruiting Roman citizens for
the army
4. recourse to recruiting barbarians for the
army
5. decline of patriotism and loyalty among
the soldiers

became emperor in 284 CE

restored order in the empire and increased
its strength

MILITARY:
doubled the size of the Roman armies (to
secure the boundaries of the empire)
ECONOMIC:
imposed price and wage controls (to beat
inflation)
SOCIAL:
ordered a general persecution of Christians
(to restore faith in the gods of ancient
Rome)

POLITICAL:
assumed the manner and costume of the
Persian king (to increase the prestige of the
Roman emperor)
ADMINISTRATIVE:
divided the empire into two parts:
1. Eastern Roman Empire
2. Western Roman Empire

where Christians were fed to wild beasts

included Italy, Gaul, Britain, Spain

consisted of Latin-speaking peoples

included Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt

consisted of Greek-speaking peoples

stopped the decline of the empire during his

reign (284-305 CE)
made the borders of the empire safe again
returned the prestige of the emperor

became emperor in 306 CE

RELIGIOUS:
issued the Edict of Milan
in 313 CE which ended the
persecution of Christians

attributed to the conversion of Constantine

in 312 CE upon an overwhelming victory
after he received divine assistance

ordered religious tolerance in the Roman

Empire (following the baptism of
Constantine)

ADMINISTRATIVE:
transferred the capital from Rome to
Byzantium

ancient city founded by Greek colonists in

667 BCE
renamed CONSTANTINOPLE by Constantine

stood at the crossroads for trade (controlled

shipping between the Black Sea and the
Mediterranean Sea)

easy to defend against attack as it was

nearly surrounded by water
located in the more prosperous part of the
Roman Empire --- the east

the center of the Roman Empire shifted

from the west to the east
there were now TWO Roman Empires
both empires were Christian

constituted a century of destruction beginning in

376 CE and ending in 476 CE
led by different groups:
Ostrogoths
Visigoths
Franks
Angles
Saxons
Burgundians
Lombards
Vandals

semi-nomadic peoples
spoke Germanic languages
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
long hair
blue eyes
reddish hair
great bodies

instigated by the movement of the Huns

along the Danube River region

nomadic peoples originally from Central

Asia (east of the Volga) who migrated into
Europe
forced the Germanic tribes to move to the
borders of the Roman Empire

Hun leader who led the attack against the

Roman Empire in 452 CE
led 100,000 soldiers in the attack against
Constantinople but failed (due to the high
and massive walls of the city)
attempted to advance against Rome but
was deterred by Pope Leo I who went to
Attilas camp along the Po River

emperor of the Western Roman Empire was

practically powerless with the continued
barbarian invasions
Germanic tribes fought one another for
possession of the western provinces

last Roman emperor of the Western Roman

Empire
gave up the throne in 476 CE