Section+6-4+The+Fall+of+the+Roman+Empire

Key Words:

 * __Inflation__: A drop in the value of money and a raise in prices.
 * __Mercenary__: Foreign soldiers fighting for pay, less money, but less loyalty.
 * __Constantinpole__: New capital of Roman empire, named after Constantine.

Key People:

 * __Marcus Aurelius__: The last emperor to rule during //Pax Romana//.
 * __Diocletian__: A strong-willed army leader who became emperor in 284 A.D.
 * __Attila__: A Hun that banded all Huns together.
 * __Romulus Augustulus__: Last Roman emperor, 14 years old.

Key Terms:

 * A Century of Crisis:**
 * When Emperor Marcus Aurelius was no longer emperor, the next emperor had no idea what he was doing and Rome began to decline.
 * Rome's Economy Weakness:**
 * By 300 A.D.: factories began to fail, pirates disrupted trading, running out of sourced for gold and silver (less silver in money), taxes raised, suffered inflation.
 * The population declined because of illnesses and because farming land destroyed from wars and loosing its fertility.
 * Military and Political Turmoil:**
 * Roman military 300 A.D.: soldiers loyal to their commanders, who are fighting for the throne, government highers mercenaries.
 * Romans also loosing loyalty, less patriotism.
 * Emperors Attempt to Reform:**
 * Rome lasted another 200 years because of emperors' divisions and reform-minded emperors.
 * Diocletian Reforms the Empire:**
 * Emperor Diocletian was a strict emperor, limited personal freedoms, doubled army, fixed prices, seized goods, he restored strength and held ceremonies for himself because he claimed to be the son of a Roman god.
 * He split Rome into two: Greek-speaking East and Latin-speaking West, Diocletian took the East and shared authority in the West, but Diocletian still had overall rule since the West held the important cities, trading centers, and was wealthier.
 * Diocletian retired at 305 A.D., civil war broke out in 311 A.D. because four people were trying to gain control.
 * Constantine Moves the Capital:**
 * Constantine took the western half in 312, took control of the East in 324, creating a single ruler again.
 * In 330, Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Greek city Byzantium on the Bosporus Strait, in between the east and west, good trading location, and defense.
 * New name: Constantinpole, inside similar to Rome, and protected by massive walls.
 * The Western Empire Crumbles:**
 * Final destruction was mainly because of the separation of the east and west and invasions, but it took a long time for the Roman Empire to finally collapse.
 * Germanic Invasions:**
 * Germanic people were at peace with Rome for a long time and inhabited the northern boarders, but in 370 Huns (Mongol nomads) came and began to destroy everything.
 * Germanic people ran into Rome to try and get away, west could not defend against them, overrun my Germanic people by 410.
 * Attila the Hun:**
 * Attila banded all Huns together, invaded east and west Rome in 444 with 100,000 soldiers and destroyed 70 cities, but could not get to the capital.
 * 452: Huns tried again, but failed due to illnesses, Huns ceased to be a threat when Attila died in 453, but Germanic invasions continued.
 * An Empire No More:**
 * Romulus Augustulus was defeated by Germans in 476, western half gone, Rome is no more.
 * The eastern half became the Byzantine Empire, Romes and Greeks, emperors, lasted until 1453 when the Ottoman Turks destroyed them.
 * Roman culture stuck with the western half even when it was destroyed.