Christianity and the Fall of the Roman Empire

Vocabulary terms and historical figures related to the growth of Christianity, Roman imperial rule, and the eventual fall of the Roman Empire.

Christianity

A religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as its beliefs and practices.

Nero

The Roman emperor who initiated the first persecution of Christians after blaming them for the great fire of Rome.

Catacombs

Underground passages dug by the Romans for burial where Christians met during persecutions.

Stoics

A group that believed in reason, to which Emperor Marcus Aurelius belonged.

Marcus Aurelius

A tolerant and wiser Roman Emperor (161 AD–188 AD) belonging to the Stoics who was harsh towards Christians, though Christianity grew during his reign.

Diocletian

Roman Emperor who came to power in 284 AD, proclaimed himself the sun god, divided the Empire into dioceses, conducted severe persecutions of Christians, and retired in 305 AD.

Dioceses

Administrative divisions of the Roman Empire created by Diocletian, each ruled by a strong man directly responsible to the Emperor.

Nicomedia

The capital in Asia Minor established by Diocletian when he governed the eastern half of the Roman Empire.

Constantine

Roman Emperor proclaimed at York who adopted the sign of the cross, granted civil rights and toleration to Christians, and later made Christianity the official religion of the Empire.

Constantinople

The capital city established by Constantine, previously known as Byzantium, which left the Western Roman Empire without a focal point.

Huns

A fierce tribe from the East whose advance threatened nomadic peoples and triggered Barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire.

Attila

A deadly warrior who led the Huns from the East and was defeated in Gaul, saving Europe from destruction.

Goths

A nomadic Barbarian people who captured Athens, captured and burnt Rome in 410 AD, and later forced the Western Emperor to hand over power.

Vandals

A nomadic people who settled in Spain and North Africa, and captured and burnt Rome in 453 AD.

Franks

A nomadic Barbarian group that invaded Roman territory and settled in France.