Fall of Rome Vocab

476

Fall of the Western Roman Empire

Byzantium

the city to which Constantine moved the capital of the Roman empire. This shifted all of the power to the East.

Constantinople

Previously known as Byzantium, Constantine changed the name of the city and moved the capitol of the Roman Empire here from Rome.

Istanbul

Capital of the Ottoman Empire; named this after 1453 and the sack of Constantinople.

Visigoths

A member of the western Goths that invaded the Roman Empire in the fourth century A.D. and settled in France and Spain, establishing a monarchy that lasted until the early eighth century.

Vandals

Germanic tribe who sacked Rome from northern Africa in 455

Franks

Germanic people who lived and held power in Gaul. Their leader was Clovis and he would later bring Christianity to the region. By 511 the Franks had united into one kingdom and they controlled the largest and strongest parts of Europe.

Angles, Saxons, Jutes

also known as ANGLO-SAXONS or OLD ENGLISH who invaded & settled Roman Britain between 410 and 650 A.D.

Huns

Nomadic people from Asia who attacked the Roman Empire.

Attila

barbarian, rough leader; Leader of the Huns from 433-453 and the most successful of the barbarian invaders of the Roman Empire

Alaric

king of the Visigoths who marched his troops across the Alps toward Rome and put the city under siege; stormed Rome in 410 and plundered it for 3 days

Odoacer

Germanic barbarian leader who ended the western Roman Empire in 476 and became the first barbarian ruler of Italy (434-493)

Romulus Augustulus

the last emperor in the Western Roman Empire; overthrown in 476 at age of 14

Commodus

Ancient Roman Emperor who succeeded his father, Marcus Aurelius, and began the decline of the Roman Empire.

Inflation

Increased prices for goods and services combined with the reduced value of money

Serious Economic Problems

One of the reasons for the fall of Rome related to increased prices for resources, increased taxes, and decreased resources, and decrease in value of money

Too large to defend

One of the reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire when the outer regions were falling, and mercenary soldiers were hired and unfaithful to the empire

Barbaric Invasions

One of the reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire when many tribes invaded the empire

Corrupt Rulers and Bad Government

Commodus started the fall of Rome and others contributed by being bad rulers, stealing from the treasury, causing the senate to fail and losing power

Mercenaries

a soldier who is paid to fight for another country or group without dedication and honor to country

Early Middle Ages

500-1066 AD, dates from the end of the Roman Empire. Characterized by the rise of many smaller kingdoms in the absence of Roman power.

Dark Ages

the name given to Medieval Europe due to its lack of cultural, societal, intellectual, political and economic progress

Edict of Milan

issued by Constantine in 313, ended the "great persecution" and legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire

313

Constantine issues Edict of Milan, legalizing Christianity

Council of Nicaea

Christian council that met in 325 to determine the question of the trinity; decided on the divinity of all three persons.

1453

The year that Constantinople was sacked by the Ottoman Turks and meant that Byzantium had collapsed.