Fall of the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, events, and economic conditions associated with the decline of the Western Roman Empire and the migration of barbaric tribes.

Middle Ages

A period lasting almost a thousand years during which Europe attempted to recover from the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Huns

A nomadic Asiatic tribe whose invasion of present-day Hungary in 375 CE forced the Ostrogoths and Visigoths to flee, causing widespread panic in the Roman Empire.

Attila

A Hunnic military leader who killed his brother Bolivia to become sole king, forged an empire extending from the Rhine River to the Caspian Sea, and utilized psychological warfare against his enemies.

Stirrups

Riding equipment utilized by Hunnic horsemen that provided them with a tactical advantage over opponents who lacked them while shooting bows on horseback.

Battle of Shell

A bloody battle in 451 CE where an alliance of Roman soldiers and Visigothic warriors successfully defeated Attila the Hun's forces in Gaul.

Pope Leo I

The Pope who led a peaceful delegation in 452 CE and successfully persuaded Attila the Hun not to invade Rome.

Alaric

A Visigoth military commander who made himself king, blockaded Rome for 18 months, and successfully sacked the city in 410 CE.

Romulus Augustus

The last Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire, who was dethroned in 476 CE.

Diocletian

A Roman emperor who instituted price controls, ordered workers to remain in their current occupations, and minted cheap coins that caused severe currency inflation.

Patrocinium

An early form of feudalism that emerged when small farmers sold their land to large estates due to inflation and were forced to work on property owned by others.

Pax Romana

A peaceful era in the Roman Empire lasting from 14 to 180 CE during which Rome brought in no new revenue or plunder from foreign conquest.