Idk wut to call this

LESSON 8

• The Empire in crisis

• We are at the end of the Pax Romana (180 AD)

• Power was taken by a series of short-lived emperors

• High taxes on citizens. 

• We are getting to the division of the Roman Empire

• The problem is that Rome is WAY too big

• It is split into the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire.

• 275 AD is when they split

• Emperor Constantine

  • Creates the city of Constantinople. The capital of the East

  • Rules from 312-337

  • Orders the building of Constantinople - a new capital on the eastern side of the Roman Empire

  • When Christianity became popular, they stopped believing that the Emporer was ‘holy’ 

  • The plebes start related to the Christians which is how it takes over.

  • Issued the Edict of Milan  313 which grants tolerance to Christians

  • Civil wars break out twice. 

  • The Christians beat the Romans 

  • 380: Christianity becomes the official religion of the Romans

• Foreign Invasions 

  • A series of Barbarians invaders from the North begin to terrorize Rome.

  • Visigoths, Angles, Frank, Vandals, Saxons

  • They start controlling certain areas

  • These groups get stronger

• The Huns 

  • Migrated from Central Asia

  • Led by the feared Attila, they raided the Eastern Empire 

  • Terrorized Italy 

  • The Huns leave the Roman Empire

  • Basically up for grabs

  • Rome was attacked at all angles - 100-500 CE

  • Angles and Saxons go to England

    • Anglo-Saxon!!!

  • The fall of the Roman Empire refers to the Western side

  • Eastern was the financial house 

  • All the tribes that were cooking Rome become bigger and Rome gets more cooked and smaller. Eastern empire starts borrowing from the tribes and they are in debt for everything.

  • 476: Romulus is the last leader of Rome

  • He was overthrown by Odacer; the ottoman empire

  • Reason for the Fall

  • Powerful Germanic tribe

  • Rebelled against Romans

  • Led by Alaric they captured and sacked Rome in AD 410