The Fall of Rome

1. The Fall of Rome 9.2

2. The Decline of Rome • After Aurelius’ death, Commodus and the Severans ruled Rome. • After the Severans ended, Rome’s leadership grew weak, and the government grew corrupt. • With a weak government, the economy worsened. • A plague broke out and killed many people. • Inflation occurred because money became less valuable.

3. Invaders began pushing into the empire’s territory, and the Roman gov’t could not pay Roman soldiers. • Emperor Diocletian tried to est. reforms that would improve the political situation. • Emperor Constantine tried to stop the empire’s decline. He moved the capital city to Byzantium, and the city later became known as Constantinople. Diocletian Constantine

4. Rome Falls • Theodosius became emperor after Constantine’s death. • Split the empire into two separate empires: Western Roman and the Eastern Roman • The Visigoths feared the Huns and asked Rome for protection. In exchange, Rome required the Visigoths to be loyal to them. • The Visigoths rebelled against the Romans and beat the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople.

6. The Visigoths leader Alaric and his soldiers captured the city of Rome and burned it. • The Vandals overpowered Rome’s territories in Spain and northern Africa. Then they entered Rome and destroyed buildings • Odoacer was a Germanic leader who took control of Rome’s gov’t from emperor Romulus Augustulus. This event marked the end of the Western Roman Empire.