6th Grade UBD - Unit 7 - A Weakening Empire. Decline- After the year 180, political, geographic, and cultural factors made the Roman Empire weaker.

A Weakening Empire6th Grade UBD - Unit 7 - A Weakening Empire

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Decline- After the year 180, political, geographic,

and cultural factors made the Roman Empire

weaker. Finally, it fell into decline.

Diocletian and Constantine- Diocletian returned

order and organization to the empire. Constantine

totally changed the way the empire was run.

Fall- Germanic tribes attacked Rome several times,

and the empire broke apart.

Reach Into Your Background

How do you think

people in the

United States

would react if

Washington, DC,

were sacked and

looted? ( 5

minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your answer with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)

Key Ideas- Decline

For nearly a century, Rome had no orderly

transfer of power. Emperors gained power by

using force, bribery, and murder.

Leaders gave no thought to the good of the

state. Instead, they looked for power only to

make themselves rich.

High taxes to pay for the army and for bribes to

enemy leaders drove Romans into poverty.

They also made trade difficult.

The Beginning of the EndVideo- The Beginning of the End

A Weakening Empire

The decline and

fall of the Roman

Empire stands as

one of history’s

greatest lessons

for future

civilizations. 

A Weakening Empire

Seemingly invincible for

a thousand years, the

mighty Roman Empire

was, in reality, self-

destructive and weak for

a long period of time

before its collapse under

the weight of the greed,

corruption, and conflict

that characterized the

final phase of the

empire. 

A Weakening Empire

Few people at the

time could have

foreseen that

Rome’s internal

problems would

lead to its demise.

A Weakening Empire

 In the aftermath of the collapse, the

absence of Roman political, economic, and

cultural power left such a vacuum in the

social order that it took some parts of the

remaining empire several centuries before

new and stable institutions could become

established.

This period of time in Europe came to be

known as the “Dark Ages.”

Chaos in the Armies

The Roman Empire had

always depended on

military conquest to

fuel expansion, which

in turn fueled the trade

and the tax system that

made Rome rich and

powerful. 

Chaos in the Armies

But the leaders of these

powerful armies began

to use their position to

seize power.

Disaffected soldiers, far

from home and not

always receiving their

pay, marched on Rome

to unseat the emperor

and put their own

generals in his place.

Conquest Barbarians and LegionsVideo- Conquest Barbarians and Legions

Economic Woes

Approximately 30

emperors would rule

over a span of just 40

years, from  235 to 284.

Many of these emperors

were corrupt, using

bribery to stave off

barbarian attacks.

Economic Woes

Adding to the empire’s

growing economic

woes by enforcing

unfair taxation on the

Roman people and

contributing to the

devaluation of the

empire’s currency.

Economic Woes

As a result, the

vital trade

industry that had

made Rome great

nearly came to a

halt, and many

Romans fell into

poverty.

Key Ideas- Diocletian and Constantine

Diocletian returned order to the empire and reorganized the

government.

Diocletian gave up his throne, and his new government fell.

Constantine won the struggle for power that followed

Diocletian’s rule. He named himself emperor.

Constantine saw that the city of Rome was no longer

important to the life of the empire.

Constantine moved the capital of the empire from Rome to

a different city. He renamed the city after himself.

Emperor Diocletian

Emperor Diocletian,

who ruled from 284 to

305, to restore order

and power within the

empire by dividing its

administration into two

factions: the Eastern

and Western Empires.

Rise to Power

After Diocletian

voluntarily gave

up his throne, one

of his generals

rose to power. This

new emperor,

whose name was

Constantine.

Key Term

Diocletian-

Known for

having

reorganized

the empire

after a

period of

disarray.

Key Term

Throne- The

special chair

for a king,

queen, or

other

powerful

person.

ConstantinopleVideo- Constantinople

Constantine

Constantine was the first Roman emperor

to proclaim himself a Christian and to

legalize Christianity.

By the end of the fourth century, the

practice of Christianity was the only legal

form of public worship.

The old polytheistic traditions of Rome had

been replaced mostly with Christian

monotheism.

Key Term

Constantine-

The first

Roman

emperor to

proclaim

himself a

Christian and

to legalize

Christianity.

Key Term

Constantinople

- Constantinople

is the former

name of Istanbul,

the largest city

in Turkey.

Constantinople

was once the

capital of the

Byzantine and

Ottoman

Empires.

Rise to Power

Constantine, neglected

the poorer western half

of his realm to

strengthen the eastern

half, abandoning the city

of Rome itself for a new

capital at Constantinople,

which literally means

“Constantine City.” 

The Western Empire

The Western Empire grew

even weaker under the

rule of Constantine and

his successors.

They imposed harsh rules

and regulations on the

Roman people, stripping

them of their

independence.

The Western Empire

While the people never

lost their right to

citizenship, they were

essentially slaves to the

state.

This led many Romans

to abandon concern for

their traditional virtues,

culture, and religion.

Key Ideas- Fall

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire,

Europe was broken into separate kingdoms.

Germanic tribes ruled most of them.

Roman cultural traditions were lost as

western Europe sank into its “Dark Ages.”

The Eastern Roman Empire lived on as the

Byzantine Empire until 1453.

The Fall of Rome

The final stages of the

collapse of the Western

Roman Empire.

In 410, Germanic

“barbaric” tribes overran

the city of Rome,

proceeding to claim other

Roman territories in the

years that followed. 

The Fall of Rome

While the city of Rome

survived and some

aspects of Roman

culture prevailed for a

period of time, the

Western Roman Empire

ceased to exist toward

the end of the 400s.

The Fall of Rome

The decline and

ultimate collapse of a

significant portion of

the Roman Empire led

to an extended period

of decentralized rule

in Europe during the

Middle Ages. 

The Fall of Rome

The Middle Ages

was dominated by

power struggles

between the small

kingdoms that had

once been under

Roman rule or kept

at bay by the

Romans. 

The Birth of Medieval EuropeVideo- The Birth of Medieval Europe

Byzantine Empire

The Eastern Roman Empire survived well into

the 1400s (though historians often refer to this

civilization as the Byzantine Empire rather than

the Roman Empire).

Still, the people of the Byzantine Empire

thought of themselves as Romans, and the

emperors claimed the title of Emperor of Rome.

Byzantine Empire

Gradually, Roman

culture began to

disappear in the

eastern part of the

empire, too, and a

new one centered

on Christianity took

its place.

Key Term

Christianity- The

world’s largest

and most widely

dispersed

religion. More

than 2 billion

people are

followers. It is a

monotheistic

religion based on

the life and

teachings of Jesus

of Nazareth.

Key Term

Convert- To

persuade or

induce to

adopt a

particular

religion,

faith, or

belief.

Rome Becomes a Passing MemoryVideo- Rome Becomes a Passing Memory

Constantine ConvertsReading Handout- Constantine Converts

Independent Activity

What has been the

“muddiest” point so

far in this lesson? That

is, what topic remains

the least clear to you?

(4 minutes)

Partner Activity

Work with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)