World Civ - Ch6/4
Who was one of the rivals competing for power after Diocletian retired?
Constantine
What did the city of Byzantium eventually become?
Constantinople
Where did the Byzantine emperors rule from?
Constantinople
Which city was able to withstand attacks by Attila the Hun and his armies?
Constantinople
What did Diocletian do with the western part of the empire?
he appointed a co-ruler for it
After conquering most of the eastern Roman empire, what did Attila do next?
moved into the west
What did the surviving part of the Roman emporer come to be called?
the Byzantine empire
Which part of the divided empire did Diocletian keep for himself?
the eastern part
Romulus Augustulus
the last Roman emporer, he was 14 years old when he was ousted by Germanic forces in 476
Who restored order to the empire and increased its strength?
Diocletian
In what ways does the Roman empire's cultural influence live on?
its ideas, customs, and institutions influenced the development of Western civilization
Which areas made up the West part of the empire?
Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain
How did the Roman government attempt to defend against increasing threats to the empire?
it began to recruit mercenaries to do their fighting
To where did Constantine move the capital of the Roman empire?
Byzantium
What were the military factors leading to the fall of the Roman empire?
- threat from northern European tribes - low funds for defense - problems recruiting Roman citizens to serve in the armies - recruiting of mercenaries - decline of patriotism and loyalty among soldiers
What problems did the Roman military face?
- Roman soldiers had become less disciplined and loyal - soldiers gave their allegiance not to Rome but to their commanders, who fought among themselves for the throne
What were the social factors leading to the fall of the Roman empire?
- a decline in interest in public affairs - low confidence in the empire - disloyalty, lack of patriotism, corruption - contrast between rich and poor - decline in population due to disease and food shortage
What happened when Constantine gained control of the western part of the empire in 312ad?
- he continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian - he secured control of the eastern part of the empire in 324 and restored the concept of a single ruler - he moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium (now Turkey)
How did Diocletian restore order to the empire and increase its strength?
- he doubled the size of the army - he sought to control inflation by setting fixed prices for goods - he divided the empire into the Greek-speaking east (Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt) and the Latin-speaking west (Italy, Gaul, Britain, and Spain) - he restored the prestige of the office of emperor by claiming descent from the ancient Roman gods and presented himself in a godlike aura
What factors prompted the weakening of Rome's economy?
- hostile tribes outside the boundaries of the Roman empire and pirates on the Mediterranean Sea disrupted trade - the Romans lacked new sources of gold and silver because the empire reached its limit of expansion - the government raised taxes to increase revenue - the government started minting coins that contained less and less silver in the hopes of creating more money with the same amount of metal - the economy started suffering from inflation
What were the economic factors leading to the fall of the Roman empire?
- poor harvests - disruption of trade - no more war plunder - no new gold and silver - inflation - crushing tax burden - widening gap between rich and poor - increasingly impoverished western empire
What were the political factors leading to the fall of the Roman empire?
- the office of emperor seen as a burden, not a reward - the military interfered in politics - there was civil war and unrest - the empire was divided - the capital was moved to Byzantium
What problems did Roman agriculture face which led to the decline of Rome?
- the soil in Italy and western Europe became increasingly overworked and lost its fertility, so harvests became more meager - years of war had destroyed much farmland - due to meager harvests and less land to farm, serious food shortages and disease spread, leading to a decrease in population
How long did the Byzantine empire last?
1000 years
About how long did the Pax Romana last?
2 centuries
After the reign of Marcus Aurelius and the end of the Pax Romana, how much longer did the Roman Empire survive?
200 years
Who did the Byzantine emperors consider themselves heirs of?
Augustus Caesar
Why did Constantine move the capital to Byzantium?
Because it was on the Bosphorus Strait, it was strategically located for trade and defense purposes between the West and East
Which areas made up the East part of the empire?
Greece, Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt
Why did war break out after Diocletian retired?
His plans for orderly succession failed
What happened to the empire after Constantine's death?
It became divided again, with the East surviving and the West falling
Which emperor was the last of the Pax Romana?
Marcus Aurelius
Why did Diocletian keep the eastern part of the empire for himself?
it included most of the empire's great cities and trade centers, and was far wealthier than the west
Why did the empire last after the end of the Pax Romana?
it was largely due to reform-minded emperors and the empire's division into 2 parts
What happened to the sense of loyalty of the average Roman citizen?
Their feelings of loyalty eventually weakened. In the past, Romans cared so deeply about their republic that they willingly sacrificed their lives for it, but as conditions declined, so did their sense of patriotism. They became indifferent to the Roman empire's fate.
What were the main internal causes of the Roman empire's decline?
There were many contributing factors in the political, social, economic, and military areas.
What did the Germanic people who were living in the northern borders of the empire do in order to flee from the Huns?
They pushed into Roman lands, moving through the provinces of Gaul, Spain, and North Africa. In 410ad, they overran Rome and plundered it for 3 days
Why did so many Germanic tribes begin invading the Roman Empire?
They were fleeing the Huns, who had moved into their lands and began destroying everything. When they were running away from the Huns, the Germanic people moved through the Roman provinces of Gaul, Spain and North Africa.
inflation
a drastic drop in the value of money coupled with a rise in prices
Attila
a powerful Hun chieftain whose armies terrorized both halves of the empire
Diocletian
a strong-willed army leader who became emperor in 284ad. He was a rigid ruler who severely limited personal freedoms
What hairstyle did some Germanic people wear to identify themselves?
a topknot
Why was Attila unable to conquer Rome?
bouts of famine and disease weakened his armies
What happened after Diocletian retired in 305ad?
civil war broke out immediately and by 311ad four rivals were competing for power
mercenaries
foreign soldiers who fought for money. While they would accept lower pay than Romans, they felt little sense of loyalty to the empire
Which part of the Roman empire did Attila the Hun conquer first?
the Eastern part
In 370ad, what group of people moved into the northern borders of the empire and began destroying it?
the Huns, a fierce group of Mongol nomads from Central Asia
Who conquered the Byzantine empire?
the Ottoman Turks