Collapse of Empire - Alex Giordano Nick Thayer- Lyons

By Alexny13@nycap.rr.com
  • 235

    Crisis of the Third Century

    Crisis of the Third Century
    This was a period of foreign invasion, disease, civil war and bad economic times that lasted from about 235 - 284 AD. During this time almost 25 people claimed the throne of Rome. These tended to be military generals who ended up assassinating each other. Diseases such as smallpox ravaged the population while invaders such as the Vandals and the Visigoths entered Rome. This period ended when Diocletian addressed the issue the Romans were facing.
  • 313

    Edict of Milan

    Edict of Milan
    Written in 313 AD by Constantine, the Edict of Milan was an agreement to tolerate the Christian religion. Before this, Christians in Rome were persecuted and harrassed. This agreement eventually leads to Christianity becoming the official religion of the Rome. This contributed to the fall of Rome. The new religion undermined the old polytheistic religion which created unrest among the citizens.
  • 467

    Unstable Government

    Unstable Government
    Over the next 50 or so years there were 8 different rulers of the Gupta empire. These rulers stayed in power for a very short amount of time. The frequent change of leadership made the populace not like the leaders and their uncontrollable buearacracys. This eventually led to the people not listening to and not trusting the government.
  • 500

    Invasion of the Huns

    Invasion of the Huns
    By 500 AD the White Huns had conquered the entire north western section of the Gupta empire. These invasions from the north drained the wealth and funds of the Gupta. The people of the Gupta empire would not pay taxes at this time because of their dislike for the government, which did not help the money problem. The Huns never totally overran the Gupta empire. They helped quicken the pace of its collapse though.

  • Civil War

    Civil War
    As the empires government dissolved and regional government sprang up, regional leaders wanted more power. These leaders went to war with neighboring regions. During these conflicts many regions lacked the basic needs for human survival and many people died. Several cities were burned. Some were sacked by neighboring regions.