The Fall of Rome

By idontcare4040
  • Period: 235 to 235

    200 A.D

    Rome's economy began to fall apart. As government weakened, law and order broke down. Roman soldiers and invaders seized crops and destroyed fields. Farmers grew less food, and hunger began to spread.
  • Period: 235 to 235

    235 A.D

    The last Severan ruler died in A.D 235, Rome’s government became very weak. For almost 50 years, army leaders fought each other for
    the throne. During this time, Rome had 22 different emperors.
  • Period: 284 to 550

    284 A.D

    A general named Diocletian became emperor. In order to stop the decline of Rome, he introduced reforms, or political changes. Because the empire was too large for one person to rule, Diocletian divided it into four parts. He named officials to rule these areas but kept authority over all.
  • Period: 284 to 284

    284 A.D

    In A.D 284 Diocletian became emperor. To stop the decline of Rome he introduced reforms or political changes to make things better. Because the empire was too large for one person to rule, Diocletian divided it into four parts. He named officials to rule these areas but kept authority over all.
  • Period: 305 to 312

    305 A.D

    In A.D 305 Diocletian retired from office. After a period of conflict, another general named Constantine became emperor in A.D 312. To aid the economy, Constantine issued several orders. There he built a forum, an amphitheater called the Hippodrome, and many palaces.The city became known as Constantinople Today, Constantinople is called Istanbul.
  • Period: 337 to 395

    337

    When Constantine died in A.D 337, fighting broke out again. A new emperor called Theodosius finally gained control and ended the fighting. Ruling the empire proved to be difficult. Theodosius decided to divide the empire after his death. In A.D 395, the Roman Empire split into two separate empires. One was the Western Roman Empire, with its capital at Rome. The other was the Eastern Roman Empire, with its capital at Constantinople.
  • Period: 378 to 378

    378

    Finally, the Visigoths rebelled against the Romans. In A.D 378 they defeated Roman legions at the Battle of Adrianople. After that defeat, Rome was forced to surrender land to the Visigoths.
  • Period: 410 to 410

    410 A.D

    In A.D 410 the Visigoth leader Alaric and his soldiers captured Rome itself. They burned records and looted the treasury. Rome’s capture by Alaric was a great shock to the empire’s people. It was the first time Rome had been conquered in 800 years.
  • Period: 455 to 455

    455 A.D

    Another Germanic group known as the Vandals overran Spain and northern Africa. They enslaved some Roman landowners and drove others away. Then the Vandals sailed to Italy. In A.D 455 they entered Rome. They spent 12 days stripping buildings of everything valuable and burning them. From these attacks came the English word vandalism.
  • Period: 550 to 550

    550 A.D

    By A.D 550, the Western Roman Empire had faded away. Many Roman beliefs and practices remained in use, however. For example, Europe’s new Germanic rulers adopted the Latin language, Roman laws, and Christianity. Although the Western
    Roman Empire fell to Germanic invaders, the Eastern Roman Empire prospered. It became known as the Byzantine Empire and lasted nearly 1,000 more years.