The Decline of Rome

Main Idea:​ ​Poor leadership, a declining economy, and attacks by

Germanic tribes weakened the Roman Empire

Pre-Lesson Questions​:
1. What 3 things weakened the Roman Empire?
2. Where were economic and military problems in Rome?
3. Who was Diocletian and Constantine?

Vocabulary​:
● Plague ​(PLAYG)
● Inflation​ ​(ihn • FLAY • shuhn)
● Barter ​(BAHR • tuhr)
● Reforms ​(rih • FAWRMZ)

People & Places:​

● Diocletian ​(DY • uh • KLEE • shuhn)
● Constantine ​(KAHN • stuhn • TEEN)
● Byzantium ​(buh • ZAN • tee • uhm)
● Constantinople ​(KAHN • STAN • tuhn • OH • puhl)
In ​A.D. ​180 Marcus Aurelius died.
His son, Commodus ​(KAH • muh • duhs)​, became emperor.
Commodus was cruel and wasted money.
Instead of ruling Rome, Commodus fought as a gladiator.
In ​A.D.​ 192 the emperor’s bodyguard killed him.
Nearly a century of confusion and fighting followed.
After Commodus, emperors called the Severans ruled Rome.
Must of their time was spent protecting Rome’s borders.
The Severans stayed in power by paying the army.
They ignored the growing problems of crime and poverty.

Political and Social Problems

The last Severan ruler died in ​A.D.​ 235.
That is when Rome’s government became very weak.
For almost 50 years, army leaders fought for the throne.
During that time, there were 22 different emperors.
Poor leadership was one of Rome’s difficulties
Fewer Romans honored the old ideals.
The ideals were duty, courage, and honesty.
Many government officials took bribes.
As problems increased, people stopped working for the government.
Wealthy citizens stopped paying taxes.
People stopped going to school.
Many of the Empire's people had become enslaved.
Wealthy Romans supported slavery because it was cheap.

Economic and Military Problems

During the​ A.D.​ 200s, Rome’s economy fell apart.
As government weakened, law and order broke down.
Roman soldiers and invaders stole crops and destroyed fields.
Farmers grew less food, and hunger began to spread.
People bought fewer goods.
Artisans produced less.
Shopkeepers lost money.
Many businesses closed.
The number of workers dropped sharply.
Many workers had to quit and serve in the army.
A ​plague​ ​(PLAYG)​, or disease that spreads widely, existed.
It killed 1 out of every 10 people in the Roman Empire.
Rome suffered from ​inflation​ ​(ihn • FLAY • shuhn),​ or rapidly increasing prices.
Inflation happens when money loses its value.
The weak economy meant fewer taxes were paid.
With less money, the Roman government was broke.
The Roman government couldn’t afford to defend its territories.
It had to find a way to pay the soldiers and officials.
To get money, they put less gold in their money.
With less gold in each coin, the government could make more coins.
They could also pay for more things.
Once people found out, the coins began to lose value.
Prices went up, and people stopped using money altogether.
They began to ​barter​ (BAHR • tuhr)​, or exchange goods without using money.
Meanwhile, invaders swept into the empire.
In the west, Germanic tribes raided Roman farms and towns.
In the east, armies from Persia pushed into the empire's territory.
As fighting increased, the government couldn’t enlist or pay soldiers.
It began using Germanic warriors in the army.
However, these Germanic soldiers were not loyal to Rome.
What were Diocletian’s Reforms​?
In ​A.D.​ 284 a general​ ​became emperor.
His name was ​Diocletian​ ​(DY • uh • KLEE • shuhn)​.
He started ​reforms​ ​(rih • FAWRMZ)​, or political changes to make things
better.
Diocletian stated the empire was too big for one person to rule.
He split the empire into four parts.
He named officials to rule these areas but kept authority over all.
Diocletian also worked to boost the economy.
To slow inflation, he issued rules.
These rules set the prices of goods and wages to be paid to the workers.
He ordered workers to remain at the same job until they died.
This was to make sure more goods were produced.
Diocletian’s reforms failed.
The people ignored the new rules.
Diocletian did not have enough power to make them obey.

Who Was Constantine​?

In ​A.D.​ 305 Diocletian retired from office.
After a period of conflict another general became emperor in ​A.D.​ 312.
His name was ​Constantine​ ​(KAHN • stuhn • TEEN)​.
Constantine issued several orders.
The sons of workers had to follow their father’s trades.
The sons of farmers had to work the land their fathers worked.
The sons of soldiers had to serve in the army.
Constantine’s changes did not halt the empire’s decline in the west.
Constantine moved the capital from dying Rome to a new city in the east.
He chose the Greek city of ​Byzantium​ ​(buh • ZAN • tee • uhm)​.
He built a forum, an amphitheater called Hippodrome, and many palaces.
The city became known as ​Constantinople​ ​(KAHN • STAN • tuhn • OH • puhl)​.
Today, Constantinople is called Istanbul.
 The Decline of Rome Reading Guide
(Answer the following questions while you are reading.)

1. Who became emperor in ​A.D.​ 180? ______________________

2. How was Commodus killed? ___________________________

3. After​ A.D.​ 235, Rome’s government became very __________?

4. What are 3 reasons for the decline of Rome?

(a) _____________________________
(b) _____________________________
(c) _____________________________

5. What were the old Roman ideals?

(a) _____________________________
(b) _____________________________
(c) _____________________________

6. Who supported slavery because it was a cheap way to get work done?
________________________________

7. What are 3 reasons why Rome’s economy began to fall apart ?

(a) _____________________________
(b) _____________________________
(c) _____________________________

8. What is a disease that spreads widely? _____________________

9. What causes rapidly increasing prices? ______________________

10. How did the Roman government get the money it needed?
________________________________

11. Why did many people stop using money? ____________________

12. What did people do when they stopped using money? __________

13. Who invaded in the west? ________________________________

14. Who invaded in the east? ________________________________

15. Who did the government use when they couldn’t pay or enlist soldiers?
________________________________

16. Who became emperor in​ A.D.​ 284? _________________________

17. What did this emperor introduce? ___________________________

18. How many parts did Diocletian break the empire into? ___________

19. What did he do to slow inflation? ____________________________

20. How long did Diocletian require workers to stay at their job?
________________________________

21. Since He did not have enough power, what did the people do?

22. Who became emperor in ​A.D.​ 312? ___________________________

23. What 3 orders did this emperor issue?

(a) _____________________________
(b) _____________________________
(c) _____________________________

24. Where did Constantine move the capital of Rome to? _____________

25. What did he build there?

(a) _____________________________
(b) _____________________________
(c) _____________________________

26. What was this city known as? _______________________________

The Decline of Rome Assessment
Create a poster containing the following information:
1. Add timeline with the emperors talked about in this section.
2. Explain why Rome declined?
3. Share 3 interesting facts you learned.

**Your posters will be presented to the classroom on Friday!**