Ancient Civilisations: Fall of Roman Empire

Middle Age: Fall of Roman Empire

By Aggrey Ankwatse

An empire is a political system in which a group of people are ruled by a single individual, an emperor or empress. The Roman Empire was founded when Augustus Caesar proclaimed himself the first emperor of Rome in 31BC and came to an end with the fall of Constantinople in 1453CE. In 285CE, the empire had become too large and difficult to control and therefore Emperor Diocletian split it into two, the Western and Eastern Roman empire. The Western Roman empire with its capital Rome was constantly invaded by different groups especially Germanic tribes and it graduly fell into disrepair and ruin. This period is what is known as the Dark Ages.

Roman Empire

Multiple Choice

Who is an emperor?

• A woman who rules an empire

• A man who rules an empire

• A chief in an empire

• a worrior who heads an army in an empire

Multiple Choice

Who was the first emperor of the Roman empire

• Julius Caesar

• Augustus Caesar

• Diocletian

• Constantine

Multiple Choice

What was the capital of the western Roman empire?

• Constantinople

• Rome

• Byzantinia

• Italy

Multiple Choice

Why was the Roman empire split into two by Emperor Diocletian

• It had become too large and difficult to control

• Because of the constant invensions by Germanic tribes

• It was because of political differences between its leaders

• because the empire graduly fell into disrepair and ruin

After the fall of the Western Roman empire, the Kingdom of the Franks was established there under the rule of Clovis who United the tribe of the Franks under his monarchy from 481CE. Real development was however attained under the rule of Charlemagne who became King of the Franks from 800CE. Charlemagne was proclaimed the holly Roman emperor by the Pope and Christianity was the main religion. The Kingdom of the Franks founded the later Monarchies of France and Germany. Empror Charlemagne is often referred to as "the father of Europe" due to these achievements.

After the Fall

Multiple Choice

Why is Empror Charlemagne often referred to as "the father of Europe"

• He attained great development for the Kingdom of the Franks and founded France and Germany

• He was proclaimed the holly Roman emperor by the Pope

• He worn lots of battles against his Kingdom

• He took over from King Clovis as the new King of the Franks

Christianity was the main religion and its language changed from Latin to Greek. One of the famous rulers of Byzantine empire was Justinian who ruled in the 6th century and he was famous for what is known as Justinian code which was a series of laws for ruling the empire. Empror Justinian later took back the territory of the Western Roman empire that had fallen in ruin and controlled by different groups.

​Eastern Roman Empire

The Eastern half of the Roman empire lived on as the Byzantine empire and its capital was Constantinople. It controlled a large territory including modern Greece, Turkey and other parts in Eastern Europe.

Multiple Choice

The Eastern Roman empire was called ........................?

• Constantinople

• Byzantine empire

• Roman empire

• Byzantinia

Multiple Choice

Constantinople was the NOT the capital of Byzantine empire

• True

• False

Open Ended

How is the Justinian code relevant to today's justice system?

Fall of the Roman Empire

After the Roman empire was split into two, the Western Roman empire gradually fell in disrepair and ruins due to attacks by different groups including Germanic tribes.

8 Reasons Why Rome Fell - HISTORY

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The rise of the Eastern Empire

Over expansion and military over spending

What caused the fall of the Western Roman empire

Invasion by Barbarian tribes

Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor

Christianity and the loss of traditional valiues

Weakening of the Roman legions

What caused the fall of the Western Roman empire

Government corruption and Political instability

The arrival of the Huns and the migrant Barbarian tribes

​Research

Find out some of the impacts of the fall of the Roman empire and write a short summary before you share with the rest of the class.