Download The Decline of the Roman Empire

The Decline of the Roman Empire
• The last good emperor,
Marcus Aurelius died in 180 AD.
• His 18 year old son Commodus
became emperor
• Commodus was a terrible emperor
• He ignored the Senate, had bad
advisors, and would rather fight in the
Colosseum as a gladiator than rule.
• He was assassinated in 192 AD
The Decline of the Roman Empire
• After Commodus was killed, Generals fought,
bribed, and made deals to be emperor. The
Praetorian Guard was often involved in the
changing of the emperor.
• Rome had 29 different emperors from 180-284
AD. Unstable leadership would eventually lead
to the fall of the Empire
• During this time, the Senate weakened, the army
weakened, and the power of Rome weakened.
The Decline of the Roman Empire
• A main reason for the decline of the Empire was the
weakening of the army. Rome was too big to rely only on
Roman soldiers.
• Rome also relied on a mercenary army. Mercenaries
were foreigners who were paid to fight.
• The mercenary army was unreliable. If they were losing,
they would quit the Roman side and join the other side.
• The Empire had become too big to defend. This was
another reason for the fall of the Empire.
• Without a strong army, Rome was attacked by other
peoples like the Saxons, Goths, Vandals, Franks, and
others.
The Decline of the Roman Empire
• In the Empire, inflation made things like food
too expensive for people to buy, and the
government no longer could afford to give
away free grain. This was a third reason the
Empire collapsed.
• In 284 AD, the emperor Diocletian divided the
Empire in two
• Diocletian ruled the eastern half, and his
favorite general, Maximianus, ruled the
western half.
• Diocletian was the first emperor in 100 years
who worked to strengthen Rome.
• He built forts, improved the army, and
changed how the people were taxed.
• But, none of his efforts could stop the decline
of Rome.