Social Studies for 9th EGBTeacher: Mauricio Torres

The end of

THE EMPIRE

Beyond the borders of the empire, many different groups of people were on the move. They threatened the peace in the provinces - and eventually attacked the heart of the empire itself

Thought he Roman Empire remained large and powerful, it faced serious threats from both outside and inside.

Building Background

At its height the Roman Empire included all the land around the Mediterranean Sea. In the early AD 100s, the empire stretched from Britain south to Egypt and from the Atlantic Ocean all the way down to Mesopotamia.

But it did not stay that large for long. By the 200s, some emperors had given up some land. They feared the empire had become too large to control and defend.

Time proved them right!

Problems in the Empire

The End of the Empire: Problems

1Internal Threats 2External

Threats 3Division of

the Empire

External Threats1

Exte

rnal

Thr

eats

InvasionsTribes of fierce Germanic warriors attacked Rome from the north. At the same time Parthians, were attacking from the East. For 200 years, the Romans fought bravely, but at a great cost!

2 Internal Threats

Inte

rnal

Thr

eats

MigrationAs these barbarian warriors invaded the north, nervous Romans fled from the borders into the South, leaving the lands abandoned. Without farmers, Romans had to invite some of the same Germanic tribes into their territory in order to farm the land and produce food!• Over time, entire communities

moved in and started to mix with Roman citizens.

• They usually chose their own leaders and ignored the emperors.

Inte

rnal

Thr

eats

Famine and DiseaseAnother problem was the many diseases that swept through the empire, killing many Romans.

In order to be able to defend itself, the government had to continuously raise taxes in order to pay for the defense of the empire.

3 Division of the Empire

As desperate romans sought for strength and leadership, they found

DIOCLETIAN

Div

isio

n of

the

Empi

reDiocletianHe became emperor in the late 200s. He was deeply convinced that the empire was too big for only one man to rule it. To solve this issue, he divided the empire in two administrative regions: east and west. • While he ruled in the east, he named Maximian

co-emperor.

Not long after his death, Constantine rose to power after a struggle with Maximian’s succesor. He rejoined the empire for a short time and moved the capital to the east, into modern day Istambul. • This city was named after him: Constantinople.

Although it was still called “Roman Empire”, power was no longer in Rome. It had now moved to the Hellenistic east.

Identify:• What problems did Rome

face in the 100s and 200s?Make inferences:• Why do you think power

moved to the east when Constantine moved the empire’s capital?

Interpret:• Look at the map on your

left. Why would Constantine move the capital to this geographical location?

ASK YOURSELF

Lets have a debate! Choose a side: support Diocletian in his decision to divide the empire or gather together with others in order to reunite the empire back together.

Oral Activity: Division Debate

Think about the pros and cons, and write them down to help you debate!!