Middle Ages An Age of Religion The Decline of the Principate Commodus 180 192 More Civil Wars 192 197 Severan Dynasty 192 235 o Military Emperors o Army pay raises Mixed copper into the silver coins o Economy inflation Money supply increases and the prices of goods goes up o Military Anarchy Imperial Crisis 235 284 Armies get out of control Army is under control when a new emperor gets appointed and makes a gold donation to the army o Civil Wars Barbarian Invasions Franks Goths New Persians Philip the Arab o Founded the New Persians Trajan Decius 249 251 o Religion as unifying factor o Killed in the Battle against Goths Valerian Captured by Shapur and the Persians 260 Queen Zenobia of Palmyra Soldier Emperors o Revolts against the Roman Empire and creates her own Empire o Risen up to the ranks of generals o Aurelian Restorer of the World Wall of Aurelian built to protect Rome o Diocletian Late Roman Empire 284 480 Diocletian 284 305 o Policies to help the empire survive Emperor is now your Lord and Master Almost a God Removes all power from the Senate o Four Emperors o Laws Too many problems to be governed by one emperor Created to ensure that the Empire continues to exist Laws aren t really followed because there isn t a system to enforce them o Taxes in kind Pay taxes in what you produced Example a miner pays their taxes in iron o Compulsory Services Soldiers share croppers Example if you were a soldier you had to stay a soldier Did not work out o Great Persecution 303 311 Sacrifice or die Aimed at Christians Not really enforced because Christianity had already Constantine 306 337 penetrated the world o More policies to help the empire survive Solidus gold standard Collect taxes in gold instead of in kind Only the rich had access to it 3 Solidus a year was a good wage o Constantinople Byzantium Second capital along with Rome Didn t really unify the Empire Resulted in a Western and Eastern Empire Builds the Basilica of Constantine o Christianity Constantine became emperor by winning a series of civil wars Constantine won the Battle of Milvian Bridge with the help of God Chi rho sign Christogram Becomes the favored religion Sunday becomes market day Churches start being built The Christian Empire Constantine 306 337 Julian The Apostate 361 363 o Last Pagan Emperor o Relative of Constantine o Was killed by a Christian Soldier Fall of the Roman Empire Valentinian I 364 375 o Last Golden Age of the Roman Empire o Split of Empire Empire is too large to be governed by 1 person Standard pattern to be divided into Western and Eastern Empire Triumph of Christianity o Theodosius The Great 379 395 Christianity as only legal religion 392 o Christian Persecutions of Pagans Baptism of pagan artwork Hypatia of Alexandria 415 In charge of school of Philosophy in Alexandria She was killed Problems leading to fall of Western Roman Empire God was punishing Romans for their sins o Withdrawal of Senators provinces o Barbarization of the Army army o Economic Ruin by paying the army o Split of Empire Want to live their own lives and establish kingdoms in other Not enough soldiers so barbarians were recruited into the They cannot be relied on to defend the empire Money system of Rome had collapsed due to inflation caused Empire is divided into Western and Eastern Eastern side was more developed populated and wealthy Western half loses the resources of the Eastern side o Barbarian Invasions Roman Empire was invaded by savage Barbarians and the Dark Ages started The Rise of Barbarian Europe Huns Visigoths Battle of Adrianople 378 o Visigoths were attacked by a Mongolian people known as the Huns Visigoths suggested that they would farm in deserted land in the Roman army as well as serve in the army o Battle of Adrianople Big showdown between the Visigoths and Romans Eastern Roman Empire is basically destroyed One of the worst defeats the Roman Empire serves Barbarians Invasions o Crossing of the Rhine 406 Sack of Rome 410 Sack was done by the Visigoths Response of Pagans Reason why Barbarians are taking over is because they are being punished by Pagan Gods St Augustine o City of God Earthly city at Rome and Heavenly city at Jerusalem Humans should be focused on the city of God Invasion of Atilla and the Huns 454 o Romans made an alliance with the Franks Visigoths and the Redundians so that they could defeat the Huns who were expanding into the Western Roman Empire o Last Gasp of the Western Roman Empire Western Roman Empire o Occupied by Barbarians o Romulus Augustulus Last Western Roman Emperor 476 A barbarian leader retires Romulus which ends the Western Roman Empire o Julius Nepos Last Western emperor in exile 480 o Dismemberment of the Western Roman Empire Visigoths SW Gaul and Spain Franks North Central Gaul Angles and Saxons England Vandals North Africa Ostrogoths Italy The Byzantine Empire and Islam Justinian 527 565 and Theodora o Eastern Roman Emperor during the Plague o Reconquest of the West Thought it was rightfully the land of the Roman Empire Thought it was his duty to convert Barbarians into Christianity There was still Christian people living under Barbarians o Belisarius General sent to North Africa o North Africa Vandals 533 548 Nasty against orthodox Christians o King Totila Byzantines got o Italy Ostrogoths 535 554 o Narses o Spain Visigoths 552 o Lombards Gothic king who re conquered all the territory that the Moved westward Crossed into Penonia Italy after they defeated the Huns Conquer Italy in 568 Constantinople paid them to fight off the Huns o King Alboin Succeeded in defeating the Getnids o Pavia becomes Lombard capital 572 o Slavs 580s Start large scale settlements in the Balkans o Byzantines drop the Roman Empire into bankruptcy Justinian as Lawgiver One state one law one church o Code of Justinian 533 Laws of Roman Empire were organized o Tribonian Compiling history since Hadrian o Second Council of Constantinople 533 o Nestorianism o Caesaropapism Caesar Pope Head of the state is the head of the church Civic leader but involved in church policy Heraclius 610 641 Rule of Byzantium Empire when New Persian Empire Formed Syria and Antioch 611 Sack of Jerusalem 614 New Persian Empire Chosroes II Alexandria 618 Haraclius campaigns against Persians 622 628 o Took the gold and silver from churches o Campaigns appeared to be successful o Battle of Nineveh 627 o Pushed Persians back to their central provinces Arabia Arabs o Lived in cities Bedouins o Arabs who lived as Nomads Tribal