Decline And Fall Of Roman Empire Essay
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Name: Voné Smith
ICCE no.:
Account no.:
School/Homeschool name: Smith Homschool
Address:
Post Code:
Country:
Tel.No.:
Date:
Level:
General Intermediate Advanced
Subject: (Please circle one)
English English Literature Social Studies Biblical Studies
Title of Essay: Describe and accout for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the West from AD 198 to AD 476
Supervisor’s grade: A B C D
Supervisor’s comments:
In this paper I have chosen to describe and account for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the West from A.D. 198 to A.D. 476. I will present some of the most significant …show more content…
features during this period and provide facts and details to give a clear understanding of the reasons behind the memorable event that contributed to the History of the Roman Empire. The major factors I will elaborate on in this paper are the Roman Emperors, and the influence that Christianity had in the proceedings of the fall, rebellions and civil wars, Barbarians, and economics.
From A.D. 198 through A.D 476 there were several memorable Emperors who brought both positive and negative factors forward during their rule. These Emperors were all part of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire whom greatly contributed and withheld progress within the Empire. It is believed that the decline of the Roman Empire began in the year A.D. 190 before Emperor Septimius Severus took over from Emperor Commodus in A.D. 192. Ross (2013) states that; 'Septimius Severus was the first emperor of African descent, and even though some of his policies were questionable he was a ruler Rome needed after Commodus and the Year of five Emperors.' Ross also mentioned that; 'Septimius Severus co-ruled with his son Caracalla from A.D. 198.' (Ross, 2013) Severus died in A.D. 211 in Britain, leaving power to his two quarrelling sons, Geta and Caracalla. Saylor.Org (n.d.)
Paraphrasing from Courtney Ross (2013) Caracalla took over as Emperor in A.D. 211 right after his father's death, he briefly co-ruled with his brother Geta, but then had him murdered in A.D.211. Ross also mentioned that 'Caracalla was a very unpleasant emperor and persecuted many people throughout his reign in large massacres.' (Ross,2013) Another well known Emperor was Diocletian who ruled from A.D.284 until A.D.305. Paraphrasing form Courtney Ross (2013); Diocletian rose to power through military ranks, and was eventually made Emperor when the Emperor and his son at the time was killed on campaign. (Ross,2013) Diocletian created the ''Tetrarchy'' of Emperors. According to Gill (n.d.) 'The Tetrarchy in Roman history refers to the division of the Roman Empire into a western and eastern empire, with subordinate divisions within the western and eastern empires. Paraphrasing from Gill (n.d.) the Tetrarchy is also referred to as an establishment by Diocletian in 293, a 4-part division of the empire.
Diocletian continued to rule in the east, and he made Maximian his equal and co-emperor in the west. They were each called Augustus which signified that they were both emperors. (Gill, n.d.) Diocletian persecuted the Christians heavily in A.D. 303 and further created a divide between the East and the West. Sometime between A.D.198 until the time of Emperor Diocletian, the Roman Empire had grown so immense that it was no longer viable to reign all of the provinces from the central capital known at the time as Rome. Diocletian, sought to make the provinces easier to govern when he divided the empire into two halves Rome and Byzantium. The two halves of the Empire, even though they were divided were still known as the Roman Empire, the only difference were that the two sides had their own elected leader. Emperor Diocletian believed that the provinces would be better governed that way. He finally stepped down from the throne in A.D. 305, and left it to his two sons, Constantius in the West, and Galerius in the East.(Ross, 2013) Diocletian died in A.D. 311 of an apparent suicide because of illness and despondency.
In A.D.
306 the first Christian Emperor took on the throne known as Constantine. Quoting from the roman-empire.net (n.d.) 'The key moment in the establishment if Christianity as the predominant religion of the Roman empire, happened in AD 312 when emperor Constantine on the eve before battle against the rival emperor Maxentius had a vision of the sign of Christ (the so called chi-rho symbol) in a dream.' (Anon, n.d.) At the time that Christianity was introduced in the Roman Empire the land had undergone a dramatic change, and this conversion altered the whole Roman Empire. Paraphrasing from Ross (2013) Constantine passed an edict allowing all religions within the empire to be practiced. Diocletian gained control of the whole empire and moved the capital city to Constantinople in A.D.330. The Arch of Constantine that was constructed form A.D. 312 up until A.D. 315 representing Constantine's campaign against Maxentius. (Ross,2013) There were some who blame Christianity for the fall of the Roman Empire, and historians claim that Christianity only accelerated the expected outcome, but Christianity couldn't have had anything to do with the decline or the fall of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was already in the midst of the decline when Christianity was familiarized to the people by Emperor Constantine. It was simply an act of God wanting to heal the already ruined land, which in the end proved Him worthy of all the praise. J.F. Matthews (2014) wrote; 'During his absence from …show more content…
the East, and for reasons that remain obscure, Constantine had his eldest son, the deputy emperor Crispus, and his own wife Fausta, Crispus’s stepmother, slain.' (Matthews, 2014) Ross (2013) noted that this was something unheard of even compared to previous violent Emperors. Constantine fell ill in A.D 337 and died in the same year. Before Constantine died he was baptized on his death bed. (Ross,2013)
The one who succeeded Constantine in A.D.379 was Emperor Theodosius. Paraphrasing form Ross(2013) during Theodosius' reign the Goths were a prevailing threat and several provinces were lost to them in the Gothic War. He was also the last Emperor to have ruled both the Eastern and Western parts of the Roman Empire. The end of his reign was plagued with Civil War, and his sons Arcadius and Honorius took over the Eastern and Western parts of Rome after his death. Marshall (n.d.) wrote ; 'When the Emperor Theodosius died, about sixty years after the founding of Constantinople, he left two sons, both mere boys. They divided the empire between them, Arcadius, the elder, taking Constantinople for his capital, ruled over the Eastern Empire, and Honorius, a child of eleven, became ruler of the Western Empire, with Rome as his capital. It was upon Rome and the Western Empire that the full force of the barbarian onslaught fell.' (Marshall, n.d.)
Chris Trueman (n.d.) recorded that; 'The Roman Empire was attacked by tribes such as the Goths and the Vandals. Civil wars in parts of the empire further weakened the rule of Rome and respect for Roman law dwindled as a result.' (Trueman, n.d.) Rebellions and uprisings were quite frequent events that occurred throughout the Empire. This marked times of hardship and strife among the people of the cities that caused rebellion to break out among the masses, and it ended up spreading all around the disrupting everyone. Actions taken to contain the situation ended in force and eventually commenced in a civil war. Marshall (n.d.) from The Baldwin Project wrote; 'The Romans called themselves lords of the world. And so it seemed they were. All the trade and skill, all the art and learning of the known world, were theirs. Beyond the borders of the Roman Empire the world was given over to wild barbarians, who were skilled neither in the arts of war nor of peace. ' (Marshall, n.d.)
The Barbarians were menacing and assaulting one another, that involved other civilizations who were also associated with Rome. These acts caused Rome to defend their own Barbarian supporters limiting the warfare among them. Rome showed no enthusiasm toward military interference against the barbarian allies since it was costly, and they had no assurance that the war would be of any assistance in leading to a somewhat reduction in the demands from the Barbarians. Rome wanted all the uprisings and rebellions of the cities to be kept under control by trying to avoid the risk of a civil war breaking out among the people. The times of lack and prosperity caused the Roman economy to experience decline and times of good trade. The economy was unpredictable, and this fact made it difficult for the people and the Empire which lead to the Fall of not only the economy but also the Empire. This caused chaos among the citizens of Rome and civil wars were a result.
In the year A.D. 476 the Roman Empire was taken under the rule of the well known Romulus Augustulus. Summarizing on what Ross(2013) wrote; the surrendering of the Empire's badge in the East as well as the West ultimately marked the official finale of the Empire as a whole. (Ross,2013) Conspiracy, jealousy and a great opinion toward self importance were present in each of the Emperors’ reign from the time of A.D. 198 up until the reign of the last Emperor Romulus Augustulus in A.D. 476.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 KJV
Bibliography
Ross, C.
Roman Emperors. An outline of some of the most influential or important emperors, for positive or negative reasons. 2013. At https://prezi.com/vwm3ccvkr_bd/roman-emperors/ [Visited 10 November 2014]
Saylor.Org. Septimius Severus (193–211 AD). Founder of the Severan Dynasty. n.d. At http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/HIST301-7.2-SeptimiusSeverus-FINAL.pdf [Visited 10 November 2014]
Trueman, C. The fall of Ancient Rome". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. Web. n.d. At http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/fall_of_ancient_rome.htm [Visited 10 November 2014]
Gill, N.S. Tetarchy. Definition. At http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeempire/g/tetrarchy.htm [Visited 10 November 2014]
Anon. Roman Paganism. The religion of Rome. n.d. At http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/religion.html [Visited 11 November 2014]
Matthews, J.F. Constantine I. Commitment to Christianity. 2014. At http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133873/Constantine-I/22045/Commitment-to-Christianity [11 November 2014]
Marshall, H.E. The Story of Europe. The Barbarian Invade the Roma Empire. n.d. At http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=marshall&book=sketches&story=barbarians [Visited 11 November
2014]
Name: Voné Smith
ICCE no.:
Account no.:
School/Homeschool name: Smith Homschool
Address:
Post Code:
Country:
Tel.No.:
Date:
Level:
General Intermediate Advanced
Subject: (Please circle one)
English English Literature Social Studies Biblical Studies
Title of Essay: Describe and accout for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the West from AD 198 to AD 476
Supervisor’s grade: A B C D
Supervisor’s comments:
In this paper I have chosen to describe and account for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in the West from A.D. 198 to A.D. 476. I will present some of the most significant …show more content…
features during this period and provide facts and details to give a clear understanding of the reasons behind the memorable event that contributed to the History of the Roman Empire. The major factors I will elaborate on in this paper are the Roman Emperors, and the influence that Christianity had in the proceedings of the fall, rebellions and civil wars, Barbarians, and economics.
From A.D. 198 through A.D 476 there were several memorable Emperors who brought both positive and negative factors forward during their rule. These Emperors were all part of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire whom greatly contributed and withheld progress within the Empire. It is believed that the decline of the Roman Empire began in the year A.D. 190 before Emperor Septimius Severus took over from Emperor Commodus in A.D. 192. Ross (2013) states that; 'Septimius Severus was the first emperor of African descent, and even though some of his policies were questionable he was a ruler Rome needed after Commodus and the Year of five Emperors.' Ross also mentioned that; 'Septimius Severus co-ruled with his son Caracalla from A.D. 198.' (Ross, 2013) Severus died in A.D. 211 in Britain, leaving power to his two quarrelling sons, Geta and Caracalla. Saylor.Org (n.d.)
Paraphrasing from Courtney Ross (2013) Caracalla took over as Emperor in A.D. 211 right after his father's death, he briefly co-ruled with his brother Geta, but then had him murdered in A.D.211. Ross also mentioned that 'Caracalla was a very unpleasant emperor and persecuted many people throughout his reign in large massacres.' (Ross,2013) Another well known Emperor was Diocletian who ruled from A.D.284 until A.D.305. Paraphrasing form Courtney Ross (2013); Diocletian rose to power through military ranks, and was eventually made Emperor when the Emperor and his son at the time was killed on campaign. (Ross,2013) Diocletian created the ''Tetrarchy'' of Emperors. According to Gill (n.d.) 'The Tetrarchy in Roman history refers to the division of the Roman Empire into a western and eastern empire, with subordinate divisions within the western and eastern empires. Paraphrasing from Gill (n.d.) the Tetrarchy is also referred to as an establishment by Diocletian in 293, a 4-part division of the empire.
Diocletian continued to rule in the east, and he made Maximian his equal and co-emperor in the west. They were each called Augustus which signified that they were both emperors. (Gill, n.d.) Diocletian persecuted the Christians heavily in A.D. 303 and further created a divide between the East and the West. Sometime between A.D.198 until the time of Emperor Diocletian, the Roman Empire had grown so immense that it was no longer viable to reign all of the provinces from the central capital known at the time as Rome. Diocletian, sought to make the provinces easier to govern when he divided the empire into two halves Rome and Byzantium. The two halves of the Empire, even though they were divided were still known as the Roman Empire, the only difference were that the two sides had their own elected leader. Emperor Diocletian believed that the provinces would be better governed that way. He finally stepped down from the throne in A.D. 305, and left it to his two sons, Constantius in the West, and Galerius in the East.(Ross, 2013) Diocletian died in A.D. 311 of an apparent suicide because of illness and despondency.
In A.D.
306 the first Christian Emperor took on the throne known as Constantine. Quoting from the roman-empire.net (n.d.) 'The key moment in the establishment if Christianity as the predominant religion of the Roman empire, happened in AD 312 when emperor Constantine on the eve before battle against the rival emperor Maxentius had a vision of the sign of Christ (the so called chi-rho symbol) in a dream.' (Anon, n.d.) At the time that Christianity was introduced in the Roman Empire the land had undergone a dramatic change, and this conversion altered the whole Roman Empire. Paraphrasing from Ross (2013) Constantine passed an edict allowing all religions within the empire to be practiced. Diocletian gained control of the whole empire and moved the capital city to Constantinople in A.D.330. The Arch of Constantine that was constructed form A.D. 312 up until A.D. 315 representing Constantine's campaign against Maxentius. (Ross,2013) There were some who blame Christianity for the fall of the Roman Empire, and historians claim that Christianity only accelerated the expected outcome, but Christianity couldn't have had anything to do with the decline or the fall of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was already in the midst of the decline when Christianity was familiarized to the people by Emperor Constantine. It was simply an act of God wanting to heal the already ruined land, which in the end proved Him worthy of all the praise. J.F. Matthews (2014) wrote; 'During his absence from …show more content…
the East, and for reasons that remain obscure, Constantine had his eldest son, the deputy emperor Crispus, and his own wife Fausta, Crispus’s stepmother, slain.' (Matthews, 2014) Ross (2013) noted that this was something unheard of even compared to previous violent Emperors. Constantine fell ill in A.D 337 and died in the same year. Before Constantine died he was baptized on his death bed. (Ross,2013)
The one who succeeded Constantine in A.D.379 was Emperor Theodosius. Paraphrasing form Ross(2013) during Theodosius' reign the Goths were a prevailing threat and several provinces were lost to them in the Gothic War. He was also the last Emperor to have ruled both the Eastern and Western parts of the Roman Empire. The end of his reign was plagued with Civil War, and his sons Arcadius and Honorius took over the Eastern and Western parts of Rome after his death. Marshall (n.d.) wrote ; 'When the Emperor Theodosius died, about sixty years after the founding of Constantinople, he left two sons, both mere boys. They divided the empire between them, Arcadius, the elder, taking Constantinople for his capital, ruled over the Eastern Empire, and Honorius, a child of eleven, became ruler of the Western Empire, with Rome as his capital. It was upon Rome and the Western Empire that the full force of the barbarian onslaught fell.' (Marshall, n.d.)
Chris Trueman (n.d.) recorded that; 'The Roman Empire was attacked by tribes such as the Goths and the Vandals. Civil wars in parts of the empire further weakened the rule of Rome and respect for Roman law dwindled as a result.' (Trueman, n.d.) Rebellions and uprisings were quite frequent events that occurred throughout the Empire. This marked times of hardship and strife among the people of the cities that caused rebellion to break out among the masses, and it ended up spreading all around the disrupting everyone. Actions taken to contain the situation ended in force and eventually commenced in a civil war. Marshall (n.d.) from The Baldwin Project wrote; 'The Romans called themselves lords of the world. And so it seemed they were. All the trade and skill, all the art and learning of the known world, were theirs. Beyond the borders of the Roman Empire the world was given over to wild barbarians, who were skilled neither in the arts of war nor of peace. ' (Marshall, n.d.)
The Barbarians were menacing and assaulting one another, that involved other civilizations who were also associated with Rome. These acts caused Rome to defend their own Barbarian supporters limiting the warfare among them. Rome showed no enthusiasm toward military interference against the barbarian allies since it was costly, and they had no assurance that the war would be of any assistance in leading to a somewhat reduction in the demands from the Barbarians. Rome wanted all the uprisings and rebellions of the cities to be kept under control by trying to avoid the risk of a civil war breaking out among the people. The times of lack and prosperity caused the Roman economy to experience decline and times of good trade. The economy was unpredictable, and this fact made it difficult for the people and the Empire which lead to the Fall of not only the economy but also the Empire. This caused chaos among the citizens of Rome and civil wars were a result.
In the year A.D. 476 the Roman Empire was taken under the rule of the well known Romulus Augustulus. Summarizing on what Ross(2013) wrote; the surrendering of the Empire's badge in the East as well as the West ultimately marked the official finale of the Empire as a whole. (Ross,2013) Conspiracy, jealousy and a great opinion toward self importance were present in each of the Emperors’ reign from the time of A.D. 198 up until the reign of the last Emperor Romulus Augustulus in A.D. 476.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 KJV
Bibliography
Ross, C.
Roman Emperors. An outline of some of the most influential or important emperors, for positive or negative reasons. 2013. At https://prezi.com/vwm3ccvkr_bd/roman-emperors/ [Visited 10 November 2014]
Saylor.Org. Septimius Severus (193–211 AD). Founder of the Severan Dynasty. n.d. At http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/HIST301-7.2-SeptimiusSeverus-FINAL.pdf [Visited 10 November 2014]
Trueman, C. The fall of Ancient Rome". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. Web. n.d. At http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/fall_of_ancient_rome.htm [Visited 10 November 2014]
Gill, N.S. Tetarchy. Definition. At http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romeempire/g/tetrarchy.htm [Visited 10 November 2014]
Anon. Roman Paganism. The religion of Rome. n.d. At http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/religion.html [Visited 11 November 2014]
Matthews, J.F. Constantine I. Commitment to Christianity. 2014. At http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133873/Constantine-I/22045/Commitment-to-Christianity [11 November 2014]
Marshall, H.E. The Story of Europe. The Barbarian Invade the Roma Empire. n.d. At http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=marshall&book=sketches&story=barbarians [Visited 11 November
2014]