The Fall of the Roman Empire
Alex Verreault
10/31/2011
35463_1124
The Fall of the Roman Empire The beginning of the Roman Empire came about when Julius Caesar was assassinated by nearly 40 Roman senators in the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March, March 15th 44BC. This assassination led to civil war almost immediately and ultimately led to the heir of the Roman Empire, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, who essentially declared himself as Emperor; and unified with Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in a military dictatorship. This was the legendary start of the Roman Empire, but there were many more years to come of ruler ship. The span of this great Empire ranges from 44 BC to 1453 AD, being ruled by many who were descendents of Augustus. The Roman Empire reached its greatest extent during Emperor Trajan’s reign (98 to 117 AD) in which he controlled nearly six and a half million square kilometers of land. Although there were many great known Emperors of the Roman Empire, none of them could have stopped what was inevitable in such a large domain. [1] After many years, the Roman Empire began to slowly fall apart. Although there are many reasons believed to have cause the fall of this great Empire, I will cover only a few. Firstly were social causes; mainly between religion, morals and slavery. Secondly were economic causes: mainly between trade, military costs, and inflation and taxation. Lastly were political causes: the government being ran by the military, the problem of succession and the government did not know how to rule a large, polyglot empire. Due to the slavery system within the Roman Empire, the spirits of the citizens started to diminish and many people started to feel like they were being deprived of rights. So in turn, there was a decline in citizenry within the Roman Empire. Due to the weakening of the citizens morale, people’s changing lifestyles, amusements, and literature were degraded by excessive sex and violence. At one point, during the Pax Romana (an
10/31/2011
35463_1124
The Fall of the Roman Empire The beginning of the Roman Empire came about when Julius Caesar was assassinated by nearly 40 Roman senators in the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March, March 15th 44BC. This assassination led to civil war almost immediately and ultimately led to the heir of the Roman Empire, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, who essentially declared himself as Emperor; and unified with Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in a military dictatorship. This was the legendary start of the Roman Empire, but there were many more years to come of ruler ship. The span of this great Empire ranges from 44 BC to 1453 AD, being ruled by many who were descendents of Augustus. The Roman Empire reached its greatest extent during Emperor Trajan’s reign (98 to 117 AD) in which he controlled nearly six and a half million square kilometers of land. Although there were many great known Emperors of the Roman Empire, none of them could have stopped what was inevitable in such a large domain. [1] After many years, the Roman Empire began to slowly fall apart. Although there are many reasons believed to have cause the fall of this great Empire, I will cover only a few. Firstly were social causes; mainly between religion, morals and slavery. Secondly were economic causes: mainly between trade, military costs, and inflation and taxation. Lastly were political causes: the government being ran by the military, the problem of succession and the government did not know how to rule a large, polyglot empire. Due to the slavery system within the Roman Empire, the spirits of the citizens started to diminish and many people started to feel like they were being deprived of rights. So in turn, there was a decline in citizenry within the Roman Empire. Due to the weakening of the citizens morale, people’s changing lifestyles, amusements, and literature were degraded by excessive sex and violence. At one point, during the Pax Romana (an
Cited: [1] N/A. “Roman Empire.” Romanpast.com. N/A. 6 March 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. [2] N/A. “Causes for Fall of Roman Empire.” Historyking.com. N/A. N/D. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. [3] N/A. “Fall of the Roman Empire.” Rome.info/history/empire/fall/. Partnerships for Sustainable Development. 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. [4] Trueman, Chris. “Ancient Rome and Trade.” Historylearningsite.co.uk. N/A, N/D. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.