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End of the Roman Empire
There was no one cause which was to blame.
The reasons for the Decline and end of the Roman Empire as
described below:
Fast expansion of the
Empire forcing constant wars and heavy
military spending *** Barbarian Knowledge of
Roman Military Tactics *** Antagonism between the
Senate and the Emperor *** Decline in Morals *** Decline in Ethics and
Values *** Political Corruption
and the Praetorian Guard *** Failing Economy *** Slave Labor *** Unemployment of the
Working Classes (The Plebs) *** The 'Mob' and the cost
of the 'Games' *** Natural Disasters *** Christianity *** Barbarian Invasion
End of the Roman Empire -
The Final Death Blows
The
final death blows resulting in the End of the Roman Empire were
the spread of
Christianity, with its new ideals and beliefs. The increased
power and desperation of the Barbarians who invaded Italy
and threatened Rome.
End of the Roman Empire
- Christianity
One
of the main reasons for the end of the Roman Empire was
Christianity. Life
and the future seemed hopeless for the millions of people who were ruled by
Rome where a miserable life and an early death was almost inevitable. Christianity taught the belief in an afterlife
which gave hope and courage to the desperate. Christianity
preached that life was sacred and one of the greatest sins
was to kill. Attitudes in the Roman Empire changed from
being antagonistic, hostile and aggressive to becoming
pacifistic believing in peace and the sanctity of life.
Morals, ethics and values changed. People were willing to
give up their lives for their new religion and beliefs. And
many Christians died terrible deaths (Christian
Persecution). Eventually the
Roman Emperor,
Constantine the Great, proclaimed himself a Christian
and issued an edict promising the Christians his favor and
protection. The last known
gladiatorial fight took place during the reign of
Honorius. A
Christian monk called Telemachus accessed the Colosseum
arena and in the midst of the bloodshed he called for the
killing to cease in the name of Christ. Telemachus He was
stoned by the outraged 'mob' and killed. Three days later
the Emperor issued a decree that the gladiatorial games were
to stop.
They never started again.
With the advent of Christianity the attitudes towards slaves
changed. With manumission (the act of freeing a slave) the
number of slaves declined together with the manpower that
Rome depended upon. The end of the Roman Empire was in
sight. The birth of Christianity had led to the death of the
empire.
End of the Roman Empire - Barbarian Invasion
The advent of Christianity
had set the scene for the end of the Roman Empire but it was
the physical dominance of the Barbarians that dealt its
final death blow. Rome had fierce foreign enemies.
There were great Barbarian armies consisting of warriors
such as the Visigoths (Western Gauls) and the Vandals who
challenged the dwindling power of the Roman army.
The city of Rome was besieged by the Visigoths
led by Alaric
in 410 and by the Vandals led by Genseric in 455, the hordes
of Attila the Hun also waged war on Rome. The Visigoths, the
Vandals and the Huns all attacked Rome during the reign of
the hapless
Valentinian III. These unprecedented attacks signalled the
disintegration of Roman authority and the End of the Roman
Empire.
The End
of the Roman Empire - The End of Rome
So what became of the
Ancient City of Rome? The final end of the city of Rome occurred in
537 AD during a siege on Rome by the Goths. The aqueducts
which supplied Rome with water were destroyed by the Goths. The people of
Rome could not survive without water and the population of
Rome fell by 90%. The de-population of Rome was the final
death knell - the end of Rome was the final nail in the
coffin of the Roman Empire. The End.
End of the Roman Empire
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