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Explore how Rome's empire divided, thrived, and faltered. Learn about Diocletian, Constantine, the split of East and West, the fall of the Western Empire, Justinian, the Byzantine Empire, and the enduring legacy of Rome in art, literature, architecture, and government systems.
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The Empire Splits • A man named Diocletian came to power and made Rome strong again • He thought the empire was too big to rule effectively, so he split it into East and West
Constantine • A man named Constantine became Emperor in 306 • He signed a bill called the Edict of Milan which made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire • In 380 Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the empire • This began The Roman Catholic Church
Constantine • He moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium and he changed the name to Constantinople
The West Falls • The Empire in the west began to get attacked by tribes that lived around them (Germanic tribes) • Many of the leaders were corrupt • Taxes were very high • Patriotism and loyalty declined • Soil was used irresponsibly and this led to food shortages
The West Falls • All of these combined and led to the fall of the western empire beginning in the late 300s • By 476, Rome fell to the Germanic tribes
Justinian • A powerful ruler emerged in the east named Justinian • He made the east (Now called the Byzantine Empire) grow • He wrote the Justinian Code • It included laws on marriage, slavery, property, criminal justice, and women’s rights
The Church • The Byzantine Empire ruled for about 1000 years after the west fell • During this time, in 1054, the church split into two parts. • Roman Catholic • Eastern Orthodox • The Catholic church had a leader named the Pope • During this time, the Pope was the most powerful person in the west.
Fall • Eventually, in 1453 a group called the Turks (who were Muslims) attacked and conquered the Byzantine Empire
Legacy of Rome • Art • Literature • Architecture • Technology (aqueducts, roads etc.) • Language – Romance languages • Government – for example, the United States’ republic and system of checks and balances