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Why did town life decline after the fal lof the Western Roman Empire?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
It was due to a decline in trade and manufacturing. Many towns prospered on manufacturing and trade. This decline had already started in the later days of the Roman Empire. It accelerated afterwards due to a splintering of Western Europe into several kingdoms and the breakdown in trading linkages across this area. Trade became localised and reduced in scale, also leading to a decline in manufacturing. Political instability due to fights between the kingdoms and/or aristocrats did not help. This worsened during the period of the Carolingian Empire (800-888). Charlemagne united most of western Europe under his empire. However, the rules of succession provided for he partition of the empire among the sons of the incumbent emperor. This led to continuous fights between the successors and also between other members of the imperial family. This empire collapsed because all this fighting led to the extinction of the Carolingian dynasty. This also had a devastating impact of the economy of western Europe.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
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Who was Emperor divided the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western parts to make it easier to control.?
It was the historians of the Middle Ages that first began using the terms eastern and western for parts of the Roman empire. This was not meant to give a false impression, but to clarify their positions and their theories on Roman life.
What caused the Middle Ages?
The Middle Ages came about partly because of a decline in literacy and power of the Roman government, starting with the Crisis of the Third Century. These happened in turn largely because of a disastrous series of civil wars that took place during that century, and ongoing wars with the Persians. Another factor leading to the Middle Ages was the division of the Roman Empire into two related empires, the Roman Empire of the West, and the Roman Empire of the East, which was first done in 286 and became permanent in 395. When the Western Empire was attacked by a series of Germanic hordes, the Eastern Empire was too busy to help. The attempts of Diocletian and Constantine to fix things repaired things a bit, but by that time, the Romans were too dependent on German soldiers to control their own destiny. Piece after piece of the Western Empire fell into the control of Germanic kings who established their own kingdoms within the Empire, and more often than not, these kings only gave lip service to their position in the empire. Many historians have dated the Middle Ages to the year 476, when the last Emperor of the West was deposed, and event referred to as the Fall of Rome. The social commercial and literary life of the Empire of the West pretty much collapsed, and did not recover until the Middle Ages were very much under way. There are links to articles on the Decline of the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages below.
How did the Byzantine empire became the new Rome?
The Byzantine Empire was really just another name for the Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine Greeks called themselves Rhomaoi (Romans) and their Empire the Roman Empire. They saw themselves as the continuation of the Roman Empire and never used the term "Byzantine" to describe themselves.There was no one clear period when the Eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire. Instead it happened in stages - a pagan, Latin empire based around Rome became a Christian Greek-speaking empire based around Constantinople.In 330, Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople. There were a number of reasons for this. One was the fact the site of the city was an excellent defensive position. Secondly it was closer to the rich Eastern cities of the Empire, and also closer to the military outposts border with the Empire's main enemy, Persia.Constantine supported the introduction of Christianity from Constantinople as well - the city of Rome still had many pagan temples and was not as suitable for the purpose.The eastern half of the Empire spoke Greek as its working language instead of Latin, because Greeks had dominated the area for centuries before the rise of Rome.While Constantinople and the Eastern Empire maintained themselves, the Westen Empire was beset by barbarian invasions and by the collapse of urban life. The infantry armies of the Romans could not defend themselves against the barbarians who fought on horseback.With the collapse of the West, Greek langauge and culture became even more dominant in Constantinople. Christianity increased in power as well. The official Byzantine church would later become known as the Orthodox Church and is the ultimate origin of all of today's Orthodox churches.Latin and paganism gradually disappeared and were replaced by Greek and Christianity. The process was complete by the time Emperor Heraclius abolished the official use of Latin titles and language in 610.
What problems were caused by the fall of the roman empire?
When the western half of the Roman empire fell there were multi-problems due to the leadership issues. Security was a big problem for the people as there was no army or authority to protect them from raids by the barbarian intruders or the local warlords. Life became harder as the roads and aqueducts fell into disrepair and were in many cases unusable. Medicine, education and literacy fell to near zero as people had to scramble to make a living and stay alive rather than study or invent. Civilization in Europe took a giant step backward after the fall of the western Roman empire.
What were the roman dark ages?
The Dark Ages is an old fashioned term which refers to the Middle Ages, the period that came after the fall of the roman Empire. It was usedbecasueit was held that after the fall of the empire, Europe descended into a period ofculturaldecline and anarchy.Nowadays the term is avoided because of its negative connotations and because it is misleading.Historiansnow highlight the fact that during the Middle Ages there were two periods ofculturalrevival. They arecalledtheCarolingianRenaissance, which occurred under Charlemagne, and the Renaissance of the 12th Century.
Who was Emperor divided the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western parts to make it easier to control.?
It was the historians of the Middle Ages that first began using the terms eastern and western for parts of the Roman empire. This was not meant to give a false impression, but to clarify their positions and their theories on Roman life.
What has the author JH CLAPHAM written?
J.H CLAPHAM has written: 'The Cambridge economic history of Europe from the decline of the Roman empire, Vol. 1 - The agrarian life of the middle ages'
What led most directly to the decline of the Latin language's?
Vernacular language
What empire ruled Israel during the time of Jesus?
During His life He lived in the Roman Empire.
What has the author Samuel Dill written?
Samuel Dill has written: 'Roman society in the last century of the Western Empire' -- subject(s): Social life and customs, History
Characteristics of life in the roman empire?
The empire stretched from North Africa to the British Isles
What caused the Middle Ages?
The Middle Ages came about partly because of a decline in literacy and power of the Roman government, starting with the Crisis of the Third Century. These happened in turn largely because of a disastrous series of civil wars that took place during that century, and ongoing wars with the Persians. Another factor leading to the Middle Ages was the division of the Roman Empire into two related empires, the Roman Empire of the West, and the Roman Empire of the East, which was first done in 286 and became permanent in 395. When the Western Empire was attacked by a series of Germanic hordes, the Eastern Empire was too busy to help. The attempts of Diocletian and Constantine to fix things repaired things a bit, but by that time, the Romans were too dependent on German soldiers to control their own destiny. Piece after piece of the Western Empire fell into the control of Germanic kings who established their own kingdoms within the Empire, and more often than not, these kings only gave lip service to their position in the empire. Many historians have dated the Middle Ages to the year 476, when the last Emperor of the West was deposed, and event referred to as the Fall of Rome. The social commercial and literary life of the Empire of the West pretty much collapsed, and did not recover until the Middle Ages were very much under way. There are links to articles on the Decline of the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages below.
What government was in power during Jesus life?
The Roman Empire was in power.
What social contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire?
There are literally thousands of theories as to why the Roman Empire declined. I am happy you used the word "decline" and not "fall." There are arguments among historians whether the Roman Empire fell or went through gradual transitions. The reason for the numerous theories is the lack of evidence from the 4th and 5th centuries that would help provide more specific answers. One piece of evidence was the coinage found. The Romans coins were originally minted in silver but by the 5th century, the coinage was minted in basic metals as there is evidence that the silver mines had reached it's peak. This may have been a sign of technological decline as it may have affected trade with India via the Silk Route with China. Historians argue that the sudden expansion of the empire led to economic inflation, and in turn, high taxation led the to empire's downfall. According to the readings, it appears the Empire never had a budget for they were wasteful. The only way to up keep the empire afloat was to up keep the military through high taxation as they invade neighboring regions and plundering their resources. A Historian named Edward Gibbon wrote in the 18th century that the Roman citizens were in the process of "moral decay" due to the influx of Germanic "barbarians" in his book "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-88). This theory was later debunked by the writings by future historians. The decay he speaks about was the western Roman Empire neglecting to note the the eastern empire has prospered and it was more Christian than the western empire. Peter Heather in "The Fall of the Roman Empire,"(2005) that main trouble was the threat from the Sassanid Persian empire (226-651) for half a century. The Roman Empire had to maintain a strong military. He does agree with Gibbon that in order to cope with the Sassanid threat, they totally stripping the the western empire of the towns' and cities of their regional income tax. However, Heather disagrees with Gibbon on that Christianity and moral decay led to the decline. Life for the middle and lower classes were not easy during these times. It was they who celebrated when the Romans were defeated by an outside army according to Joseph Tainter in a 1988 book "the Collapse of Complex Societies." He feels that the Roman Empire could not address the problems of an economy of declining returns. Tainter also theorizes that by conquering neighbors for their surpluses was only temporary and the long term problem of maintaining garrisons. civil governments, and communications costs grew substantially. In an archeological dig, Tainter reports that archeologists noted from the bones of a post empire person ate a lot better. Bryan Ward-Perkins wrote in "The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization" in 2005, has archeological records indicating the collapse was a disaster. Historian William H. McNeill in his book "Plagues and Peoples" (1976) fingers diseases lasting 20 years as the cause if the downfall. I have just scratched the surface in theories. I am leaving a link for further reading.
How did the Byzantine empire became the new Rome?
The Byzantine Empire was really just another name for the Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine Greeks called themselves Rhomaoi (Romans) and their Empire the Roman Empire. They saw themselves as the continuation of the Roman Empire and never used the term "Byzantine" to describe themselves.There was no one clear period when the Eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire. Instead it happened in stages - a pagan, Latin empire based around Rome became a Christian Greek-speaking empire based around Constantinople.In 330, Constantine the Great moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople. There were a number of reasons for this. One was the fact the site of the city was an excellent defensive position. Secondly it was closer to the rich Eastern cities of the Empire, and also closer to the military outposts border with the Empire's main enemy, Persia.Constantine supported the introduction of Christianity from Constantinople as well - the city of Rome still had many pagan temples and was not as suitable for the purpose.The eastern half of the Empire spoke Greek as its working language instead of Latin, because Greeks had dominated the area for centuries before the rise of Rome.While Constantinople and the Eastern Empire maintained themselves, the Westen Empire was beset by barbarian invasions and by the collapse of urban life. The infantry armies of the Romans could not defend themselves against the barbarians who fought on horseback.With the collapse of the West, Greek langauge and culture became even more dominant in Constantinople. Christianity increased in power as well. The official Byzantine church would later become known as the Orthodox Church and is the ultimate origin of all of today's Orthodox churches.Latin and paganism gradually disappeared and were replaced by Greek and Christianity. The process was complete by the time Emperor Heraclius abolished the official use of Latin titles and language in 610.
What problems were caused by the fall of the roman empire?
When the western half of the Roman empire fell there were multi-problems due to the leadership issues. Security was a big problem for the people as there was no army or authority to protect them from raids by the barbarian intruders or the local warlords. Life became harder as the roads and aqueducts fell into disrepair and were in many cases unusable. Medicine, education and literacy fell to near zero as people had to scramble to make a living and stay alive rather than study or invent. Civilization in Europe took a giant step backward after the fall of the western Roman empire.
What was life for poor people and children before jesus was born?
As the Roman empire was a harsh and cruel one, life was not easy then.
