Western Roman Empire

Examples of Western Roman Empire in the following topics:

• German Nouns

• The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

  • The Fall of the Western Roman Empire was the period of decline in the Western Roman Empire in which it disintegrated and split into numerous successor states.
  • The Fall of the Western Roman Empire was the process of decline in the Western Roman Empire in which it failed to enforce its rule, and its vast territory was divided into several successor polities.
  • By 476 CE, when Odoacer deposed the Emperor Romulus, the Western Roman Empire wielded negligible military, political, or financial power and had no effective control over the scattered Western domains that could still be described as Roman.
  • It is important to note, however, that the so-called fall of the Roman Empire specifically refers to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, since the Eastern Roman Empire, or what became known as the Byzantine Empire, whose capital was founded by Constantine, remained for another 1000 years.
  • The Ostrogothic Kingdom, which rose from the ruins of the Western Roman Empire.

• Naming of the Byzantine Empire

  • While the Western Roman Empire fell, the Eastern Roman Empire, now known as the Byzantine Empire, thrived.
  • It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
  • However, it was not until the mid-19th century that the term came into general use in the Western world; calling it the "Byzantine Empire" helped to emphasize its differences from the earlier Latin-speaking Roman Empire centered on Rome.
  • The term "Byzantine" was also useful to the many Western European states that also claimed to be the true successors of the Roman Empire, as it was used to delegitimize the claims of the Byzantines as true Romans.
  • A map of the territories controlled by Eastern and Western Roman Empires as of 476 CE.

• The Catholic Church

  • After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the Catholic Church became a powerful social and political institution and its influence spread throughout Europe.
  • Christianity spread throughout the early Roman Empire despite persecutions due to conflicts with the pagan state religion.
  • In 380, under Emperor Theodosius I, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire by the decree of the emperor, which would persist until the fall of the Western Empire, and later with the Eastern Roman Empire until the fall of Constantinople.
  • After the destruction of the Western Roman Empire, the church in the West was a major factor in preserving classical civilization, establishing monasteries, and sending missionaries to convert the peoples of northern Europe as far north as Ireland.
  • After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the Catholic faith competed with Arianism for the conversion of the barbarian tribes.

• The Eastern Roman Empire, Constantine the Great, and Byzantium

  • It is a matter of debate when the Roman Empire officially ended and transformed into the Byzantine Empire.
  • After Constantine, few emperors ruled the entire Roman Empire.
  • Usually, there was an emperor of the Western Roman Empire ruling from Italy or Gaul and an emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire ruling from Constantinople.
  • In 476 CE, the last Western Roman Emperor was deposed and the Western Roman Empire was no more.
  • Thus the Eastern Roman Empire was the only Roman Empire left standing.

• The Romans After Constantine

  • Although Roman architectural style survived, the era after Constantine's rule saw the degradation of Roman monuments and art.
  • The more prosperous eastern half of the empire continued to thrive, mainly due to its connection to important trade routes and became known as the Byzantine Empire, while the western half of the empire fell apart.
  • While at times over the next several centuries, Byzantium controlled Italy and the city Rome, for the most part the Western Roman Empire, due to being less urban and less prosperous, was difficult to protect.
  • A view of the Roman Forum by Italian engraver, Giambattista Piranesi.
  • Assess the effects of the division of the Roman Empire after Constantinople was formed.

• The Byzantine Empire

  • The Byzantine Empire began as a continuation of the Roman Empire but gradually became distinct through cultural changes.
  • After the death of Theodosius I in 395, the Roman Empire was divided into an Eastern half based in Constantinople and a Western half based in Rome.
  • This act effectively ended the line of Western emperors and marked the end of the Western Empire.
  • Even Roman Catholicism remained the official religion of the Byzantine Empire until the eleventh century.
  • After the fall of the Western Empire, several churches, including the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and San Vitale in Ravenna, were built as centrally-planned structures.

• Crises of the Roman Empire

  • By 268, the Empire had split into three competing states: the Gallic Empire, including the Roman provinces of Gaul, Britannia and (briefly) Hispania; the Palmyrene Empire, including the eastern provinces of Syria Palaestina and Aegyptus; and the Italian-centered and independent Roman Empire, proper, between them.
  • The Roman provinces of Gaul, Britain and Hispania broke off to form the Gallic Empire.
  • By late 274, the Roman Empire was reunited into a single entity, and the frontier troops were back in place.
  • However, dozens of formerly thriving cities, especially in the Western Empire, had been ruined, their populations dispersed and, with the breakdown of the economic system, could not be rebuilt.
  • Describe the problems afflicting the Roman Empire during the third century

• Break from the Seleucid Empire and Rise of the Parthian Empire

  • Seleucid expansion into Anatolia and Greece was abruptly halted after decisive defeats at the hands of the Roman army.
  • The empire, located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Basin and the Han Empire of China, became a center of trade and commerce.
  • The Parthians controlled the major trade routes between the Roman Empire and the Han Empire of China, which became the foundation of Parthia's wealth and power.
  • Parthia, shaded yellow, alongside the Seleucid Empire (blue) and the Roman Republic (purple) around 200 BCE
  • Parthia declared its independence from the Seleucid Empire around 250 BCE when its rulers were overextended and distracted by western wars.

• The Empire Style

  • The Empire Style reflects Napoleon's desire to reshape France in the model of the Roman Empire.
  • Art forms from this period reflect Napoleon's desire to remake France in the image of the Roman Empire.
  • Architecture of the Empire style was based on elements of the Roman Empire and its many archaeological treasures, which had been rediscovered starting in the eighteenth century.
  • Although this building is a church, it more closely resembles a classical temple, combining elements from ancient Greece (origin of democracy and Western philosophy) and Rome (a republic turned empire).
  • This temple to Napoleon's army combines elements from ancient Greek and Roman temples.