1. Social Studies for 9th EGB
Teacher: Mauricio Torres
The end of
THE EMPIRE

2. Building Background
Thought he Roman Empire
remained large and powerful, it
faced serious threats from both
outside and inside.
Beyond the borders of the
empire, many different groups of
people were on the move. They
threatened the peace in the
provinces - and eventually attacked
the heart of the empire itself

3. Problems in the Empire
At its height the Roman Empire
included all the land around the
Mediterranean Sea. In the early AD
100s, the empire stretched from
Britain south to Egypt and from the
Atlantic Ocean all the way down to
Mesopotamia.
But it did not stay that large for long.
By the 200s, some emperors had
given up some land. They feared the
empire had become too large to
control and defend.
Time proved them right!

4. The End of the Empire: Problems
Internal
Threats
External
Threats
Division of
the Empire

5. External Threats

6. Invasions
External Threats
Tribes of fierce Germanic warriors attacked Rome from the north. At
the same time Parthians, were attacking from the East. For 200
years, the Romans fought bravely, but at a great cost!

7. Internal Threats

8. Internal Threats
Migration
As these barbarian warriors
invaded the north, nervous
Romans fled from the borders
into the South, leaving the lands
abandoned. Without farmers,
Romans had to invite some of the
same Germanic tribes into their
territory in order to farm the land
and produce food!
• Over time, entire communities
moved in and started to mix
with Roman citizens.
• They usually chose their own
leaders and ignored the
emperors.

9. Famine and Disease
Internal Threats
Another problem was the many diseases that swept through
the empire, killing many Romans.
In order to be able to defend itself, the government had to
continuously raise taxes in order to pay for the defense of the
empire.

10. Division of the Empire

11. As desperate romans sought for strength and leadership, they found
DIOCLETIAN

12. Division of the Empire
Diocletian
He became emperor in the late 200s. He was
deeply convinced that the empire was too big
for only one man to rule it. To solve this
issue, he divided the empire in two
administrative regions: east and west.
• While he ruled in the east, he named
Maximian co-emperor.
Not long after his death, Constantine rose to
power after a struggle with Maximian’s
succesor. He rejoined the empire for a short
time and moved the capital to the east, into
modern day Istambul.
• This city was named after him:
Constantinople.
Although it was still called “Roman
Empire”, power was no longer in Rome. It had
now moved to the Hellenistic east.

13. ASK YOURSELF
Identify:
• What problems did Rome
face in the 100s and 200s?
Make inferences:
• Why do you think power
moved to the east when
Constantine moved the
empire’s capital?
Interpret:
• Look at the map on your
left. Why would
Constantine move the
capital to this geographical
location?

14. Oral Activity: Division Debate
Lets have a debate! Choose a side: support Diocletian in his
decision to divide the empire or gather together with others
in order to reunite the empire back together.
Think about the pros and cons, and write them down to help you debate!!