Tonights Homework!

Definitions

Inflation: An increase in prices

Diocletian: a strong willed army leader and son of a slave, became one of Rome's greatest emperors. He tried to restore order and strength in the empire. 

Constantine: One of Rome's greatest emperors, he ended the persecution of Christians. He conquered the eastern & western empires. 

Eastern Empire: Byzantium was located in this half. Later called the Byzantine empire which included most of the great cities and trade centers of the empire.

Western Empire: The Latin speaking side and the more rural west, wasnt great like the East side. 

Constantinople: the capital of Constantine

Huns: A nomadic people from central Asia, feared by most

Attila: Leader of the Huns, wanted to conquer the entire empire and failed.

Leo I: First powerful Pope of Rome, went to Attila's camp causing him and his forces to fall back. 

Questions

1) All of their prosperities ended. Trade was bombarded by barbarian raids and by bands of pirates on Mediterranean sea lanes. Rome's gold and silver was drained away to buy luxuries from China, Arabia, and India. They couldn't pay their expenses; coins lost 98% silver and prices were sky high.

2) Soldiers would only fight if they were payed, not for patriotism. To attract recruits into the army, the government promised higher pay. Empires began to get barbarians to fight for them because they would take lower pay but weren't loyal. 

3a) AD 313, he announced an end to the persecution of Christians. He granted "both to the Christians and to all men freedom to follow the religion that they choose." Milan was the first to allow Christians.

3b) Constantine took over the eastern and western empire. In AD 330, he moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium in what is now Turkey. 

4a) They were fleeing the Huns; the Huns kept pushing westward and they felt they needed to follow.

4b) They couldn't get a strong enough army, they couldn't even muster a medium-sized army to stop the barbarians. 

5a) 1. He restored order in the empire & increased its strength

       2. Divided the empire 

       3. Ranked among the greatest emperors.  

        

5b) 1. Wages for new troops added to the already high taxes

      2. Not all the reforms were totally successful.

       3. Price controls failed