Unit 1: Collapse of the Western Roman Empire

Transcription

1 T h e A r t i o s H o m e C o m p a n i o n S e r i e s T e a c h e r O v e r v i e w WE WILL begin our study of the Medieval/Renaissance period with a short review of the last portion of the Ancient historical period. Unit 1 will cover Emperor Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor and arguably the last great emperor of the Roman Empire. Constantine was responsible for moving the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople. He had a profound effect on the unification of the Church through the Council of Nicaea. This unit will cover the rise of Constantine and the effects of his reign on the Roman Empire and the Church. Constantine the Great at the Milvian Bridge, by Giulio Romano Reading and Assignments In this unit, students will: Complete two lessons in which they will learn about Emperor Constantine and the end of the Western Roman Empire, journaling and answering discussion questions as they read. Define vocabulary words. Visit for additional resources. Page 16

2 Leading Ideas An individual s character will be reflected in his leadership. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) Vocabulary Lesson 1: battle standard Lesson 2: apostate Key People, Places, and Events Emperor Constantine (Constantine the Great) Maxentius Battle of the Milvian Bridge Julian the Apostate Theodosius Ambrose of Milan The end of the Western Empire The Basilica of Maxentius in the Roman Forum. Completed by his enemy Constantine, it was one of the most impressive edifices of ancient times. Page 17

3 L e s s o n O n e H i s t o r y O v e r v i e w a n d A s s i g n m e n t s The Rise of Constantine the Great There is a famous legend that, when on an expedition against Maxentius, Constantine was one day praying to the sun god. Suddenly he saw in the sky above the sun a cross, and over it was written a Greek phrase meaning In this sign thou shalt conquer. Eva March Tappan The Emblem of Christ Appearing to Constantine / Constantine s Conversion, by Peter Paul Rubens Reading and Assignments Review the discussion questions and vocabulary, then read the article: Constantine the Great. Page 18

4 Narrate about today s reading using the appropriate notebook page. Be sure to answer the discussion questions and include key people, events, and dates within the narration. Define the vocabulary word in the context of the reading and put the word and its definition in the vocabulary section of your history notebook. Be sure to visit for additional resources. Vocabulary battle standard Key People, Places, and Events Emperor Constantine (Constantine the Great) Maxentius Battle of the Milvian Bridge Discussion Questions 1. Describe Constantine s vision, and explain how it affected his future as Emperor of Rome and leader of the Roman army. 2. Why did Constantine move the capital of Rome to Byzantium? 3. What changes did he make to Byzantium? Adapted for Middle School from the book: Old World Hero Stories by Eva March Tappan Constantine the Great There is a famous legend that, while on an expedition against his rival Maxentius, the Roman emperor Constantine was one day praying to the sun god when suddenly he saw in the sky above the sun a cross. Over it was written a Greek phrase meaning In this sign conquer. According to the legend, Constantine had a new banner made at once and displayed it to his soldiers with the announcement that he had become a Christian. This banner was of purple silk and hung from the shorter arm of a cross. It was ablaze with jewels and showed images of himself and his children. At the top of the upright beam were the Greek letters which stand for the cross and also for the Chr of Christ. The Arch of Constantine in Rome, built in commemoration of Constantine s victory at the Milvian Bridge. Painting by Herman Van Swanevelt With this for his battle standard he fought against Maxentius the Battle of Milvian Bridge and won a victory which gave him such power that he and Licinius, Page 19

5 another one of his rivals, were able to divide the empire between them, Licinius taking the East and Constantine the West. Constantine at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, by the School of Raphael For more than a hundred years before the time of Constantine none of the Roman emperors had done anything great or remarkable. Nearly all of them were evil men, some had inflicted gruesome persecutions upon the Christians, and many had been put to death. At times the empire had been divided up through many battles between army generals. An army would declare its commander an emperor, and he would set himself up as ruler of part of the empire. So in this way there came to be a number of men who claimed to be emperors. In order to become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, Constantine would have to defeat his enemies. The vision of the cross seemed to guarantee his success. Constantine and his father had always been merciful to the Christians, and even when one of the previous rulers named Galerius had commanded that they should still be persecuted, these two men had never obeyed. Once Constantine came to power, he declared that Christians were to be treated with fairness. The laws against them were repealed, and their churches and other property which had been seized were given back. The Christians had felt that they ought to be a people of peace, and they had shunned warfare. But now when Constantine s army went into battle, it followed the sign of the cross. That made the matter look entirely different, and great numbers of them joined his troops. Constantine had need of them, for there was soon a war with Licinius. When it came to an end, the whole empire was in the hands of Constantine. Along with embracing a new religion, Constantine decided to choose a new capital. He thought of taking the old site of Troy; but finally he decided upon Byzantium on the Bosphorus waterway between Europe and Asia. Its name was changed to Constantinople, or city of Constantine. It was an excellent location for trade, and it was near the most troublesome enemies of the Romans, that is, the Persians and the people north of the Danube. Everything possible was done to make the new city handsome. Splendid houses and public buildings were raised; churches, palaces, theaters, baths, and a circus arena were all built. The greatest artists of the time were employed, and Constantine even took from the cities of Greece and Asia Minor statues and ornaments, anything that could be carried away, to beautify Constantinople. Page 20

6 Constantinople in Byzantine times debate, the council issued the Nicene Creed, which describes Jesus the Son of God as being one in substance with the Father. Later councils debated other questions. Together, their conclusions formed the body of beliefs that have come down to us today. Hagia Eirene, the first church commissioned by Constantine in Constantinople Constantine had worked hard to gain his supreme power, and he had no intention of giving up any of it. He made a great many men into generals, but he gave each one so few soldiers that there was little chance of any rebellion against himself, and he also divided the provinces into small districts, each with its governor. Every man who was in office was anxious to prevent any rebellion, for that would throw him out; and therefore this large body of governors and generals and magistrates was a mighty guard to keep the empire strong. A great religious disagreement raged at the time concerning the nature of the Trinity. Constantine called a council of bishops to settle the matter. After much Icon depicting the First Council of Nicaea. The empire was strong in those days, but just beyond its limits were Goths, who were ever trying to break into its circle. Emperors who were powerful thrust them back. Emperors who were weak had to yield and let some of the Goths settle within the Roman bounds. So it went on for threequarters of a century. Then came Alaric, a Gothic leader whom Rome could not drive away. Page 21

7 L e s s o n T w o H i s t o r y O v e r v i e w a n d A s s i g n m e n t s The End of the Western Empire AFTER Constantine the Great, the Roman Empire was divided and ruled by Constantine s two sons. After their reign there were few good or successful emperors, and the Western Empire slowly began to weaken. The Visigoths, the Ostrogoths, and the Vandals all attacked the empire until it was broken up into many separate countries. Genseric Sacking Rome, by Karl Briullov Reading and Assignments Review the discussion questions and vocabulary, then read the article: The End of the Western Empire. Narrate about today s reading using the appropriate notebook page. Be sure to answer the discussion questions and include key people, events, and dates within the narration. Define the vocabulary word in the context of the reading and put the word and its definition in the vocabulary section of your history notebook. Be sure to visit for additional resources. Page 22

8 Vocabulary apostate Key People, Places, and Events Julian the Apostate Theodosius Ambrose of Milan The end of the Western Empire Discussion Questions 1. Why did the Emperor Julian receive the name Julian the Apostate? 2. Why did Julian try to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem? 3. What is the legend surrounding his attempt to rebuild the temple? 4. Describe the reign of Theodosius before the Thessalonican massacre. 5. Describe the events leading up to and surrounding the Thessalonican massacre. 6. Who was Ambrose of Milan? Adapted for Middle School from the book: Famous Men of Rome by John Henry Haaren The End of the Western Empire Most of the Roman emperors after the time of Constantine were either cruel tyrants or worthless persons who spent their time in idle pleasure and neglected their duties to the people. A few of them did some notable things and therefore ought to be mentioned. Julian the Apostate Presiding at a Conference of Sectarians, by Edward Armitage One emperor, whose name was Julian, is called in history Julian the Apostate, because he gave up the Christian religion and tried to reestablish the supremacy of pagan religion again in Rome. Julian also attempted to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem that had been destroyed by Titus. There was a Christian prophecy that it would never be restored, and Julian thought of rebuilding it to prove the prophecy false. A story is told that as soon as the men began the work, balls of fire burst from the ground close by them and they had to stop. They tried again and again and the same thing happened, and at last they had to give up the work altogether. Not long after he became emperor Julian set out with a large army to conquer Persia. For a while he was very successful and defeated the Persian king in many battles. But one day he was shot in the chest by an arrow, and he died soon after. It is said that while he lay wounded he cast a handful of his own blood toward heaven, crying out, Thou hast conquered, O Galilean. By Page 23

9 Galilean he meant Christ, who is sometimes called the Galilean because He was brought up in Galilee. Not long after the reign of Julian, there was an emperor named Valentinian. He made his brother Valens emperor of the eastern part of the empire while he himself ruled over the western part. And for many years afterwards the empire was ruled in this way by two emperors, one called the Emperor of the East, and the other the Emperor of the West. On the death of Valentinian his son Gratian became Emperor of the West, and a talented soldier named Theodosius became Emperor of the East on the death of Valens. Gratian was weak and unfit to rule, and a Spaniard named Maximus, who made himself Emperor of the West, killed him. Theodosius fought Maximus and defeated him, and afterwards had him put to death. Then he made a son of Valentinian Emperor of the West, as Valentinian II, and gave him as his advisor a chief named Arbogastes. But Arbogastes was soon the real master of the Western Empire. One day Valentinian was found dead in his bed, and Arbogastes then made Eugenius, a teacher, the emperor. Theodosius, who well knew that Valentinian II had been murdered, made war on Eugenius and Arbogastes and defeated them, and until his death a few months afterward (in 395 A.D.), Theodosius was made emperor of both East and West. Where Christianity had once been persecuted, Theodosius now required it, as a matter of royal decree. Church buildings were designed in Eastern styles to emphasize God s supremacy. In many ways Theodosius was a wise ruler, but he did one horrible thing. The people of Thessalonica, a city of Macedonia, a country north of Greece, had killed their governor because he had put one of their favorite circus riders in prison for immoral behavior. When Theodosius heard of this he was furious and gave orders that they should be invited to a show in the circus arena and there put to death. This cruel order was carried out, and over six thousand men, women, and children were killed. Saint Ambrose Barring Theodosius I From Milan Cathedral, by Anthony van Dyck At this time Theodosius resided in Milan, a city of north Italy. There lived in Milan a bishop named Ambrose, who was a good and holy man. When Ambrose was told of the massacre at Thessalonica, he was greatly shocked. He severely reprimanded the Emperor and would not permit him the sacrament of Communion until he had done penance for the sin he had committed in so cruelly putting to death many innocent persons. Theodosius refused at first but later repented publicly and received the bishop s acceptance back into the Church. Page 24

10 Another great Christian lived during this time, named Augustine. He was converted to Christianity by the teachings of Bishop Ambrose, and in time became Bishop of Hippo, in northern Africa. His important writings influenced the Christian church as it developed, emphasizing the sovereignty of God and the need for His grace for salvation. The Favorites of the Emperor Honorius, by John William Waterhouse The successor of Theodosius as Emperor of the West was his son Honorius, who reigned for twenty-nine years; but the actual ruler during all that time was a highranking army general named Stilicho, who was the Emperor s guardian. Honorius was a simpleton and had no desire or ability to attend to the affairs of the government. The Goths and Vandals and other barbarous tribes from the north and east of Europe now began to overrun the Western Empire and to threaten Rome itself. Twice the great city was actually captured and plundered the first time by the Goths under their king, Alaric, whose name means supreme chief, and next by the Vandals under a bold warrior named Gaeseric (or Genseric). To defend the seat of their empire against the attacks of its enemies the Romans were obliged to withdraw their forces from several of the outlying provinces, including Britain, which was now left to its native inhabitants. For more than fifty years afterward a number of men without much ability took part in ruling what was left of the once mighty empire. One of these was called by the highsounding name of Romulus Augustus. He was the son of Orestes, the general of the army of Italy, and had been made emperor by his father. He was the last of the Western emperors. Among the Italian soldiers there was a huge, half-savage man named Odoacer, who belonged to a wild northern tribe. He was a favorite of the army because of his courage and strength. He resolved to be the ruler of Italy, so with the army at his back he put Orestes to death, took Romulus Augustus prisoner, and forced him to give up the title of emperor. Then Odoacer became King of Italy in the year 476 A.D. By this time the world had nearly entered that period which is known as the Middle Ages, and many of the other countries which had been parts of the Roman Empire were either ruling themselves or defending themselves against new invaders. Gaul was invaded and conquered by German tribes called Franks, from whom the country subsequently got the name of France. Other German tribes soon afterward conquered Britain, since it had been abandoned by the Romans. And so at last the great Roman Empire crumbled to pieces, and Rome, so long the ruling empire of the world, fell from her proud position of grandeur and power into that of a secondor third-rate city. But the Empire of the East continued to exist for centuries afterward, with Constantinople as its capital. It included Page 25

11 many of the countries of Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe that had formerly belonged to the undivided empire. In the course of time the power of the Greeks, aided by the influence of the Greek division of the Church, became supreme at Constantinople, and so the empire was also called the Greek Empire, and sometimes the Byzantine Empire, from the ancient name of the capital. In the fourteenth century the Muslim Turks, then very powerful in southwestern Asia, began to make inroads on the empire. They conquered and took possession of several of its provinces, and in 1453 they captured Constantinople, which then became the capital of the Turkish, or Ottoman Empire. The Eastern (red) and Western (purple) Roman Empire at the death of Theodosius I in 395 (By Geuiwogbil at the English language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, The Western Roman Empire(blue) and Eastern Roman Empire (red) by 476 Page 26