What effect did Germanic invaders have on the Roman Empire?
Diocletian ceased being emperor in 305 C.E. Once again conflict broke out in the empire. The fighting did not end until 312 C.E. when a general named Constantine (KAHN • stuhn • TEEN) became emperor.
Constantine wanted to improve the economy. To that end, he issued several orders to Diocletian’s rules. Constantine also wanted a stable workforce and military. For example, he reinforced orders that the sons of workers had to follow their fathers' trades. The sons of farmers had to work their fathers' lands. The sons of soldiers had to serve in the army
Constantine's reforms, however, did not stop the empire from becoming weaker. Rome continued to decline. In 330 C.E., Constantine moved the capital from Rome to a new city in the east, the Greek city of Byzantium (buh • ZAN • tee • uhm) in present-day Turkey. Byzantium became known as Constantinople (kahn • stan • tuh • NOH • puhl). Constantine died a few years later. A new emperor, Theodosius, (THEE • uh • DOH • shuhs) took power in Constantinople.
After taking power, Theodosius found the empire difficult to govern. It covered a very large area. In addition, it faced threats from both inside and outside its borders. Theodosius realized the empire was too large to control from one seat of government. He decided the eastern and western parts should become separate empires after he died. The division took place in 395 C.E. One empire was the Western Roman Empire. Rome remained its capital. The other empire was the Eastern Roman Empire. Its capital was Constantinople.
During the late 300s and 400s C.E., many Germanic tribes migrated from northern Europe. The tribes fought to expand their hold over Roman territory. Some were looking for better land to farm and raise livestock. Many, however, were running away from the Huns. The Huns were a fierce group of warriors from Mongolia in Asia.
The Huns entered Eastern Europe in the late 300s C.E. A Germanic tribe called the Visigoths (VIH • zuh • gahths) were afraid the Huns would attack. They asked the Roman government for protection. The Romans let them settle just inside the empire's border. There, the Roman army could protect them. In return, the Visigoths promised to be loyal to the empire. They promised not to attack the empire from the inside.
The Romans, however, treated the Visigoths badly. They charged them high prices for food and enslaved some of their people. The Visigoths got tired of Roman demands and rebelled. In 378 C.E., they fought the Roman legions at Adrianople (AY • dree • uh • NOH • puhl). The Romans lost the battle.
The Visigoths' victory brought more attacks on Roman lands. Soon, Germanic tribes invaded Gaul, which today is France. In 410 C.E., a Visigoth leader named Alaric (A • luh • rihk) led his people into Italy. Alaric’s forces captured Rome. The Visigoths looted the city's government buildings and private homes. Many Romans believed that the empire would last forever. Alaric’s conquest of Rome made it clear that it would not.
Another Germanic group called the Vandals attacked Roman lands in Spain and northern Africa. Then, they sailed to Italy. In 455 C.E, they entered Rome. They overpowered the Romans living there. The Vandals spent almost two weeks seizing valuables and burning buildings. The English word vandalism comes from the Vandals’ actions. It means "the willful destruction of property." The Germanic people had entered every part of Rome's organization. By the mid- 400s C.E., Germanic soldiers had been working for the Roman government for centuries.
Roman Emperor Forced Out A number of Germanic leaders held high posts in Rome's government and army. A Germanic general named Odoacer (OH • duh • WAY • suhr) had a lot of support from soldiers. As a result, in 476 C.E., he was able to overthrow the 14-year-old western emperor, Romulus Augustulus (RAHM • yuh • luhs aw • GUHS • chah • luhs).Romulus Augustulus was the last Roman emperor to ever rule from Rome. From then on, foreign powers ruled what had been the Roman Empire. Historians often use the fall of Rome to mark the end of the Western Roman Empire. It was a major turning point in history.
Odoacer controlled Rome for almost 15 years. During that time, the Germanic peoples continued to fight with each other. A group of Visigoths attacked and seized the city of Rome during Odoacer's rule. They also killed Odoacer. They set up their new kingdom in Italy under their leader, Theodoric (thee • AH • duh • rihk). Other Germanic kingdoms arose and came to power in other parts of Europe.
The Western Roman Empire was no longer. Pope Gregory I wrote about the fall of Rome. He told how the fall affected people who had lived within its borders. "We see on all sides sorrows; We hear on all sides groans. Cities are destroyed, fortifications razed [forts destroyed] to the ground, fields devastated [left in ruin], land reduced to solitude. No husbandman [farmer] is left in the fields, few inhabitants remain in the cities. . . . What Rome herself, once deemed [regarded as] the Mistress of the World, has now become, we see—wasted away with . . . the loss of citizens, the assaults of enemies, the frequent fall of ruined buildings."
—from Homiliarum in Ezechielem, by Pope Gregory I
By 550 C.E., a group of Germanic-ruled territories had replaced the Western Roman Empire. Roman
culture did not disappear completely. Western Europe's new Germanic rulers adopted the Latin language and Roman laws. They also adopted Christianity. In the eastern Mediterranean, the Eastern Roman Empire thrived. It became known as the Byzantine Empire. It lasted nearly 1,000 more years.