The Barbarians And the Fall of the Roman
The Barbarians And the Fall of the Roman Empire
Definition • People who lived outside the borders of the Roman Empire. • In Europe, there were five major barbarian tribes: the, 1. Huns 2. Franks 3. Vandals 4. Saxons, and, 5. Visigoths (Goths).
Characteristics of Barbarians • The term barbarian has come to imply savagery. 1. But Barbarians were simply outsiders/aliens/foreigners. 2. They were tribal. 3. They emphasized kinship. 4. Were nomadic. 5. Were unsettled. • The contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. • The Romans tried to harness the Barbarians in three ways.
Ways of Harnessing the Barbarians 1. Destruction: The superior Roman army was used to defeat and keep at bay, some smaller Barbarian tribes. This methods was not quite successful. 2. Transplantation: Defeated groups were moved to frontier lands. Was done as conciliatory efforts, to expand markets, and establish buffer zones. This brought about cooperation from some tribes. 3. Incorporation: The Romans armed the Barbarians, and made them Roman soldiers. This backfired later.
Fall of the Western Roman Empire • Roman legions evacuated Britannia in AD 406. • The Anglo-Saxons moved into Britannia. • The Huns (Asiatic) pushed other groups westward, eventually into Roman territory. • Alaric and the Visigoths sacked Rome, AD 410. • Vandals invaded Spain, north Africa, and sacked Rome in AD 455.
Causes of the Fall 1. Invasions by Barbarian tribes. 2. Over-expansion and military overspending. 3. Government corruption and political instability 4. Christianity was intolerant of other cultures and religions. 5. The division of the empire into west and east weakened it.
6. Roman soldiers were loyal to their military leaders, not necessarily the emperor. 7. Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor 8. High taxes and exhaustion. 9. The Romans became too lazy and comfortable. 10. The Romans hired barbarian mercenaries to guard the borders.
The Christian Response to the Barbarians 1. The church was more than just buildings. 2. Although church buildings were destroyed, e. g. , Monte Casino (585), the church government was fluid. 3. Some barbarians converted to Christianity. 4. Christianity caused no threat to them. 5. Tribal leaders, e. g. , Clovis the Frankish chief, facilitated conversions. 6. Some Bishops and tribal leaders cooperated. 7. The barbarians were termed by the Roman education. 8. Charlemagne defended the church.
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