Roman/Early Medieval

History (500 BC-1000

AD)
Created by Sean Dunne
Ancient Rome

● Roman Republic (509 BC - 27 BC)

● Roman Empire (27 BC - 476 AD)
● Law
● Society and politics (civitas and public
virtue)
● Technology
● Organization
● Religion
● Military expansion
Law, Society and
Politics of the
Republic
Expansion of Roman Republic/Empire
Rome’s Conquests
and the Fall of the
Republic
● Rivalry with Carthage
● Punic Wars (264-146 BC)
● Destruction of Carthage
● Political violence increases over time
● Eastern conquests
● Caesar’s conquest of Gaul
● Rise of Caesar and collapse of the
Republic
● Civil wars
● Octavian Augustus forms the principate
and becomes first Roman emperor.
Roman Empire

● Period from Augustus to the death of

Marcus Aurelius is the height of the
Roman empire (27 BC-180 AD)
● Pax Romana
● Campaigns against Germanic tribes and
other “Barbarian” groups
● Invasions of Britain, Dacia, and
Mesopotamia
● Infrastructure and government:
○ Roads
○ Trade
○ Centralized power divided into provincial
administrations
Roman
Military
 Roman Infrastructure and
Engineering (Sewers, Public
Baths, Aqueducts, Roads)
Roman Trade and Frontier Defense
Crisis of the 3rd
Century and
Aftermath
● Period of frequent civil war/instability
● Foreign wars with Persians
● Empire becomes too large to manage
● Imperial administration begins to break down
● Economic troubles
● Diocletian takes power (284 AD) institutes
reforms
● Empire split into 4 quarters
● Constantine and Christianity
Christianity

● Repressed in Roman Empire since 1st

century AD.
● Persecutions and martyrs
● Early underground Church of Rome
● Constantine’s adoption of Christianity
● Becomes official state religion under
Theodosius
● Decline and repression of paganism
● Bishop of Rome (Pope) becomes powerful
politically in Western Empire
Collapse of the
Roman Empire
● Internal problems
○ Economic
○ Political/Administrative
● Breakdown of central control
● Roman Empire split into East and West
● External invasions and migrations from
“barbarian” peoples
● Attila and the Hunnic Empire
● Rome is sacked in 410 AD
● Last Western Roman Emperor deposed in
476 AD
Eastern (Byzantine)
Empire Survives
● Byzantine Empire survives and even
thrives
● Switch to Greek culture from Latin
● Byzantine style and culture develops
● Height of power under Justinian
(527-565):
○ Reconquests
○ Justinian Code
○ Hagia Sophia
● Wars with Persians
● Arab invasions
● Loss of territory
Byzantine
Art
Byzantine Empire under Justinian
Constantinople in the 6th Century AD
Rise of the Islamic World

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Islamic Invasions of Europe

● Conquest of Spain (Al-Andalus)

● Invasion of France stopped at
Battle of Poitiers by Charles
Martel
● Conquest of Sicily
● Christianity vs Islam
Islamic Caliphate

● Rashidun
● Umayyad
● Abbasid
○ Abbasid revolution
● Damascus and Baghdad
● Scholars preserve Greek science and
philosophy
● Mathematics (Algebra)
● Trade and technology
The West after the
Fall of Rome

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Power of the Church

● Roman Church replaces Western Empire

as central political power
● Religious orders
● Monks do missionary work and promote
literacy
● Monks and church scholars preserve
Roman and Greek knowledge
● Art becomes primarily religious
Illuminated Manuscript (“Book of Kells”), Ireland, 9th Century
Charlemagne and
Holy Roman Empire

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Viking Invasions and
Exploration

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Viking Expansion 700-1066
Rise of Feudalism

● Decline of Carolingians and division of

Holy Roman Empire
● Central authority of kings across
Western Europe declines
● Local lords and their retainers
(knights) become feudal warrior elite
● Peasants become serfs (tied to the
land)
● Warfare between lords becomes
common
● Castles and defensive construction
Feudalism
Early Castle (Motte and Bailey with a Keep)
 Let’s review what we learned
today and go over any questions
you may have.