- In the 3rd century AD:
- epidemic disease spreads throughout the Empire
- its too hard to defend the frontier against the barbarians
- emperors began to lose their power
- Stayed in power for about 2 1/2 yrs.,
- Maintaining armies is expensive
- Too many poverty-stricken citizens
Diocletian to the rescue !!!!
- 284 AD - Diocletian's reforms
- increases the size of the army to 4000,000
- 1/3 bigger than during Augustus' time
- recruit from the ranks of the barbarians
- Divide Roman territories into smaller provinces
- this new government had 200,000 officials
- they were better at collecting taxes - this provided for a larger army
Time marches on...
- 300 AD
- 60 million people in the Roman empire
- several million Christians
- Christianity has quite an appeal to the poor
- Some christians are even gaining positions of power, becoming the ruling elite ( Becoming in charge )
- Diocletian ( ruled from 284 - 305 ) left Christians alone at first
- then he undertook the most systematic persecution of all
- What was his persecution ?
- About 3000-4000 Christians were killed and thousands more were tortured. He burned several churches to the ground.
- What did he do to change the Roman empire ?
- the structure of Roman imperial government and helped stabilize the Empire economically and militarily, enabling the Empire to remain essentially intact for another hundred years despite being near the brink of collapse in Diocletian's youth
- Constantine ruled as emperor 306 - 337
- What was the connection with Christianity ?
- He ultimately gave Christianity political and social legitimacy in the Roman Empire, thus allowing the young religion to establish itself, obtain powerful patrons, and ultimately dominate
- How did he restructure the empire ?
- He made Christianity the roman religion
- United the Romans more than the attempts to unite under the pagan gods
- He changed the capital of the Greek city to Byzantium
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