Fall of Rome & the Byzantine Empire
Aligned to C3.D2.His.1 — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.
What this lesson teaches
The western Roman Empire collapsed by 476 CE under pressure from invading Germanic peoples, weak leadership, and economic decline. The eastern half survived for another thousand years as the Byzantine Empire, ruled from Constantinople, where it preserved Roman law and Greek learning while becoming distinctly Christian and Greek in culture.
Worked example
Emperor Justinian ordered legal scholars to organize centuries of Roman law into the Corpus Juris Civilis (the 'Justinian Code'), which later shaped legal systems across Europe.
Practice questions
- What year is commonly given for the fall of the western Roman Empire, and what city was the Byzantine capital?
- Explain two reasons the western empire fell while the eastern empire survived.
- Compare how the Byzantine Empire both preserved and changed the traditions of ancient Rome.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
La caída de Roma y el Imperio bizantino
El Imperio romano de Occidente se derrumbó hacia el año 476 d. C. por la presión de los pueblos germánicos invasores, el liderazgo débil y la decadencia económica. La mitad oriental sobrevivió mil años más como el Imperio bizantino, gobernado desde Constantinopla, donde conservó el derecho romano y el saber griego mientras se volvía claramente cristiano y griego en su cultura.
Ejemplo: El emperador Justiniano ordenó a los juristas organizar siglos de derecho romano en el Corpus Juris Civilis (el 'Código de Justiniano'), que después dio forma a los sistemas legales de Europa.
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