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Year 4

The fall of the Western Roman Empire

I can explain the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

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New
New
Year 4

The fall of the Western Roman Empire

I can explain the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Various major problems affected the Western Roman Empire after its split, leading to many theories about its fall.
  2. The Western Roman Empire had many financial, political and military problems after the Empire’s division.
  3. The Western Roman Empire was almost destroyed when Alaric and the Visigoths attacked Rome in 410 CE.
  4. The Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 CE when Germanic tribes defeated the last Western Roman Emperor.

Common misconception

The fall of the Western Roman Empire happened when it was sacked in 410 CE.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire happened gradually over time.

Keywords

  • Theory - a group of ideas to explain something is called a theory

  • Economy - economy is the way people, businesses and governments make and spend money

  • Politics - politics refers to the way that a country's government make decisions and laws

  • Unstable - something is unstable when there are lots of unpredictable changes

  • Sack - to sack is to take all the valuable goods after you have conquered a place

Explain the Empire's financial problems by giving one pupil, in role as the emperor, counters to pay the citizens of the Empire (the other pupils) for goods and services, who are in turn asked to pay taxes. Continue until the Empire's money runs out.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Place these events in the correct order, starting with the earliest.
1 - According to the myth, Romulus becomes king of Rome
2 - The Roman senators overthrew the last King of Rome, creating the Roman Republic
3 - Julius Caesar rose to power as a general and then as dictator of Rome
4 - Augustus won the civil war and became Rome's first emperor
5 - Diocletian split the Roman Empire in two
6 - Constantine became the capital of the reunited Empire temporarily
Q2.
The Byzantine Empire was also known as the __________ Roman Empire.
Northern
Correct answer: Eastern
Southern
Western
Q3.
Which of these statements are true about Constantinople?
Correct answer: it was named in honour of Constantine
it was named in honour of Diocletian
Correct answer: it was the capital of the Byzantine Empire
it was the capital of the Western Roman Empire
Correct answer: it was capital of the reunited Eastern and Western Roman Empire temporarily
Q4.
Match the words to their meanings.
Correct Answer:province,an area of land that is part of a country

an area of land that is part of a country

Correct Answer:republic,a country where the leaders are elected

a country where the leaders are elected

Correct Answer:empire,a large area ruled by an emperor

a large area ruled by an emperor

Q5.
What was the main religion of the people of the Byzantine Empire?
Hinduism
Judaism
Islam
Correct answer: Christianity
Q6.
The people of the Byzantine Empire referred to themselves as ...
Byzantine
Correct answer: Roman
emperors
senators

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the definitions to the words.
Correct Answer:to do with money,economy

economy

Correct Answer:to do with the government,politics

politics

Correct Answer:to do with the army,military

military

Q2.
The Eastern Roman Empire was also known as the __________ Empire.
Constantinople
Great Roman
Correct answer: Byzantine
Q3.
The Western Roman Empire's capital was ...
Correct Answer: Rome, rome
Q4.
The Visigoths' attack on Rome in 410 CE is known as 'the of Rome'.
Correct Answer: sack
Q5.
The Eastern Roman Empire continued to exist for nearly __________ years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
ten
one hundred
five hundred
Correct answer: one thousand
Q6.
According to historians' theories, which of the following contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire?
Correct answer: The Empire was spending more money than it was getting in from taxes
Correct answer: The emperors changed too often making politics unstable
The Roman citizens paid taxes regularly
Correct answer: The Roman army was not well trained
The Roman army was able to defend the Empire's borders easily

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