Question

Did Rome really "fall" in the fifth century CE? Why or why not?

1. Yes, due to internal conflicts and external invasions.
2. No, it underwent a transformation and continued as the Byzantine Empire.
3. Yes, solely due to external invasions.
4. No, it gradually declined but did not completely fall.

Answer 1

No, Rome did not “really” fall in the fifth century CE. It underwent a transformation and continued as the Byzantine Empire. The collapse of the western empire was a result of multiple factors including internal conflicts, external invasions, and the Empire's focus on the east.

Step-by-step explanation:

No, Rome did not “really” fall in the fifth century CE. While the city of Rome itself, along with the western half of the Empire, did lose its sovereignty to Germanic “barbarians”, the Roman Empire as a whole continued. The Roman capital had already been moved to Constantinople in the early fourth century, and the eastern half of the empire remained intact, albeit under constant military pressure, until 1453. So, Rome underwent a transformation and continued as the Byzantine Empire. The collapse of the western empire was a result of multiple factors including internal conflicts, external invasions, and the Empire's focus on the east.