Fall of the Western Roman Empire · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
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Why the Western Roman Empire Fell

History · Ancient Greece & Rome · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which part of the Roman Empire continued after the usual western end date of AD 476?

    • The Eastern Roman Empire
    • The Western Roman Empire
    • Both halves ended together

  2. Which year is often used to mark the end of the Western Roman Empire?

    • AD 200
    • AD 476
    • AD 800

  3. Fighting over who should rule could weaken the Western Roman Empire.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Why did long borders make the Western Roman Empire harder to defend?

    • Each border lay close to the same small central town
    • Troops could not guard all borders at once
    • Every border had the same number of soldiers nearby

  5. Which situation put military pressure on the Western Roman Empire?

    • Quiet borders with no fighting
    • A surplus of money for the army
    • Attacks on Roman territory

  6. The Western Empire lost land and collected less tax money. How could this weaken its army?

    • There was less money to pay soldiers
    • There was more money to spend on soldiers
    • Paying soldiers no longer needed any money

  7. A student says, 'One afternoon's battle explains the Western Roman Empire's fall.' Which explanation gives a better account?

    • A single morning battle ended both halves of the empire
    • One afternoon battle left both halves unchanged
    • Several problems weakened the West over many years

  8. The usual end dates are AD 476 for the Western Roman Empire and AD 1453 for the Eastern Roman Empire. How many years separate these dates? Round to the nearest hundred.

    Answer: ______________

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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Why the Western Roman Empire Fell W1-mt_H4bLNkDrGJ-s1

  1. The Eastern Roman Empire · Eastern Roman rule continued after AD 476, though its lands and government changed over the centuries.
  2. AD 476 · AD 476 marks Odoacer's removal of Romulus Augustulus, the emperor ruling in Italy.
  3. True · Struggles over power used troops and money that the empire also needed for defence.
  4. Troops could not guard all borders at once · Long borders created many places to defend. Troops could not guard every place at once.
  5. Attacks on Roman territory · Attacks put pressure on Roman armies and made defending territory harder.
  6. There was less money to pay soldiers · Losing tax income left the government with less money to pay its soldiers.
  7. Several problems weakened the West over many years · Military pressure, fights over power, tax losses and long borders weakened the West over many years.
  8. 1000 · 1453 - 476 = 977 years. This is closer to 1,000 than to 900, so it rounds to 1,000 years.
Worksheet · LightMySky