Fall

But even the greatest empires can fall. Over time, the Roman Empire grew too large to control. The armies had to protect thousands of miles of borders, and many emperors became greedy, cruel, or foolish. Some spent money on parties instead of soldiers or food for the poor.

One of the most famous bad emperors was Nero, who played music and sang while Rome burned in a great fire in 64 AD. He blamed Christians for it and punished them instead of helping his people. Another cruel ruler, Caligula, once made his horse a government official, just to show his power and mock the Senate! 

While Rome’s leaders fought each other, its enemies grew stronger. Barbarian tribes began attacking from the north and east. The empire was finally split into two parts — the Western Roman Empire (in Rome) and the Eastern Roman Empire (in Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul).

In 476 AD, the Western Empire collapsed when the last emperor was overthrown. The city of Rome was left in ruins, and the once-great empire had fallen. But the Eastern Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, would continue the story of Rome for another thousand years…