"the decline of the roman empire was partly due to a lack of military strength. this carried over into the middle ages, making landowners wary of possible invasions." after the invasions began, european landowners found protection by entering into a) feudal arrangements. b) mercenary contracts. c) land and sea watches. d) sovereignty agreements. beginning in 510 b. c. the roman republic began a long period of expansion, but it was not considered an empire until the throne was occupied by a) titus, son of vespasian. b) augustus, nephew of julius caesar. c) caracalla, son of alexander the great. d) vespasian, emperor of the flavian dynasty. after the death of mohammad, which of these events occurred? a) the muslim empire began to shrink. b) the romans conquered muslim lands. c) muslims were absorbed into greek culture. d) muslims split into two groups, sunni and shia. in the 1600s, christians were actively persecuted in tokugawa japan, demonstrating a) the strengthening of buddhism in the region. b) the weakening of the feudal system as a whole. c) the anger many peasants felt towards christian priests. d) the japanese government's distrust of european culture and influence.