The Fall of Rome In the late fourth century, the Western Roman Empire crumbled after a nearly 500-year run as the world’s greatest superpower.

Crisis of the 3rd Century Pax Romana ends with death of Marcus Aurelius Year of the five emperors Severan rule Civil war and chaos

Year of the 5 Emperors The Year of the Five Emperors refers to the year 193 AD, in which there were five claimants for the title of Roman Emperor following the assassination of Commodus (the son of Marcus Aurelius). The five were Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus and Septimius Severus. This facilitated perpetual civil war. Lucius Septimius Severus was the final Emperor in the Year of Five Emperors. He reigned until the year 211 ushering in the Severan Dynasty.

The Severan Dynasty Septimius Severus, who was an army general, made himself emperor with the support of the army. He defeated the Parthians who attacked because of the civil war in Rome. He traveled Rome for 4 years fixing problems Septimius Severus died in England, at York, in February 211 AD. He left the Empire jointly to his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. He told them to take care of each other and the army, and never mind anything else. The Dynasty lasted until 235 AD.

The Empire Fractures during Crisis of the Third Century The Palmyrene Empire, a splinter state centered at Palmyra, broke away from the Roman Empire during the crisis of the third century. It encompassed the Roman provinces of Syria Palaestina, Arabia Petraea, Egypt and large parts of Asia Minor. The Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway part of the Roman Empire that functioned de facto as a separate state from 260 to 274. It originated during the Crisis of the Third Century.

Economic Turmoil Decrease in Trade Inflation Soil depletion Overreliance on Slave Labor Constant Wars and overspending

Economic Crisis Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers. Oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor. In the hope of avoiding the taxman, many members of the wealthy classes had even fled to the countryside and set up independent fiefdoms. The Vandals claimed North Africa and began disrupting the empire’s trade by prowling the Mediterranean as pirates. With its economy faltering and its commercial and agricultural production in decline due to soil erosion, the Empire began to lose its grip on Europe.

Slave Labor The empire was rocked by a labor deficit. Rome’s economy depended on slaves to till its fields and work as craftsmen, and its military might had traditionally provided a fresh influx of conquered peoples to put to work. When expansion ground to a halt in the second century, Rome’s supply of slaves and other war treasures began to dry up.

Military Turmoil Internal Undisciplined Shifting loyalties Foreign Mercenaries External Trouble with Germanic tribes Persian aggression

Military Troubles Rome struggled to marshal enough troops and resources to defend its frontiers from local rebellions and outside attacks. Emperor Hadrian was forced to build his famous wall in Britain just to keep the enemy at bay. As more and more funds were funneled into the military upkeep of the empire, technological advancement slowed and Rome’s civil infrastructure fell into disrepair.

More Military Troubles For most of its history, Rome’s military was the envy of the ancient world. But during the decline, the makeup of the once mighty legions began to change. Unable to recruit enough soldiers from the Roman citizenry, emperors like Diocletian and Constantine began hiring foreign mercenaries to prop up their armies. While these Germanic soldiers of fortune proved to be fierce warriors, they also had little or no loyalty to the empire, and their power-hungry officers often turned against their Roman employers.

Trouble with Germanic Tribes The Barbarian attacks on Rome partially stemmed from a mass migration caused by the Huns’ invasion of Europe in the late fourth century. When these Eurasian warriors rampaged through northern Europe, they drove many Germanic tribes to the borders of the Roman Empire. Romans created a dangerous enemy within their own borders by treating these tribes horribly. Eventually these tribes rose up to fight against the Roman brutatlity

Emperors Attempt Reform Diocletian, who came to the throne in 284, was of lowly origins and lacked a formal higher education. In 286, he appointed an old comrade in arms, Maximian, as co- Augustus. Then, in 293, he co-opted two junior imperial rulers, Constantius and Galerius, as Caesars…forming a tetrarchy (rule of 4). The tetrarchy brought peace but did not last. Power struggles doomed it. The Empire was divided by Diocletian between the East and the West. The fate of Western Rome was partially sealed by this division. The Western Empire seated in the city of Milan, and the Eastern Empire in Byzantium, later known as Constantinople.

The Western Empire Crumbles Invasion of the Huns! Germanic incursions Attila the Hun The West falls

Attila the Hun Between 434 and 453 A.D., Hun forces led by the mighty Attila battered the Roman Empire relentlessly, including invasions of the southern Balkan provinces, Greece, Gaul and Italy. Despite his reputation in the Roman world as a brutal conqueror, Attila never actually sacked Rome or Constantinople, but his ferocious prowess has reverberated through the centuries:

Invasion of the Barbarians The most straightforward theory for Western Rome’s collapse pins the fall on a string of military losses sustained against outside forces. Invasions by various forces took its toll over time to weaken and destroy the Roman Empire. In 476, the Germanic leader Odoacer staged a revolt and deposed the Emperor Romulus Augustulus. From then on, no Roman emperor would ever again rule from a post in Italy, leading many to cite 476 as the year the Western Empire suffered its deathblow.

The Fall of the West The largely Greek-speaking Eastern Empire grew in wealth while the Latin-speaking West descended into economic crisis. The strength of the Eastern Empire served to divert Barbarian invasions to the West. Emperors like Constantine ensured that the city of Constantinople was fortified and well guarded, but Italy and the city of Rome—which only had symbolic value for many in the East—were left vulnerable. The Western political structure would finally disintegrate in the fifth century, but the Eastern Empire (Byzantine) endured in some form for another thousand years before being overwhelmed by the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s.

Government Corruption Rome’s sheer size made it difficult to govern, ineffective and inconsistent leadership only served to magnify the problem. The political rot also extended to the Roman Senate, which failed to temper the excesses of the emperors due to its own widespread corruption and incompetence. As the situation worsened, civic pride waned and many Roman citizens lost trust in their leadership.

Rome’s Influence In spite of the Fall of Rome, Its influence and history helped lay the foundations for Western Society.