How it all ‘went down’

This map shows the Roman Empire in the second century CE, shortly before it fell.

Reason #1: Political changes In 293 CE, Diocletian was emperor. Several areas in the Roman Empire were revolting, and it was under a constant threat of attack from the north and from the east. His solution was to divide the empire in half.

Diocletian’s changes meant Rome would operate under new rules. There would be two leaders, one for each section of the Empire, called Augustus. He would rule for 20 years. Each Augustus had a Caesar, an assistant who would be his successor.

The changes helped the Roman military conquer more land. Rome re-conquered Britain and suppressed uprisings in Africa.

These changes lead to even more unrest. After the first two Augusti stepped down, seven men fought over their positions. This lead to a civil war, where Constantine won and made himself sole Emperor of Rome. He was succeeded by Theodosius. Under his rule, Rome was constantly under attack from Germanic tribes from the north and the Huns from the east. ConstantineTheodosius

Scholars debate about when Rome fell, but many consider the “official” date of Rome’s fall to be 476 CE. A Germanic chief named Odoacer captured Rome and forced the emperor (Romulus) to step down. Horrible Histories: The Fall of Rome Horrible Histories: The Fall of Rome