The Decline of the Roman Empire

Crisis of the Third Century

• Close to 30 different emperors between 235 AD and 285 AD, some ruling for as little as a few days, and many ruling simultaneously

• Hyper-inflation• Cyprian Plague• External Pressures• Barracks Emperors

Emperor Decius suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Goths at the Battle of

Abrittus

Emperor Valerian captured by the Sassanid, Sharpur

Roman Empire breaks apart into three pieces

Western/ Gallic Empire

Central Roman Empire

Eastern/ Palmyrene Empire

GalliaHispaniaBritannia

North AfricaItaliaGraecia

Asia (Minor)SyriaPalestineArabiaAegyptus

The Emperor Aurelian• Cavalry commander who

was proclaimed emperor by troops and defeated Quintillus (senate-backed emperor)

• Defeated several barbarian tribes

• Fresh recruits from Germanic tribes

• Built the Aurelian Walls• Beginnings of Serfdom

Restitutor Orbis• The Palmyrene Wars against Queen Zenobia• Reunified Gallic Empire• Planning to invade Persia, when killed by

misguided assassins.

The Emperor Diocletian and the Tetrarchy

• Cavalry commander who was proclaimed emperor by troops and who defeated Carinus, the son of the former emperor

• Growing importance of the cavalry• Adopted Maximian as “Caesar”. Diocletian takes on

name of Jove, and Maximian, Hercules• Maximian fights tribes in Gaul, Diocletian fights

Sassanids• Peace in the East; rebel Carausius in West; Maximian

given title of “Augustus”

Creation of the TetrarchyDiocletian (Augustus)

Maximian (Augustus)

Constantius (Caesar)

Galerius (Caesar)

Tetrarchy in Action• Constantius reconquors Britannia from

Carausius; Galerius fights resurgent Sassanids• Shrink provinces to lower case-load of governors,

create Diocese ran by vicars and “duces”• Dominate?• The Great Persecution• Abdication• Constantine?• Maxentius?

Constantius (Augustus)

Galerius (Augustus)

Flavius Severus (Caesar)

Maximinus Daia (Caesar)

Christianity

• Vulgate• Celsus’ remarks (2nd Century AD): “only foolish

and low individuals, and persons devoid of perception, and slaves, and women, and children, of whom the teachers of the divine word wish to make converts”

• Message of salvation, equality, suffering, sacrifice, giving, judgment, evangelism, and miracle-working

Romans’ reaction to the Christians• Nero’s persecution of Christians• Trajans remarks to Pliny about Christians: They are not to be

sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it--that is, by worshiping our gods--even though he was under suspicion in the past, shall obtain pardon through repentance. But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our age.

• The Great Persecution of Galerius

The Breakdown of the Tetrarchy

Constantine the Great

• Constantine versus Maxentius – Battle of the Milvian Bridge “in hoc signo, vinces”

• Issued the Edict of Milan (Religious tolerance towards Christians – against Galerius)

• Defeated remainder of his rivals• Defeated barbarian tribes in

Central and Northern Europe• Held the Council of Nicaea to

dispute Arian and other “heresies”• Rebuilt the City of Byzantium and

renamed it Constantinople (exclusively Christian; give me your tired, your poor, your hungry…)

• Campaigned against Sassandids

• Draconian morality laws• Executed his son Crispus

and his wife Fausta• Mother, Helena went on

tour of the East as a P.R. campaign - found “relics of the True Cross” in Jerusalem, established birthplace and death site of Jesus, and reinvigorated Christian interest/ pilgrimage to “Holy Land”/ Jerusalem.

Decline and Fall• Book by English historian Edward

Gibbon published in 1776.– Roman Empire like a “house” that

succumbs to both internal and external pressures

– Loss of “Civic Virtues”– Citizens became weak, outsourcing

their defense to barbarian mercenaries– Effect of the Praetorian Guard– Christianity focuses people’s attention

on the afterlife and not on the present

What causes the breakdown of a multi-ethnic, multi-national empire?

• External Pressures, plague, and famine• Military pay and spending; division of military and civilian

interests• Massive inflation• Single ruler?• Single religion?• Constant civil war, and breakup of empire• Urban decay; gap between rich and poor; lack of social

mobility, slavery• Psychological: limes, terminus, and the invincibility of the army• Alaric the Visigoth sacks Rome in 410 AD, Vandals sack Rome in

455 AD, Odoacer, from a Germanic tribe deposes the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus in 476 AD

Did the Roman Empire really die?

• Vatican• Eastern/ Byzantine

Empire• Legacies