The decline of Rome and the start of the Dark ages

The fall of Rome as a super power took several years to complete. It was not one single event that ruined this once great civilization, but multiple factors in combination that weakened it, and strengthened the courage of her enemies.

The decline of Rome

The assassination of the emperor Alexander Severus leads to a 30 year civil war. Fighting and further deaths of leaders in various provinces of the empire lead to the rise and expansion of the Gallic Empire in the Germanic regions as well as Gaul. The Gallic Empire modeled itself after Roman institutions; it only lasted 40 years (until 272 AD) when Emperor Aurelian re-conquers the territory

Turmoil within the empire:

Between the death of Aurelian and the ascension of Diocletian, eight other would-be emperors were killed, many by their own supporters. With the rise of Diocletian, the division of the empire began. He made Maximian emperor of the west, and himself the emperor of the east. He appointed two subordinate Caesars, Galerius and Constantius Chlorus; the four would rule as a Tetrarch. Capitals were also created in addition to Rome, to try and avoid the civil unrest from the 3rd Century.

(Class question; what was Diocletian’s thinking?)

Division

The idea of the Tetrarch died with the passing of Constantius and the rise of his son Constantine. Constantine was more interested in uniting all of Rome, than forming another Tetrarch with Galerius and newcomer Licinius. Constantine was victorious and unified the Roman Empire once again under his rule.

When he died, so did the unified empire. 337 AD, civil war erupts as Constantine’s sons divide the empire into three. Yet, Constantius II unified the Empire after his brothers were both killed. Under Constantius II, the Byzantium capital became known as Constantinople and flourished.

The Empire would be divided on purpose yet again in 364. Emperor Valentinian I, gave the Western Empire to his brother Valens. Stability was not secured, as outside invasions and civil unrest increased due to maltreatment of various immigrant groups, such as the Visigoths who’d been forced out of their homeland by the Huns.

Civil unrest also came arose from the enforcement of Christianity and the end of pagan worship. Rebellions arose and were finally quelled in 394 by Theodosius I, who ruled both empires for awhile before giving the West to Honorious and the East to Arcadius; his teenage sons. Both of these boys were puppets for others; the semi-barbarian Stilicho tutored Honorious, and Aracdius was aided by Rufinius. These two men were rivals in their own rights. Stilicho was an able military leader for Honorious, defending Italy from the Goths. But, he was unable to keep out the Vandals, Alans, and Suevi who invaded Gaul in massive numbers.

When Stilicho dies, Honorious is left to rule on his own – which he does poorly. The city of Rome falls to the barbarian Alaric in 410 AD who settles in Gaul. This defeat gives courage to others. Other tribes attempt to penetrate Rome, and various generals of Roman armies attempt to usurp the title of Emperor from Honorious. (Constantine III, left Britain defenseless while attempting to overthrow Honorious. Thus Britain was sacked by Jutes, Angles, and Saxons.)

Between 423 AD (the death of Honorious) and 475 AD; several different tribes united and tried to take claim of Italy and Rome. Attila the Hun lead a successful march on Rome until circumstances caused him to turn around. Attacks from North Africa lead by the Visigoths and the Vandals constantly threaten the Southern borders and sea trade. Vandals sailed to Rome in 455 AD and sacked it.

The instability caused by usurpers throughout the Western Empire helped these tribes in their conquests, and by the 450s the Germanic tribes had become usurpers themselves. During the next twenty years, several Western emperors were installed by Constantinople, but their authority relied upon barbarian commanders. In 475, Orestes, a former secretary of Attila, drove Emperor Julius Nepos out, and proclaimed his own son Romulus Augustus as emperor.

In 476, Orestes refused to grant Odoacer and the Heruli federated status, prompting a invasion. Orestes was killed and Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustus, installed himself as ruler over Italy and sent the imperial insignia to Constantinople. Although isolated pockets of Roman rule continued even after 476, the city of Rome itself was under the rule of the barbarians, and the control of Rome over the West had effectively ended

The Roman Empires by 477 AD

The West was less urbanized and less populated than the East; experienced an economic decline throughout the Late Empire in various provinces. Southern Italy, northern Gaul (except for large towns and cities) to some extent Spain suffered. The East, always wealthier, as Emperors like Constantine the Great and Constantius II had invested heavily in the eastern economy.

The Eastern Empire could afford large numbers of professional soldiers and augment them with mercenaries, while the Western Roman Empire couldn't. If the East were defeated, they could buy off its enemies with a ransom. The Western Empire's resources were limited, and the lack of available manpower forced the government to rely ever more on confederate barbarian troops operating under their own commanders. Sometimes deals would be struck with the leaders of barbarian mercenaries rewarding them with land, which led to a downward spiral as less land meant there would be even less taxes to support the military

Economic Factors

As the central power in Rome weakened, the State lost control of its borders and provinces, as well as control over the Mediterranean Sea. Roman Emperors tried to maintain control of the sea, but, once the Vandals conquered North Africa, imperial authorities had to cover too much ground with too few resources. In fact, the loss of the African provinces might have been the worse reversal on the West's fortunes, since they were among its wealthiest territories, the breadbasket of the Western Empire (as Egypt was to the Eastern half), and supplied the essential grain imports to Italy. In many places, the Roman institutions collapsed along with the economic stability.

Economic Factors

http://www.history.com/videos/the-fall-of-rome#the-fall-of-rome

Summary