Ancient Rome – Decline and Disintegration
- Commodus’ incompetence (180-192) led to the downfall of Rome’s prosperous era of emperors.
- His death sparked a civil war, with Lucius Septimius Severus (193-211) emerging victorious.
- The third century was marked by almost constant fighting, with 22 emperors taking the throne, many meeting violent ends at the hands of their own soldiers.
- External threats from Germanic tribes, Parthians, and Goths further weakened the empire.
- Diocletian (284-305) brought temporary peace and prosperity by dividing power into a tetrarchy, with two emperors and two appointed successors.
- His system aimed to restore stability but eventually led to further division after his retirement.
- Constantine, the son of Constantius, emerged as the sole emperor in 324 and moved the capital to Constantinople.
- Constantine’s adoption of Christianity as Rome’s official religion at the Council of Nicaea in 325 was a significant change.
- Constantine’s reign brought brief unity, but after his death, the empire split again.
- The eastern Roman Empire, later known as the Byzantine Empire, remained mostly intact despite ongoing conflicts with Persia.
- In the west, internal conflicts and threats from Germanic tribes like the Vandals weakened the empire.
- Rome lost its provinces gradually, with Britain falling around 410 and Spain and northern Africa by 430.
- Attila the Hun’s invasion in 450 further weakened the empire.
- In 476, Odovacar, a Germanic prince, overthrew the last western emperor, Romulus Augustus, signaling the end of ancient Rome.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome is a term that denotes the founding of Rome in 753 BC. Ancient Rome also tells the story of the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. Ancient Rome was founded by two brothers including Romulus and Remus, on 21st April 753 BCE.
In this article, we are going to discuss Ancient Rome with its glorious history and legacy in ancient times.