Fall of The Roman Empire...in the 15th Century: Crash Course World History #12

Summary

This episode of Crash Course: World History explores the fall of the Roman Empire, challenging the traditional view that it fell in 476 CE with the deposition of Romulus Augustus. Instead, the video argues that Rome's influence persisted until the 15th century, particularly through the Eastern Roman Empire, later known as the Byzantine Empire. It discusses the role of barbarian invasions, the impact of imperialism, and the incorporation of Germanic warriors into the Roman army, leading to civil wars and instability. The Byzantine Empire's continuation of Roman law, culture, and the legacy of figures like Emperor Justinian are highlighted, emphasizing the empire's enduring influence on European history and civilization.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ The fall of Rome is a topic of historical debate, with the argument presented that Rome didn't fully fall until the 15th century.
• 👑 The traditional view of Rome's fall was marked by the conquest of the city by barbarians in 476 CE, leading to the deposition of the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus.
• 🗡️ Barbarian invasions, such as Alaric the Visigoth's sacking of Rome in 410, were a recurring issue, but the final fall was not due to a single event.
• 🌱 An anti-imperialistic argument suggests that Rome's expansion beyond Italy was its downfall, as it became increasingly difficult to govern distant territories.
• 🤝 The strategy of incorporating conquered people into the empire initially worked but eventually led to 'Barbarians inside the Gates', with loyalty to commanders over Rome.
• 🛡️ The decline of the Roman legions began with the decision to incorporate Germanic warriors, leading to a force loyal to commanders and gold, not Rome.
• 👖 The adoption of pants by Romans symbolizes practicality over traditional values, showing adaptability in the face of environmental challenges.
• 📚 The Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantine Empire, continued Roman traditions, with its capital in Constantinople, and considered themselves Romans.
• 🏙️ Constantinople's growth and Rome's decline in population reflect the shift of the empire's political and cultural center to the east.
• 🏟️ Byzantine society maintained Roman aspects such as law, governance, and public spectacles, including chariot races, which were deeply embedded in their culture.
• ⚖️ Justinian's codification of Roman law in the Digest and the Institutes was a significant achievement, shaping the legal systems of Europe.

Q & A

What is the traditional view of the fall of Rome?

The traditional view of the fall of Rome is that the city was conquered by barbarians in 476 CE, marking the end of the Roman Empire with the deposition of the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus.

Who was Emperor Justinian and what was his significance in the Byzantine Empire?

Emperor Justinian was a Byzantine Emperor who is famous for his efforts to restore the glory of the Roman Empire. He is known for codifying Roman law, notably through the Digest and the Institutes, and for the construction of the Hagia Sophia.

What argument does Tacitus make regarding the downfall of Rome?

Tacitus argues that Rome was doomed to fall as soon as it expanded outside of Italy because the further the territory from the capital, the harder it is to govern, thus imperialism itself sowed the seeds of destruction.

How did the incorporation of Germanic warriors into the Roman Army contribute to Rome's decline?

The incorporation of Germanic warriors into the Roman Army led to a decline in loyalty to Rome itself. These mercenaries were primarily loyal to their commanders and gold, which resulted in numerous civil wars and instability in the Western Roman Empire.

What was the significance of the shift of the Roman Empire's political center to the east?

The shift of the political center to the east, particularly to Byzantium (later Constantinople), allowed for greater control over richer eastern provinces and re-oriented the focus of Christianity towards the east, as seen with the first Church council in Nicaea.

Why did the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, consider themselves Romans?

Despite being located in the eastern half of the former Roman Empire and speaking Greek, the Byzantines considered themselves Romans because they continued many Roman traditions, including governance, law, and cultural practices.

What was the role of Theodora in the Byzantine Empire?

Theodora, wife of Emperor Justinian, began her career as an actress and dancer and possibly a prostitute before becoming Empress. She played a significant role in politics, including saving her husband's rule during riots and advocating for women's rights.

How did the Byzantine Empire differ from the Western Roman Empire in terms of religion?

The Byzantine Empire followed a different form of Christianity known as Eastern or Greek Orthodox, which had a different doctrine and structure compared to the Catholic Church of the West, including the practice of caesaropapism where the Emperor had control over the Church.

What was the impact of the fall of the Western Roman Empire on the Pope's role in Western Europe?

With no emperor in Rome after 476, the Pope became the highest authority in the West, leading to a power struggle between Popes and kings over who held the real power in Western Europe.

What is the significance of the Justinian law code in modern legal systems?

The Justinian law code, which was codified during Emperor Justinian's reign, continues to be the basis for much of civil law in Europe, showing the lasting impact of the Roman legal tradition.

How did the Byzantine Empire maintain continuity with the old Western Roman Empire?

The Byzantine Empire maintained continuity with the Western Roman Empire through political structures, such as absolute military power held by a single ruler, constant warfare, a rich and urban territory, and adherence to Roman law.

Outlines

00:00

🏛 The Fall of Rome Debate

This paragraph introduces the topic of Rome's fall, with a focus on the debate surrounding the exact timing and nature of its collapse. John Green presents the traditional view that Rome fell in 476 CE when it was conquered by barbarians and the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, was deposed. However, Green challenges this view, suggesting that Rome did not truly fall until the 15th century. He also introduces alternative theories, such as the idea that Rome's expansion beyond Italy led to its inevitable downfall due to the difficulty of governing distant territories. The paragraph sets the stage for a deeper exploration of Rome's decline and the factors that contributed to it.

05:01

📚 The Roman Empire's Shift to the East

This section delves into the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East, known as the Byzantine Empire, which survived until the 15th century. The narrative discusses the move of the capital to Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople by Constantine, and the reasons behind this strategic shift. It highlights the cultural and political continuity between the Western and Eastern Roman Empires, including the adherence to Roman law and the Byzantine Empire's wealth and military prowess. The paragraph also introduces Emperor Justinian, who is credited with codifying Roman law and attempting to restore the empire's former glory, including the construction of the Hagia Sophia.

10:04

👑 The Byzantine Legacy and the Christian Schism

The final paragraph explores the legacy of the Byzantine Empire and its impact on the Christian world. It discusses the differences between the Catholic and Orthodox branches of Christianity, focusing on the political and doctrinal distinctions that led to the schism. The paragraph also touches on the unique role of the Byzantine Emperor as the head of the church, a concept known as caesaropapism, contrasting it with the Western European struggle between Popes and kings for power. The summary concludes by reflecting on the lasting influence of the Roman Empire, not only in historical memory but also in contemporary cultural and legal frameworks.

Keywords

💡Fall of Rome

The 'Fall of Rome' refers to the decline and eventual collapse of the Roman Empire, a historical event that has been a subject of much debate. In the video, it is argued that Rome did not fully fall until the middle of the 15th century, suggesting a prolonged process rather than a single event. The term is central to the video's theme, exploring the various theories and factors that contributed to the empire's decline.

💡Barbarians at the Gates

This phrase is part of the traditional view of the fall of the Roman Empire, suggesting that external invasions by barbarian tribes were the primary cause. The script mentions the conquest of Rome by barbarians in 476 CE and the deposition of the last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, by Odoacer, highlighting the role of external forces in the empire's demise.

💡Imperialism

Imperialism is the policy of extending a nation's power by gaining territories for a colonial empire. The video presents an argument that Rome's expansion beyond Italy was its downfall, as governing distant territories became increasingly difficult. This concept is tied to the video's theme by illustrating how overextension may have sown the seeds of Rome's destruction.

💡Roman Legions

The Roman Legions were the principal military units of the Roman army. The script discusses the decline of these legions, starting with the decision to incorporate Germanic warriors, which led to a loss of loyalty to Rome itself and an increase in loyalty to commanders and gold. This change is a key element in the narrative of Rome's military and political decline.

💡Civil War

Civil war refers to a violent conflict between opposing groups within the same country or nation. The video mentions that the use of mercenaries in the Roman Legions was a recipe for civil war, leading to numerous generals declaring themselves Emperor of Rome and causing instability in the Western part of the empire.

💡Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, is the term used for the continuation of the Roman Empire in the eastern provinces after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The script explains that the Byzantine Empire survived until the 15th century and had its capital in Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople, indicating the empire's resilience and longevity.

💡Constantine

Constantine, often referred to as Constantine the Great, was a Roman Emperor who played a crucial role in the empire's history. The video mentions his decision to move the capital east to Byzantium and his efforts to re-orient Christianity toward the east, including the first Church council in Nicaea. His actions significantly influenced the development of the Byzantine Empire.

💡Justinian

Emperor Justinian is highlighted in the script as one of the most famous Byzantine Emperors, known for his efforts to restore the glory of the Roman Empire and for codifying Roman law. His reign and the construction of the Hagia Sophia, now a mosque, symbolize the wealth and opulence of his empire, as well as the continuation of Roman traditions in the Byzantine period.

💡Theodora

Theodora, wife of Emperor Justinian, is mentioned as a significant figure who began her career as an actress and dancer and later became Empress. The script notes her influence in saving Justinian's rule during riots and her advocacy for women's rights, reflecting the personal stories that intertwine with the broader historical narrative.

💡Caesaropapism

Caesaropapism is a form of government where the ruler is the source of authority in both secular and religious matters. The script explains that in the Orthodox Church, the Patriarch was appointed by the Emperor, clearly defining the Emperor's control over the church. This concept is contrasted with the Western tradition, where the Pope had more independence, and it illustrates the differences between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity.

💡Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia, now a mosque, is a significant architectural achievement of the Byzantine Empire and is mentioned in the script as a symbol of the empire's wealth and Justinian's reign. Originally a church, its construction after a riot and its unique design reflect the cultural and religious synthesis of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Highlights

Introduction of the topic: the fall of Rome and its historical debate.

Traditional view of the fall of Rome: Barbarians at the Gates.

Rome was conquered by barbarians in 476 CE.

Anti-imperialistic argument: Rome's fall was inevitable due to its expansive imperialism.

Tacitus' argument: imperialism sowed the seeds of Rome's destruction.

Rome's incorporation of Germanic warriors led to its decline.

The shift from loyal Roman citizens to mercenary soldiers caused instability.

Frequent civil wars and instability marked the later years of the Western Roman Empire.

The adoption of pants by Roman generals symbolized a shift in culture.

Byzantine Empire as the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Constantine's establishment of Constantinople as the new capital.

Justinian's codification of Roman law and building of the Hagia Sophia.

Theodora's influence and contributions to women's rights.

Byzantine Empire's distinction from the Western Roman Empire in terms of language and religion.

Caesaropapism in the Byzantine Empire: the Emperor's control over the church.

The Byzantine Empire's lasting influence on European civil law.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire's impact on the power dynamics between Popes and kings.

The survival of the Roman Empire's legacy in modern times.

Teaser for the next episode on the emergence of Islam.

Transcripts

Hi there, my name’s John Green; this is Crash Course: World History, and today we’re

going to talk about the fall of Rome.

Mr. Green, Mr. Green, Mr. Green! Who’s that pretty lady?

That lady, me-from-the-past, is Emperor Justinian. We’ll get to him in a minute.

[Theme Music]

How and when Rome fell remains the subject of considerable historical debate—

but today I’m going to argue that the Rome didn’t really fully fall until the middle of the 15th century.

But first, let me introduce you to The Traditional View:

Barbarians at the Gates. My, don’t you look traditional?

If you want to be really technical about it, the city of Rome was

conquered by bar bar bar barbarians in 476 CE.

There was a last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus, who ruled the empire for less than a year

before being deposed and sent into exile by Odoacer,

who was some kind of barbarian- we don’t know for sure.

Ostrogoth, Hun, Visigoth, Vandals; they all looked the same to the Romans.

Rome had been sacked by barbarians before, most notably by Alaric the Visigoth in 410-

Is it Uh-lar-ick or Uh-lair-ick? The dictionary says Uh-lair-ick but

The Vampire Diaries say Uh-lar-ick so I’m going to go with Uh-lar-ick.

But anyway, after 476, there was never again a “Roman” emperor in Rome.

Then there’s the hipper anti-imperialistic argument—

that’s nice, but if you really want to go full hipster

you should probably deny that you’re being hipst—

right, exactly—which goes like this:

Rome was doomed to fall as soon as it spread outside of Italy

because the further the territory is from the capital,

the harder it is to govern.

Thus imperialism itself sowed the seeds of destruction in Rome.

This was the argument put forth by the Roman historian Tacitus,

although he put it in the mouth of a British chieftain.

That sounded dirty, but it’s not, it’s all about context here on Crash Course:

"To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a desert and call it peace.”

There are two ways to overcome this governance problem:

First, you rule with the proverbial topaz fist—

that’s not the proverb? Really, Stan? It’s an iron fist? But topaz is much harder

than iron. Don’t these people know their Mohs scale of mineral hardness?..

Regardless, the Romans couldn’t do this because their

whole identity was wrapped up in an idea of justice that precluded indiscriminate violence.

The other strategy is to try to incorporate conquered people into the empire more fully:

In Rome’s case, to make them Romans.

This worked really well in the early days of the Republic

and even at the beginning of the Empire. But it eventually led to

Barbarians inside the Gates.

The decline of the legions started long before Rome started getting sacked.

It really began with the extremely bad decision to incorporate Germanic warriors into the Roman Army.

Rome had a long history of absorbing people from the empire’s fringes into the polity

first by making them allies and then eventually by granting them full citizenship rights.

But usually these “foreign” citizens had developed ties to Rome itself;

they learned Latin, they bought into the whole idea of the aristocratic republic.

But by the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, though, the empire had been forced to

allow the kind of riffraff into their army who didn’t really care about the idea of

Rome itself. They were only loyal to their commanders.

—And as you no doubt remember from the historical examples of

Caesar, Pompey, Marius, contemporary Afghanistan— this is not a recipe for domestic bliss.

So here is Rome, stuck with a bunch of expensive and bloody

wars against Germanic peoples who were really good at fighting

and then they had a great idea: Why not fight with these guys?

So they essentially hired them and soon the Roman Legions were teeming with

these mercenaries who were loyal mostly to gold,

secondarily to their commanders, and not at all to Rome

which is a place that very few of them ever even saw.

I mean, why would they give a crap about the health and well-being of the empire?

Am I allowed to say crap, Stan? Nice.

This was of course a recipe for civil war, and that’s exactly what happened with general

after general after general declaring himself Emperor of Rome.

So there was very little stability in the West.

For instance, between 235 and 284 CE, 41 different people were either emperor or claimed to be emperor.

And after the year 200, many of the generals who were powerful enough

to proclaim themselves emperors weren’t even Roman.

In fact, a lot of them didn’t speak much Latin.

Oddly enough, one of the best symbols of the new face of the Roman Empire was sartorial.

Instead of the traditional tunic and toga of the glory days of the Senate,

most of the new general-emperors adopted that most practical and most barbaric of garments: pants.

Oh, which reminds me, it’s time for the Open Letter.

An Open Letter to Pants:

But first let's see what's inside the secret compartment.

Oh, look, it's Rosie the Riveter! And she's wearing PANTS.

Dear Pants, Although you eventually became a symbol of patriarchal oppression,

in your early days you were worn by both men and women.

And in the days of the Roman Republic, they hated you.

They thought you barbarous. They thought that people wearing you was

the definition of people lacking civilization.

They ventured north and the wind blew up through their togas

and lo and behold, they adopted pants.

And there’s a history lesson in that, pants, which is that when people have to choose between

civilization and warm genitals, they choose warm genitals.

Best Wishes, John Green

And now a note from our sponsor: Today’s episode of crash course is brought

o you by the all-new Oldsmobile Byzantium,

mixing power and luxury in a way- Really? Oldsmobile isn’t a company anymore?

And Byzantium is a place? Are you sure?

So remember when I said the Roman Empire survived til the 15th century?

Well that was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire

(although not by the people who lived in it who identified themselves as Romans).

So while the Western empire descended into chaos,

the eastern half of the Empire had its capital in Byzantium,

a city on the Bosporus Strait that Constantine would later rename Constantinople,

thereby paving the way for They Might Be Giants only mainstream hit.

Constantine had lots of reasons to move his capitol east.

For one thing he was born in modern-day Croatia, also he probably spoke better Greek than Latin,

and plus the eastern provinces were a lot richer than the Western provinces and

from a looting perspective, you just want to be closer to where the good warring is.

The enemies in the East, like the Persian Parthians and the Persian Sassanians,

were real empires, not just bands of warriors.

And no matter who you were in world history, if you wanted to make a name for yourself

in terms of war, you really needed to be up against the Persians.

EVEN IF you were— wait for it—

the Mongols.

Not this time, friends.

As the political center of the Roman Empire shifted east,

Constantine also tried to re-orient his new religion, Christianity, toward the east,

holding the first Church council in Nicaea in 325.

The idea was to get all Christians to believe the same thing-

that worked- but it did mark the beginning of the emperor

having greater control over the Church.

That trend would of course later lead to tensions between the church centered at Constantinople

and the one centered in Rome. But, more on that in a bit.

To give you a sense of how dramatic this shift was,

by the 4th century CE, Constantinople’s population had soared

while Rome’s had gone from 500,000 to 80,000.

And although the Byzantines spoke Greek not Latin, they considered themselves Romans

and if they did then we probably should too. Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

There was a lot of continuity between the old, Western Roman Empire,

and the new, Eastern one. Politically, each was ruled by a single

(sometimes there were two, and once there were four– but let’s forget about them

for now) who wielded absolute military power.

War was pretty much constant as the Byzantines fought the Persian Sassanian Empire

and then various Islamic empires.

Trade and valuable agricultural land that yielded high taxes meant that the Byzantine

Empire was like the Western Roman Empire, exceptionally rich,

and it was slightly more compact as a territory than its predecessor and much more urban,

containing as it did all of those once independent Greek city states,

which made it easier to administer.

Also like their Western counterparts, the Byzantines enjoyed spectacle and sport.

Chariot races in Constantinople were huge, with thousands turning out at the Hippodrome

to cheer on their favorites.

Big bets were placed and there was a huge rivalry not just about sports

but also about political affiliations between the two main teams,

the Blues and the Greens- Thanks for putting us on the Greens, Thought

Bubble. That rivalry was so heated that riots often

broke out between them. In one such riot, an estimated 30,000 people

were killed.

Thanks Thought Bubble. But perhaps the most consistently Roman aspect

of Byzantine society was that they followed Roman law.

The Romans always prided themselves on being ruled by laws,

not by men, and even though that’s not actually the

case after the second century BCE, there’s no question that the Eastern Roman

Empire’s codification of Roman laws was one of it’s greatest achievements.

And much of the credit for that goes to the most famous Byzantine Emperor,

at least after Constantine, Justinian.

I like your brooch, sir.

In 533 Justinian published the Digest, an 800,000-word condensation of 1,528 Latin law books.

And to go along with this he published the Institutes,

which was like a curriculum for the Roman law schools that existed all through the Empire.

Justinian, incidentally, was by far the most awesome of the Byzantine emperors.

He was like the David Tennant of doctors.

He was born a peasant somewhere in the Balkans and than rose to became emperor in 527.

He ruled for almost 30 years and in addition to codifying Roman law,

he did a lot to restore the former glory of the Roman Empire.

He took Carthage back, he even took Rome back from the Goths, although not for long.

And he’s responsible for the building of one of the great churches in all of time—

which is now a mosque— the Hagia Sophia or Church of Saint Wisdom.

So after one of those sporting riots destroyed the previous church,

he built this, which with its soaring domes became a symbol

for the wealth and opulence of his empire.

The Romans were remarkable builders and engineers and the Hagia Sophia is no exception:

a dome its equal wouldn’t be build for another 500 years.

But you would never mistake it for a Roman temple;

It doesn’t have the austerity or the emphasis on engineering that you see, for instance, the Coliseum.

And this building in many ways functions a symbol for the ways the

Eastern Roman Empire was both Roman and not.

But maybe the most interesting thing Justinian ever did was

be married to his controversial Theater Person of a wife,

Theodora. Hey Danica, can we get Theodora up here?

Wow that is perfect. It’s funny how married couples always look like each other.

Theodora began her career as an actress, dancer, and possible prostitute before become Empress.

And she may have saved her husband’s rule by convincing him not to flee the city during

riots between the Blues and Greens.

She also mentored a eunuch who went on to become a hugely important general-

Mentoring a eunuch sounds like a euphemism, but it’s not.

And she fought to expand the rights of women in divorce and property ownership,

and even had a law passed taking the bold stance

that adulterous women should not be executed.

So, in short, the Byzantines continued the Roman legacy

of empire and war and law for almost 1000 years after Romulus Augustus was driven out of Rome.

The Byzantines may not have spoken Latin, and few of their emperors came from Rome,

but in most important ways they were Romans. Except one REALLY IMPORTANT way.

The Byzantines followed a different form of Christianity,

the branch we now call Eastern or sometimes Greek Orthodox.

How there came to be a split between the Catholic and Orthodox traditions is complicated –

you might even call it Byzantine.

What matters for us are the differences between the churches,

the main doctrinal one being about the dating of Easter,

and the main political one being about who rules whom.

Did I get my whom right there, Stan? YES!

In the West there was a Pope and in the East there was a Patriarch.

The Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

He sort of serves as god’s regent on earth and he doesn’t answer to any secular ruler.

And ever since the fall of Rome, there has been a lot of tension in Western

Europe between Popes and kings over who should have the real power.

But in the Orthodox church they didn’t have that problem

because the Patriarch was always appointed by the Emperor.

So it was pretty clear who had control over the church,

so much that they even have a word for it- caesaropapism: Caesar over Pope.

But the fact that in Rome there was no emperor after 476 meant there was no one to challenge

the Pope, which would profoundly shape European history

over the next, like, 1200 years.

So I would argue that in some important ways, the Roman Empire survived for a thousand years

after it left Rome, but in some ways it still survives today.

It survives in our imagination when we think of this as east, and this as west;

It survives in football rivalries that have their roots in religious conflicts;

and it survives in the Justinian law code which continues to be

the basis for much of civil law in Europe.

Next week we’ll talk about the emergence of Islam over here...

How’d I do, Stan? Well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Thanks for watching.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller,

our script supervisor is Danica Johnson. The show is written by my high school history

teacher Raoul Meyer and myself and our graphics team is Thought Bubble.

Last week’s Phrase of the Week was “Aristotelian logic”.

You can guess this week’s Phrase of the Week or suggest new ones in Comments,

where you can also ask questions that our team of historians will endeavor to answer.

Thanks for watching, and as we say in my hometown, Don’t forget to be awesome.