Fall of the Roman Empire | World History | Khan Academy

Summary

This video script explores the decline of the Roman Empire, highlighting the transition from the Pax Romana to the Third Century Crisis, marked by instability and corruption. It discusses Diocletian's administrative split of the empire, the rise of Christianity under Constantine, and the empire's fragmentation by external pressures and internal factors. The script ponders the reasons for Rome's fall, considering division, economic stagnation, military allegiance shifts, and the influence of Christianity, before concluding with the empire's eventual dissolution into the Middle Ages.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Pax Romana, starting from 27 BCE to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, was a period of relative stability and peace for the Roman Empire.
• 👑 The reign of Commodus marked the beginning of a decline in the quality of Roman emperors, leading to increased corruption and instability.
• 🔍 The assassination of Emperor Severus Alexander in 235 CE initiated the Third Century Crisis, a 50-year period of chaos with 26 claimants to the throne and the temporary division of the empire.
• 🏰 Diocletian's ascension in 284 CE ended the Third Century Crisis and he is known for persecuting Christians and dividing the empire into East and West for administrative purposes.
• 👥 The tetrarchy system established by Diocletian included a co-emperor and second-in-command for each to ensure smoother succession.
• 🕊️ Constantine the Great embraced Christianity, legalizing it and moving the empire's capital to Constantinople, named after him.
• 📜 The Council of Nicaea and the Nicaean Code under Constantine established a uniform doctrine for Christianity.
• 🛡️ Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, marking a significant shift from Diocletian's persecution of Christians.
• ⚔️ The Gothic Wars, culminating in the Battle of Adrianople, saw the Visigoths decisively defeating the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens and sacking Rome in 410.
• 🏰 The capital of the Western Roman Empire was moved from Rome to Ravenna for defensive reasons during the rule of Theodosius.
• 🏛️ The Western Roman Empire effectively ended with the ousting of the emperor in Ravenna by the Germanic ruler Odoacer, leading to fragmentation and the onset of the Middle Ages.

Q & A

What does the term 'Pax Romana' refer to in the context of the Roman Empire?

The term 'Pax Romana' refers to the period of relative stability and peace in the Roman Empire, which lasted for the first 200 years after Augustus established the empire in 27 BCE until the reign of Marcus Aurelius.

How did the Roman Empire's stability change after the death of Marcus Aurelius?

After the death of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Empire's stability declined with the succession of less competent emperors, leading to increased corruption and instability within the empire.

What significant event marked the beginning of the 'Third Century Crisis' in the Roman Empire?

The 'Third Century Crisis' began with the assassination of Emperor Severus Alexander in 235 CE, which led to a period of intense instability and frequent changes in leadership.

How many claimants to the throne were there during the 50-year 'Third Century Crisis'?

During the 50-year 'Third Century Crisis', there were 26 claimants to the Roman imperial throne.

What was the main reason Diocletian decided to split the Roman Empire into East and West?

Diocletian believed that the empire had become too vast and difficult to administer, with too many borders to defend, which led him to split it into East and West for better administrative control.

What was the 'tetrarchy' system established by Diocletian?

The 'tetrarchy' was a system where Diocletian and his co-emperor each had a second-in-command, ensuring a smoother succession in case of death or retirement, to address the issues of succession wars during the 'Third Century Crisis'.

Which emperor is known for embracing Christianity and making it legal under Roman rule?

Emperor Constantine is known for embracing Christianity, convening the Council of Nicaea, and issuing the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity legal under Roman rule.

What significant change did Emperor Theodosius make regarding the status of Christianity in the Roman Empire?

Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, marking a significant shift from the earlier persecution of Christians under Diocletian.

What event is considered by most historians as the end of the Western Roman Empire?

The end of the Western Roman Empire is considered to be when the Germanic ruler General Odoacer ousted the emperor in Ravenna, effectively ending the Western Empire as it was known.

What factors contributed to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire?

Factors contributing to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire include the division of the empire, economic stagnation, the influence of the Huns causing migrations, the integration of Germanic tribes into the Roman military, possible effects of Christianity on unity and loyalty, corruption, and external invasions.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Pax Romana and the Fall of the Roman Empire

The video script begins by discussing the first 200 years of the Roman Empire under Augustus, known as Pax Romana, a period of relative peace and stability. However, this peace was not universal, as tribes and slaves experienced ongoing conflict. The decline began after the death of Marcus Aurelius, with his son Commodus marking the start of a series of incompetent emperors and increased corruption. The Third Century Crisis, initiated by the assassination of Severus Alexander, led to a 50-year period of instability with 26 claimants to the throne and temporary division of the empire. Diocletian's ascension ended this crisis, and he is known for persecuting Christians and dividing the empire into East and West for administrative purposes, establishing a tetrarchy to ensure succession.

05:01

🛡️ Military Struggles and the Shift to Christianity

The script continues with the narrative of military struggles, including attacks from the Sassanids and Germanic tribes, contributing to Rome's instability. It then discusses the reign of Constantine, who embraced Christianity, leading to the Council of Nicaea and the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity. Constantine's reign marked a significant shift as he became the first Christian emperor and moved the capital to Constantinople. The empire continued to fragment, with the Huns causing significant migrations and military threats. Theodosius made Christianity the official religion, further distinguishing the empire from its pagan past.

10:03

🏰 The Fragmentation and Final Days of the Western Roman Empire

The final paragraph delves into the fragmentation of the empire, highlighting key events such as the Visigoths sacking Rome and settling in the Iberian Peninsula and Southern Gaul. Theodosius is noted as the last emperor to rule over a unified Rome, after which the East and West became separate entities. The script recounts the Visigoths' and Vandals' sack of Rome and the eventual ousting of the Western Roman Emperor by General Odoacer, signaling the end of the Western Roman Empire. It raises questions about the causes of the empire's fall, including division, economic decline, the influence of Christianity, corruption, and external invasions.

Keywords

💡Pax Romana

Pax Romana, or 'Roman Peace,' refers to a period of relative peace and stability within the Roman Empire, spanning the first 200 years after Augustus established the empire in 27 BCE. This term is central to understanding the video's theme as it sets the stage for the contrast with the turbulent times that followed. In the script, the Pax Romana is described as a time of peace, but with the caveat that this peace was relative, especially for those tribes still in conflict with Rome and the significant portion of the population that were slaves.

💡Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was the last of the 'Five Good Emperors' and his death marked the end of the Pax Romana. His significance in the video lies in the transition from a period of stability to one of decline. The script mentions him as a pivotal figure whose passing led to a succession of less competent emperors and the subsequent corruption and instability of the empire.

💡Commodus

Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius, is identified as the first in a series of emperors who were less competent, leading to the empire's decline. His reign is a key concept in the video as it symbolizes the beginning of the empire's downward spiral. The script describes Commodus as initiating a period of increasing corruption and instability within the Roman Empire.

💡Third Century Crisis

The Third Century Crisis was a 50-year period of intense instability and chaos in the Roman Empire, marked by numerous claimants to the imperial throne and external threats. This term is crucial for understanding the video's narrative of Rome's decline. The script details the crisis as a time when the empire faced internal strife with 26 claimants to the throne and external attacks from the Sassanids and Germanic tribes.

💡Diocletian

Diocletian is presented in the video as a reasonably strong emperor who ended the Third Century Crisis in 284 CE. His reign is significant as he introduced administrative reforms, including the division of the empire into East and West, to address the issues of the crisis. The script highlights Diocletian's decision to split the empire and establish the tetrarchy, which was a system of four rulers to ensure stable succession.

💡Tetrarchy

The tetrarchy was a system of government introduced by Diocletian, consisting of two senior emperors, known as Augusti, and two junior emperors, known as Caesars. This concept is important in the video as it represents an attempt to stabilize the empire and prevent succession wars. The script explains that each Augustus had a Caesar as a second-in-command, ensuring a smoother transition of power.

💡Constantine

Constantine the Great is a significant figure in the video due to his embrace of Christianity and his role in making it the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. His reign is pivotal as it marks a major religious shift within the empire. The script mentions Constantine's conversion to Christianity, the Council of Nicaea, the Edict of Milan, and his establishment of Constantinople as the new capital.

💡Huns

The Huns were a group of fierce, nomadic conquerors from Central Asia who played a significant role in the decline of the Roman Empire by causing the migration of Germanic tribes. Their impact is a key concept in the video as it illustrates the external pressures faced by Rome. The script describes how the Huns pushed Germanic tribes into the Roman Empire, leading to conflicts and instability.

💡Gothic Wars

The Gothic Wars were a series of conflicts between the Roman Empire and the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. The term is important in the video as it represents a major military struggle that contributed to Rome's decline. The script specifically mentions the Battle of Adrianople as a decisive engagement where the Visigoths defeated the Roman Emperor Valens.

💡Theodosius

Theodosius I, also known as Theodosius the Great, was the last emperor to rule over both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires before they became separate entities. His reign is significant in the video as it marks a transition point in the empire's history. The script notes Theodosius's role in making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and his status as the last emperor to rule over a unified Rome.

💡Odoacer

Odoacer, a Germanic king, is identified in the video as the figure who ended the Western Roman Empire by ousting the emperor in Ravenna. His actions are central to the video's narrative as they symbolize the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The script describes Odoacer's rise to power and the subsequent fragmentation of the Western Empire into various Germanic kingdoms, marking the beginning of the Middle Ages.

Highlights

The first 200 years of the Roman Empire under Augustus, known as Pax Romana, was a period of relative stability and peace.

Despite the relative peace, tribes fighting Roman legions and a significant slave population did not experience the same stability.

Marcus Aurelius was the last of the 'five good emperors', and his death marked the beginning of a period of decline.

Commodus' reign initiated a succession of less competent emperors, increasing corruption and instability.

The assassination of Severus Alexander in 235 CE triggered the 50-year Third Century Crisis with 26 claimants to the throne.

The Third Century Crisis saw the empire temporarily split and attacked by external forces such as the Sassanids and Germanic tribes.

Diocletian's ascension in 284 ended the crisis, introducing a system of co-emperors and the tetrarchy to stabilize governance.

Diocletian is known for persecuting Christians and for administratively splitting the empire into East and West.

Constantine the Great embraced Christianity, leading to the Council of Nicaea and the Edict of Milan, legalizing Christianity.

Constantine's reign saw the capital moved to Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople, indicating a shift in the empire's center.

The empire continued to fragment, with external pressures such as the Huns causing migrations of Germanic tribes.

The Battle of Adrianople in 378 CE saw the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens defeated by the Visigoths, marking a significant military defeat.

Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, a stark contrast to Diocletian's policies.

The Western Roman Empire's capital was moved from Rome to Ravenna for defensive reasons, indicating a shift in strategic thinking.

Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over a unified Rome, after which the East and West became separate entities.

The sack of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455 highlighted the empire's vulnerability.

The end of the Western Roman Empire is marked by the ousting of the emperor in Ravenna by Germanic ruler Odoacer.

Historians debate the causes of the Roman Empire's decline, including division, economic issues, military pressures, and religious changes.

Transcripts

- [Instructor] In the last video we talk about

the first 200 years of Rome being an official empire,

starting with Augustus in 27 BCE,

going all the way to Marcus Aurelius,

and that time period is referred to

as Pax Romana, Roman Peace.

It's a relatively stable,

relatively peaceful time for Rome.

Now all of that is relative.

If you're one of the tribes

that are still fighting with the Roman legions,

if you're one of the roughly 1/4 to 1/3

of the population that is a slave,

you might not view this as such a good time.

But things only get worse

after the death of Marcus Aurelius,

who's viewed as the last of the five good emperors,

so to speak.

His son, Commodus, takes over,

and Commodus is the beginning of a succession of emperors

who are less and less competent.

The Empire becomes more and more corrupt,

less and less stable,

and things really come to a head

and start to decelerate even further,

or I guess accelerate downward even further, in 235 CE

when the emperor Severus Alexander is assassinated,

and this throws the empire into a 50-year crisis

called the Third Century Crisis

because it happened in the third century.

And over this 50 years, there's 26 claimants to emperor.

The empire is temporarily split into three different states.

There's attacks from the east from the Sassanids,

the Sassanian Empire, they're the successors

to the Parthians.

You have attacks across the Rhine and the Danube

from Germanic tribes.

All of that makes this a very unstable period for Rome.

Now the Third Century Crisis is considered to end

in 284 with the ascension of Diocletian,

and Diocletian is viewed as a somewhat,

or a reasonably strong emperor.

He's known as the last emperor

that really persecuted the Christians

because they didn't follow the Roman religion,

they did not worship the emperor as a god,

but he's also, or maybe he's most famous for

splitting the empire.

He decides that probably one of the main causes

of the Third Century Crisis is that

the empire has gotten too vast.

It has too many borders.

It's hard for one emperor to administer the whole thing,

so he splits it into East and West

from an administrative point of view.

They don't become separate empires,

but he decides that he is going to rule

from the East and that he will have

a co-emperor who rules from the West.

And not only does he set that up,

but he sets up what's called a tetrarchy.

Beyond himself and his co-emperor,

they each have a second-in-command

that if any one of them were to die

or would have to retire somehow,

that that second-in-command could take over,

and once again, this is to address some of the issues

of the Third Century Crisis where the wars

for succession, and this isn't just during

the Third Century Crisis.

We've seen it in multiple videos.

Rome is famous, even during the Pax Romana,

for these really ugly succession battles,

but as we'll see, the splitting of the empire

into East and West, even though it started

as an administrative thing, over time it's going

to become a real split and they're going to turn

into two different empires.

Now after Diocletian, you have another significant emperor.

You have Constantine,

and Constantine is known for many things.

Maybe most famously, he embraced Christianity,

as opposed to Diocletian who persecuted Christians,

you have the Council of Nicaea and the Nicaean Code

where there's now a uniform church doctrine

around Christianity.

He has the Edict of Milan, which makes Christianity

legal under Roman rule.

Maybe most famously on his deathbed,

he gets baptized.

He becomes the first Christian emperor.

He also moves the capital to,

officially moves the capital of the entire empire,

to what at the time was Byzantium,

but then he renames it to Constantinople,

named after him.

Now it was still one unified empire,

even Diocletian who co-ruled with a co-emperor,

he had veto power over the emperor to the West.

Now as we get further into the fourth century here,

and especially into the fifth century,

we'll see that the empire further and further fragments,

and gets diluted, and really just breaks down.

One major factor in that breakdown

is in that fourth century, in the fourth

and fifth centuries, you have a group

called the Huns coming in from Central Asia,

coming in from Northern Europe right over here,

and they are fierce, nomadic conquerors,

and they're so fierce that they start pushing

more of the Germanic tribes across the Rhine

and the Danube, and a lot of these Germanic tribes,

at first, even though their history

has been fighting the Romans, a lot of them

try to seek refuge in the Roman Empire

and they're given refuge in the Roman Empire,

but while they have that refuge,

they're treated very, very, very badly,

and all of that comes to a head in the,

well I guess you could say, the last quarter

of the fourth century with the Gothic Wars,

and the Gothic Wars really have a decisive battle

at Adrianople, originally Adrianopolis,

named after the Emperor Adrian.

And at Adrianopolis, at Adrianople,

the Gothic tribes in particular,

and when we say Gothic, we're really talking

about Germanic tribes, and this one in particular,

as you can see from this legend right over here,

this is the Visigoths, or Western Goths,

they're able to decisively defeat

the Eastern Roman Emperor Valens.

He's actually killed at Adrianople,

and then the Visigoths just continue to hang out here

in the Roman Empire.

They continue to move forward.

In 410, they're able to actually sack Rome

and they eventually settle in the Iberian Peninsula

and in Southern Gaul.

Now after the Battle of Adrianople,

you have another significant emperor, Theodosius,

because what you'll see is that

Diocletian persecuted Christians,

Constantine now embraces Christianity,

he becomes a Christian, he says Christianity is legal.

Theodosius now, right as we are about to enter

into the fifth century, he makes Christianity

the official religion of the Roman Empire.

So in roughly 100 years, the Roman Empire

went from persecuting Christians

to making it the official religion

and actually going the other way,

starting to persecute some of the pre-Christian religions

or rituals.

The other thing that happens as we enter

into the fifth century now, as we go into

the fifth century, you have the capital

of the Western Empire is moved from Rome to Ravenna.

With the idea, the emperor see all of these

Germanic tribes, they feel threatened by them,

that Ravenna is easier to defend.

It's surrounded by kind of marshy, swampy area.

The other thing of note about Theodosius,

and as we move into really the last century

of the Western Roman Empire, is Theodosius

was the last Roman Emperor to rule all of Rome.

After that, the East and West are going to be

ruled essentially independently.

They're essentially going to be separate empires.

Then as we get into the fifth century,

we already talked about the Visigoths sacking Rome,

then in 455, you have the Vandals

which is another Germanic tribe that was

similarly originally pushed out by the Huns.

You see them in blue right over here.

They make it down the Iberian Peninsula

to North Africa.

They eventually get to Carthage,

and they become a little bit of a naval power

and they eventually are able to, in 455,

sack Rome as well.

So Rome is really taking a hit multiple times.

And then finally, the end of the Roman Empire,

or the Western Roman Empire that most historians

consider the end of the Roman Empire,

is when the Germanic ruler General Odoacer,

or Odoacker depending on how you pronounce it,

is able to oust the emperor in Ravenna,

and so then you have the official,

and just to be clear, this is, let me write Roman Empire,

and so Odoacer is able to essentially

end the Western Empire as we know it.

And after that, the Western Empire

becomes more and more fragmented

into these kingdoms that are ruled by

essentially Germanic kings, and then we are now

entering into the Middle Ages.

Now the big question that historians

have a lot of fun thinking about

is why did all of this happen?

Why did the Roman Empire fall?

And before we even talk about why it fell,

we should give them a little bit of credit.

Even in this video where I talk about

the fall of the Roman Empire,

I'm covering 300 years of history,

and if you start with the founding of the republic

until Odoacer takes over Ravenna, ousts the emperor,

we're talking 1,000 years.

Most civilizations, most empires don't last

anywhere near that long.

So to some degree, it's surprising that it lasted so long.

But in terms of the causes of its decline,

we've talked about several of them in this video.

The empire got divided.

The East and West stopped viewing themselves

so much as the same empire.

Trade sometimes broke down.

They didn't support each other militarily.

The Eastern Empire was generally stronger,

so it allowed invading tribes to focus

on the weak point in the West.

Some historians would say that the Roman Empire

stopped expanding, and it needed that expansion

in order to keep getting more land and more slaves

that really drove its economy.

One major factor probably was the Huns

that caused this great migration in the fourth

and fifth centuries, it caused the Germanic tribes

to cross the Rhine and cross the Danube

and become either settled as part

of the Roman Empire or threatened the Roman Empire.

Another theory, and all of these are probably contributors,

is that as the Germanic tribes settled,

they actually became more and more part of

the Roman military, and some of them were

officially part of the military,

some of them were mercenaries, soldiers for fortune,

paid soldiers, and so you can imagine their allegiance

to Rome was not as strong.

Some folks say Christianity may have been a factor.

That the empire might have lasted,

especially when people were doing

what their traditional rites, rituals,

they worshiped an emperor, but now Christianity

wasn't about worshiping an emperor anymore.

A lot of people think it's corruption, instability,

and we've talked a little bit about that.

It could've been invasions, not just from

the Germanic tribes and the Huns,

but also the Sassanids on the East.

So I'll leave you there, and to think about,

what was the cause or maybe what allowed

the Roman Empire to survive for so long?