Roman Empire

Cards (59)

  • Modern historians are considering that the MA begun with the deposition of the last RE, Romulus Augustulus on the 4th of September 476 CE (common era)
  • That event is mostly symbolic since it did not change at all the course of things. It was predictable and logical but only important today
  • Historians tend to consider that disaggregation of the Roman order occurred progressively from the 3rd until the 6th
  • The roman empire was considered as the most important empire and its legacy is still important after it
  • Due to its fascination towards the Roman Empire, that matter stirred up a great interest among thinkers and scholars, at least from the 18th
  • Montesquieu was the first to discuss it
  • The English wanted to know for the good of THEIR empire
  • In England, Edward Gibbon published between 1778 and 1788 a six volumes books The history of the decline and the fall of the roman Empire
  • Fall because of Christianity was its idea
  • We have the uttermost difficulty to be sure of what brought down the RE
  • Authors from that moment of what was happening, and we must build interpretations using fragment of traces to find anything
  • We must build our opinion as they did not give them
  • Roman Republic
    Considered to have been created by Augustus in 27 BCE
  • Transition was gradual, took years or decades
  • Augustus ruled until 14CE
  • The Roman Empire reached its peak during the second century CE
  • Reasons for the collapsing of the Roman Empire
    • The imperial power increased its military dimension since the 3rd CE, which led the empire into a political instability (4 emperor a year)
    • The financial needs of the empire being always increasing; it led the fiscal admin to lift the taxes as well as debase the alloy of the Imperial coinages. Inflation because of the lowness of the silver fineness in coins
  • When emperor Theodosius died (in 395 CE), the empire was divided in 2 separated parts: the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire
  • To solve the insecurity and other issues, to have more emperor to solve them. But no success because competition between the two
  • Spilt between the 2 sons of Theodosius, and the parts won't ever be together
  • Capital of the East: Constantinople, Capital of the West: Milano first
  • Separation between Greek and Latin speaking people
  • The eastern one, "the Byzantine Empire" survived until 1453 CE
  • The western one did not last more than 80 years
  • Barbarians

    Population that the Latin authors are calling "Barbarians"
  • From a roman pov, the world barbarous implies that they do not speak neither Latin nor Greek
  • Beware of the clichés, since very refined people like Persians were said to be barbarians as considered not civilized
  • Roman limes
    • Fortified border set up by roman emperors to protect their territories from barbarians wanting to enter the empire
    • It worked but for some time, not much
    • Used rivers to also close the borders
  • During the 3rd, the balance was broken due to the apparition of new groups of barbarians' people, like Vandals, Goth or Franks, and the weakening of the Empire
  • 1st barbarian attack was in 260 in Athens
  • Barbarians were free to plan incursions into the roman territory, mostly for loot (taking the things worth in a city and leave after)
  • The romans and barbarians had trade (furs, amber and wine) for diplomacy and other peaceful relationships
  • This led the barbarians to be Romanised, and some of them were able to speak, read and write in Latin
  • From the End of the 4th, the barbarians were many to serve into roman legions as the empire needed soldiers
  • The barbarians settle in the empire for this
  • Some of barbarian rulers got important position within the empire (general or more: Flavius Stilicho, from 394-408, general in chief in the roman empire (had some emperor assassinated and was also))
  • From the 360s', the recruitment of barbarians into the army led entire barbarian communities to enter the empire and to settle
  • The franks fought for Rome in 358 and settle in modern day Belgium
  • The settlers were mostly soldiers, women and children were almost non existents. It is why we do not talk about "barbarian invasion"
  • The Goth putting pressure was an issue. So, they settle the goths in the empire in 370s and accepted to fight for the roman army