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The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast territory was divided between several successor polities.
- When Did Rome Fall?
- How Did Rome Fall?
- Why Did Rome Fall?
- Christianity
- Barbarians and Vandals
- Decadence and Decay of Rome's Control
- Lead Poisoning
- Economics
- Additional References
In his masterwork, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, historian Edward Gibbon selected 476 CE, a date most often mentioned by historians. That date was when Odoacer, the Germanic king of the Torcilingi, deposed Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor to rule the western part of the Roman Empire. The eastern half became the Byzantine Emp...
Just as the Fall of Rome was not caused by a single event, the way Rome fell was also complex. In fact, during the period of imperial decline, the empire actually expanded. That influx of conquered peoples and lands changed the structure of the Roman government. Emperors moved the capital away from the city of Rome, too. The schism of east and west...
This is easily the most argued question about the fall of Rome. The Roman Empire lasted over a thousand years and represented a sophisticated and adaptive civilization. Some historians maintain that it was the split into an eastern and western empire governed by separate emperors caused Rome to fall. Most classicists believe that a combination of f...
When the Roman Empire started, there was no such religion as Christianity. In the 1st century CE, Pontius Pilate, the governor of the province of Judaea, executed their founder, Jesus, for treason. It took his followers a few centuries to gain enough clout to be able to win over imperial support. This began in the early 4th century with Emperor Con...
The barbarians, which is a term that covers a varied and changing group of outsiders, were embraced by Rome, who used them as suppliers of tax revenue and bodies for the military, even promoting them to positions of power. But Rome also lost territory and revenue to them, especially in northern Africa, which Rome lost to the Vandals at the time of ...
There is no doubt that decay—the loss of Roman control over the military and populace—affected the ability of the Roman Empire to keep its borders intact. Early issues included the crises of the Republic in the first century BCE under the emperors Sulla and Marius as well as that of the Gracchi brothersin the second century CE. But by the fourth ce...
Some scholars have suggested that the Romans suffered from lead poisoning. Apparently, there was lead in Roman drinking water, leached in from water pipes used in the vast Roman water control system; lead glazes on containers that came in contact with food and beverages; and food preparation techniques that could have contributed to heavy metal p...
Economic factors are also often cited as a major cause of the fall of Rome. Some of the major factors described are inflation, over-taxation, and feudalism. Other lesser economic issues included the wholesale hoarding of bullion by Roman citizens, the widespread looting of the Roman treasury by barbarians, and a massive trade deficit with the eas...
Baynes, Norman H. “The Decline of the Roman Power in Western Europe. Some Modern Explanations.” The Journal of Roman Studies, vol. 33, no. 1-2, Nov. 1943, pp. 29–35.Dorjahn, Alfred P., and Lester K. Born. “Vegetius on the Decay of the Roman Army.” The Classical Journal, vol. 30, no. 3, Dec. 1934, pp. 148–158.Phillips, Charles Robert. “Old Wine in Old Lead Bottles: Nriagu on the Fall of Rome.” The Classical World, vol. 78, no. 1, Sept. 1984, pp. 29–33.- Invasions by Barbarian tribes. The most straightforward theory for Western Rome’s collapse pins the fall on a string of military losses sustained against outside forces.
- Economic troubles and overreliance on slave labor. The Visigoths Sack Rome. Even as Rome was under attack from outside forces, it was also crumbling from within thanks to a severe financial crisis.
- The rise of the Eastern Empire. The fate of Western Rome was partially sealed in the late third century, when Emperor Diocletian divided the Empire into two halves—the Western Empire seated in the city of Milan, and the Eastern Empire in Byzantium, later known as Constantinople.
- Overexpansion and military overspending. At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Euphrates River in the Middle East, but its grandeur may have also been its downfall.
Jun 14, 2024 · The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, historical work by Edward Gibbon, published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. A continuous narrative from the 2nd century ce to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it is distinguished by its rigorous scholarship, its historical perspective, and its.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 12, 2018 · Learn about the causes and consequences of the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, and how it differed from the Eastern Roman Empire. Explore the role of Christianity, barbarian invasions, and internal decay in the decline of ancient Rome.
- Donald L. Wasson
May 25, 2024 · The fall of Rome was a centuries-long process with many complex and interrelated causes. However, historians largely agree that the growing decadence and internal decay of Roman society in the later Empire played a crucial role in Rome‘s vulnerability and ultimate collapse.
Jun 3, 2020 · Learn how and why the Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD after centuries of decline and crisis. Explore the political, economic, military, and social factors that led to the fall of Rome and its impact on European history.
