Post Pax Romana Emperors

•Commodus—end of Pax Romana

•Praetorian Guard Sale

•Severans

•Civil War Emperors

•Diocletian

Tetrarchy: Augustus and Caesar

Division of the Empire

•Constantine

•Roman Fall Emperors

Commodus

• First emperor after the end of the law of succession

• Name of empire changed to Commodiana

• “was a greater curse to the Romans than any plague or crime”

• Blood sport fan• One of the worst

emperors

Praetorian Guard Sale

Julianus outbid all others to buy the emperorship from the Praetorian Guard

Severans

Septimius Severus Caracalla Severus Alexander

Septimius Severus

• Eliminated Julianus• Increased army size to

defend borders• Allowed selected

barbarians into army• Devalued currency by

50%• Rule #1: take care of the

army and the government will take care of itself

• Army dominated government

Caracalla

• Eliminated father• Army pay up 50%• Paid bribes to

barbarian chieftains not to attack borders

• Granted citizenship to all free males in empire-more taxes

• Raised taxes and devalued currency

Severus Alexander

• Murdered by legions because he wanted to bribe German chieftain rather than allow the legions to fight

Civil War EmperorsMaximinus

Gordians I, II, and III

Philip the Arab

Decius

Valerian

Gallienus

Claudius Gothicus

Aurelian

Tacitus

Florian

Probus

Carus

Carinus

Health of the Empire

Political/Military Financial

• 50 years of civil war, barbarian invasion, spreading famines, and plague

• 20 emperors and pretenders died of the plague or violent deaths

• Empire invaded from all sides:

1. East—Persians attacked Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor

2. North—Franks and Alemanni attacked Gaul and Spain

3. South—Berbers attacked northern Africa

•Imperial silver coins lost more than 90 percent of their silver content

•Run away inflation took over money and goods markets—peak of wheat half a denarius to 100 denarius

•Egyptian bankers refused to handle Imperial money

Diocletian

• One man imperial rule• Reformed army—

mismatched commanders and units

• Border fortifications increased

• Wage and price controls• Farmers forced to stay

and produce food• Christian persecutions• Tetrarchy

Cause and Effect of Diocletian Reorganizing the Empire

Tetrarchy

• Empire divided into western and eastern halves

• Emperor “Augustus” and heir “Caesar” in east and west

Constantine

• Father was western “Augustus”

• Battle at the Milvian Bridge

• Augustus of the west• Moved capitol city to

Byzantium—single emperor

• Converts to Christianity• Council of Nicea

Migration of the Huns

Barbarian Invasion

Barbarian Invasions and Location of Homeland Settlements

Visigoths Spain, S. France

Ostrogoths Italian Peninsula

Vandals North Africa

Franks Northern France

Angles Britain

Saxons Britain

Jutes Britain

Huns Hungary

Lombards Northern Italy

Suevi Northern Spain

Burgundians SE France