9. The crisis of the Roman Empire.

The decadence of the cities.

In the third century the crisis of the Roman Empire begins. The
base of the Roman empire was the city, with laws, magistrates,
entertainment and commerce. In the third century all these things
were disappearing.

The barbarian peoples pressed more and more on the borders; those
who were closer to the empire wanted to belong to the Roman world,
but those further away, who were also more violent, wanted to settle
by force and loot the cities. To defend the borders it was necessary
to reinforce the army and raise taxes.
9. The crisis of the Roman Empire.
9. The crisis of the Roman Empire.

The decadence of the cities.

In the third century the army was the one that really ruled in Rome,
imposing generals as emperors. Between 235 and 305 these generals
supplanted each other very quickly, this period is known as military
anarchy. The figure of the emperor lost dignity and, also its officials
and Roman civilization.
9. The crisis of the Roman Empire.

In the western provinces, citizens preferred to spend more time in their country
villas, where they could not be found by tax collectors, and were no longer
interested in participating in the political life of their cities.

Between the third and fourth centuries, cities were less and less attractive and
more insecure; barbarians often looted them.
People slowly moved to the countryside. The first to leave were the richest
families, who occupied their rural villages and dedicated their lands to producing
everything that was necessary to live, (autarchy) so they didn't have to buy
anything in the city. The most humble families also went to the countryside: they put
themselves under the protection of the richest owners and instead they committed
to accept their authority.
The lords of the villages became heads of numerous groups of people and had
small armies.
9. The crisis of the Roman Empire.

Reform attempts in the 4th century.

At the end of the 3rd century and during the 4th century, some emperors tried to
stop the crisis. Diocletian divided the empire into four parts. The reform failed due
to clashes between the governors of the four parts of the empire, but Constantine
reunited it and undertook another reform in which he imposed the centralization
of the empire, and the government was exercised by people chosen by the
emperor.

Constantine also published a law, the Edict of Milan, and he authorized the
Christian religion, but it was Theodosius, in 391, who made Christian religion the
official religion. Thanks to the organization and prestige of the Christian
authorities, the Roman administration recovered, but economic problems continued.
At the death of Theodosius the empire was divided between his sons Arcadius, who
received the East, and Honorius, in the West.
 10. The Germanic invasions.

The barbarian peoples.

After the limes of the empire the territories where the barbarian
peoples lived extended. Among them was a group, the Germans, who had
clashed with Rome on many occasions and who lived near the border,
sometimes threatening the peace of the empire. The Germanics wanted
to settle in the lands near the Mediterranean and live in the cities of
the empire: they wanted to be part of the Roman world.

Beyond the Germans lived other barbarian peoples, much more violent;
the Roman emperors allied themselves with the Germanics to help them
fight them. In exchange they were given land to live on. Thus, the
Germanic people gradually entered the empire.
 10. The Germanic invasions.

The breaking of the borders.

Around the year 450, things accelerated.

From the east, near the borders of the Chinese empire, the Huns, a
nomadic people, who lived on livestock and who had proposed to settle in
Roman territory, set out for the west. Their chief, Attila, was a
powerful warrior. As they approached the borders of the empire they
pushed the other barbarian peoples and broke into the empire. In 476
the Ostrogoths, a Germanic people, deposed the last emperor and
ended the Roman Empire.
10. The Germanic invasions.