Civil War
With the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 C.E., Rome stepped into a period of chaos. Since Rome had no official right of succession to the emperor, when an emperor died, only those with the power to assume control actually did. The Senate, military, and other parties each supported their own candidates. There were several times when more than one person claimed to be the emperor. With the army’s loyalty directed to the generals, the empire incurred civil wars as the generals competed for control. Over a period of forty-nine years, 235-284 C.E., over twenty different emperors ruled the Empire. These rulers have also been referred to as ‘The Barracks Emperors’. During these internal conflicts, the empire broke into three competing states.
External Invasion
While the legions were fighting each other leaving the frontiers lightly manned, foreign enemies, namely Germanic tribes, began a series of invasions or relocations. Historians now suggest that the Germanic tribes were incorporated into the Roman Empire for reasons of defense, since the government did not have the ability to administer the large empire. Revolts in Africa occurred and there was always the Persian threat in the east that demanded a constant military presence. The Empire had begun to shrink.
Economic Strife
As a result of internal and external strife, the economy of Rome fell into despair. Funding the constant military actions had taken a toll on the empire. The currency also began to become disvalued as the series of emperors searched for ways to pay their solider supporters. Trade began to slow or stop since the once safe trade routes had become dangerous.
These events are thought to be the turning point from the classical age to the medieval age. People began to lean on wealthy landowners for the necessities of life as they lived and work on the owners’ lands. Cities were reducing in population. Landowners began to control the agricultural turn out of their lands and began to produce items that would have been ordinarily traded for, beginning the basis of medieval feudalism. The peasants were turning into serfs.
Had the Romans been able to successfully transition power from one leader to the next, our world would have been drastically different. If stability within government would have occurred, the economy and defenses could have been controlled or managed successfully enough to ward off the crippling effects of the events of the third century.
Sources:
Boise State University - The Crisis of the Third Century
Ohis State University - The Crisis of the Third Century
ACCLA - Hugh Kramer - The Crisis of the Third Century
