After Pax Romana Flashcards
how did the Parthians become aggressive?
New dynasty - Sassanian Dynasty (220s); threaten Syria and Eastern Asia Minor
Why was Rome so oppressed?
- Parthians in East
- Formations of people in the north - Franks, Alamanni (Germans), Goths, Vandals –> Age of Crisis (50 years - between 230 and 280)
What were characteristics of those part of the Age of Crisis?
- Illiterate/no histories
- Thought of as barbarians, but they were settled (not nomadic, don’t have cities)
- Had good cavalry
By 260, what had the Age of Crisis peoples moved to?
- Went into norther Italy
- Mid 3rd century was low point - no military reserve, garrisons on all frontiers
Who is Valerian? What happens to him?
- Emperor of the time; goes on campaign against Persians but gets captured alive in 260
- Last old-style, traditional emperor
Who is Valerian succeeded by?
His son, Gallienus (260-268)
What are characteristics of Gallienus?
- Sole emperor, lowest point, called a wimp
- Strategic - chooses to reserve the court
How does Gallienus get help?
In Palmyra, king dies and his son Odenath has a regent (his mom) Queen Zenobia. They stick with Rome nah help defend it in the East in the 260s-270s (push back Sassanians.
Why were people discontent with Gallienus?
Though he had abandoned them (busy in central Europe)
What do the people do in response to discontentment with Gallienus?
Choose own military commander Postumus, who doesn’t want to oppose Gallienus. Instead, he defends Britain, Gaul, and Spain for the Roman empire, keeping back the Franks and Alamanni fro coming across the Rhine (does what clone Gallienus would do)
What is the arrangement between Gallienus and Postumus?
Gallienus holds center, Odenath holds east, Postumus holds west
Who is first of the series of strong emperors?
- Aurelian (270-275); military background (cavalry commander), nicknamed “Mr Hand on sword”
What does Aurelian do?
- Pulls out army and government from Dacia (barbarians all around)
- Builds a wall around the city of Rome (in case of barbaric attack)
Who really helps the empire?
Diocletian (284-305)
Background info on Diocletian?
- Humble background; from modern Croatia, worked way up to military
- Ruled for 21 years, then abdicates
What does Diocletian establish?
Tetrarchy (rule of 4)
- Augustus in the east and west
- Caesars (junior/deputy) to succeed them
What does Diocletian get in charge of? who is on the other side?
Diocletian - augustus of the East
- Constantius - caesar of the west
What is different about these commanders in the tetrarchy?
- Not leisurely; called Dominate (instead of Principate), which is how slave refers to master. They give orders and are not approachable
What does Diocletian do for expansion?
Go to Persia and are successful
- Capture Ctesiphon in 298 and have humiliating treaty with Persians
What are the characteristics of the Dominate?
- Each has own army called Comitatus
- They take responsibility for different regions of the empire
- Establish new heaquarters/capitals, and Rome doesn’t really get included (far from the frontiers for a proactive military emperor)
- Split old provinces (number of provinces increase)
- More hands on Roman administration
What are the different headquarters?
- Diocletian chooses Nicomedia
- Capital at Byzantium (Constantinople)
- Augustua Treverorum (public buildings, amphitheaters)
- Mediolanum (to stop barbarians)
- Sirmium (central Europe)
- Serdica (further east)
- Thessalonica
- Antioch - headquarters when going into Mesopotamia against Persians
- Alexandria
What were groups of provinces made into?
Diocese (about 90 provinces rather than 40); extra administrator named vicar
Leadership in Dominate
- Emperor is at the top of civil service; some bureaucracy (ministers meet with emperor in a Consistorium)
- Second rank troops called Limitanei
- Dux (leads troops)
What does Constantine do after Diocletian?
Consolidates and reinforce Diocletian’s work
- Tetrarchy wasn’t good in long run (son would get upset if didn’t get chosen; i.e. Constantine)
How does Christianity play in?
- Constantine turns to it to boost empire
- Sons help entrench Christianity
- Julian was first to disagree (361-63), pagan
Who were the Huns?
- Pressure from the east (370s), nomadic
What happens with the Goths?
- Big showdown at the battle at Adrianople in 378 (bad loss for Romans against Goths in Adrianople)
What happens to Rome?
- Rome abandons the West (capital = Constantinople). What was left in Italy became Ravenna. By 400, had retreated from the West
- In 500s, Romans were morphed into the Byzantium Empire. Emperor Justinian (527-565) tries to get the West.
- In 600s, Arab invaders come from Arabia; empire is vulnerable
- Empire keeps shrinking until 1453, when Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople (empire was just a city)
