After Pax Romana

Question 1

how did the Parthians become aggressive?

Answer 1

New dynasty - Sassanian Dynasty (220s); threaten Syria and Eastern Asia Minor

Question 2

Why was Rome so oppressed?

Answer 2

• Parthians in East
• Formations of people in the north - Franks, Alamanni (Germans), Goths, Vandals –> Age of Crisis (50 years - between 230 and 280)

Question 3

What were characteristics of those part of the Age of Crisis?

Answer 3

• Illiterate/no histories
• Thought of as barbarians, but they were settled (not nomadic, don’t have cities)
• Had good cavalry

Question 4

By 260, what had the Age of Crisis peoples moved to?

Answer 4

• Went into norther Italy

- Mid 3rd century was low point - no military reserve, garrisons on all frontiers

Question 5

Who is Valerian? What happens to him?

Answer 5

• Emperor of the time; goes on campaign against Persians but gets captured alive in 260
• Last old-style, traditional emperor

Question 6

Who is Valerian succeeded by?

Answer 6

His son, Gallienus (260-268)

Question 7

What are characteristics of Gallienus?

Answer 7

• Sole emperor, lowest point, called a wimp

- Strategic - chooses to reserve the court

Question 8

How does Gallienus get help?

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Why were people discontent with Gallienus?

Answer 9

Though he had abandoned them (busy in central Europe)

Question 10

What do the people do in response to discontentment with Gallienus?

Answer 10

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)

Question 11

What is the arrangement between Gallienus and Postumus?

Answer 11

Gallienus holds center, Odenath holds east, Postumus holds west

Question 12

Who is first of the series of strong emperors?

Answer 12

• Aurelian (270-275); military background (cavalry commander), nicknamed “Mr Hand on sword”

Question 13

What does Aurelian do?

Answer 13

• Pulls out army and government from Dacia (barbarians all around)
• Builds a wall around the city of Rome (in case of barbaric attack)

Question 14

Who really helps the empire?

Answer 14

Diocletian (284-305)

Question 15

Background info on Diocletian?

Answer 15

• Humble background; from modern Croatia, worked way up to military
• Ruled for 21 years, then abdicates

Question 16

What does Diocletian establish?

Answer 16

Tetrarchy (rule of 4)

• Augustus in the east and west
• Caesars (junior/deputy) to succeed them

Question 17

What does Diocletian get in charge of? who is on the other side?

Answer 17

Diocletian - augustus of the East

- Constantius - caesar of the west

Question 18

What is different about these commanders in the tetrarchy?

Answer 18

• Not leisurely; called Dominate (instead of Principate), which is how slave refers to master. They give orders and are not approachable

Question 19

What does Diocletian do for expansion?

Answer 19

Go to Persia and are successful

- Capture Ctesiphon in 298 and have humiliating treaty with Persians

Question 20

What are the characteristics of the Dominate?

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

What are the different headquarters?

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

What were groups of provinces made into?

Answer 22

Diocese (about 90 provinces rather than 40); extra administrator named vicar

Question 23

Leadership in Dominate

Answer 23

• 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)

Question 24

What does Constantine do after Diocletian?

Answer 24

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)

Question 25

How does Christianity play in?

Answer 25

• Constantine turns to it to boost empire
• Sons help entrench Christianity
• Julian was first to disagree (361-63), pagan

Question 26

Who were the Huns?

Answer 26

• Pressure from the east (370s), nomadic

Question 27

What happens with the Goths?

Answer 27

• Big showdown at the battle at Adrianople in 378 (bad loss for Romans against Goths in Adrianople)

Question 28

What happens to Rome?

Answer 28

• 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)