The greatness of the Ancient Roman state in the III century was thoroughly shaken. The main reasons for the crisis of the Roman Empire were based on constantly changing internal politics and greedy emperors. During the III century, the country was headed by 15 rulers, and almost all of them were killed during coups. Political intrigues led to a fundamental undermining of the status of the Roman Empire as one of the leading states of that time.
Roman Empire
The state appeared before our era in 30-27 years. It was a huge country, the territory of which occupied the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea (it was located inside the state). In addition, its area included ports with access to the Atlantic Ocean. A huge number of states of the ancient world united into one. Gathered together by military means, it included Britain, Pannonia, Syria, Arabia, Egypt, Namibia, Spain, Gaul, Italy, Illyrium and other countries.
For a long time, the people lived without freedom, in slavery, losing their cultural level untilThe crisis of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century did not lead to the division of the state, and then to its complete destruction.
Dates of the reign of emperors of the 3rd century
15 emperors of the Roman Empire were elected as senators and legionnaires during the 3rd century. The dates of their reign are recorded in the documents of that time and have come down to us.
| Pannonius Septimius Severov | until 235 |
| Maximin Thracian | 235–238 |
| Gordian | 238–244 |
| Julius Philipp | 244–249 |
| Decius | 249–251 |
| 251-253 - three emperors | |
| Valerian | 253–260 |
| Galien | 243-268 |
| Marcus Aurelius Claudius | 268-270 |
| Lucius Domitius | 270-275 |
| Tacitus | 275–276 |
| Marcus Aurelius Probus | 276-282 |
| Gaius Valery Diocletian | c 284 |
Change of power in the empire
Frequent change of power is one of the reasons for the crisis of the Roman Empire in the III century. None of the emperors held the throne for more than 10 years, and some did not last even a year. In order to understand the main causes of the crisis, you need to pay attention to the internal political life of the state.
Reign of Pannonia Septimius
Pannonius Septimius is the first emperor of the 3rd century. He came to power at the end of the 2nd century after the death of the previous emperor Antoninus. At that time, three candidates were put forward, but it was Pannonius who captured the capital and proclaimed himself emperor. He disbanded all the regiments of the Praetorian Guard and established a military monarchy, relying on the legions of the army created for his personal command. The emperor amassed a huge fortune by killing and confiscating property from members of the Roman aristocracy and senators. Septimius and his mother were killed in 235 by his own soldiers.
Reign of Maximin the Thracian
In his place, the army chose one of the soldiers - Maximin Thracian. He wore the crown of August for only 3 years. During this time, he conducted a successful military operation, defeating the Sarmatians and Dacians. Discontent among the people began after the new taxation, which the Thracian introduced to provide the army with everything necessary. After that, Gordian I was offered to replace the Thracian.
Reign of Gordian III
Gordian I was an elderly African landowner. Due to his age, he offered his son, Gordian II, to his place. The African war killed both, and in 238 the next in the dynasty, Gordian III, came to power. The emperor obeyed the senate and was killed by his soldiers.
BoardJulia Philippa Araba
The commander-in-chief Julius Philip was elected the next ruler. People called him Philip the Arab. During his reign, all high positions in the empire were given to members of his family. He fought corruption, trying to control the collection of taxes, concluded a peace treaty with Persia, which consolidated the power of the empire in the lands of Mesopotamia and Lesser Armenia. Philip took care of the people, but, despite his efforts, he did not achieve their loy alty. The emperor died in 249 during a coup d'état, after the uprising of the legionnaires: the consul Decius betrayed Philip and seized the throne.
Reign of Decius
Decius ruled for only 3 years. A native of the Senate, he was popular and had a large number of well-established political connections. Decius wanted to restore the Roman cult of the old gods, in particular, in order to return to the faceless, tired people the spiritual values inherent in the Romans, instilled over the centuries. So the religions of the East and Christianity were banned, and people who professed these beliefs were persecuted by law. At the same time, the Goths attacked the Balkan Islands, and Decius, leading the army, died in battle.
In 251-253, three more emperors took the throne of the empire, but none of them could hold on to power. Such chaos only exacerbated the causes of the crisis of the Roman Empire, bringing the foreign policy of the state to the lowest level.
Valerian's reign
Emperor Valerian took the throne in 253. As co-rulers, he chose Gallienus. For 7 years of joint rule, their domestic policyled to the complete separation of Gaul, Britain and Spain, and the positions of senators became available to the workers. Attempts to introduce a single currency to unite the empire were unsuccessful. About 30 settlements were captured by the rebels and declared independent, economic ties between them were destroyed. Valerian was killed in a coup.
Reign of Marcus Aurelius Claudius
Marcus Aurelius Claudius seized power. The emperor restored Roman power in Moravia, enriched the treasury, strengthened the army. During his reign, a plague came to Roman civilization, from which Mark died.
Reign of Aurelian
The next crown from the senators was Aurelian. Under his leadership, luck accompanied the army. In the course of military operations, Roman civilization regained Palmyra, Spain, Britain, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Gaul. Aurelian introduced a new currency and provided the people with humanitarian aid in the form of bread and olive oil. He died at the hands of traitors in 275.
After that, the imperial throne was held for a year by Senator Tacitus, who was also killed.
Reign of Marcus Aurelius Probus
Marcus Aurelius Probus took the place of Tacitus and ruled for 6 years. He successfully established contacts and resolved issues that arose among the military and senators. Under his command, rebellions in Gaul and Egypt were eliminated. To improve the country's economy, Mark Prob ordered to settle and use the previously empty lands. But the soldiers were still unhappy. Marcus Aurelius was killed by rebel legionnaires.
LastGaius Valerian Diocletian became emperor of the 3rd century. Under his rule, the Roman Empire crossed the line and entered from the 3rd to the 4th century.
Political causes of the crisis
Of the political main causes of the crisis of the Roman Empire, one can name the following:
- The military reform of Septimius Severus, thanks to which, instead of politicians leading the army, soldiers who rose to the rank of commander gained access to positions.
- Some emperors catered only to their own whims and did not care at all about the people and the development of the empire.
- During the constant civil wars, the frontiers of Roman civilization were attacked by neighboring tribes.
Economic causes of the crisis
Of the main economic causes of the crisis of the Roman Empire are:
- Reducing the amount of agricultural crops. The reason was the cooling in the country.
- Permanent civil strife led to the complete degradation of trade relations between farms. This contributed to the cessation of the division of labor according to the territories. Each farm sought to produce the necessary products on its own.
- Due to a spiritual crisis, the original religion of the Romans gave way to the emerging Christianity and Mithraism.
The crisis of the Roman Empire in the III century led to its complete decline. And later he provoked the division of the territory of the state into Western and Eastern, after which in 476 it completely ceased to exist.
