11-25-2006, 02:38 PM
Despite what I said earlier, I would nominate the lack of a universally accepted imperial succession as a key factor in the decline and fall of the empire. The Romans--the leaders at that--were their own worst enemy.
From the first century through the fifth, generals and politicians took any legitimate excuse to usurp the purple. No one seemed content to serve under another. If the current emperor was in the East dealing with the Persians or Parthians or in the North defending the Rhine frontier, some general at the opposite the of the empire would declare himself augusta and march toward Rome.
Take Britannia as an example. Constantine in 306, Magnus Maximus in 383 and Constantine III in 407 all usurped the purple and marched off, striping the island of its defending legions. The fact that the first succeeded probably encouraged the latter two, not to mention dozens of others.
Declarations of accession became almost annual affairs late in the empire. Christian or pagan, Roman or barbarian, east or west--it was the lack of an agreed upon succession which gutted the empire of leadership and defenders, and placed incredible stress on the people and food supplies. The barbarians had been pushing at the borders as long as there were borders. They increasingly found them hollow.
As I said before, time doomed Rome, but the Roman leadership hastened its demise by their lusting after the purple with its accompanying bloodletting.
From the first century through the fifth, generals and politicians took any legitimate excuse to usurp the purple. No one seemed content to serve under another. If the current emperor was in the East dealing with the Persians or Parthians or in the North defending the Rhine frontier, some general at the opposite the of the empire would declare himself augusta and march toward Rome.
Take Britannia as an example. Constantine in 306, Magnus Maximus in 383 and Constantine III in 407 all usurped the purple and marched off, striping the island of its defending legions. The fact that the first succeeded probably encouraged the latter two, not to mention dozens of others.
Declarations of accession became almost annual affairs late in the empire. Christian or pagan, Roman or barbarian, east or west--it was the lack of an agreed upon succession which gutted the empire of leadership and defenders, and placed incredible stress on the people and food supplies. The barbarians had been pushing at the borders as long as there were borders. They increasingly found them hollow.
As I said before, time doomed Rome, but the Roman leadership hastened its demise by their lusting after the purple with its accompanying bloodletting.
"Fugit irreparabile tempus" (Irrecoverable time glides away) Virgil
Ron Andrea
Ron Andrea
