It could almost be displayed real-time ... cinema verité as it were: A documentary with the twist that it took as long for you to watch it as it took for it to happen. (In R'd'r's D'g'st condensed versions, naturrelement) I had to take "History of Byzantium" in college. This really sounds a whole gorram bunch more interesting!!
When the guards came to kill Pertinax, he faced them down and tried to reason with them. It almost worked, but then one guard got impatient and attacked him. He also managed to save his family from being purged by refusing to give them imperial status or titles. He was the emperor that Rome deserved, but that fact sealed his fate.
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
I hope Biographics will complete all the roman emperors from Augustus Caesar to Romulus Augustulus. Roman Empire is more facinating than Game of Thrones
My only problem is it’s not infinitely interesting... there is only so many times I can hear about the same people, places, and events before I feel like I’m actually going insane. Like was no where else in the world interesting at all? Idk, just seems like every history UA-cam channel makes a million Roman or world war videos and like 1 or 2 videos about anywhere else, it’s getting so boring.
You do realize there is very little information about over half of the emporers. We know very little about romulus Augustus we don't even know when he died.
The sad thing is that by all accounts pertinax was a competent and honourable man akin to Marcus Aurelius and would probably have made a much better emperor than septimius Severus ended up being
Pity about Pertinax. He seemed like the best choice and tried to rule well. But fell victim to a bunch of corrupt A-holes. Do one on Aurelian as well please. The most underrated Roman Emperor ever imo.
Aurelian's biggest flaw is that he would punish even the smallest mistake with execution, so when a slave made a tiny error on a record, he panicked and rallied a bunch of other soon-to-be targets to kill the emperor before he could kill them.
Во всём виноват Марк Аврелий,который назначил жестокого сына-дегенерата преемником,а тот в свою очередь совратил многих чтобы в будущем приличные люди больше не прижились у власти.
You should talk about Aurelian, his life story is essentially that of an anime plot and at its peak he was granted the awesome title of “Restitutor Orbis” or restorer of the world. While I enjoy unbiased history’s take, I feel like his actual life was really interesting.
@@Isaiah.2003 Turbulent times, Rome managed to split into 3, go through a plague and through like 10 emperors, find the best emperor it ever had since the Pax Romana, reunite, adopt a new god cult, and then lose that same emperor in 5 years time.
@@Isaiah.2003 Yeah, It's the classical Roman tradition of getting a bunch of gods that kinda sound the same and making a new cult out of it. I do believe Elegabolus had a sun cult as well, from syria. Mix that up with the existing Helios and Sol Indiges cults, and there you go, new cult.
In my opinion, Pertinax is an underrated emperor. His reign, though short-lived, was marked by genuine attempts at reform and discipline. After the turbulent rule of Emperor Commodus, Pertinax inherited an empire rife with corruption and mismanagement. Despite the challenges he faced, he tried to restore financial stability by cutting wasteful spending and attempting to rein in the Praetorian Guard's power. Pertinax's refusal to indulge the Praetorian Guard's demands for increased pay and privileges led to their disillusionment and eventual betrayal. His assassination after just three months in power showed how entrenched the influence of the military had become in determining the fate of Roman emperors. Moreover, Pertinax was known for his integrity and dedication to public service, which made him unpopular among some influential factions that sought to maintain their influence. His emphasis on honesty and accountability clashed with the interests of those who profited from the empire's corruption. Unfortunately, history tends to overlook his short-lived but meaningful efforts to bring about positive change in the Roman Empire. If given a longer reign, Pertinax might have been able to steer the empire towards a more stable and just path. Instead, his name has been overshadowed by the tumultuous events of the Year of the Five Emperors, despite his genuine intentions to govern with wisdom and virtue.
Ironically though, the restoration might have hastened Rome's decline while 3 smaller successor states might have endured the catastophies of the 5th century better.
@@nonnayerbusiness7704 They tried. Dicoletian split the empire and after that they split it every which way and every time it was infighting for more lands like the constantinians. Aurelian restored Rome, not helping Gallic empire and Palmyra persevere.
@@darrynmurphy2038 Remained true some 1780 years later in Iran. The Shah pushed social reforms too quickly and so was overthrown despite bringing on an economic golden period for the country.
@@Niiiiith cops atlest in my area have said that they won't do anything about family get togethers unless it is insane 30-40+ people. There reasoning is that "we have families too and I am not missing dinner". Legally you can't have more than 10 people but they dont care.
I have always found it particularly tragic that Pertinax suffered such a terrible death. He was an excellent commander of troops and administrator of Roman provinces, one of Marcus Aurelius' most favourite generals whom he chose to take on difficult tasks. A true Roman of the old kind, regardless of his humble heritage far from Rome and Italy, he represented the golden age of the Roman Empire, not realising that it was indeed turning to rust - and paid the price.
I seriously don’t understand why the Roman rulers didn’t just get rid of the guards all together like my god every story ends with the guards killing the emperor
2 reasons: The guards didn't kill every ruler, but they did get progressively more corrupt and went through shifting periods of strength and weakness. Augustus created the Praetorian guard, and Sejanus, under Tiberius, greatly expanded and strengthened them. Over time, the guard became too influential and powerful in its own right to get rid of. They were the closest people to the emperor. So if you had a good relationship with them, they'd protect you, if you didn't, they'd kill you. This made it very difficult to get rid of them, though if you were doing a good job in their eyes, no reason to.
It should also be stated that prior to 193 only one emperor had actually been assassinated by the guard (Caligula). Even then it was only a few members of the guard that killed Caligula. As for the others, Claudius was most likely assassinated by his wife, Nero was betrayed by pretty much everybody, and Domitian was assassinated by members of the palace. So really when you think about it, up to 193 the guard was pretty loyal. After 193 a different story.
man Simon, your such a great guy and to everyone who works on the videos on Biographics, Geographics, Top Tenz, Business Blaze etc. thank you for making such amazing content. Such high quality content and also very funny!!! thanks for being awesome❤️
What I enjoy about these videos is despite being called bio *graphic* we never get any other graphics other than random and often unrelated stock photos of sculptures with no noses or the bearded close up of a Shoreditch low intervention wino. His voice is just that good.
I'm still waiting for the video about Caracalla. He was one evil emperor, that's for sure. And I second all the requests for a video about Aurelian. That'll definitely be an interesting one. And a good palette-cleanser after (or before) Caracalla.
I would like for Simon to cover them all. He's like a history teacher for history buffs like me who wants history read out loud. Simon is terrefic at it. I'm subscribing to his channel asap :).
Part of why Severus campaigned vs Parthia and Caledonia is that it reforged the bonds between those military units who had backed the other generals and his own. Also with his direct supervision he could be more sure that loyal officers got promotions.
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
Maybe, though I think Seth MacFarlane got drunk once and missed his flight which turned out to be a plane that hit one of the trade center towers in 2001, if it's true then I think we can add him to the list of lucky drunk bastard category.
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
@@cormacmacsuibhne2867 Why would you want to watch anyone's biography? Why would you want to watch Himmler's biography, or Mengle's or Muller's or Eichmann's or Stalin's or Beria's? Whistler has covered all of them why hasn't he covered the men I have mentioned? Some scholars reckon Yagoda could have 20 million lives on his hands? Kaganovich was the chief architect of the Holodomor, were 4 million Ukrainians were starved. Have you heard of either of these men? If not, why do you think that is?
Never caught that a Carthaginian would someday have rule in Rome. Just the sound of it is interesting enough even if by then I’m sure Carthage was totally romanized.
Before Septimius Severus died, he said his sons, enrich the soldiers and scorn all the others, it was under Septimius and his son Caracala that Rome's military expenditure and upkeep exploded with no way back, who would dare to decrease the troops' payment, this lead to constant currency devaluation and the the crisis of the 3rd century.
@@SD-tj5dh the crisis of the 3rd century that followed the assassination of Severus Alexander ruined the empire and its army. Thus the late period army consisted mainly of germanic mercenaries. The weaponry was also declined, the armor became lighter from segmentata to hamata, the main assault weapon from sword became spear. The supply of the army relied on animals rather than the soldiers themselves (Marius's mules)
@@anastasiosvervantidis2026 I've always been interested on how infantry evolved. Its frustrating when you want to find out you only ever see images of the classic segment armour. Its hard to get a true image of the fall of Rome when you can't see the devolution/decline. Did the eastern roman/byzantine armour go the same way?
@@SD-tj5dh I think so, but the Byzantines focused more on the mounted units, the infantry used chain armor, and the cavalry solid heavy one. The main enemy of the Eastern empire was the sassanian empire the Persians and nomadic peoples in the Balcans, whose armies comprised mainly of cavalry thus the Byzantine adapted to this style of warfare.
Really great video on this topic! Ive heard about the Year of 5 emperors, but never knew much about it., Thanks for bringing to light such a lesser known period of history!
You forgot some of the best parts of Didius Julianus. Like when he tried to use the elephants of the colosseum to fight Severus while trying to curse him with priests and magicians. Also the map at 11:50 is from just after the fall (nearly 300 years later.)
Suggestion for a BIOGRPAHICS episode; Judas Maccabeus was a Jewish priest (kohen) and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (the Greeks) (167-160 BCE). The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Dedication") commemorates the restoration of Jewish worship at the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE, after Judah Maccabeus removed all of the statues depicting Greek gods and goddesses and purified it !
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
Idea for a BIOGRPAHICS EPISODE of ; willem van oranje (William of Orange) is known as the founding father and hero of The Netherlands. he made his fame when he led the Dutch uprising against the rule of the Spanish Habsburgthe (The Spanish where in the Netherlands) , The uprise led to the 80-year war (1568-1648) between the Dutch states and Spain There is a English page on wikipedia "William the Silent" that's his nickname.
Hey, Simon! I've been researching on this North Korean defector named Shin Dong-hyuk, who was one of the few and first people in the country to escape their infamous labor camps and live to tell the tale of his struggles while there. Sound interesting?
I'm watching all these Rome videos in chronological Emperor order: Augustus, Tiberius, etc. Funny how after hearing so much accounts by Cassius Dio, we get to have him not just as a historian who wrote about all of the Emperors many years later, but as active part of the action. I will miss him when I get to the Emperors beyond his time
Here in Lattakia, Sy, we have a great love for this dynasty, as it was accompanied by the rise of our city to become one of the most important cities in the empire, Of course, after Emissa, from whom Julia Domna was descended In addition to Latakia, which during the reign of Septimius became the capital of Syria for a while in retaliation for Antioch, which sided with Niger. Today there is the triumphal arch built by Septimius in the middle of the city of Latakia
This video gave me an idea for a suggestion for a future video of yours: China's Three Kingdoms period, when the country was divided into three states (each with a different emperor) from 220 to 280 AD 😁
I know this is the wrong channel, but a good idea for a megaprojects video I believe would be the human genome project, its a really fascinating science and project
How about making video's on these people: 1. Tsar Nuchilas II 2. Queen Elizabeth I 3. Frederick III of Prussia 4. Crown Prince Rudolf Habsburg 5. Grover Cleveland
While Constantine THE GREAT finally abolished the Pretorian Guard I often wonder in Shock &Awe if Emperor AURELIAN could or SHOULD HAVE been the one to dispatch them.
Sometimes I wonder why the first thing one should do after becoming an emperor was making a statue of yourself... Happy holidays, folks! Keep up the great work!
Simon, future videos with only influential bands would kick ass.... Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd working into the Misfits, the sex pistols, Metallica, Pantera - too many to list... thank you, sir!! Oh, BTW just found out you're 6'5" - wouldn't have guessed, lol
this would be one hell of a miniseries
You mean like Game of thrones: War of the Five Kings
It could almost be displayed real-time ... cinema verité as it were: A documentary with the twist that it took as long for you to watch it as it took for it to happen. (In R'd'r's D'g'st condensed versions, naturrelement)
I had to take "History of Byzantium" in college. This really sounds a whole gorram bunch more interesting!!
This of the Year of the Four Emperors before it.
There's so many good stories from history that can be used for film makers but instead they rather do remakes
@@mgnchase849 well, just think about it, hasn't every story possible been played out and experienced in some form throughout our existence...
When the guards came to kill Pertinax, he faced them down and tried to reason with them. It almost worked, but then one guard got impatient and attacked him. He also managed to save his family from being purged by refusing to give them imperial status or titles. He was the emperor that Rome deserved, but that fact sealed his fate.
A Biographic about Roman emperors on Christmas Day?
This pleases me.
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
YUP! Close Family FTW ;-D
I hope Biographics will complete all the roman emperors from Augustus Caesar to Romulus Augustulus. Roman Empire is more facinating than Game of Thrones
I'd argue that the ending was better than the one we got for Game of Thrones as well
My only problem is it’s not infinitely interesting... there is only so many times I can hear about the same people, places, and events before I feel like I’m actually going insane. Like was no where else in the world interesting at all? Idk, just seems like every history UA-cam channel makes a million Roman or world war videos and like 1 or 2 videos about anywhere else, it’s getting so boring.
You do realize there is very little information about over half of the emporers. We know very little about romulus Augustus we don't even know when he died.
I dunno, they're both good
The death of Rome wasn’t in vain. The spirit of Rome continues on strong in Constantinople. It means that the real Romans moved to Nova Roma.
The sad thing is that by all accounts pertinax was a competent and honourable man akin to Marcus Aurelius and would probably have made a much better emperor than septimius Severus ended up being
At least Severus deified him.
у кого есть армия тот и прав
Pity about Pertinax. He seemed like the best choice and tried to rule well. But fell victim to a bunch of corrupt A-holes.
Do one on Aurelian as well please. The most underrated Roman Emperor ever imo.
Aurelian's biggest flaw is that he would punish even the smallest mistake with execution, so when a slave made a tiny error on a record, he panicked and rallied a bunch of other soon-to-be targets to kill the emperor before he could kill them.
Во всём виноват Марк Аврелий,который назначил жестокого сына-дегенерата преемником,а тот в свою очередь совратил многих чтобы в будущем приличные люди больше не прижились у власти.
That’s rome.
WHAT? Aurelian underrated? Is you good fam? I mean like did you take you medicine?
He reminds me of Ned Stark, too virtuous to fight in the Game of Thrones
I’d like to see a Biographics on Cassius Dio. Give the biographer his due.
^ that.
Yes!
Damn Praetorians. Constantine couldn't have come any sooner.
diocletion exiled them but constantine disbanded them
Why didn't u disband them Traianvs?
@@full-timepog6844 Because I kept them in line.
But maybe pretorian killed shitty emperor onorio
I happen to know that you told your praetorian prefect "If I rule well, use the sword for me but if I don't, use it against me."
“His biggest mistake was angering the praetorian guard”
Yeah...
Praetorian guard, secret police, same difference.
@@cfcblue8 not very secret if they are common knowledge
@@russsmith1252 secret police need to be public knowledge in order to be feared.
You should talk about Aurelian, his life story is essentially that of an anime plot and at its peak he was granted the awesome title of “Restitutor Orbis” or restorer of the world. While I enjoy unbiased history’s take, I feel like his actual life was really interesting.
He is so underrated in my opinion! But the sources from that period are so shitty that I think the video would be only 5 minutes long.
Weeeeeeb
@@Isaiah.2003 Turbulent times, Rome managed to split into 3, go through a plague and through like 10 emperors, find the best emperor it ever had since the Pax Romana, reunite, adopt a new god cult, and then lose that same emperor in 5 years time.
@@Vini-zv3lr Ikr. But I don’t think Sol was entirely new, but Aurelian kind of just revamped him and really pushed him like no one had before.
@@Isaiah.2003 Yeah, It's the classical Roman tradition of getting a bunch of gods that kinda sound the same and making a new cult out of it. I do believe Elegabolus had a sun cult as well, from syria. Mix that up with the existing Helios and Sol Indiges cults, and there you go, new cult.
In my opinion, Pertinax is an underrated emperor. His reign, though short-lived, was marked by genuine attempts at reform and discipline. After the turbulent rule of Emperor Commodus, Pertinax inherited an empire rife with corruption and mismanagement. Despite the challenges he faced, he tried to restore financial stability by cutting wasteful spending and attempting to rein in the Praetorian Guard's power.
Pertinax's refusal to indulge the Praetorian Guard's demands for increased pay and privileges led to their disillusionment and eventual betrayal. His assassination after just three months in power showed how entrenched the influence of the military had become in determining the fate of Roman emperors.
Moreover, Pertinax was known for his integrity and dedication to public service, which made him unpopular among some influential factions that sought to maintain their influence. His emphasis on honesty and accountability clashed with the interests of those who profited from the empire's corruption.
Unfortunately, history tends to overlook his short-lived but meaningful efforts to bring about positive change in the Roman Empire. If given a longer reign, Pertinax might have been able to steer the empire towards a more stable and just path. Instead, his name has been overshadowed by the tumultuous events of the Year of the Five Emperors, despite his genuine intentions to govern with wisdom and virtue.
praetorian guard: Special Black friday deal, empire for sale JUST TODAY!!! Limited offer, limited supply
Bribes greatly appreciated.
Terms and conditions apply
We've only got one in stock in the back.
Hey Simon please do Aurelian he deserves a biographics for restoring the world
Ironically though, the restoration might have hastened Rome's decline while 3 smaller successor states might have endured the catastophies of the 5th century better.
Restitutor Orbis: Restorer of the World
yesss
@@nonnayerbusiness7704 They tried. Dicoletian split the empire and after that they split it every which way and every time it was infighting for more lands like the constantinians. Aurelian restored Rome, not helping Gallic empire and Palmyra persevere.
“With this character’s death, the thread of prophecy is severed.”
This guy will be a great leader. "Two weeks later..."
Pertinax seems like the perfect choice for Emperor.
A second Nerva
He proves that not all failed emperors are actually bad emperors, and that its incredibly dangerous to try to reform things too quickly
Pertinax was a good and honorable man. Thats why he didnt last while the ruthless severus did
Yes pity. He seemed like he was trying to rule well.
@@darrynmurphy2038
Remained true some 1780 years later in Iran. The Shah pushed social reforms too quickly and so was overthrown despite bringing on an economic golden period for the country.
Merry chrismas to everyone and have a great new year shout out to our great host who brings up amazing knowledge
Merry Christmas everyone have a blessed day
Thanks you 2
Merry Christmas to you, too! May God bless you all as well.
@Scott go spend time with those you love. Govt says no? Civil disobedience is encouraged by most!
@@Niiiiith cops atlest in my area have said that they won't do anything about family get togethers unless it is insane 30-40+ people. There reasoning is that "we have families too and I am not missing dinner". Legally you can't have more than 10 people but they dont care.
@@zackperron6090 For now
I have always found it particularly tragic that Pertinax suffered such a terrible death. He was an excellent commander of troops and administrator of Roman provinces, one of Marcus Aurelius' most favourite generals whom he chose to take on difficult tasks. A true Roman of the old kind, regardless of his humble heritage far from Rome and Italy, he represented the golden age of the Roman Empire, not realising that it was indeed turning to rust - and paid the price.
What’s the difference between the power of an absolute king and an absolute emperor?
Rome : Lots of assassination, and pay attention to Simon.
Merry Christmas and happy new year to all the seekers of knowledge and wisdom
Merry Christmas everyone
Io Saturnalia, heathen!
humbug
I seriously don’t understand why the Roman rulers didn’t just get rid of the guards all together like my god every story ends with the guards killing the emperor
2 reasons: The guards didn't kill every ruler, but they did get progressively more corrupt and went through shifting periods of strength and weakness. Augustus created the Praetorian guard, and Sejanus, under Tiberius, greatly expanded and strengthened them.
Over time, the guard became too influential and powerful in its own right to get rid of. They were the closest people to the emperor. So if you had a good relationship with them, they'd protect you, if you didn't, they'd kill you. This made it very difficult to get rid of them, though if you were doing a good job in their eyes, no reason to.
It should also be stated that prior to 193 only one emperor had actually been assassinated by the guard (Caligula). Even then it was only a few members of the guard that killed Caligula. As for the others, Claudius was most likely assassinated by his wife, Nero was betrayed by pretty much everybody, and Domitian was assassinated by members of the palace. So really when you think about it, up to 193 the guard was pretty loyal. After 193 a different story.
15:45 It happened.
@@grantwilson4506
They never were that powerful.
15:45 The praetorians were disbanded. Severus got some of his trusted units appointed as Praetorians.
Rome was built on lies (etroscans demise) and was destoryed by lies
Great video!
You should do Constantine the great
man Simon, your such a great guy and to everyone who works on the videos on Biographics, Geographics, Top Tenz, Business Blaze etc. thank you for making such amazing content. Such high quality content and also very funny!!! thanks for being awesome❤️
What I enjoy about these videos is despite being called bio *graphic* we never get any other graphics other than random and often unrelated stock photos of sculptures with no noses or the bearded close up of a Shoreditch low intervention wino. His voice is just that good.
I'm still waiting for the video about Caracalla. He was one evil emperor, that's for sure.
And I second all the requests for a video about Aurelian. That'll definitely be an interesting one. And a good palette-cleanser after (or before) Caracalla.
Every time I read a biography, I read it in your voice.
I’m not complaining.
Simon for Christmas, excellent
Thank you for another great history lesson ⛲️
Merry Christmas 🎁🎄 to all 🎇🎆🍾🥂🍒🌺🌸🌼🌻🌜🥀🌛
I’m still so waiting for the video of Caracalla lol. I like all the videos of the Roman Empire.
I would like for Simon to cover them all. He's like a history teacher for history buffs like me who wants history read out loud. Simon is terrefic at it. I'm subscribing to his channel asap :).
Just found this channel and its quickly becoming my new favorite Roman Empire doc's
Part of why Severus campaigned vs Parthia and Caledonia is that it reforged the bonds between those military units who had backed the other generals and his own. Also with his direct supervision he could be more sure that loyal officers got promotions.
Merry Christmas History Buffs
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
The one time getting drunk saved someone's life.
Maybe, though I think Seth MacFarlane got drunk once and missed his flight which turned out to be a plane that hit one of the trade center towers in 2001, if it's true then I think we can add him to the list of lucky drunk bastard category.
When being drunk saved your life for like 3 extra minutes, because if you need to be dead, hire a buff Rock "the Dwayne" Johnson to choke him out.
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
@@truth5705 something tells me you are Polish.
@@cormacmacsuibhne2867 Why would you want to watch anyone's biography? Why would you want to watch Himmler's biography, or Mengle's or Muller's or Eichmann's or Stalin's or Beria's? Whistler has covered all of them why hasn't he covered the men I have mentioned? Some scholars reckon Yagoda could have 20 million lives on his hands? Kaganovich was the chief architect of the Holodomor, were 4 million Ukrainians were starved. Have you heard of either of these men? If not, why do you think that is?
Never caught that a Carthaginian would someday have rule in Rome. Just the sound of it is interesting enough even if by then I’m sure Carthage was totally romanized.
Different city basically.
Severus was also a descendent of Cleopatra
yeah they razed it to the ground then settled a new city on the same spot hundreds of years later
Ummh, you do realize the Roman Republic wiped out the Carthaginian people!
1:10 - Chapter 1 - Pertinax
5:30 - Chapter 2 - Didius julianus
9:40 - Chapter 3 - The three generals
11:15 - Chapter 4 - A new emperor
15:30 - Chapter 5 - The fight continues
18:50 - Chapter 6 - The severan dynasty begins
Before Septimius Severus died, he said his sons, enrich the soldiers and scorn all the others, it was under Septimius and his son Caracala that Rome's military expenditure and upkeep exploded with no way back, who would dare to decrease the troops' payment, this lead to constant currency devaluation and the the crisis of the 3rd century.
Explains the heavier reliance on germanic mercenaries to do their bidding until even they couldn't/wouldn't be paid.
@@SD-tj5dh the crisis of the 3rd century that followed the assassination of Severus Alexander ruined the empire and its army. Thus the late period army consisted mainly of germanic mercenaries. The weaponry was also declined, the armor became lighter from segmentata to hamata, the main assault weapon from sword became spear. The supply of the army relied on animals rather than the soldiers themselves (Marius's mules)
@@anastasiosvervantidis2026 I've always been interested on how infantry evolved. Its frustrating when you want to find out you only ever see images of the classic segment armour. Its hard to get a true image of the fall of Rome when you can't see the devolution/decline.
Did the eastern roman/byzantine armour go the same way?
@@SD-tj5dh I think so, but the Byzantines focused more on the mounted units, the infantry used chain armor, and the cavalry solid heavy one. The main enemy of the Eastern empire was the sassanian empire the Persians and nomadic peoples in the Balcans, whose armies comprised mainly of cavalry thus the Byzantine adapted to this style of warfare.
@@SD-tj5dh i always wondered if these germanic mercenaries where equipped by the romans.
Really great video on this topic! Ive heard about the Year of 5 emperors, but never knew much about it., Thanks for bringing to light such a lesser known period of history!
14:54 , it looks like the sculptor captured the exact moment somebody told Severus of Julianus' offer to rule together. "Really? Pathetic..."
You’d think with a name like Helvius Successus, a life of Glory and Conquest lay before you.
You forgot some of the best parts of Didius Julianus. Like when he tried to use the elephants of the colosseum to fight Severus while trying to curse him with priests and magicians.
Also the map at 11:50 is from just after the fall (nearly 300 years later.)
Can't wait for your take on Caracalla.
Merry Christmas to you and you're team Simon!
What a superb channel and presenter. Well written, delivered, a throughly good watch
Suggestion for a BIOGRPAHICS episode; Judas Maccabeus was a Jewish priest (kohen) and a son of the priest Mattathias. He led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire (the Greeks) (167-160 BCE).
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ("Dedication") commemorates the restoration of Jewish worship at the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE, after Judah Maccabeus removed all of the statues depicting Greek gods and goddesses and purified it !
Did he kill anybody's?
So he wasn't killed by Maximus after all. Fact.
Maximus was in disguise 😋
Director Scott did not like the wrestler look.
Iulianus: "-And so I have come to you alone."
*Battalion of soldiers*:
Simon when will we get a video on Augustus?
I love the Roman Emperor videos
I'd really like to see a Biographics video about Genrikh Yagoda or Lazar Kaganovich, Idel Jakobson or Salomon Morel or Józef Różański or Anatol Fejgin or Stefan Michnik.
Yeah.
Me to man, they are definitely my favorite biographics content.
Idea for a BIOGRPAHICS EPISODE of ; willem van oranje (William of Orange) is known as the founding father and hero of The Netherlands. he made his fame when he led the Dutch uprising against the rule of the Spanish Habsburgthe (The Spanish where in the Netherlands) ,
The uprise led to the 80-year war (1568-1648) between the Dutch states and Spain
There is a English page on wikipedia "William the Silent" that's his nickname.
Emperor: *Exists*
praetorian guards: *evil laughter intensifies*
Excellent commentary! Another reason why I love this site.
A video about Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule the Roman Empire before it was divided would be great
5 emperors for the price of one! Great video. Please do a video on Augustus and Aurelius.
What a wonderful Christmas present. Thank you Mr. Whistler and Friends.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Simon Could you make these videos on Rome into a long chronological Documentary 🙏🏾
Simon: The Parthian War...
Rome: Do you realize how little that narrows things down?!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, hope everyone has a great day
Since the Praetorian Guard and its corruption was mentioned ,i would to see a video about Sejanus in the future
You, Simon and all Your ream are very most fine teachers. Thanks.
Informative, entertaining and professional. Keep up the good work!
Still waiting on that Caracalla episode over a year later. Keeping us waiting Simon?
Do one about Caracalla, Severus son. You are gonna love this one.
Hey, Simon! I've been researching on this North Korean defector named Shin Dong-hyuk, who was one of the few and first people in the country to escape their infamous labor camps and live to tell the tale of his struggles while there.
Sound interesting?
Merry Christmas from America, I hope the world is as well as can be expected
Great video! :) There is lack of this information on channels about history on YT. Thank You very much!!! :) :) :) Keep going Mate:)
Happy Holidays Simon!!!
I'm watching all these Rome videos in chronological Emperor order: Augustus, Tiberius, etc. Funny how after hearing so much accounts by Cassius Dio, we get to have him not just as a historian who wrote about all of the Emperors many years later, but as active part of the action. I will miss him when I get to the Emperors beyond his time
I hereby wish our beloved Simon Sensei a Merry Christmas and a happy new year in advance.
May he enter 2021 as the sole ruler of UA-cam Documentaries.
Good video 👍. Merry Christmas
It came out 2 mins ago and its 20 mins long. But yeah good video.... -_-
@@jbo4547 Your point?
@@TheEvilCommenter that you didn't watch it before saying it was good..
@@jbo4547 Again. So?
@@TheEvilCommenter its disingenuous and lame bro. Like if a movie comes out and you haven't even seen it, then you say its good. Again, lame.
I love these vids Simon congrats to you and the writers you guys cover such interesting topics
Year of the Five Emperora dropped?! It really IS Christmas!
Here in Lattakia, Sy, we have a great love for this dynasty, as it was accompanied by the rise of our city to become one of the most important cities in the empire, Of course, after Emissa, from whom Julia Domna was descended
In addition to Latakia, which during the reign of Septimius became the capital of Syria for a while in retaliation for Antioch, which sided with Niger.
Today there is the triumphal arch built by Septimius in the middle of the city of Latakia
I would like to see a video about the year of the four emperors
Spoiler alert, I won.😎
@@vespasianflaviustheemperor7901 Well thanks for ruining it for everybody 🙄🙄🙄
It’s already been done as part of the Vespasian video
It's just what I wanted.
Merry Christmas Simon
Earlier to this video than I was to the company Christmas party..
Merry Christmas
This video gave me an idea for a suggestion for a future video of yours: China's Three Kingdoms period, when the country was divided into three states (each with a different emperor) from 220 to 280 AD 😁
O do love a good, snarky History lecture. Thanks for the info.
Really enjoyed this one, thanks Simon
Wow! That was more gruesome than usual for Roman history!
Ikr?!
I know this is the wrong channel, but a good idea for a megaprojects video I believe would be the human genome project, its a really fascinating science and project
Merry Christmas Everyone!
How about making video's on these people:
1. Tsar Nuchilas II
2. Queen Elizabeth I
3. Frederick III of Prussia
4. Crown Prince Rudolf Habsburg
5. Grover Cleveland
@Biographics, have you done an episode on Marquis de Sade yet?
Be glad Naughtius Maximus didn't get to be Emperor. LOL
yeah, but instead, Bickus Dickus went on ahead lol
He should have. After all, he wanked as high as any in Wome!
Welease Woger
When Rome almost went the way of Alexander’s empire.
Majorian and pertinax are my fav emperors just cuz they had so much potential :(
Thank you for the video, it was fascinating.
Great video. Merry Christmas to all. 🎄
While Constantine THE GREAT finally abolished the Pretorian Guard I often wonder in Shock &Awe if Emperor AURELIAN could or SHOULD HAVE been the one to dispatch them.
Sometimes I wonder why the first thing one should do after becoming an emperor was making a statue of yourself...
Happy holidays, folks! Keep up the great work!
You should do a video about Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna the man who considered himself to be the Napoleon of the West
How the hell hasn't this become the inspiration for a show?
Hi! I have enjoyed the historical content offered by this channel. Can you guys do some videos on Burmese kingdoms ?
Hi Simon
Have you done Caracalla yet?
Oh, and happy Australia day.
Being a praetorian in the 3rd century must've been crazy awesome. Just a frat house of well trained murderers conducting throne bids
Man, Marcus Aurelius really should've just found a suitable successor
Simon, future videos with only influential bands would kick ass.... Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd working into the Misfits, the sex pistols, Metallica, Pantera - too many to list... thank you, sir!!
Oh, BTW just found out you're 6'5" - wouldn't have guessed, lol
I like the twangy southern guitar riff as an opening theme- made me think of The Walking Dead. Eerily appropriate musical scene setting.