The Roman Empire Had To Fall. Here's Why.
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- Опубліковано 4 лип 2024
- This video is inspired by a book Fall of the Roman Empire by Michael Grant. Be sure to check the book if you wanna know more about the topic.
Music used:
0:00 - 1:20
Scott Buckley - This Too Shall Pass is under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 3.0) license, Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: bit.ly/bkc-pass
1:32 - End
Music by Adrian von Ziegler, Relaxing Roman Music - Aetas Romana
#Rome #RomanEmpire
0:00 - Introduction
1:20 - Chapter I - Civil Wars
7:13 - Chapter II - Weak Army
12:26 - Chapter III - Disgruntled Civilians
18:23 - Chapter IV - 406
19:21 - Chapter V - Germans
25:02 - Epilogue
Recruiter: Yes we want to talk to you about joining the Great Roman Army!
Me: Pulls a cucumber out of my tunic and hands it to the requiter, "No Thanks"
Not good enough. Burn alive... Good times to be alive.
Lol y 25 f-ing years thou?
@@user-my6xd7tk8w good question.
I wonder as well.. like why not something tolerable like 10 years ?
@@aksaraylicelali I'm pretty sure they were also given lands
@@aksaraylicelali because then the state would actually have to pay them/give them land, lol. The longer you serve, the less chance you have of that happening, which is why service was so long
Stage five: Acceptance.
Acceptance of what? This clown didnt even mention plagues, main reason why the WESTERN roman empire fell
@@diadokhoi5722 oh yeah a emporer banned bathing bcz he thought it was jewish conspiracy
@@raegonthe5 first off, cap. Second off which one
@Kian M its emperors wer repleact with turkish ones and thos with modern nation of republick of turkey so i gues turkey is kindo second romen republic
@@diadokhoi5722 good point.
“How does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No. No! But there comes a time when its people no longer believe in it. Then, then does an empire begin to die.”
Khazaria fell very quickly due to Mongol genocide. I think there is a glaring hole in this like what if the people cease existing by no fault of the empire
@101 010 I meant the Khwarazmian Empire not khazaria. Sorry
That is a terrible film, and completely misunderstands history
@@AeneasGemini what film was this qoute from?
And that scary reality can be said about today as well.
It just me or does the Late Western Roman empire sound like a dark fantasy setting?
Literally what Warhammer 40,000 is based off of.
@@nicholasthurmond4006 Minus the transhuman warriors and *tHe HorRorS BeYOnD sPace and TiMe*
@@gasmonkey1000 the romans did have to deal with a horror beyond space and time. It was called Caligula
That’s basically the tone that Total War Attila went for.
@@VOTE_REFORM_UK If only it weren't shit and had less cut content hidden behind paywalls.
And if only there was more Stillicho
"The roman empire had to fall"
Titus, get the cross
*d
@@TominusMaximus You will get it later.
get rekt!!!1!!!1🤣🤣🤣💯💯👼🏾👼🏾
Currency debasement, destroyer of Rome, and destroyer of modern nations too. Cept, they had Gold and Silver debasement, we have unbacked Fiat credit debasement.
@@hannibalburgers477 lmaooooo
@@TominusMaximus I have a question what was the music you use to transition between sections of the video like at 19:21?
I used to think the Roman fall was just, barbarians invade, rome falls, but gosh, it was a lot more complex than this, i will never see the subject the same way again
Same. Pretty sad how it just deteriorated over time within.
I think Total War: Attila does a good job in showing the monstrous task in keeping the Western Roman Empire together in the 5th century. Public unrest, bad finances, corruption, foreign invaders, migrating hordes
empires don't die, they commit suicide.
I recommend the free yale courses dictated by Professor Freedman on the subject. It is really interesting and you can find them here on yt
The more you know the more you don't know
It had to fall so I could send Belisarius to clap some Vandal and Ostrogothic cheeks
By clapping Ostrogothic cheeks you mean fucking up southern Italy for the next 1500 years?
@@TominusMaximus whoooaaa
@@TominusMaximus hey at least they still make good pizza
@@TominusMaximus Bruh, it's the plague's fault that conquest of Italy took so long. It isn't mine one.
@@TominusMaximus it couldnt be so bad like it is today, lol
Imagine being a warlord that conquered a town of the falling Empire and after killing all the Roman soldiers you find out that all the citizens hated them more that they hate you and are far more cooperative than you expected and you end up asking yourself "Are we the gooddies?"
If Rome was so bad you had to sell your children for survival, the barbarian toppling it probably is a hero. Or a lesser evil who won't bleed you dry.
Many of those warlords were pretty romanised by then. Most of them wanted to present themselves as Romans, as the inheritors of their power and legitimacy. Visigoths were pretty romanised when they conquered southern Gaul and central Hispania. They spoke latin, they were Christian (although they weren't Catholic, in time they would convert), and used Roman architecture and Roman law (positive written law rather than common law). So for the average guy in Tarraco it was an improvement: those barbarians are pretty much the same than the Romans, they don't intend to change things very much, they bring stability and peace instead of civil wars and instability, their realms were smaller, so you were closer to your rulers than before (the king now is in Toletum, not Constantinople or Ravenna).
You can see in the video how servitude started to take form in the late empire. It wasn't medieval servitude, it wasn't feudalism, not even in the early stages of the Middle Age, but there were the fundations for it. So yeah, pretty much for the average guy nothing changed that much.
Muslims faced a similar situation (similar, they didn't present themselves as inheritors of Rome) when they conquered most of Iberia later, they found many regions and nobles just accepting their new rulers (mostly because the alternative, resisting, was worse), and that's why they managed to conquer the region in a couple of decades.
@@meatiesogarcia6478catholics didn t even exist then.
It will always be hilarious to me that Diocletian essentially created the building blocks of the middle ages by accident in order to buy Rome a few more centuries to exist.
He basically screwed rome over in the long run.
Wait, without his drastic action there would have been no Western or Eastern Empire by 476 A.D.. So maybe no Middle Ages because the Franks are unable to take Gaul and the Sassanian Empire takes all of the lands of the former Eastern Empire. Actually, the incompetent Emperors like Honorius was the main reason they fell. They could have made the Franks, and the Goths full citizens, then they would have not tore the realm down, they would have kept it going.
@@jonathancummings6400 yes but also remember that corrupts generals and guards screwed by giving rotten food and mistreating the goths plus the greco-romans citicens began slaughtering goths civilians later wich angered even more the goths.
@@jonathancummings6400 It's like saying non-whites care about the US's future and constitution, not gonna happen and they have full citizenship, the said barbarians also had full citizenship and were even trained and armed by Romans. Stop importing foreigners to do your work or start making a grave for your future descendants.
@@user_____M Cringe.
"Those who won't lift a finger to defend their homeland are meant to be subjugated"
haunting words.
By the time the western empire fell, subjugation to a warlord was a relief for the average person it seems.
@@sheepbeeps3369 It appears the Romans themselves didn't think they were worth saving. If being gouged by the taxman is the least of your problems, then Rome isn't worth laying your life down for.
Is called Feminism the Rome have that same cancer
Americans are already subjugated
The late roman empire was so useless and dysfunctional that "subjugation" was pretty much an improvement for the average person.
It's ridiculous how easy it was in the Late Roman Empires to just kill off emperors, generals, and other such officials. It's like it became a symbol of their culture, the constant change of power. It's simply mind-boggling how very capable people like Aetius or Aurelian. Both of them people that had great achievements, incredible gravitas, that showed with their actions that they wanted the best of their Empire. Men that pretty much held their respective Empires together in times of great strife, when everything seemed doomed. And even such men, literal lights in the dark for Romans, even them, they got assassinated by other Roman fools in the most cowardly ways.
It's like the Romans wanted to fall.
Empires are structures, and when you remove a pillar, the whole thing becomes harder and harder to sustain.
Don't forget our boy Majorian
For an empire that was built on an assassination, there was perhaps no other destiny...
You already had that problem back in the days of the Republic with Julius Caesar.
Eastern Empire omitted
It's weird to think that the roman empire fell 40 years before america was rediscovered by Columbus
Wait............what???
@@ronjayrose9706 fall of Constantinople 1453
Imagine if it held on a bit more, and imagine they made a marriage/union pact with Spain as the latter became a global empire. Imagine Aztec gold being used to reconquer Roman lands. Spain did end up taking over the Holy Roman Empire-imagine if they added Byzantium to their crown. Rome would still be legally standing today.
@@HolyknightVader999 It kinda legally exists as when the byzantine empire died, either the son or grandson of the last byzantine emperor sold off his title to the spanish king and queen ferdinand and isabela and said title is still held by today's spanish monarch, Felipe Vi.
Yes, but the fall of the Byzantine Empire is the main reason for the age of exploration, as efforts were made to reestablish a route to India and China for the trade of silk (amongst other things). The Ottomans were rather hostile and not very cooperative, which was the main drive behind the expeditions.
Truth hurts, but its still the truth... At least rome still lives in my heart.
Any Americans in the audience should be noticing the uncomfortable level of Parallels in this video between ancient Rome's fall and modern America's ills.
No worries, we still have enough time to revive its glory in the form of the almighty galactic empire of man. The Emperor protects, the flesh is weak but the machine is strong.
@@nickrollstuhlfahrerson8659 This Guy....... this guy gets it:D:D:D
😔👍
@@nickrollstuhlfahrerson8659 FOR THE EMPEEEROR
I like that Aurelian has a pair of shades lol
*Shades
@@settekwan2708 fixed
The world is not worthy of looking directly upon the face of Aurelian.
I remember reading about the “RESTITUTOR ORBIS” 25 years ago where he was given a one paragraph blurb...now he has entire books about him....about time he get some recognition.
@@nonnocere729
ikr? Everyone who bothered discussing him added him as a footnote, like
"the empire was divided, in ruin, the economy in shambles, the military almost neutered. The Empire seemed to be on its last legs.
Then Aurelian came and reversed a century-long decline in 5 years. Anyway, so the next emperor was Tacitus who was just an old timer nobody found threatening enough..."
"Softcore slave" is my new favorite term for serfs.
slavery with extra steps
@@cageybee7221
Ohhhh someone's gonna get laid in college....
@@Menaceblue3 i can't afford college.
CageyBee Good.
@@cageybee7221 universal education.
"Rome had to fall"
Me: Wouldn't that make you, a barbarian?
Me: bit nihilistic innit bruv?
It is indeed barbarism
In the end it was the Romans who themselves became unworthy barbarians
The late (western) Romans weren't Roman in spirit, conviction, attitude, or action like their Republican forbearers
@@deandarvin553 Late Antiquity was the era of the downfall of such civilization
@@thekingshussar1808 indeed
"Coal is also slang for money in German so Germans pay twice"
Musste lachen
Rip Germans
The Western Roman Empire fell because: Aetius, Stillicho and Majorian were killed
Byzantium still had belassarus
No, the fault is on Theodosius and his disgusting progeniture.
It fell because Diocletian destroyed the meritocracy. Why do you think there were only 2 mildly competent individuals from 395-476?
True
@@jahbama6202 The reason why there are only few mildly competent emperors from 395-476 is 100% the fault of Emperor Theodosius and his succesion policy which cost the romans 2 bloody civil wars and in both times the usurper could have been a refreshing competent ruler but lost due to the riches of the eastern empire. The power duo Eugenius and Arbogast were killed so Honorius could become emperor (Late Romes biggest disaster possibly) and later Joannes was killed so Valentinian III. could bury the empire with his incompetence.
Worst thing is that most of these destructive policy changes probably seemed like good ideas in the short term when they were applied.
It is human nature to insure survival by whatever means necessary. This means it's easier to see the immediate consequences and much more difficult to see the long term outcome of actions to protect oneself and their people.
Which ones? The forced labor, the inequality, lack of military service?
Sounds familiar huh?
Exactly like the increasing of the debts of the nations today. Everyone knows it is catastrophic in the long term - it's simple math - but it is also very good for the population and the politicians in the short term. One day people will have to deal with the consequences and I bet they will avoid recognizing the reason for the problem.
@@AnBarbarossa but the actual causes of debt aren't well understood. For instance roads are ridiculously expensive. To the point that they will/do bankrupt most city's. The biggest burdain being suburbs and highways to support them. Or giving such great tax incentives that other countries embezzle their money hear, keeping in place the biggest tax cut in history, and shrinking your tax base ability to grow economically stunting your growth to be reasonable is ruling today.
*1000 years later*
Tominus: "The USA Had To Fall. Here's Why."
Eh the US is just another super power.
No need to wait 1000 years lol, less than 50 years or so as it is and the deed is done
Its already happening
10 thousands years later
AI : Human had to die, here is why
Very bold of you to assume the USA will survive past 2143
Top 10 things I knew were true but didn't want to hear:
Can relate
half of this is wrong and is spoken from early imperial rome fanboy pov
@@diadokhoi5722 Do uou have the sources for that, fren? Im interested.
@@clem8818this video deserves another section on plagues which was the main reason for romes downfall. Its as if he blames the empire for having plagues, like god damn its not like they asked for a plague. His comment on the army being innefective and trash is ridiculous and outright incorrect. Armies of belisarius, majoran, stilicho aetius have proved that they are more than capable of defending and reclaiming the empire.
@@diadokhoi5722 If the Late Roman Legion was so good why the Germanic Tribes can easily overpower the Roman Empire and sack Rome.
Removing the incentive for locals to defend their land was the most crucial mistake. Also Caracalla’s decision to make everyone a citizen. Absolutely suicidal decisions.
@Vitor Dias Souza before, you had the incentive to fight for the empire, to become a citizen and enjoy the benefits of being a Roman citizen. Also before, if you were a successful warrior you could get some land to enjoy your retirement. Caracalla made everyone a citizen just to get more taxes but it didn’t really help the economy and just removed the incentive of fighting for citizenship. So no one would want to fight for the empire in the later years. But it’s much more complicated than what I can elaborate in a UA-cam comment.
@@AntonioBrandao true. This decision alone puts Caracella among the worst emperors. His father already made a mistake by increasing the soldiers pay and then his son made even worse decisions. Lack of economic knowledge and prospect really did them in. No wonder the crisis of the 3rd century was such a clusterfuck.
@Vitor Dias Souza that thing you say about “belonging” is very pretty and fluffy but pretty useless when it comes to giving people a reason to fight. It just reduces the reasons to fight. Before, people would spend 25 years of service JUST to get the citizenship. Citizenship given, no reason to fight. People just want to live their lives. Without a constraint/incentive, they will not work for the state and focus on their own lives. What you say about uniting people never happened, people actually started dividing even more through ethnic lines. It angered the Italians, who finally completely stopped fighting, and gave way to 100% mercenary armies who had not citizenship to fight for (it was given) but only money 💰 which is a terrible reason to fight for. I do respect your point and see good will in it, just don’t agree. But my personal viewpoint is even more radical, I also believe it was a mistake for Marius to allow people without any property to fight, which ended the period when every soldier was actually fighting for their land because they had something to lose.
Most historian thinks that this is not a huge deal. Caracalla tried to creat an Empire wide national identity to stop the thousands of separatist revolts of early 3rd century. The most weird ass decision that destroyed the Empire economy was the Tax exemption and army conscription of ITALY, the most popolous province of the Empire and so the richest tax avenue. Not only that, since the division of the Empire, the Western part suffered a monodirectional trade to the Eastern one. It is said that the trade was so unfair because of different standards of trade and tariffs that the western middle class disappeared in less than 20 years.
Guess what happened when Emperors tried to revert all that.
In most istances, Italian Roman citizens were less patriotic than Gaul and Germanic ones, who fought bitterly against invaders.
Most free peoples were already citizens of one grade or another. Roman citizenship was always expanding. Caracalla arrived after centuries of citizenship being available for a price, hereditary, and the common practice of emperors granting citizenship to entire cities.
"The Roman Empire Had to Fall"
Eastern Romans who lasted until the 15th Century: Are we a joke to you?
for the most part they were a joke except during small periods but never anywhere close to the greatness of the old roman empire.
@@DukeoftheAges
Considering how they lasted longer than the Classical Era Empire and managed to bounce back after numerous period of chaos, civil wars, and facing enemies on all fronts they did pretty well.
How were they a joke? For most of the Medieval Era they were one of the strongest powers within Christendom. The Romans were one of the few powers to manage to successfully survive the mongol invasions unscathed as well.
As for the greatness of the classical Empire, the Empire in the eleventh Century under Basil II when you compare adjusted figures was far wealthier than the classical Empire ever was.
At least Constantine fell with his city.
@@justinpachi3707 they bribed the mongols and rum was a shield. They didnt even fight.
@@Scourgeoftengri They did fight for a little bit and then they became a tributary of the mongols (They fought the mongols and lost like most of the people the mongols fought).
Can’t wait for the “Byzantine empire had to fall” video, this video really made me understand more about the Roman Empire
@@elmascapo6588 well it did have some funny moment before it fell, like how a guy accidentally forgot to close the gate which would have the city sacked from the very same people who would help them from Muslim
@Let's Travel the fourth crusade...
But that’s the same thing.
For those of you who don’t want to omit that the byzantine empire will never exist without Paul or Christianity you’re lying to yourselves.
Actually its Just Western Rome's fall 2.0 just Replace the Germans with Turks and Crusaders, The Sacking of Constantinople was actually a result of some Roman guy wanting to be Big E so took the City but didn't pay the Crusaders because "he was not there".
But hay at least the Ottomans are more lenient than most people at the time so much like the Plebs of yesterday there was a silver lining.
I like how you take into account the daily life of a commoner. Keep up the good work, and don't forget to pray Sol Invictvs
Honestly refreshing.
"Why did rome have to fall?!"
I dunno maybe it was a zombified money printer which could no longer provide tangible, exclusive benefits to the people under its influence?
Sol Invictvs gang
SOL INVICTVS
@@deandarvin553 If my government is bleeding me dry...yeah why would I want to remain Roman again?
To know why Rome fell - one must look at Byzantine to know what they did right.
1. Byzantine's economy was based on the trade from the East - likely spices from India and silk from China. While Rome 'til Christianity was a slave economy. So yes, Rome's economic foundation had not just been shaken but demolished.
2. Byzantines had Hippotoxatoi (Horse archers) and cataphracts (precursor to Knights). The invention of the stirrups by the Huns had changed the cavalry from a specialist strike force to anything you want it to be. Now give a knight a lance and he is a shock trooper. Give him a bow and he is a raiding force.
All the others you have already told in this video, so not repeating them
Eastern Roman Empire > Western Roman Empire
@@vincedhilandulay7798 The Eastern part of Rome not only was better managed but had better equipment. Building your society on subjugation is not only morally bad, but it is also a lousy structure.
The christians and the jews were enslaving everyone because of their race, dont be ridiculous.
@@nathanseper8738 True, greeks and jews should not have used their stolen empire to subjugate the west
The ERE also fell for similar reasons. The 4th Crusade happened because of Usurpers to the throne getting the Crusaders involved. The Inhabitants of Constantinople also massacred the inhabitants of the Latin quarter. The ERE had to rely on mercenaries and Varangians because their own people wouldn't fight to defend a decrepit structure that didn't benefit the common people.
The video was great, but your ending was a little weird.
People weren't motivated to fight for the absolutely corrupt and inefficient government and subsequent bureaucracy in Rome. It wasn't that they weren't willing to fight. When the empire collapsed, it didn't take long for stable and powerful regional kingdoms to rise up because it became clear Rome wasn't coming to help. Those that didn't fight well slowly integrated which was exactly the case for the Anglo-Saxons. And now, the Anglo-Saxon identity and heritage is highly valued as a stable point of English identity.
And in a way, smaller kingdoms would go on to be better serve the immediate needs of people because the Roman empire was overextended.
The Frank's rose up in the early 500s, took power from the Visigoths, and then created a powerful political institution that would lead to the likes of Charlemagne. That political institution would survive in one form or another all the way up until the French revolution.
Without the fall of Rome, you don't get France, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, The Holy Roman empire, The Venetian Republic, and so much more.
The Roman empire had to fall, because by the end of it, it was unsustainable.
This is a lot closer to the truth. It's not a matter of the people lazily choosing to 'not lift a finger to defend the homeland', it's when 'the homeland' no longer provides the people anything of value to fight and die for.
The biggest enemy of rome was the senate.. With more wealth distribution and less angering by government, you could find roman citizens... Watch the reform of alexander severus, julian and majoran.. And religious conflicts didn't help
@@wezacker6482 Late roman trade offer:
You get: nothing, except for the continuation of the incompetent system that fucks poor people over
I get: your life
@@alfatejpblind6498 Bingo!
The Dark ages were Ironically better for your average Pleb than the Late Empire was and yet the Dark Ages has the word Dark.
The unclear line of imperial succession is one of those decisions that had a ripple effect on almost every other important part of the empire. The fact that the most capable and qualified people were often imprisoned exaild, executed or otherwise removed from power insted of promoted because they posed a threat to those in power is pretty funny and sad
It is said the last Hellenic (Pagan) Emperor, Emperor Julian, had a vision in dreams before his passing : *The imperial eagle of Rome (solar symbol of Jupiter) leaves Rome and flies towards the East, where he takes refuge in the highest mountains in the world. After sleeping for two millennia, he wakes up and returns to the West with a sacred symbol between his legs, and is acclaimed by the people of the empire.*
It is proven that Julian did lot of drugs during his pagan rituals so this might be just a drug dream.
Seems interesting, what is your source ?
@@TominusMaximus And? So did the Oracles of Delphi, including Pythagoras's Teacher, Themistoclea … What is your point being so closed-minded? That Julian was not a Traitor to Hellenic origin like Theodosius I & II, or Justinian???? Don't get me wrong. You make great videos. Robot Rome in particular, very nice... But don't you realize Hellenism is what made Rome glorious? EVERY Great Leader of Rome looked up to Homer, Hesiod, Herodotus, Thucydides, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle - Julius Caesar himself was bolstered by the Dreams of Alexander the Great... You truly believe such glorious ambitions and sentiments can be reinforced by such a petulant, foreign system that coveted them? The West will be lost until it re-discovers it's origin... Abrahamic dogma and traitorous power-plays have no place in such a story.
@@TheAncientMysteriesBeckon it was roman adaptability what made them glorious.
@@TheAncientMysteriesBeckon Did you take that from Voltaire? The idea that Christianity cause the fall of Rome is nonsense.
It would be cool if you could cover up the topic of romans living under german rule; iirc many romans prefered foreign rule to roman and didn't even put up a fight because of the bad roman rule
So when Belisarius showed up the reaction was "Oh shit, here we go again"?
@@ingold1470 Why do we not consider what other romans, like Iberian or egyptian romans felt? Why only Italians
when the barbarians literally pillaging your land are taking less of your stuff than the tax collectors, people stop fighting their incursions.
@@ingold1470 as far as I understand the Roman citizens (the few left) actually supported Belisarius
@@Diogolindir only elites were full citizens in Rome though. So that doesn't necessarily mean the people were better off with him
My heart disagrees, but my head can see the sense in your words.
Very interesting video, I’m from Britain and when the Romans abandoned the province, it disintegrated into petty kingdoms. When the warlike Anglo-Saxons came along many Britons saw them as a better alternative and not only sided with them, but adopted Anglo-Saxon culture,religion and language. It is even suggested that some early Saxon kings were former British warlords.
Fall of Civilisations ep 1 Roman Britain by Paul Cooper.
This is a theory which is exaggerated, the Britons were largely subjugated and married into, the same people did not stick around like they did before, but now they spoke different. Every other post-Roman Germanic kingdom (all of Western Europe) had precisely that phenomena of preferring the new germanic rulers and/or being genocided by them or anything, and yet all retained their languages, and to this day hold a far smaller genetic component of Germanic people's that the English do.
@@Epicrandomness1111 to be fair, another Germanic invasion came only a couple centuries later with the Norsemen. I’d say it really depends on which region of England you want to talk about. The eastern coast is the most Germanic for obvious reasons- It’s closer to Germany and Scandinavia and was also the most depopulated after the Roman withdrawal due to the high amount of Roman colonization, especially in the southeast. The dynasty of Wessex have strong evidence for being of British origin, with their early rulers being given names like Cerdic or Ceawlin, which were distinctly non Saxon names. I believe it was probably a mixture of traditional colonization and enslavement in the east and later cultural assimilation in the southwest and midlands over time as Anglo Saxon culture slowly grew into the more populated parts of the island.
And most importantly they named someone a Redditor, fuckin based
Turkic horse lord's: "Enters Europe"
Roman empire : " Caesar , I don't feel so good"
German's : " it's free real estate"
Greeks : " look at me, I'm Rome now"
Well, The East actually was Rome, seeing as how Roman was never an ethnic descriptor, the Greeks had the most impact on Roman Culture, and the Senate Declared the Eastern Emperor the sole Roman Emperor
@@bolajix905 exactly
Now makes so much sense how feudalism became a thing.
Rome kinda started it jowever charlamange officialy created it
Basically, roman coin thanks to political instability (and copper mixing) became mire and more worthless and thus, ownership of land was where true wealth could be made. That and the empire’s slow destruction caused autonomous ruling to be necessary, instead of massive centralisation.
Rome: *had to fall
China: *restores itself repeatedly with no stop
China had 2 Massive Rivers that acted as 2 better Walls of China, when the North usually fall, the South Usually Remain, China also have a harsher/stricter Assimilation process unlike Rome, so whenever a foreign Ruler assert their dominence in China they usually conform to Chinese Culture, lest they fall quickly, another reason is a concept called The Mandate of Heaven which means legitimacy is seen not by Law but by "Popular" opinion, The closest thing Rome or "Rome" had to the Mandate of Heaven is Translatio Imperii but thats a HRE Concept that later people adopted.
What do you think about the video series "Unbiased History of Rome"?
All pro-Roman content on UA-cam has my blessings
@@TominusMaximus excuse you. It's not pro-Roman, it's unbiased.
@@TominusMaximus I will say that Roman history is.... Surreal at times and seeing several Roman history videos
(Especially the Caesarian and Pompeiian war) I will say that Romans gambled a lot
thanks for subtitles
I loved this video ! I know this channel is mostly about memes, but those sorts of videos are amazing coming from you, because in my view, only someone who has a great insight into roman history can make such great memes and therfore analyze their downfall and weaknesses with much more precision.
I would really like to see more videos of this type, which take a deeper look at the cracks of the roman empire. Something I would really like to see for example is an explanation of the way roman emperors chose their successors and why there were so many usurpers compared to say, medieval kingdoms. (Some say that this instability begun since the Marian reforms because it gave a lot more power to generals and depraved the roman state of loyal soldiers who would be subservient to itself making ambitious power grabs a lot more likely, but again I might be mistaken so a video touching on that subject would be very interesting!) Well anyway, more history from you would be great, in my opinion.
Great video and keep up the good fight!
*Laughs in Eastern Rome which now didn't have to feed their western counterparts*
*Laughs in Venice during the Fourth Crusade*
@@HolyknightVader999 *Laughs in Napoleon*
@@stepanpytlik4021 *Laughs in British*
@@ProjectEkerTest33 *Laughs in Anglo-Saxons*
@@stepanpytlik4021 Didn't the Anglo-Saxons basically become the British? Or at least the English. You should've laughed in Norman. They were the last people to successfully invade Britain almost a thousand years ago.
The parallels with current times are amazing.
History doesn't repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes
Yeah…
Some weird parallels with today:
-Increasing inequality
-Declining infrastructure
-Lazy/pacified population
-Political leaders unable to deliver needed change without being deposed by the elites
-Germanic hordes sacking Western Europe
The last one expecially
Barbarian hordes*
@@jackal25301 It has nothing in common with National Socialism. it's more like the USSR, except less violent and more degenerate. The ideology rooted at the core of the EU is Socialist/Communist in nature, ultimately seeking the end of the European Nation State
the third reich had nothing to do with the first reich either. one was based on weird nietzschean darwinist esoteric ultranationalism, and racial supremacy; while the first reich was based on catholic christianity and feudalism.
Don’t know about that last part Chief
18:15 getting a lot of dejavu feelings here.
People may not agree on the solutions, but we sure as shit agree on the problem.
And? That allways happened.
When the Gothic King Odoacer declared Rome the capital of his Italian kingdom, and that Italy was seceding from the Empire, the Senate and the people of Rome hailed him as Liberator. Of course that may have been at sword-point.
Also the capital of the West had for long been moved to Milan and then Ravenna, so perhaps the remaining upper class of the Eternal City were happy to be at the centre again!
My man Odie
Odoacer was Scirian, not Gothic
@@Innerste_ But he was the Gothic King because the people he ruled were Goths.... Then Romans.
@@MogofWarOreste should had sided with Odoacer against the Senate,at this time the empire needs a domitian 4.0
This is a really good video. I like how you try to get into the thinking of the commoners. The empire had become a great burden to everyone's lives. The debasing of the coinage was just the start of the empire beginning its descent into chaos and breakup.
From the turmoils of the third century, the western part still manage to exist for two centuries more. Grant's book is too partial as everything that did not go in his way is not spoken of.
You should read John Scheid's, Yann le Bohec's studies (a true specialist of the roman army) and Peter Heater's or Claire Sotinel's book on the same subject for the political/economical issues.
I downloaded this video as an MP3 and I have listened to it between 10 and 15 times since it was uploaded, it's such a full, concise and straightforward analysis of this subject. 10/10 would listen to it 10 times more again.
when foreign occupation becomes preferable to peacetime in your own country, the fate of your nation is sealed.
Absolutely Glorious. This Video is to be meditated upon - so many insights regarding our own times can be made, and perhaps used to fix what has rotten.
it's nonsense, a pop history assessment full of inaccuracies.
@@histguy101 like what?
@@anonymousv1 Maybe the Army part, most of the late Roman army still consisted of Roman style professionals and not inducted Germanics. It was still reasonably strong and won most battles against the barbarians, their chainmail armor covered the tighs and arms too now and was of good quality. It was also more suited to defending.
The problems were recruitment after losses and failure to capitalize on victories won.
@@grandmaster6166Sorry, I didn't see the replies.
For example:
"legions became poorly equipped hordes of disillusioned soldiers that would desert at the first opportunity"
The legions of the late empire were better equipped, more aggressive, more versatile, and certainly more active than the early empire, especially during the 4th century. Not that equipment wins battles, but late Roman armies had better weapons, a greater variety of weapons, a greater variety of troop types, better armor, better cavalry, etc.
_"once proud citizens humiliated into a machine of production"_
Here he seems to be referring to the colonus/coloni- tenant farmers, but misunderstanding who they were. Coloni were peasants, usually former slaves. Free coloni were free peasants. Coloni existed during the early empire also. By the reign of Marcus Aurelius, all of Italy's farmland was owned by wealthy landlords, who leased plots of land to tenant farmers. A Colonus had more rights and freedoms than a slave, and were personally free, but had to get permission to move. A free Colonus was just a free peasant renting a farm. They could do what they wanted. This video makes it sound like the entire population of free citizens was thrown into work camps. That's ridiculous.
Also, Egypt basically *_was_* a giant tenant farm owned by the emperor, but it was established that way by Augustus. Native Egyptian farmers actually gained rights and legal protections in late Antiquity (until Justinian came along).
"Senate became rich and didn't care about the state"
The Senate continued to function as it had in earlier times. The Senate continued to be active in politics, and in the late empire, there was a much wider system of offices that allowed more people of a wider variety of social rank to enter public life and contribute to the state.
It's like a hyperbolic rant. I feel like this video is influenced by Dovanhatty's series, but he didn't catch the satirical nature of those videos. The first minute and a half had me wanting to bang my head against the wall.
Then there's "the Roman Empire Collapsed in 476." I get it, that's the commonly used date for the fall of the west, but there was no "collapse" that year. In 477...or 500, etc, the empire is still there. The remaining western provinces no longer have a western emperor, but nothing has changed for Roman citizens. They get to experience peace for a generation or two. If you live in Hispania or Italy, or parts of Gaul, or Illyricum, or Pannonia, your Roman civil government is still there. The Senate is still in force. New coins are minted every year with the emperor's image(Emperor Anastasius Dicorus). The biggest difference is the Goths, Heruli, etc have replaced the executive administration and army in the west, and now fulfill that role, but the legislative, bureaucratic, and religious bodies continued uninterrupted
And obviously, in the east, everything is still intact. From about 480-550 the east experienced a golden age. The army is still fully intact. Germanic power is weeded out, ultimately in favor of native Roman commanders and troops. It's still the largest, best trained, and best equipped army in the world, and is still a force to be reckoned with in a much more competitive playing field.
The 5th century was a time of frequent crisis, and the empire emerged not completely whole, but it did recover.
Its better if they don't learn. Not a single great empire that are not evil had exist so far, I mean massacre and plunder is pretty much the major requirements to become one. So its better for them to fall due to the same trap.
Great video!
I always argued that Rome never recovered from the 3rd-century crisis, but your video has shown me that many of the late empire's problems stretched from way before. Really shows just how good some of the Eastern Emperors, like Anastasius, were.
Eastern Roman empire was smaller and lost land like it was candy.
In short, the Romans brought it upon themselves
barbarians didnt help
@@diadokhoi5722 sounds like the entire western world and third world immigrants if you ask me
fun fact the Fall of the Roman Empire by Michael Grant inspired the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
Wasn't it Gibbon's?
uhhhh...Asimov wrote in the 50s and 60s. He was inspired by Edward Gibbon's 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' (written in the 1770s), not Michael Grant (1990s).
Roman fall is one of the best argument for monarchies, they have the advantage of stable inherence system.
Hmm yes very stable
@@gaiusjuliuscaesar9296 Still more that the might makes right system romans had
@@janvancura8412 Habsburgs
They won’t want to hear it, unfortunately…
@@janvancura8412 "stable inheritance system" Carolingians would like to disagree with you
This video is a masterpiece. I can't remember the amount of times I have rewatched it since it came out. If one day there will be a cannon of UA-cam videos on ancient Rome, this one is surely in.
The fall of the Roman Empire was inevitable and unpreventable.
Still the greatest empire in history lasting over 1,500 years
China lasted until the modern age, so could have rome
@@unclesam5230 I cannot deny that
@@victorvonsteuben1728 No? It collapsed many times
@@unclesam5230 chola lasted for 2,500 years
Fantastic and important video, the west must wake up.
Ah, yes something something Muslim refugees let me guess?
@@blanketcc7125 nope.
@@blanketcc7125 Good job making assumptions without even hearing anything friend.
@@blanketcc7125 no, people like you, loser.
for what must the west make up?
The best material about the Fall i've seen. Thanks a lot, Tominus
Now, here is another question. How all of this could be avoided?
It couldnt. It is amazing Rome had lived so long.
@@TominusMaximus It could be by decentralising the Empire. Basically, copy what the Holy Roman Empire or Japan had done.
@@ironduke3780 yeah. Copy the joke that became the HRE and the shogunate. That's definitely gonna work. The problems of the west are all of those listed in the video and I'll add poor geography (the west had only a single access to the rich roads towards Asia) so it couldn't ever be saved by decentralisation. While the west couldn't be saved, the east still managed to remain very powerful for 700 years after the fall of the west and continued existence in a very weakened form after 4th crusade so I think that's enough proof that there wasn't really a need for some major change like HRE style decentralisation after Justinian.
@@TominusMaximus You have to break apart the structural from the contingent. Theodosius II died suddenly aged 49. If he'd lived another 10 years, both of his sons would have been adults and in a position to hold office and exert their own power, rather than playing second fiddle to their generals and advisors throughout their long reigns.
In a situation where a few more of these contigent factors went correctly, the Roman empire could have weathered the brunt of the Hunnish assault far better, until that empire inevitably disintegrated as Steppe empires do much more commonly than settled empires. After that, the external pressures on the empire would be lower for a time.
What I'm saying is that it's not too hard to picture a scenario where Western Rome survives, until the Justinianic plague of 541-542 which we can take as a fixed event and then there's far too much uncertainty.
If it had a long distance communication then it would have survived longer.
As WhatIfAltHist summarized in his video about Western civilization(3:44):
"The Roman Empire in the year 380 was the closest thing you'll get to the Imperium of Mankind in Warhammer 40k"
For the Emperor and the Imperium!
@@forickgrimaldus8301 Gloria dominvs*
The Emperor protects!
The Imperium is largely an explicit criticism of certain aspects of human civilization so that’s not exactly a compliment.
that were dark times but we had darker , nothing like the 40 k , that is the worst it could probably be , is one thing dealing with your own it's another to live under the existencial fear of beign invaded by a possible number of alien horrors or super human evil chaos infused former humans. that shit is on another level.
As with everything that crashes and burns inevitably:
It had potential, but there were not good people in the right place at the right time.
Civil wars, betrayals, laziness, complacency, arrogance...When you look long enough you see the patterns of falls.
"Teutoborg. Most disasterous bsttle for Romans"
*LAUGHS IN CANNAE*
From a point of lives cannae has it but for the bigger picture it's teutoburg
and cries in adrianople
@@edwarddragonblood8749 Bigger picture? Cannae would've literally brought Rome to its knees. Teutoborg was nothing next to Cannae, by deaths and otherwise.
What happend after cannae? Did rome surrender? No they won the war...after teutoburg forest they never conquered germania...it's people eventually taking over the remnants of rome
@@edwarddragonblood8749 check out more on what happens after teutoburg and you will see it only had small short term consequenses for rome.
I subbed to you for memes but this is the best explanation of the fall of Rome I've ever seen! I can't wait to see what other great historical content comes from this channel.
Entropy and decay. The fact that rome lasted over a century is astounding.
Edit: over a millennia**
I mean who was going to challange them. The greeks at this point had tore each other's throats out and the carthaginians were thouroughly salted after a number of giant wars.
Exactly, entropy is the word that sums it all up. No matter how good of a ruler one is or any other human factor you take into account, the end is inevitable
@@notgoddhoward5972 germans, macedonians, carthagians, parthians, sassanids, scythians, huns etc
Chinese: Allow us to introduce ourselves
@@loranttoth5897 Chinese: Ah, so you want to rule China by becoming Chinese?
based af.. subbed.
This video is just great. Thank you for making it dude. Mucho Respecto
a very in depth and thorough analysis of the contemporary circumstances. The points you made were very good and differ from the mainstream "rome good, never bad" narrative :D
Me looking at the thumbnail: ITS SIMPUS MAXIMUS
Please make more videos like this, you're really good at it.
Thanks m8, it is nice to hear that
@@TominusMaximus You really are. Choose the side, Tominus... The origin of the West, or Abrahamism... In your heart of hearts I know you've already chosen.. I can feel it. You are a follower of Helios ~ Sol Invictus.. You are a follower of the beauty that was Western Civilization.. It's up to the Chosen, now... An arduous task and life lies in store for them. But.. “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
@@TheAncientMysteriesBeckon cringe pagan
You see, the thing is, it was NOT certain. Rome faced tough challenges before this like the third century crisis and it's survival was always a possibility.
love your work!
There once was a dream. A dream that fell.
In 1453
The Virgin "I wish the Roman Empire was still here" vs the Chad "the Roman Empire had to fall"
@@huntarthebarbarian8407 lmfao. Virgins coping about other kind of Virgins.
Amazing video. That last sentence was so powerful. I'm shook.
What an amazing episode! I love the unique perspective of the theme of this video. Keep it up!!!!
Rome needed some philosophy of rule like confucianism and a mandate of heaven like legitimacy system to prevente so many generals from revolting. I mean the Hun dynesty survived aslong as west Rome but its instituions and systems survived and even expanded by the next dynesties.
Hadn't the warlord states of the pretenders Sun and Liu Bei established themselves so well in the South, the invading Northern Barbarians might have wiped out the remnant states of the Han with their institutions and systems even in the South, brought there by refugees from the Han Empire (which had most of its' power centres near the yellow river.
@@longyu9336
yea but all those barbarians and warlords still were Sinicized to these day they called the Hun people. they continued to use and expand from the foundation layed by the Hun. unlike after the Roman empire it's all feudal kingdoms more barbarians then romans. even the Byzantines left it's Latin roots behind for more Greek Culture.
They should have just kept the republic all these crappy emperors is a good example why democracy is good.
@@belstar1128 Not really. Democracy, have his strenghts and weakneses. If you left a Republic system, you don't solve the problem, because the patricians were as corrupts as, well, everyone. If anyone can be "President", that means, that it's party time to fight and have your rivals some sadly "accidents" (and that, happens with the Triunvirate anyway, so...). In fact, becoming Empire, saved Rome 200 years of life.
They're not ideal govenments. Democracy, never existed in that ages (because was more a poll between nobles, and less an equal vote between everyone). And if we watch carefully, curently our democracy it's based about some strong guys that are "leaders" from X party. You're not voting some random guy from that party, you're voting the leader that was elected between them. And you call this democracy when you don't have any change to choose how can and can not be the leader?
This is actually an extremely well made video on the subject, with historical sources, well thought reasoning to support your thesis. I learned a lot from it, then I clicked your profile to see other videos you have uploaded hoping to get the similar high quality content.
Then you know what happened next, they are full of memes for ADHD kids... anyways, please make more video like this one, here is a idea, please do the same for the Eastern empire.
Thank you
ADHD kids need love as well 😓
@@TominusMaximus True enough
So happy I stumbled across this. Great content !
Incredible video. Full of details and well sustained
really excellent analysis!
Great stuff. When put in the context, Rome was founded 753 BC, and was growing larger and larger up until a point when it was finally divided. So 1200 years not counting Byzantine, thats still pretty impressive.
Brilliant video! Many lessons to be learned from here.🥇
please make more of these. this is great
The thing about empire is, it can either keep expanding, or it must collapse.
I think the saddest thing in the crisis of the third century (and this is anecdotal) -> the murders of both Aurelian and Probus were, at best, done in the heat of the moment, and the murderes were immediately persecuted/executed by their fellow soldiers, for such a tremendously stupid action.
Empires are Ponzi schemes, unsustainable by design.
Chapter 3 is the best. I used to wish the empire in the west had lived on for centuries, somehow surviving. But when I realized just how tyrannical the imperial government had become, I realized it may have been good for it to fall to allow for the eventual rebirth of free societies. (It took nearly a thousand years, ha!)
They Need a profund reform
This was a beautiful summary. Well done.
Love the visuals, enjoying the content
19:58 "Germanic barbarians launched around 109 major attacks on Roman soil"
Yoooo, reminds me another 109 events in history I've heard of... 🤔✡
8.....8?
@@KingPyrrhus nine now, Myanmar
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened
Amazing video. Would watch something like this for an hour.
This was extremely entertaining & informative.
Thank you.
The allowing yourself to be a subject of the landowners is how feudalism began. It's sad.
The fall of the (Western) Roman Empire is only seen as bad because Renaissance-era and Enlightenment-era Philosophers got butthurt over the arguably superior Catholic Hegemony that replaced it.
The so-called "Dark Ages" were when the so-called "Barbarian" peoples were experiencing a socio-political and cultural Golden Age. Epic poetry such as Beowulf, the history texts of Saint Bede, the philosophy of Saint Benedict of Nursia, and the plays of Hrosvitha all date from this time period.
These so-called "Dark Ages" were also when the Catholic Church became the first _international_ educational, medical, scientific, and spiritual institution, with Churches and Monasteries acquiring vast libraries as every Monk was entitled to a free new book during the season of Lent.
And while the Eastern Roman Empire carried on and became the cork that kept the Muslims out of eastern Europe (eventually bringing most of the Slavs within their socio-cultural sphere of influence), the then-new and then-revolutionary Feudal System- based on rule by codified hierarchies of families- gradually replaced the increasingly obsolete Roman method of rule by bureaucracy.
Nah the Church was bad
@@mjbaricua7403 I presume you are either Protestant, Atheist, Muslim, or Pagan, and therefore contractually obligated to criticize and denigrate the Church and it's various achievements (eg. inventing the University system, inventing the Hospital, storing and compiling texts from Antiquity procured from the Arabs and the Byzantines, the _Summa Theologica_ and other philosophical Magnum Opuses, and numerous revolutionary architectural innovations such as the Flying Buttress) at any available opportunity?
Nice try, Buster. I'm an unironic Medievalist because society went FUBAR some time during or after the Renaissance and Medieval Europe had a more perfect social system than we have today.
@@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874 the catholic church is a force for good - Galileo's Ashes
@@elijahjones2664 Copernicus, Gregor Mendel, and Georges Lemaitre (Google them) were all Catholic Clergy.
And Galileo was an idiot who made the mistake of _citing scripture_ to back up his scientific claims (which was what he got in trouble for).
John, that is not what ''dark age'' means. People tend to associate the term ''dark age'' with ''evil'', but it is not.
A ''dark age'' refers to a hiatus in history for the collapse of a very important civilization or a set of civilizations. There was a dark age after the civilization collapsed in the bronze age 12 century BC as well - and it was after this ''dark age'' that ancient Greek and Rome developed themselves. Centuries before the Roman Republic was formed there were much more advanced civilizations in the East, for example. The Romans and the Greeks had to rebuild everything almost from scratch. Much like the Countries after the fall of Rome.
It takes some centuries for societies to organize themselves and start to advance technologically and culturally again. Those centuries are called the ''dark ages''. In the case after the fall of Rome, the dark ages refer to the low middle ages, up to the 11 century A.D.
Awesome content man! Great work!
Dude, really freaking good video. I really enjoyed it. Keep up the good work!
Everything has a beginning
And everything has an end
That includes, sadly, the Roman empire
And in a few decades American will be added as-well, after it is gutted by progressives, welfare sponge socialists, and cultural Marxist's promoting the destructive theory of Communism.
@@BroNapartay as much as I hate those who you mentioned, I still believe that patriotic and hardworking Americans will rise above.
@@BroNapartay You do realize that America was nearly destroyed by unregulated capitalism? The Great Depression happened because of greed. FDR New Deal literally saved America. And with the war, they entered a golden age in the 50's. So I find your statement nonsensical. Not to mention, with robots and technology replacing a lot of manual labor jobs, it make sense to fund programs to help people.
@@BroNapartay "A few decades." Oh bro, you think THIS is what the prelude to collapse looks like?
I don't think modern military spending can be compared to historical military spending. The highest-effective-tax jurisdictions in the world today are all effectively free market administrative democracies, spending between 40-60% of their entire economic output on government services. In other words, a larger portion of the economy in a place like Norway is socialized than is the case in North Korea (where effective tax rate is quite low and the black market is several times larger than the legal market). When >95% of your population is agrarian, there is very little surplus to tax, and (relatively) few "excess" workers to assign to public projects. The US may dedicate around 5% of its government expenditure to the military, but around 50% of its GDP is consumed by the government, meaning an "actual" net of 2.5% of its economic output is dedicated to defense spending. By contrast, agrarian economies like Haiti only dedicate around 10% of their GDP to government expenditures, meaning fully 25% of their government spending would have to be dedicated to the military in order to meet the same threshold. The least industrialized economies today are still probably more capable of collecting taxes than the most advanced economies of 2000 years ago.
Thank you for this incredible video!
Interesting video, great work man
Excellent video
Guess Aetius finding it really hard to recruit troops in Dovah's final episode and having to whip them into shape so much wasn't just "nihilism" but because of how much Roman government made social mobility through the army very hard to gain and made citizens feel that they weren't treated well.
An excerpt from Sacred War music at the start of each chapter made my day :)))
I really like the way you explain all of those small factors coming together and bringing down a true world power. Individual and institutional rot of centuries instead of a single disaster, interesting.