#Alongthewallin80days - Day 23

Although the Roman Epire continued for many years after the building of Hadrian's Wall many historians belive the fall of the empire began not 70 years late in 190AD when the the Roman Empire began to be attacked by tribes such as the Goths and the Vandals. These tribes wanted to move south into parts of Europe that experienced a better climate that would assist their farming. This could only bring them into conflict with the Romans. At about AD 190, Rome also experienced a succession of poor emperors who simply were not capable of doing the job. Civil wars in parts of the empire further weakened the rule of Rome and respect for Roman law dwindled as a result. The timeline below shows the decline of the Roman Empire from 300AD...

300: the population of the Roman Empire is 60 million (about 15 million Christians

303: Diocletian and Maximian order a general persecution of the Christians, including the destruction of all churches (1,500 Christians will be killed in eight years)

306 AD Rome becomes a Christian empire. Before this, Rome persecuted the Christians. Constantius dies. His son Constantine is the new vice-emperor of Galerius.

313: the Basilica of Maxentius is completed

330: Constantine I moves the capital of the Roman empire to Constantinople (Byzantium)

337: Constantine dies, and his sons split the empire: Constantine II (Spain, Britain, Gaul), Constans I (Italy, Africa, Illyricum, Macedon, Achaea) and Constantius II (the East)

356: Roma has 28 libraries, 10 basilicas, 11 public baths, two amphitheaters, three theaters, two circuses, 19 aqueducts, 11 squares, 1,352 fountains, 46,602 insulae (city blocks)

359: Constantinople becomes the capital of the Roman empire

380: Theodosius I proclaims Christianity as the sole religion of the Roman Empire

383: Theodosius splits the empire in a Western and Eastern regions, granted to his infant sons Arcadius and Honorius , while civil war erupts against the Western usurper Magnus Maximus

393: Theodosius forbids the Olympic Games because pagans and shuts down the temple of Zeus at Olympia

394: Theodosius defeats Eugenius

395: Theodosius dies and the empire divides in a Western and Eastern Empires, with Milano and Constantinople as their capitals, granted to his minor sons Arcadius and Honorius but ruled by their advisors, Rufinus and general Flavius Stilicho

410:The Visigoths sack Rome This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome has fallen to an enemy. It was a huge uproar.

476: End of the Western Roman Empire and the fall of Ancient Rome The last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus is defeated by the German Goth Odoacer. This is the start of the Dark Ages in Europe.

500: Roma's population has declined to less than 100,000 people

527: Justinian becomes eastern Roman emperor and decides to reconquer Italy

542: the plague decimates the Empire

554: Rome is reduced to a camp of about 30,000 people, while Constantinople has about one million people

600: Constantinople has 500,000 inhabitants

718: Leo III defeats the Arabs that are besieging Constantinople

846: the city of Roma has 17,000 inhabitants

867: Basil I becomes the Byzantine emperor and founds the Macedonian dynasty

913: Alexander II dies and is succeeded by his seven-year old nephew Constantine VII but real power is wielded by empress mother Zoe

919: Admiral Romanos Lekapenos/ Romanus Lacapenus seizes power and marries his daughter Helen to the 14-year old Constantine VII, who devotes himself to literature and art

1057: end of the Macedonian dynasty

1099: the first Crusade captures Jerusalem

1347: the plague (Black Death) strikes Constantinople and it will kill half the population of the city

1348: Serbia defeats the eastern Roman empire and annexes Thessaly and Epirus

1461: the Ottomans conquer the empire of Trebizond, the last Greek state