Download The Crisis of the Third Century

The Crisis of the Third
Century
By Sam Redeker and Connor Bright
The Basics:
● Lasted about 50 years (235-284 CE)
● Events that transpired during the Crisis include:
o 23 people were crowned Emperor/Co-Emperor/Junior Emperor.
 Some of these people died in battle, some were assassinated,
and some just disappeared.
o Plague of Cyprian devastated the Roman people.
o Civil War
o The division of Rome
o Many invasions
o The collapse of the economy.
Pre-Crisis (200-235 CE)
● Severan Dynasty Emperors/Co-Emperors
o Septimus Severus: 193-211 CE
o Caracalla (Septimus’ oldest son: 198-217 CE (assassinated)
o Geta (Septimus’ youngest son): 209-211 CE (killed by Caracalla)
o Macrinus (Caracalla’s prefect): 217-218 CE (executed)
o Elagabalus (Septimus’ great-nephew): 218-222 CE (assassinated)
o Alexander Severus (Septimus’ other great-nephew): 222-235 CE
(assassinated by his own troops)
 Beginning of the Crisis of the Third Century
235-239 CE
● 235: Maximinus Thrax becomes emperor
● 238: Gordianus, proconsul of Africa, and his son declared Emperor and
Co-Emperor by the Roman senate. They are killed by Maximinus Thrax
and legions still loyal to him. Senators Pupienus and Balbinus also killed.
Maximinus later killed in a mutiny. A brief Civil War occurs.
o M. Antonius Gordianus Pius III declared emperor.
● 239: Lower Moesia repels Gothic invasion.
240-249 CE
● 240: Rebellion in Africa put down near Carthage.
● 242: Gordianus III has the Temple of Janus built. He then repels the
Persian army from the city of Antioch. Cimmerian cities in the Bosphorus
now controlled by Ostrogoths.
● 244: Gordianus III dies of a mortal wound. The suspect, Philippus,
becomes Emperor.
● 248: Goths and Germans defeated. Legions unhappy. Failed rebellion.
This leads to another rebellion.
● 249: Goth tribes attack northern cities, but are defeated by General
Trajanus Decius, who upon being declared Emperor by his men, marches
into Rome, defeats Philippus, and becomes Emperor. Philip’s eleven
year-old son is also killed.
250-259 CE
● 250: First time a Roman Emperor fled from barbarians.
● 251: Plauge of Cyprian breaks out (possibly smallpox). Decius and his son
killed in battle. His youngest son is killed by the plague.
● 252: Trebonianus Gallus declared emperor. Persia and Gothic tribes
invade. Persia takes Syria and Armenia.
● 253: Aemilianus, Governor of Moesia, defeats Goths. After his soldiers
declare him Emperor, he kills Trebonius, but in turn is also murdered.
Valerianus and his son Gallienus declared Co-Emperors.
● 254: Pannonia lost to Macromanni
● 255: Province of Dacia lost to barbarians.
● 256-259: Battles against the Persian, Goths, and other barbarians rage
on. Plague decimates the Eastern Legions.
260-269 CE
● 260: Persian army destroys Rome’s Eastern army in Edessa. Tens of
thousands of Roman troops, including the Emperor, taken into captivity.
Valerianus is killed and actually taxidermied as a trophy. Gaul, the
Germanies, Britain, and Spain break off from Rome to form the Gallic
Empire. Syria, Egypt, and Palestine break off from Rome to form the
Palmyrene Empire.
● 262: Gallienus begins the separation of civil and military functions.
● 268: Gallienus assassinated. Claudius II becomes emperor.
270-279 CE
● 270: Claudius II dies from the plague. Aurelianus becomes Emperor.
● 273-274: Aurelianus reunites the Gallic and Palmyrene Empires with
Rome.
● 275: Aurelianus is murdered. His widow, Ulpia Severina, becomes
Empress.
● 276: Marcus Claudius Tacitus becomes Emperor (unclear what happened
to Ulpia). He gets sick and dies. Florianus tries to become Emperor, but
he is killed in a mutiny staged by Marcus Aurelius Probus.
● 277: Probus elected consul.
● 278: Probus elected consul for the second time.
● 279: Probus elected consul for the third time.
280-285 CE
● 280: Rome battles the Burgundi and Vandal tribes. Roman rebellion in
the Rhine crushed by local Roman troops.
● 282: Probus killed while marching against Persia. Carus becomes Emperor
and his sons Carinus and Numerian become Junior Emperors.
● 283: Carus dies. Carinus and Numerian become Co-Emperors.
● 284: Numerian dies under suspicious circumstances. Carinus becomes
Emperor, but Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus battles him for the
throne.
● 285: Diocletian defeats Carinus and becomes Emperor. This is the offical
end of the Crisis of the Third Century.
Why So Many Emperors?
So many people died as the Emperor or to become the Emperor because
during the Third Century, a number of things were going wrong at the
same time.
The main causes were:
● Economic Problems
● The Plague of Cyprian
● Invasions
● Civil Wars and Rebellions.
Economic Problems
● Hyperinflation caused by years of overspending.
o Aurei (gold coins) was still worth something, but denarii became
basically useless.
● Trade network disrupted.
o People who relied on imports and/or exports were hurt badly.
● Increased Localism
o Smaller parts of the Empire were basically on their own.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_
Denarius2.jpg
http://images-00.delcampestatic.net/img_large/auction/000/172/644/171_0
03.jpg
The Plague of Cyprian
● 250-266: Beginning/height of the outbreak
o About 5,000 Roman’s were killed by the Plague per day.
● 270: The Plague took the life of Emperor Claudius II Gothicus.
● Today, this Plague is thought to have been smallpox.
Invasions
●
●
Rome was invaded by multiple enemies many times throughout the Century,
including the Ostrogoths (Goths), the Persians, Germanic tribes, and other
barbarians.
o Many Generals who successfully repelled invasions were encouraged by their
troops to try to take over as Emperor. Some were successful while others’
efforts were not as fruitful.
o The Gallic and Palmyrene Empires broke from Rome with the help of these
invading powers.
Outside of many frontiers, raids began to get more and more frequent and more
and more destructive.
o The Parthian ruler was determined to gain his empire’s former glory back, so
he began attacking Rome. Persians as well planned to deal with Rome
 The Persian army had already defeated 3 Roman armies from the
different emperors.
Civil Wars
● When Maximinus Thrax was killed, a civil war raged for about a year.
● Another rebellion resulted in two new Empires splitting off from Rome.
Gallic Empire
Palmyrene Empire
● Broke off from Rome in 260
CE under Postumus.
● Based in Gaul, the
Germanies, Britain, and
Spain (which broke off from
the Gallic Empire in 269
CE).
● Reintegrated into Rome
after being defeated by
Aurelianus in 274 CE.
● Broke off from Rome in 260
CE under Queen Zenobia
with the support of Persia
● Based in Syria, Egypt, and
Palistine.
● Reintegrated into Rome
after being defeated by
Aurelianus in 273 CE.
What’s Next?
Diocletia
n
http://www.conservapedia.com/images/thumb/5/5c/Diocletian.jpg/200px-Diocletian.jpg
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