CHAPTERXV

The fall of paganism and the triumph of Christianity

V. The Fall of the Western Roman Empire

362. Reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire

In the 5th century happened fall of the Western Roman Empire, which finally separated from the Eastern at the end of the 4th century (395). The German barbarians, constantly pressing from beyond the Rhine and Danube, demanded energetic resistance, which necessitated large army and huge financial costs. Meanwhile, the population of the empire found itself less and less able to resist the barbarians and bear the burden of taxes. From the end of the 3rd century. the emperors were forced to fight some tribes of the Germans settle their other tribes in the border areas of the empire with the responsibility to protect its borders. At the same time, for the correct receipt of taxes, they considered themselves forced to attach the agricultural population to the land, and the landowners to their cities. Internal unrest and abuses by officials completed the misery of the population of many provinces. Regional uprisings were often just the result of their population's dissatisfaction with the oppression of the empire. To the unbearable for the people state requirements more joined extortions from landowners. In Gaul, for example, the mass of the people were in a state of serfdom even before the Roman conquest, which not only did not change this attitude, but even directly contributed to the development of large estates. The dissatisfied Gallic columns, in alliance with slaves, day laborers and vagabonds, began at the end of the 3rd century. make up rebel gangs, or bagaudas, who started a whole uprising. Their leaders (Elian and Amand) proclaimed themselves emperors, built a fortified camp near the confluence of the Marne and the Seine, and from there made devastating raids on the country. The Bagaud unrest continued for a long time. The discontent of the enslaved population was also expressed in the fact that many ran straight to the barbarians, together with whom they attacked the regions of the empire.

Back in the 1st century. Pliny said that “the latifundia destroyed Italy and the provinces,” and indeed from the 3rd century. the economic decline made itself felt more and more strongly, especially in the West, bringing with it a general decline in the cultural standard of living. The society of the Roman Empire split into a landed aristocracy and a enslaved people. Burdened with heavy duties, the impoverished, ignorant and humiliated colons could not manage their plots well and had no particular interest in supporting the empire. Ruined curials also lose the strength to bear duties and lose interest in public life. Only representatives of the landed nobility remained strong and free from general state enslavement. Taking advantage of certain privileges under the law (such as freedom from bearing municipal burdens), members of the imperial senatorial class began to evade paying taxes and bearing military service and refuse to obey the courts, seeking only to ensure that each latifundia is a special, closed and self-sufficient little world. These “lords of the earth,” who had in their possessions everything they needed, isolated their estates both economically and in government terms, as if no longer feeling the need to maintain the unity of the empire. The Roman nobility in its indifference to political life reached the point that its members began to refuse the most important positions in the state in order to maintain their position as independent masters of the earth. By oppressing the masses and bringing them to complete indifference to the fate of the state, the magnates of the 4th and especially the 5th centuries. Thus undermined the unity of the empire and lost Roman patriotism. If the columns fled to the barbarians, then the magnates did not resist the barbarians, especially when they felt that under the new rulers of the province they would not be worse off. In the East, with its more developed economic life and more ancient culture the internal relations of the empire were the best, and she and great success defended herself in the fight against the barbarians. No wonder the emperors of the 4th century. there was a strong preference for the East.

The final division of the empire was predetermined by the peculiarities of the historical development of two regions of the Mediterranean - the Romanized West and the Hellenistic East. In the western provinces of the once united power, proto-feudal relations developed at an accelerated pace; due to unbearable fiscal oppression, cities fell into decay, and with them commodity production, crafts and trade, the naturalization of the economy progressed, a general economic decline and ruin of the tax-paying population were observed, the central part and The influence of magnates increased, the barbarization of the population increased, which led to the degradation of the military machine and the decline of culture. On the contrary, in the East there was a strong imperial power, the eastern provinces were less devastated than the western ones, the development of proto-feudal relations here did not reach such depth as in the West, and the urban system (in socio-economic and cultural terms) was preserved to a much greater extent. These objective circumstances determined the different historical fates of the two parts of the former Roman Empire.

In 395 - 396 The rebel Visigothic federates under the leadership of King Alaric subjected Macedonia and Greece to a terrible defeat. The Vandal Stilicho, the commander and guardian of Emperor Honorius, who opposed the Visigoths, defeated the hordes of Alaric in southern Greece. Nevertheless, the government of the Eastern Empire hastened to conclude an agreement with Alaric, recognizing him as the ruler and supreme military leader of the Illyrian provinces (397). Detachments of barbarians, fugitive slaves and columns flocked to the banners of Alaric from all over the Eastern Empire. By the beginning of the 5th century. he already had an impressive army.

In 401, Alaric, at the head of his hordes, moved to Italy. The following year, at the cost of extreme effort (in particular, troops from the provinces were called to defend Italy, freed slaves and colonists were enrolled in the legions), Stilicho managed to defeat the Visigoths twice and drive them out of Italy. On the occasion of Stilicho's victories over the hordes of Alaric, a triumph was celebrated in Rome for the last time. Nevertheless, the government of Honorius is forced to agree to the settlement of the Visigoths in Illyria. In 405, Italy was invaded by a union of Germanic tribes led by King Radagais. In a bloody battle near Florence, Stilicho defeated the barbarian army (Radagais himself died). Meanwhile, the western provinces left unprotected were easily captured by the Germanic tribes. Stilicho tried to persuade Alaric to an alliance with Honorius, but in 408 he was slandered before the emperor and, with the connivance of the insignificant Honorius, he was treacherously killed. In him, Italy lost its only defender.

Having learned of the death of Stilicho, Alaric marched on Rome and besieged the Eternal City. Having received 5 thousand pounds of gold and 30 thousand pounds of silver as ransom, he left Italy. The following year, Alaric again besieged Rome, but the walls of the city were impregnable, so the leader of the Visigoths, together with the usurper Attalus (409 - 410), went on a campaign against Ravenna, where Honorius took refuge. The barbarians also failed to take Ravenna, and Alaric besieged Rome for the third time, abandoned by the emperor to the mercy of fate. In the empire's capital, cut off from supplies, hunger and disease began to rage. In August 410, the doomed city fell (slaves opened the city gates at night) and was plundered by barbarians. The fall of Rome made a strong impression on his contemporaries. Alaric moved to the south of Italy, but on the way he fell ill and died at the age of 40. A few years later, the Visigoths settled in Aquitaine, where they created their own kingdom.

The mediocre emperor Honorius, who died of dropsy, was replaced by the usurper John (423 - 425), after whom the throne passed to Honorius' nephew, the son of his co-ruler Constantius III and Galla Placidia's sister, Valentian III (425 - 455). Meanwhile, the Western Roman Empire was falling apart before our eyes. In 407, the Roman troops of the usurper Constantine III abandoned Britain and the island gained independence. The Burgundians settled in southeastern Gaul (formally in the position of federates), the Suevi settled in the northwestern part of Spain, and the kingdom of the Vandals arose in Africa with its capital in Carthage (439).

The Huns who settled in Pannonia posed a great danger to the dying empire. In 451, under the leadership of Attila, they invaded Gaul. In the “Battle of the Nations” on the Catalaunian fields, the commander of Valentian III Flavius ​​Aetius, under whose banners the Visigoths, Franks and Burgundians fought, defeated the hordes of Attila. The following year the Huns invaded Northern Italy and they devastated it. In 453, Attila suddenly died, and the nomadic alliance of the Huns fell apart. The following year, Aetius fell victim to court intrigue. A few months later, Valentian III was also killed. In June 455, under the pretext of revenge for the murder of the emperor, the Vandal king Geiseric captured Rome. Valentian III's successor, Petronius Maximus, died in a street battle, and vandals plundered and devastated the Eternal City for two weeks, which is why the term “vandalism” later arose, meaning the senseless destruction of cultural property.

Soon after the departure of the Vandals, actual power over Rome and Italy passed into the hands of the commander Flavius ​​Ricimer. The all-powerful temporary ruler appointed and dismissed emperors at his own will: thus, one after another, the Gaul Avitus (455 - 456), Julius Majorian (457 - 461), Libius Severus (461 - 465) and the Greek Procopius Anthemius (467 - 472) replaced the throne. . They were all killed. In 472, first Ricimer and then the emperor Olybrius died of the plague. Ricimer's nephew Gundebald in March 473 proclaimed Glycerius (473 - 475) emperor, who was forced to abdicate by the Dalmatian Julius Nepos, who assumed the imperial diadem (474 ​​- 475). He was deposed by the Illyrian Orestes, who made his teenage son Romulus Augustus (475 – 476) emperor, who, ironically, bore the names of the founder of the Eternal City and the creator of the principate system. The young emperor of the Romans was mockingly nicknamed “Augustan.”

In August 476, the Scythian leader Odoacer seized power in Rome and became the ruler of Italy. Orestes was killed, and Romulus Augustulus was deposed (August 23) and sent into exile to a villa near Naples, where he died the same year. Odoacer achieved an official resolution to abolish the title of Emperor of the Western Roman Empire and sent the imperial regalia to Constantinople (formally, it was about restoring the unity of the Roman Empire under the scepter of the Emperor of the East). This unnoticeable event ended the history of ancient Rome.

Sorry for a lot of bakaff

Reasons for the fall of the Western Roman Empire (Dryazgunov K.V.)
Publications December 27, 2006
Dryazgunov K.V.

Crisis phenomena in the empire actually began in the 3rd century, when profound changes occurred in political, economic and cultural life. Political anarchy associated with constantly changing emperors and usurpers in different parts states, together with the invasion of Germanic tribes, led to the destabilization of the entire empire. Barbarians constantly infiltrated the border, and the emperors did not have enough time, strength and resources to expel them from the provinces.

Economy of the Roman Empire for a long time developed unevenly. The western regions were less economically developed than the eastern ones, where more significant labor, industrial and trade resources were concentrated, and thus an unfavorable balance of trade developed.

According to S.I. Kovalev, the progressive barbarization of the army more and more destroyed the opposition between those who defended the empire and those who attacked it.

The crisis struck the entire state, numerous problems within it and constant invasions from the outside ultimately led to its liquidation.

Here is a list of the reasons for the fall of the empire in the form of a complex plan for better understanding.

Military bloc

1. The inability of rulers to control the actions of their commanders gave rise to:

1.1. Loss of combat capability by the army:

A) weak troop leadership
b) exploitation of soldiers (misappropriation of most of their salaries)

1.2. Dynastic crises

2. Lack of a combat-ready army due to:

2.1. Inability or insufficient recruitment due to:

A) demographic crisis
b) reluctance to serve, since there was no incentive to do so (the empire no longer inspired the soldiers, did not arouse in them a patriotic desire to fight for its salvation)
c) the reluctance of large landowners to send workers to the army (the center of gravity for recruitment shifted to rural population, and this inevitably affected agricultural production. It would have suffered even greater damage had it not been for widespread draft evasion)

2.2. Big losses in the army, including its most professional part

2.3. Recruits of “low quality” (city dwellers were unsuitable for military service, “unnecessary” people were drafted from the villages

3. Hiring barbarians for service led to:

A) weakening the army
b) the penetration of barbarians into the territory and into the administrative apparatus of the empire

4. Mutual feeling of hostility between the army and civilian population. The soldiers did not so much fight as terrorize the local population, which aggravated:

A) the economic situation of the population and the empire as a whole
b) psychological climate and discipline in the army and population

5. Defeats in combat led to:

A) losses of manpower and equipment of the Roman army
b) crisis demographic and economic phenomena

Economic bloc

1. The decline of the main basis of the empire’s economy - average land ownership:

1.1. It is unprofitable to run a household within small villas

1.2. splitting large estates into small plots and renting them out to either free people or slaves. Colonial relationships arose that led to:

A) to the emergence of natural forms of farming: both on large plots and within the framework of emerging rural communities of peasants
b) to the decline of cities and the ruin of urban farmers
c) to the severing of ties between individual provinces, the land nobility of which sought independence

2. A new type of split form of ownership is being formed, which in the future will develop into various shapes feudal property.

3. Heavy tax burden. It was unfair, since the poor people in agricultural areas suffered the most from it

4. Forced involvement of citizens to provide various services

5. The high cost of transporting products, stagnation in production and reduction in cultivated areas as a result of encroachments by foreign invaders:

A) worsening situation of the population, ruin of farms
b) tax evasion
b) the emergence of protest sentiments among the population
c) seeking the protection of the military command or large local landowners, who, for a certain fee, took upon themselves the responsibility of conducting all the affairs of residents with imperial tax collectors. The formation of the serf system begins.
d) The emergence of gangs of robbers and brigands due to the inability to earn money honestly

6. Galloping inflation

7. Naturalization of the economy with sharp social stratification

8. Destruction of the monetary system

The wealthy and the government were more likely to see eye to eye with each other. So, for example, entire villages began to seek the protection of the military command, which, for a certain reward, took upon itself the responsibility of conducting all the residents’ affairs with the imperial tax collectors. However, many more villages chose patrons not among officers, but among large local landowners. Such patrons were also sought by individuals, for example, former owners of small peasant farms, who in despair left their homes and land and found shelter in the nearest large farm.

At the same time, there were still too many cases of release from service, which put those in a more privileged position social groups, who achieved this quite easily. Corruption was also rampant, as evidenced by numerous but ineffective attempts to combat it.
IN political sphere it was expressed in the frequent change of emperors, who ruled for several years, if not months; many of them were not native Romans.

On the other hand, urban culture was fading. The class of wealthy citizens, vital for the urban structure, disappeared. Urban production and trade fell into decline, the size of policies was reduced, as evidenced by archaeological data.

Colon received housing, a plot of land and the necessary production tools, for which he paid the tycoon a portion of the harvest. The magnates surrounded their estates with walls, built luxurious villas in them, organized fairs, recruited armed guards, and sought to exempt their estates from state taxes. These types of estates became new centers social life, who prepared the transition to feudal relations of the Middle Ages.

On the other hand, by the 3rd century, having barely had time to take shape, the national culture was practically exhausted and the Roman people as such disappeared. Cosmopolitanism became an integral part of the citizens' worldview, since the syncretism of the early imperial era did not lay the foundations for civil unity among the inhabitants of the empire. The state was devouring itself.

The decline of Rome was due to both economic, political, and social reasons, but first of all, the crisis began in the spiritual sphere and its first symptoms arose not in the 5th or 4th centuries, but much earlier, when the ideal of harmonious developed person, the polis religion and ideology, which embodied the real worldview of ancient man, collapsed after the abolition of the republic and the establishment of a de facto monarchy. That is, the real crisis begins with the era of Augustus, when the Roman state reached the peak of its power and began a gradual rollback, as in the case of a pendulum, which, having deviated to the side as much as possible, begins to move in opposite direction. The Roman state did not collapse after Augustus and not only existed, but even prospered, as evidenced by the reign of the Antonines (2nd century), called the “golden age,” but its spiritual framework was already broken: Roman history lost the spiritual foundation that cemented it. As one thinker put it, this kind of civilization is capable of “pushing its dry branches” for a long time.

Social block

1. The rich and the government were in confrontation with each other. The influence of the rich increased, and the government decreased:

A) Class consciousness and snobbery of the rich reached extreme limits
b) The estates were something like small principalities, closed socio-economic entities that contributed to the usurpation of control over the country
c) Senators of the fourth and fifth centuries remained stubbornly aloof from society. Many of them did not hold any government positions. They did not take their due part in government affairs neither in Rome nor in the provinces.
d) Often, senators undermined the well-being of the empire by sharply opposing imperial officials, providing refuge for deserters and robbers. Sometimes they took on the functions of justice, creating private prisons.
e) Made it difficult to recruit recruits, as they were deprived of workers

2. The ruin of the middle class (attacks by external enemies, internal revolts, inflation, recruitment) and the decline of city councils

2.1. Decline of urban civilization

3. Strict regulation of all life to meet the needs of the army and preserve the imperial system

3.1. Loss of loyalty and personal initiative of the population

3.2. Generating social tension:

A) economic decline

4. A cumbersome and increasingly ineffective civil service apparatus, which was a self-developing body, since many of its institutions became hereditary

4.2. Reduced management efficiency:

A) Riots in various fields society

5. The imperial court had its own elaborate ceremonies, and hypocrisy and sycophancy flourished:

A) Reduced the efficiency of managing the empire

6. Failed attempt to assimilate the living Germans or, at least, to achieve a feasible agreement with their leaders

6.1. The governors and military command subjected immigrants to blatant brutal exploitation

6.2. The Romans kept the Germans in spiritual and social isolation:

A) unrest and rebellious sentiments in the mercenary troops
b) social tension in the German community
c) armed clashes, territorial conquests, violence against the Romans, usurpation of power

7. Reject everything more people to participate in public life. Hermits, monks, etc. appeared:

A) Loss of labor resources
b) Declining birth rate

8. Violence against pagans and Christians of various persuasions

9. Christian theologians actively urged Christians not to work for Rome, either peacefully or militarily.

9.1. Social apathy:

A) decline in spirituality and economic life

“ A force devoid of reason dies by itself.” (With)

The middle of the last century was the real Golden Era of Hollywood. It was then that cinema acquired all the features inherent even in modern cinema: entertainment and scope, the technical components of any blockbuster wide format, color film, amazing special effects and the presence of stars in leading roles. All this is widely used in cinema to this day, even such a direction as “peplum” has returned to the big screens. This is what in the old days they called historical adventure pictures, the action of which took place during the Ancient Rome, Greece or Egypt. And the screen showed an unprecedented scale, the luxury of historical costumes and the grandeur of gigantic sets, thousands of extras, horse parades of troops, panoramic scenes of battles or naval battles on ancient, sailing ships… But the creation of such films was incredibly expensive, so not all film studios could afford such expensive films. And even then, after a series of commercial failures of such epic blockbusters, Hollywood lost interest in ancient history for a long time. The film discussed in this review is just one of them. This is the last, one of the most expensive and sweeping three-hour canvases, the budget of which was a huge $19 million (for those years a gigantic amount). In terms of costs, this blockbuster surpassed even such an epic as “Ben Hur” (however, still losing the palm in cost to the monstrously expensive “Cleopatra” with Elizabeth Taylor, released a year earlier)! However, it was never able to pay for itself at the global box office, because the box office receipts amounted to all of 4 million. Consequently, Anthony Mann's film did not receive high marks from critics or audience recognition (being content with the Golden Globe for the soundtrack). On the contrary, in the year of its appearance on the screens, it was received rather coldly by the mass audience, mostly ignored by critics, and eventually sank into oblivion. And the story told in the film, based on what actually happened historical events, today everyone knows it from another “peplum” “Gladiator” by Ridley Scott. Which, in fact, revived at one time the interest of a wide audience in historical action films that had gone out of fashion…

First of all, I think we should start with the fact that a film with such a pretentious title as “The Fall of the Roman Empire” turns out to be not very epic. Don’t get the wrong idea: a crowd of hundreds of Roman legionnaires, ordinary people dressed in rags and dressed in luxurious outfits and tunics noble patricians are all present. Exactly like the horse parades and sword battles noted above. Moreover, there are even several such battles in the film. However, the action of the first half of the film, for some reason, takes place in the snowy lands of Germany. Where Roman troops suppress the rebellion of local barbarian tribes. Despite the fact that it is winter in the frame, in the battle scene for some reason it is clearly visible that the forests are covered with greenery. However, this annoying blunder is quite forgivable, and if you don’t find fault with such trifles, the picture of the tape will please you. Particularly successful were the scenes in which, according to the plot, heavy snow falls, as at the funeral of Caesar who died in a military campaign. The Roman army stands at a huge funeral pyre with burning torches, and white fire falls from the gloomy sky in large flakes. white snow(I don’t know whether it’s real or artificial) But, apart from this episode and the scene of the battle with the barbarians, the first hour and a half is mortal boredom. Moreover, all these palace intrigues and conspiracies of the Roman nobility take place in some kind of stone castle, completely uncharacteristic of the Roman style. It’s clear that they are on foreign soil and “quartered” in a local fort (or whatever it was called then?), however, in the same Ridley Scott film, the Romans lived in a garrison of a tent city, spreading hundreds of tents on the field. And it was more natural than watching them stay in some European castle. One gets the impression that the Romans mistakenly moved to the Middle Ages and the crusaders are about to appear in the frame.

And the script was written by as many as three co-authors, including: Ben Barzman, Basilio Franquina and Filia Jordan too much “water”. Characters often talk about abstract things that are not related to their history and plot development. The plot to kill Marcus Aurelius (curiously, this happens without the knowledge of his son Commodus, whom Caesar had deprived of the succession to the throne the day before) occurs only towards the end of the first series. The film, by the way, was shot in the then fashionable format of an epic performance: with an overture preceding the viewing while the audience is taking their seats, and with an intermission break in the middle of the performance. Which, as it were, divides the picture into two halves. The second one will be more dynamic. Firstly, the action moves to Rome, which gives you the opportunity to enjoy luxurious, panoramic views ancient city with all its aqueducts, columned buildings and monumental sculptures. Again crowds of thousands of extras on the streets which looks very cool on the wide screen. The cinematographer of the film, Robert Krasker, worked hard when creating the film to make his film different from others shot on the same topic. Yes, the costume designers did a conscientious job. I also liked the depressing, but at the same time majestic, as befits such a film soundtrack written by composer Dmitry Tyomkin who previously composed music for Alfred Hitchcock’s films.

Of the actors involved in the film, the one who played the role of Lucilla, the young Italian beauty Sophia Loren, received the largest fee. True, she doesn’t show off anything special other than her spectacular appearance. There won’t even be any erotic or love scenes with her, and if anyone suddenly decides to watch the film with the goal of seeing something like that, pass by in advance to avoid disappointment later. The second star of the picture is the handsome Stephen Boyd, who here has become somewhat heavier and dyed his hair blond. If at one time he turned out to be the wonderful scoundrel Messala, then here is some kind of passing and inconspicuous hero - the centurion Livius. The negative image of Prince Commodus went to the English actor Christopher Plummer. And he also loses in terms of audience sympathy to Joaquin Phoenix, who is more charismatic and integral in his disgust, who played this hero in Scott’s film. Omar Sharif is completely forgettable in the third-rate role of the army prince Sokhamis. But the classic Alex Guinness was almost a worse Caesar than in the version of Richard Harris. The final phrase of the film is that an empire can withstand the threats of an external enemy, and can even become stronger again after defeat, but an empire perishes only when its citizens themselves no longer believe in it - this is the true truth. The question is, is it worth spending three hours watching the entire film for her sake? We consider it historical…

Period of history IV-VII centuries. called the Great Migration. It is reliably known that at that time several dozen tribes changed their settlement territory, where they lived for a long period. Now they preferred to go explore new territories. In connection with this grandiose event, the map of Europe changed dramatically.

The fall of the Roman Empire occurred.The Western Roman Empire disappeared, but small kingdoms of the Germans appeared. Rome fell, and this means that the era of antiquity has ended. Started new story- history of the Middle Ages.

Prerequisites for the fall of the Roman Empire

In the 3rd century. Germanic tribes encroached on the borders of the Roman Empire. The Romans managed to hold back their attacks, but at the same time they spent a lot of energy. Some territories came under the control of the barbarians, but on the whole the empire continued to exist. The destruction began with the arrival of the Huns to European territory. For reasons of their own and unknown to us, they left the territory of Asia. Previously, they were located near the borders of Ancient China.

The Huns went to the West and in 375 they found themselves on the territory of one of the Germanic tribes - the Goths. The Goths then lived in the northern Black Sea region, they were excellent warriors, but the hordes of the Huns were soon able to defeat them. The Ostrogoths immediately submitted to the Huns, and the Visigoths had to flee to the borders of the Roman Empire. They chose to submit to Rome in order to avoid reprisals against them by the Huns.

The Goths settled on the land of the Roman Empire, but they gave little territory. And besides, she was extremely infertile. Accordingly, there was not enough food. There were few food supplies from the Romans. We can say that they openly mocked the Goths, and also interfered in their internal affairs. This led to an uprising. The Goths marched on Constantinople.

In 378, near Adrianople, they were met by a Roman army. There was no turning back for the Goths; they rushed into battle. A few hours later the glorious Roman army ceased to exist, the emperor was killed. This battle hit the Roman Empire very hard, and the army could not be restored.

In other battles, the empire was defended by an army of mercenaries. German mercenaries, for a reward, agreed to protect the Romans from other Germans. Ordinary citizens of the empire did not want to defend its territory; they were of the opinion that worse life after the conquest of their territory by the Germans there will be no more.

Beginning of the fall of the Roman Empire

The last army that approached the walls of Rome was the army of Hannibal. But even he did not dare to lay siege to this city. Rome was the capital of the greatest state. The territory of the empire was located around it. Therefore, the thought of capturing the city and breaking through the steel legions did not occur to any conqueror.

The current emperor of the Roman Empire, Honorius, is still a child - real power is in the hands of the military leader Stilicho. He was a vandal by birth. Many did not trust him and believed that he himself wanted to seize power. Honorius listened to the rumors and Stilicho was killed. The brilliant commander died. The Visigoths approached Rome, the inhabitants were on the verge of death and agreed to surrender. The leader Alaric demanded that all the gold, jewelry and slaves be brought to him.
The agreement took place, the Visigoths left. But after a couple of years, Alaric again approached the walls of Rome. The gates were opened, how this happened is not known for certain, but in 410 the Roman Empire fell. The city was sacked in three days. Many Romans managed to escape, the rest were sold into slavery. Alaric had no use for Rome, and he went to the northern territories.
The fall of the “Eternal City” had a terrifying effect on contemporaries. It even got to the point that many believed that the fall of Rome was the collapse of the whole world! Everyone was in despair over the destruction of a previously unshakable state. Great Empire fell, what will happen next???
All these feelings were well expressed in his works by Aurelius Augustine. The essay “On the City of God” tried to explain why this happened. Why did the Roman Empire fall? Aurelius expressed the opinion that this was payment for the cruelty that the empire had committed over many centuries.

Fall of the Western Roman Empire

The destruction of Rome left the empire in complete chaos. The Huns, who had previously ravaged many tribes, were approaching. The most famous Hun leader was Attila, in order to gain power he committed fratricide. In 451, Attila crossed the Rhine and met the army of the Roman commander Aetius. The Battle of the Catalaunian Fields took place and went down in history. It was a meeting of two huge armies, the Huns retreated. A year later, Attila invaded Italy and approached Rome. Pope Leo I gifted the leader and he went back. A year later, Attila died at his wedding.

Four years passed after the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields, Rome was again captured by barbarians - the Vandals. In 455, the Vandals sailed along the Tiber to Rome, the inhabitants of the city were not ready to defend it. Again the Pope negotiated and the Vandal leader Geiseric accepted Roman gifts and plundered Rome for only fourteen days. At the same time, all residents remained alive, and churches and temples were not burned.
Few noticed the complete disappearance of the Western Roman Empire. It became clear to everyone long ago that this would happen soon, so it did not cause much horror. In 475, the emperor in Rome was Romulus Augustus, nicknamed “Augustus”, since he did not play a big political role. In 476 there was a coup d'état. The barbarian Odoacer arranged for him, but he did not want to be emperor. The Senate was obliged to declare that the emperor of the Western Roman Empire was not needed. Let it be only in the eastern part, a diadem and a purple robe were sent there. This was the end of a great power. Only its eastern part remained, which later became known as Byzantium.

Fall of the Roman Empire video