In the third century AD the Roman empire came under great pressure from neighbouring peoples along all her frontiers. Soon, barbarian invasions were penetrating deep into Roman territory, and in the middle of that century the empire came very near to breaking up before a succession of very able soldier-emperors retrieved the situation. In the fourth century the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, which shortly became the official religion of the empire. He also founded a new city, called Constantinople, to act as the joint capital of the empire.
In 410 a barbarian army sacked the city of Rome – a huge shock to the entire Roman world. Within a few decades the Roman empire had disappeared in the west; its place taken by a group of barbarian kingdoms. In the eastern Mediterranean the Roman empire is still very much a going concern, wealthy, civilized and stable.
Related Articles:
The Roman Empire Home Page
Related Maps & Timelines:
See Europe at AD 500
Map links to: Northern Europe Roman Empire Vandals Seuvi Visigoths Ostrogoths Burgundians The Franks
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