The Roman Empire: The Rise Of Rome

The Roman Empire is one of the most well-known and prominent civilizations of its time. It was the epitome of power and the impact it made on Western civilization has been profound. The empire became a melting pot and a place where people of different backgrounds could trade and travel freely. It spread over a vast area of land and encompassed much of the area surrounding the Mediterranean, which is known as Western Europe. At the time, it may have seemed that bigger was better, but the sheer size of the Roman Empire contributed to its decline. Rome was ruled by emperors; some great, some not so great. These not so great rulers led the empire down a path of destruction and political decline. Though the Roman Empire made major contributions …show more content…
after the death of Marcus Aurelius, who was the last of the five good emperors. During their rule, the empire had been in a period of prosperity and peace. After Marcus Aurelius died, that all changed. His son, Commodus took the throne and marked the beginning of a long line of corrupt and unsuccessful rulers. The twenty-eight rulers that followed Commodus were harsh military men. These rulers characterized the middle of the thirteenth century. This period was known as the age of the barracks emperors. Corrupt political leaders would take advantage of the people’s livestock and land and would even force the people to do labor. For this reason, and the fact that families could not pay their taxes, many left the area. This caused agriculture and the economy to decline significantly. Emperors weren’t succeeded lawfully, but by conquest. During this time, Rome’s leaders and armies began to fight against each other for power, leaving the Roman Empire weak and susceptible to …show more content…
Diocletian, an emperor in the early fourth century, worked to bring it back to its former glory. He worked to reduce the inflation that had been brought on by the barracks emperors, but had little success in repairing the economy. He also decided that the empire was too large to be ruled by one man, so he split it into western and eastern halves. He would rule the eastern part, while a ruler called an augustus led the western part. Both had a right hand man to assist them, making this a tetrarchy. His goal was to give each part of the empire the local leadership and attention it needed. Though this system failed due to succession, Diocletian’s ideas of a reorganized system