The History of Rome
A weekly podcast tracing the history of the Roman Empire, beginning with Aeneas's arrival in Italy and ending with the exile of Romulus Augustulus, last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Now complete!
Episodes
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The Storm Before The Storm: Chapter 1- The Beasts of Italy
Audio excerpt from The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic by Mike Duncan. Forthcoming Oct. 24, 2017. Pre-order a copy today! Amazon Powells Barnes & Noble Indibound Books-a-Million Or visit us at: revolutionspodcast.com thehistoryofrome.com
Revolutions Launch
Available at revolutionspodcast.com, iTunes, or anywhere else fine podcasts can be found.
Update- One Year Later
Next show coming soon!
179- The End
The history of The History of Rome...Why the Western Empire Fell when it did...Some thoughts on the future...Thank you, goodnight.
178- Not With A Bang But A Whimper
In the last few years of the Western Empire a series of Emperors came and went. The cycle finally ended in 476 with the exile of Romulus Augustulus.
177- The Burning Ships
In 468 the two halves of the Empire combined forces to dislodge the Vandals from North Africa.They failed spectacularly.
176- The Quote Unquote Emperor
From 461-465 the Western Empire was ruled by Ricimer through a puppet Emperor named Libius Severus. Not everyone in the west was supportive of the new regime.
175- Trying to Take It All Back
From 457-461, Majorian marched around trying to reassert Imperial authority over the provinces while Ricimer remained in Italy.
174- The Sack of Rome Part II
Following the death of Valentinian III there was an Imperial power struggle in the West. In the midst of this struggle, the Vandals sacked Rome in 455 AD.
173- The Broken Bow
In the early 450s a string of deaths changed the political dynamic of Roman world. Between 450 and 455 Galla Placidia, Aelia Pulcheria, Atilla the Hun, Flavius Aetius and Valentinian III would all die- leaving the stage wide open for the next generation of leaders.
Also, an announcment.
172- Showdown
In 451 Atilla the Hun invaded the West. He was repelled by a coalition of forces lead by the General Aetius.
171- The Gathering Storm
After placating Atilla with yet another indemnity, Theodosius II fell from his horse and died in 450, leaving the Eastern throne vacant.
170- Atilla Cometh
In the 440s, the Huns began to direclty attack the Roman Empire.
169- Huns and Vandals and Goths, Oh My
In the 430s the Romans dealt with increasingly agressive and confident barbarian tribes living both inside and outside the traditional borders of the Empire.
168- The Rise of Aetius
In the late 420s AD, the Roman General Flavius Aetius connived and backstabbed his way up the chain of command.
167- Exploiting the Opportunity
The Emperor Honorius died in 423, leading to a brief civil war between the Theodosian dynasty and a self-proclaimed Imperial regime in Ravenna.
166- As Long As She's Nice To Look At
Constantius III continued to lead the Western Empire as its defacto Emperor until 421, when he was officially elevated to the rank of Augustus. Unfortunately, this elevation was not recognized by Cosntantinople.
165- Reviving the Roman Name
Between 412 and 415 relations between the Romans and Goths shifted back and forth between alliance and antagonism.
164- The Sack of Rome
After failing to secure a deal with Honorius, Alaric sacked Rome in August of 410. It was the first time the Eternal City had been sacked in 800 years.
163- Theodosius's Walls
Following the death of Eudoxia, the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius took control of the Eastern Empire and ran it wisely for the next decade. Meanwhile in the West, anti-barbarian policies will lead to the invasion of Italy by Alaric.
162- Opening the Floodgates
On New Year's Eve 406 a horde of barbarians crossed the lower Rhine into Gaul. Their arrival would have severe consequences for the Western Empire.
161- The Swamps of Ravenna
Alaric and his Goths invaded Italy in 402. After they were pushed out, Stilicho moved the seat of the Western Imperial Court to the city of Ravenna.
160- East vs. West
In the late 390s, the generals and ministers who dominated Arcadius and Honorius battled with each other for control of the Empire.
159- The Divine Winds
After winning the Battle of the Frigidus River, Theodosius stood alone as the last sole ruler of the Roman Empire. He would be die just four months later.
158- An Imperial Suicide
In 392 Valentinian II was found hanged in his bedchamber, paving the way for another Roman Civil War.
157- Only the Penitent Man Shall Pass
After defeating the usurper Maximus in 388 AD, Theodosius found himself facing an even greater opponent in Ambrose of Milan.
156- Jockeying for Position
From 383-387 the tense quasi-partnership of Maximus, Valentinian II and Theodosius ruled the Roman Empire. During those years Bishop Ambrose and Nicean Christianity pushed themselves to dominance over their Arians rivals.
155- The New Bishop of Milan
In 383 the General Magnus Maximus rose up in revolt against Gratian. The power sharing agreement that followed Maximus's victory would be negotiated in part by St. Ambrose, the influencial new Bishop of Milan.
154- The Gothic War
Following Adrianople, Theodosius was brought in to salvage the situation. After determining that he could not beat the Goths in battle, the new Emperor was forced to sign a peace with the barbarians that treated them as, gasp, equals.
153- Adrianople
Operating with faulty intelligence and desperate to defeat the Goths on his own, Valens forced the disasterous Battle of Adrianople in August 378.
152- The Storm Before the Storm
In 375 the Huns exploded into Gothic territory, sending refugees fleeing for the saftey of the Roman Empire.
151- Bursting a Blood Vessel
Valens spent the late 360s and early 370s dealing with hostile Goths in the north and hostile Persians in the east. In 375 he would be left to face these threats alone when Valentinian suddenly died.
150- The Perils of Mismanagement
in the late 360s and early 370s AD Roman mismanagment of three different regions in the Western Empire led to armed conflict.
149- The Great Conspiracy
In the winter of 367 Britannia was hit from all sides by a coordinated barbarian invasion. It would be more than a year before the Romans were able to reassert control over the island.
148- The Cousin's Cousin
Shortly after Valentinian and Valens ascended to the throne, one of Julian the Apostate's maternal cousins seized control of Constantinople.
147- Capitulation
Jovian extracted the Roman legions from the east at a heavy price. He then ruled the Empire for eight months before suddenly dying on his way to Constantinople in early 364.
146- The Spear of Destiny
In 363 Julian launched an invasion of Sassanid Persia. He would die in battle just three months later.
145- Julian the Apostate
Julian came to power in late 361 and immediately set about trying to turn back the clock on both Church and State.
144- The Road to Constantinople
Once he was established as a force to be reckoned with in the west, Julian revolted against Constantius II in 360 after the Emperor ordered half the Gallic army redeployed to the eastern frontier.
143- Julian the Pre-Apostate
After a childhood spent mostly in exile, Juian was elevated to the rank of Caesar in 355. His first assignment was to clear Gaul of Germanic invaders.
142- You've Earned It
After two years of sporadic war, Constantius II defeated the usurper Magnentius in 353. Following his victory the Emperor let his advisors talk him into executing first Gallus in 354 and then Claudius Silvanus in 355.
141- Blood and Water
Constantius and Constans shared the Empire for a decade until Constans was overthrown by a rebel general named Magnetius in 350 AD.
140- My Three Sons
The three sons of Constantine took control of the Empire following the death of their father and the murder of most of their extended family.
139- Wash Away Your Sins
Constantine was baptized on his deathbed after arranging a plan for succession.
138- The New Rome
Live and direct from Old Rome!
137- The Christian Emperor
This episode brought to you live and direct from Constantinople! After defeating Licinius, Constantine found his dream of a united Christian Empire foiled by a very disunited Christian Church.
136- Let This Be Our Final Battle
War between Licinius and Constantine flared up again in 324 AD. This time Constantine would finish the job.
135- Brothers in Name Only
Constantine and Licinius split up the Empire following the death of Maximinus Daia in 313. It did not take long for relations betweent the two Emperors to turn sour.
134- And Then There Were Two
In 313 AD, Maximinus Daia and Licinus fought for control of the Eastern Roman Empire.
133- The Milvian Bridge
On October 28, 312 AD Constantine and Maxentius fought a battle at Rome's doorstep for control of the Western Empire.
132- In This Sign
Prior to the Battle of the Milvian Bridge Constantine experienced visions and dreams that promised him victory if he embraced Christianity.
131- The New Game in Town
With the Tetrarchy in shambles, Diocletian will be called out of retirement in 308 AD to help broker a settlement. But the new new order will prove as bad as the old new order.
130- Lost in Transition
Less than two years after Diocletian's abdication, the Tetrarchy was left in shambles following the power plays of Constantine and Maxentius.
129- Abdication
In 305 AD, Diocletian and Maximian voluntarily abdicated the throne, handing power over to Galerius and Constantius.
128- The Great Persecution
In 303 AD Diocletian initiated the last and greatest of the Christian persecutions.
127- Commanding The Economy
Rome's economy was in disarray when Diocletian came to power and he initiated major overhauls to get the system running again.
126- All The King's Men
Over the course of his reign Diocletian overhauled the government, transforming it into a centralized bureaucracy run by career civil servants.
125- The Best Defence is a Good Defence
Over the course of his reign Diocletian instituted a number of reforms to the military structure that helped transform the legions into a new kind of army.
124- The Tetrarchs at War
In the mid-to-late 290s the Imperial Tetrarchy was at war on multiple fronts. In the west Constantius undertook the reconquest of Britain, while in the east, Galerius fought a newly hostile Sassanid Empire.
123- The Tertrarchy
In 293 AD Diocletian and Maximian invited Constantius and Galerius to share in their Imperial burdens, forming what we today call the Tetrarchy.
122- Jupiter and Hercules
Immediatly after becoming the undisputed Emperor in 285, Diocletian elevated Maximian to serve as his Imperial colleague.
121- Phase Three Complete
The Crisis of the Third Century finally ended with the mini dynasty of Carus and his two sons. In 284 Diocletian rose to power, ushering in a new age in Roman history.
120- Interregnum
After Aurelian's death, an old Senator named Marcus Cluadius Tacitus briefly reigned before the throne fell to Probus, who ruled from 276-282.
119- Restitutor Orbis
Aurelian defeated the breakaway western provinces and reunified the Empire in 274 AD. The next year he was assassinated by officers who had been tricked into committing murder.
118- The Palmyrene Wars
In 272 Aurelian finally managed to bring the east back under Roman control by defeating Queen Zenobia of Palmyra.
117- Aurelian's Walls
Aurelian became Emperor in 270 and immediatly faced an invasion of Italy by the Juthungi. After succesfully driving the Germans off, Aurelian turned his attention to building a new wall circuit around Rome to protect the capital in the future.
116- Here Come the Illyrians
Claudius Gothicus became Emperor in 268 and promptly lead the legions to victories against the Goths and the Alamanni. Unfortunately he died before he was able to reunify the Empire.
115- Phase Two Complete
The near simultaneous deaths of Gallienus, Odenathus and Postumus upset the political equilibrium in the late 260s AD.
114- The Nadir of Our Fortunes
The 260s AD were bad for the Romans, but they could have been a whole lot worse had not Gallienus, Postumus and Odenathus each done their part to defend their respective corners of the Empire.
113- Three Empires
112- Captured Alive
Valerian and his son Gallienus did their best to hold the Empire together through the 250s AD, but after Valerian was captured by the Sassanids things quickly spiraled out of control.
111- Phase One Complete
After the Battle of Abrittus, Trebonianus Gallus was proclaimed Emperor. After reigning for two years he was ousted by Aemilianus, who lasted less than a month on the throne before being ousted by Valerian.
110- A Gothic Horror
In 249 AD Decius ousted Philip the Arab and ascended to the Imperial throne. Two years later though, Decius was dead after leading the legions to a massive defeat at the hands of the Goths.
109- The New Millenium
Gordian III died in 244 AD and was succeeded by his Praetorian Prefect Philip the Arab. While Philip dealt with internal revolts and external invasion, he found time to celebrate Rome's 1000th birthday in 248 AD.
108- Gordian's Knot
By August of 238, the other five men who had claimed a share of the purple were dead, leaving 13-year-old Gordian III as the last man standing.
107- The Year of the Six Emperors
In 238, a revolt in Africa sparked a revolution in Rome that would eventually lead to six different men claiming the title of Augustus.
106- Barbarian at the Gate
After bungling a campaign in the east, Alexander headed to the Rhine where he was assassinated by Maximinius Thrax in 235 AD.
105- The Last Princeps
Alexander was only 13 when he ascended to the throne in 222. With the help of his mother and a few key advisers, he managed to avoid being the kind of disaster that previous teenage Emperors had been.
104- Here Comes the Sun
Elagabalus became Emperor in 218 AD at the tender age of 14. His short reign was defined by a scandalous private life and an obsession with the eastern sun god El-Gabal.
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