Roman Empire Anecdotes
Gratian: A Child on the Throne, a Soldier in the Making
Raised to the rank of Augustus at just eight years old, Gratian spent his reign trying to grow into the military and political role his father had prepared for him.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Magnus Maximus: The Roman Commander Who Rose from Britain to Rule the West
A Roman commander in Britain rose to imperial power in 383, ruled from Trier, challenged the western emperors, and later survived in Welsh tradition as Maxen Wledig.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Great Conspiracy of 367: When Roman Britain Nearly Collapsed
In 367, Roman Britain faced a major military crisis as Picts, Scots and Attacotti raided the provinces, commanders were lost and soldiers deserted. Count Theodosius was sent to restore Roman control.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
Emperor Theodosius I. The Man who Defined Christianity and also Massacred Thousands
Theodosius I inherited an empire shaken by Adrianople and ruled through Gothic settlement, civil war, religious conflict and dynastic change. His reign became surrounded by powerful later legends, but the surviving laws, letters and histories preserve a more complicated emperor.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
The Emperor Who Ruled Rome for 77 Days
Petronius Maximus ruled the western Roman empire for only 77 days. His brief reign followed the murder of Valentinian III and ended just before Genseric’s Vandals entered Rome.
Roman Empire Historical Facts
The Sack of Rome in 410
The result of years of failed negotiations between Alaric, his Goths, and the western imperial court, and not a sudden event, led to the sack of Rome in 410.
Roman Empire Anecdotes
Valens: The Emperor Rome Remembered Through Disaster
Valens is remembered for Adrianople, but his reign reveals a harsher story of religion, manpower, imperial pressure, and Roman control.