In this episode, we cover the reigns of various Eastern Emperors leading up to Justinian's attempted reconquest of the West. 

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In this episode, we recap the last 4,500 years of Western History and set the stage for the turbulent Dark Ages to come. 

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Take it for what it is worth. Here is my list of the top ten BEST and WORST Roman Emperors. 

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By 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire had fallen. In this episode, we trace the final twenty years of Roman History in the West. We continue with the collapse of the Hunnic Empire after the death of Attila and see how the West gets on without Aetius. Then, the Eastern Empire mounts one last rescue mission before the final Roman Emperor in the West is deposed. Before finishing, we briefly consider the different arguments as to why the Western Empire fell and discuss the merits of each. 

In the late 430's power in Hunnic Society finally centralized around one, powerful leader: Attila. He would use this power to assault both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. These episodes follow those turbulent years and then take stock of the total damage wrought on the Empires by the arrival of the Huns. 

In 410 AD the Roman Empire hit one of its lowest points. But, within a decade it had rebounded. The reason Flavius Constantius. Constantius would rebuild the West only to die and early and unexpected death which would then throw the West back into chaos. Aetius would spend a decade cleaning up the mess (again) and would become the dominant force in the West by 433 AD. Meanwhile, the Vandals set sail for Africa with terrible consequences. 

Our story continues with Theodosius briefly reuniting the Empire in 394. Then, all hell breaks loose again as the Huns force different Germanic Tribes from the Hungarian Plain in the first decade of the Fifth Century. Gaul is overrun and the situation is compounded by a growing rift between the East and West halves of the Roman Empire. Then, the Goths return to Italy around 408 AD behind a new leader, Alaric, desperate to find a permanent homeland within in the Empire. All that sets the stage for the epic sack of Rome in 410. 

In this Episode, we take a step back and chronicle the changing social and political landscape beyond Rome's borders to the North. There, the arrival of the Huns from the Eurasian Steppe has a dramatic domino effect on the people's of Northern and Central Europe which eventually brings a group of Goths to the Danube in 376 seeking asylum. Once the Goths are allowed in things go from bad to worse culminating in the critical Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD. 

Jovian Tries to Turn Back the Clock. Valentinian Tries to Keep the Peace. And Valens Fights with Everyone...

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Constantine wins the civil war, ushering in a new age for the Romans. For the first time, the empire will be Christian. 

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Between 284 CE and 305 CE, Emperor Diocletian rebuilds the Roman Empire. His model for what will become known as "The Dominant" would become the model for European kingship for centuries. 

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The Third Century was not a kind century to the Roman Empire. A rising Persia coupled with nearly non-stop civil unrest nearly ended the empire long before the final fall of Rome. In this episode, we cover this tumultuous period in detail. 

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After the death of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Empire begins a slow and steady decline. And, it all begins with Commodus...

Rome reaches its height under the Antontines. Trajan leads the Empire to its greatest territorial heights. 

Nero's suicide leads to a year of unprecedented chaos in Rome. Four men stake their claim to the throne and ultimately only one can triumph and lead the Empire into a new golden age. 

Rome gets a short reprieve under the reign of the unexpectedly good Emperor Claudius. Then, after his murder, Nero brings the short-lived age of the Julio-Claudians to an end.