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Roman Empire Downfall

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The Roman Empire was a powerful and has affected the world we live in today, but it was not always successful. The Roman Empire was at its greatest extent at the death of Emperor Trajan in 117 AD, when it included all the lands around the Mediterranean and extended to Britain, the Black Sea, and Mesopotamia.i At the Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD, the Eastern Emperor Valens was defeated and many historians agree that this marks the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. ii “But the decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatness. Prosperity ripened the principle of decay; the causes of destruction multiplied with the extent of conquest; and, as soon as time or accident had removed the artificial supports, the stupendous fabric yielded to the pressure of its own weight.”iii The Roman Empire was vast in size which extended from the British Isles to the Tigris and …show more content…

In the reign of Attila, the Huns became the terror of the world, and invaded the East and West, and urged the rapid downfall of the Roman empire.xix Recognizing the great wealth of the Eastern Empire, Attila the Hun directed most his attention in that direction, devastating the Balkans up to the very walls of Constantinople in 447 AD.xx The Eastern court then bought off Attila the Hun with a payment of tribute and with the promise of annual subsidies.xxi When the payments stopped, Attila reacted to this by invading the territory of Gaul. The threat from the Huns was finally stopped at the Battle of Chalons, by the Roman commander Aelius, this was an important win for the Romans. After being forced to withdraw from Gaul in 451 AD, Attila was and then proceeded to invade Italy in 452 AD. xxii “Rather than an army, Rome dispatched Pope Leo I and two senators to attempt to negotiate with Attila.”xxiii The Hun threat ended a year later when Attila died, causing the Hunnic empire to

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