The Crisis of the Third Century: 50 Years That Nearly Destroyed Rome

In 235 CE the Roman Empire entered the worst fifty years in its history. Over fifty emperors rose and fell — most murdered by their own troops. Barbarian armies poured across the Rhine and Danube, a resurgent Persia captured a Roman emperor alive, plague emptied the cities, the silver currency collapsed into worthless coins, and the empire actually split into three separate states. This is the Crisis of the Third Century: how Rome came within a hair of total collapse, the extraordinary figures who fought through it — the warrior-queen Zenobia of Palmyra, the soldier-emperor Aurelian who reunited the empire — and how Diocletian finally dragged Rome back from the brink and set the stage for Constantine. Chapters: 0:00 An Occupational Hazard 0:19 Fifty Emperors in Fifty Years 1:07 The Crisis of the Third Century 1:13 The Army Makes the Emperors 1:57 Pressure on the Frontiers 2:04 The Sasanian Persians 2:23 The Capture of Valerian 2:43 The Germanic Tribes 3:08 Decius Falls at Abrittus 3:21 Economic Collapse 3:59 Plague and Decline 4:19 The Empire Splits in Three 4:38 Zenobia of Palmyra 5:41 Aurelian, Restorer of the World 6:12 Rome Survives, Transformed 6:32 Diocletian 6:50 The Tetrarchy 7:09 Reforms and Stability 7:28 The Great Persecution 8:00 Diocletian Retires 8:31 Enter Constantine 8:50 Next Time: Constantine the Great Drawn from History — ancient history, drawn badly, explained well. New episodes regularly. #history #ancientrome #crisisofthethirdcentury #romanempire #zenobia #diocletian #rome #ancienthistory