According to English historian Edward Gibbon’s work, the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Rome fell when the Germanic general Odavacar overthrew the last Roman Emperor remaining, Augustulus Romulus in 476 AD. Most have accepted this date as Rome’s official demise. Others believe that Rome started its decline after Marcus Aurelius’ reign when inflation hit the Roman economy severely, while others maintain that Rome’s decline started when the empire was split into two. Regardless of what one believes, there were certainly many contributing factors that led up to its fall. Below are some of the main reasons that contributed to its decline.
Bribery?
One big reason for Rome’s decline was the lack of ruler transition. Rome never had a clear-cut method for choosing its emperors. The emperor, senate, Praetorian Guard and army were the ones who usually had some say. As time went on, the Praetorian Guard became more powerful and had the biggest say in who became the emperor. In turn the elected leader would reward the Praetorians with gifts and money, making them even more powerful. This continued until 186 AD when the army, growing tired of waiting in the wings, murdered the newly elected emperor and began selling this position to the highest bidder. Over the next 100 years of the empire, over 37 people became emperors. Most, of course, didn’t die of natural causes. The lack of a consistent, strong leader was one of the main reasons for this fall.
Sickness and Pestilence
Needless to say that there were many public health and environmental issues that led to sickness among the masses. Most rich citizens installed lead pipes for water to their homes. The death rate among the rich was great. Conversely, most citizens were poor and lived in squalor. This close contact between citizens, the lack of sanitation, mingling among the masses at the coliseum and the exposure of diseases from the dead all contributed. Another health issue was that of drinking. Alcoholism increased dramatically during the latter half of the Roman Empire, physically exposing many to other ailments, not to mention a lack of drive.
A swing of the pendulum
One can clearly decipher two distinct phases in the history of Rome. The first half of its rule saw a huge decline of morals. Gladiatorial arenas and fights were commonplace, morality was at an all time low, political corruption and prostitution flourished and crime was commonplace. This all contributed to major distractions during this time, but when Constantine came into power and Christianity was accepted as the official Roman religion, the Romans became total pacifists. This resulted in invasions by barbarians and the eventual loss of lands, leading to the victory by Odavacar, mentioned above. So many historians have included the idea that the acceptance of Christianity, as a religion, is one of the major reasons for this decline.
Summary
Although the list of causes isn’t limited to the above, they certainly were big reasons for Rome’s demise. Other contributors were the lack of developing technology, unemployment, urban decay and inflation. Rome, a once mighty empire, had seen its last days as ruler of the world.
