At its peak, the Roman empire extended from Britain to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River. Yet in 476, the last western Roman emperor was deposed. Imperial authority survived in the east, centered in the city of Constantinople, but the western regions were divided between Germanic kingdoms and the rising influence of the papacy. Historian David Gwynn analyzes the dramatic events which shaped the decline and fall of the Roman empire in the west, exploring the transformation from the ancient to the medieval world that laid the foundations for modern Europe.

Gwynn is an associate professor in ancient and late antique history at Royal Holloway in the University of London and the author of The Goths: Lost Civilizations and Christianity in the Later Roman Empire: A Sourcebook.

Session Information

Imperial Power and Christian Triumph

The fourth century was a time of rapid change for the Roman empire, which had dominated the Mediterranean world for more than 300 years. Imperial persecution of Christianity was replaced by active support under the emperor Constantine and his successors, while the establishment of Constantinople created a new center of power in the east. Gwynn examines the strengths and weaknesses of the fourth-century Roman empire, from the social and religious developments that influenced later generations to the shifting pressures on the frontiers that heralded the beginning of the Germanic migrations into Roman Europe.

Additional Sessions of the Fall of Rome and Birth of Europe Series

• April 16: Goths, Huns, and Vandals
• April 23: The Rome that Did Not Fall
• April 30: Barbarian Kings and Roman Popes

General Information

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