The Empire Divided
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The division of the Roman Empire that began under Valentinian I marked a turning point in Roman history. When Valentinian became emperor in AD 364, he quickly realized that the empire had grown too large and complex for one ruler to govern effectively. Threats from Germanic tribes in the west and Persian forces in the east required constant military attention. To strengthen imperial control, Valentinian appointed his brother, Valens, as co-emperor. Valentinian ruled the Western Roman Empire from cities such as Milan and Trier, while Valens governed the Eastern Roman Empire from Constantinople. Although the empire was still officially united, this arrangement created a practical political division between east and west. Each half developed its own military priorities, administrative systems, and economic structures. The eastern empire was wealthier and more urbanized, while the western empire faced increasing pressure from invasions and internal instability. The division begun by Valentinian I eventually became permanent after the death of Theodosius I in AD 395, when the empire was formally split between his sons. The Eastern Roman Empire survived for nearly a thousand more years as the Byzantine Empire, while the Western Roman Empire collapsed in AD 476. |
The Western Empire
Beginning with the reign of Valentinian I in 364 AD, the Western Roman Empire entered a period of mounting pressure and gradual decline. Valentinian I was a capable soldier-emperor who strengthened the empire’s frontiers along the Rhine and Danube rivers and worked to defend the western provinces from Germanic invasions. After his death in 375 AD, the empire became increasingly unstable due to weak leadership, political corruption, economic troubles, and constant military threats.
The migration of barbarian tribes into Roman territory accelerated after the arrival of the Huns in Europe. In 378 AD, the Eastern Roman army suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Adrianople against the Goths, exposing the empire’s military weaknesses. During the early fifth century, tribes such as the Vandals, Visigoths, and Suebi crossed Roman borders and settled within imperial lands. In 410 AD, the Visigoth king Alaric I famously sacked the city of Rome, shocking the ancient world.
By the late fifth century, imperial authority in the West had nearly collapsed. In 476 AD, the Germanic leader Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, traditionally marking the end of the Western Roman Empire.
The Eastern Empire
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Beginning with the reign of Valentinian I in 364 AD, the Roman Empire entered a period of major political and military change. Valentinian ruled the Western Roman Empire while his brother, Valens, governed the Eastern Empire from Constantinople. This division helped manage the vast empire but also marked the beginning of two distinct Roman states. While the Western Empire struggled with barbarian invasions and internal instability, the Eastern Roman Empire gradually became stronger and more prosperous. The East benefited from wealthy cities, strong trade networks, and a more defensible geography. Constantinople, founded earlier by Constantine the Great, became the political and cultural center of the empire. Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, the Eastern Empire survived and continued to preserve Roman law, government, and traditions. Under emperors such as Justinian I in the sixth century, the Eastern Roman Empire reached great heights. Justinian expanded imperial territory and commissioned the famous Hagia Sophia. Historians later called this state the Byzantine Empire, though its people always considered themselves Romans. The Eastern Roman Empire endured for nearly a thousand years after the fall of Rome in the West. |
