Crisis of the Third Century - Ancient History: Rome

In the third century CE, the Roman Empire underwent a period of fifty years in which power was heavily decentralized. During this period, there were countless claimants to the position of emperor and no political uniformity in the Roman Empire. For a brief period, the Roman Empire was divided into three territories, each ruled by a different emperor. Eventually, the Roman Empire was stabilized under the rule of Aurelian. The Crisis of the Third Century came to an end shortly thereafter with a series of reforms made by the Emperor Diocletian.

Alexander Severus was murdered, triggering the onset of the crisis. There were multiple plagues and the militia began ruling who would take the throne. It is easy to rule out the option that the economy was running well because this would not have triggered a crisis. Also remember that church and state were not attempting to separate at this time in the Roman Empire. The tricky part here is choosing whether famine was the main cause of the Crisis. However, looking to the facts we know that when Alexander Severus was murdered order in the empire fell rapidly leading to the onset of the famous crisis.

The Crisis of the Third Century began in 235 CE and lasted for fifty years. It began with the assassination of Severus Alexander (the last ruler of the Severan Dynasty). Severus was assassinated by his own troops for engaging in diplomacy with invading barbarian peoples (the troops felt this was a sign of weakness). The Crisis of the Third Century was a chaotic and destructive time in Roman history, as many different factions competed for ultimate control of the empire.

The Crisis of the Third Century was primarily caused by the growing threats to the Roman Empire from outside the empire’s borders. Climate change in northern Europe led to a mass migration of barbarian people into Roman lands — these people were not conquerors, but were merely looking for a place to settle and farm. Nonetheless, it exacerbated economic tensions in Roman society. Additionally, Rome was dealing with more and more attacks along the eastern frontiers, as warring tribes from eastern Europe continuously attacked and pillaged Roman border communities. Furthermore, the growing power and influence of the Sassanid Empire (in the Middle East) made it more expensive for Rome to hold on to its Asiatic holdings. Finally, the lack of a clear line of succession in Roman society had long been a major problem. Because there was no clear and absolute way to choose a new Emperor, it was common for competing claims to be made to the throne whenever an Emperor died. This led to civil wars throughout the history of the Roman Empire, but none were as prolonged or as devastating as the Crisis of the Third Century.

During the Crisis of the Third Century, two breakaway empires were formed from territory controlled by the Roman Empire. These two empires were the Palmyrene Empire in the east and the Gallic Empire in the northwest. They both broke away from the Roman Empire during the reign of Gallienus. Gallienus ruled throughout much of the middle period of the Crisis of the Third Century and, in spite of his best efforts, was unable to prevent the splintering of the Roman Empire and incapable of leading the reunification movement.

The Battle of Edessa was fought in the third century between the armies of the Roman Empire, led by Emperor Valerian, and the armies of the Sassanid Empire. It ended in absolute victory for the Sassanid forces and the capture of the Roman Emperor.

The Battle of Margus was fought in 284 CE between the forces of the usurper Diocletian and the forces of the Emperor Carinus. It ended in victory for Diocletian, who subsequently took full control of the Roman Empire. Diocletian then enacted a series of reforms that brought to an end the Crisis of the Third Century.

Valerian and Gallienus were two of the most notable emperors during the Crisis of the Third Century. Valerian, and his son Gallienus, were declared co-emperors in 253 CE and worked tirelessly to reunite and rebuild the Roman Empire. Their work, however, was ultimately unsuccessful; Valerian was captured by Sassanid forces in the Middle East and Gallienus was assassinated by a rival claimant to the throne

The Battle of Edessa, fought in 260 CE, was the first battle in which a Roman Emperor was captured by the forces of the enemy. The emperor in question was Emperor Valerian, who ruled during the turbulent period known as the Crisis of the Third Century. After Valerian’s capture, his son Gallienus ruled as the sole Emperor.

The Battle of Margus was fought in 284 CE, between the forces of Diocletian and the forces of the Emperor Carinus. The battle ended in victory for Diocletian and allowed him to take control of the entire Roman Empire. The Battle of Margus is one of the last battles of the Crisis of the Third Century, as shortly thereafter Diocletian was able to enact a series of reforms which temporarily strengthened the Roman Empire.

Queen Zenobia was a ruler of the short lived Palmyrene Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century. She led a revolt (along with her husband) against the Roman Empire and helped form the Palmyrene state. She then led the conquest of Egypt (after her husband’s death) and ruled for a few years before she was captured by Aurelian and held hostage. Her empire would swiftly be reabsorbed into the Roman Empire.

The Crisis of the Third Century lasted from 235 CE until the reforms of Diocletian, almost fifty years later. During the crisis, Roman territory was split into three competing empires: The Gallic Empire in modern-day France, Iberia, and Britain; the Palmyrene Empire in modern-day Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor; and the remainder of the Roman Empire, which included Italy, Greece, and North Africa. Aurelian, who ruled from 270 to 275 CE, conquered the Gallic and Palmyrene empires and reunited the Roman Empire.

The Battle of Emesa was fought in 272 CE between the forces of the Roman Empire, led by Aurelian, and the forces of the breakaway Palmyrene Empire. It ended in defeat for the Palmyrene Empire and allowed Aurelian to conquer and unify the Palmyrene Empire with the rest of the Roman Empire.

The Palmyrene Empire was one of two breakaway empires of Rome which were formed during the Crisis of the Third Century (the other was the Gallic Empire). The Palmyrene Empire was situated in modern-day Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor. It successfully defended Roman territory from the Sassanid Empire, but was eventually conquered by Aurelian and reabsorbed into the Roman Empire.

The Battle of Naissus was fought in 268 CE, between the forces of the Roman Empire (led by Gallienus) and an alliance of Gothic tribes. It was fought at the height of the Crisis of the Third Century and the victory of the Romans would prove something of a turning point in the crisis. The Romans completely annihilated the Gothic army and largely removed the threat of Germanic barbarian occupation of the Roman Empire (at least for a generation or two).

The Battle of Chalons was fought in 274 CE, during the later years of the Crisis of the Third Century. The battle ended in victory for the forces of the Roman Empire, led by Aurelian, and defeat for the forces of the Gallic Empire, led by Tetricus. The battle resulted in the end of the Gallic Empire and its absorption back into the Roman Empire.