Emily Chan
The deposition marked major blows to Roman authority, which is why many people cite 476 as the year the Roman empire fell.
While Rome was being attacked by outside forces, the city was also suffering from a financial crisis. Too much money had been spent on the military, and the economy was in shambles.
Oppressive taxation and inflation divided the upper and lower classes even further. In addition, Rome relied too much on slave labor.
Rome’s expansion to England in 117 C.E. brought enslaved people to the empire. They worked in the fields and as craftsmen.
But when the empire stopped expanding by 180 C.E., the economy began to falter as it ran out of free labor.
Political instability only made matters worse. There were frequent changes in leadership following Emperor Commodus’ assassination in 192 C.E.
In the second and third centuries, Rome saw more than 20 emperors across 75 years as powerful figures vied for the throne.
During the late third century, the Roman Emperor Diocletian divided the vast empire into two halves to make it easier to govern.
The Western Roman Empire was ruled from Milan, while the Eastern Roman Empire was ruled from Byzantium. Over time, they drifted apart and failed to work together.
The Eastern Empire adopted Greek as its official language and continued to thrive, while the Western Empire spiraled deeper into ruin.
In the fourth and fifth centuries, Christianity spread through Rome. Some historians have argued that the rise of a new faith helped push the empire over the edge.
