What Caused The Roman Empire To Collapse ?
There were several factors that caused the Roman Empire to collapse. By the end of 476 AD, the western part of the Roman Empire was completely devastated due to invasions by Germany. There was a constant pressure being built up by the German tribes on the Roman Empire. While Britain and Gaul were taken over by the Angels, Saxons, Jutes, and Franks, Spain and Italy were overrun by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths respectively. |
Although these Germanic invasions were the most apparent cause for the downfall of Rome, the underlying social, economic, and political causes for fall of Roman Empire were all the more significant.
The collapse of the Roman Empire was an ongoing process that continued for over centuries. In the initial years, the popularity of Christianity played an important role in the collapse. The Church leaders, who seized power from the Emperors and interfered in the working of the empire, were responsible for the fall to a large extent. The violent disputes between Christians and the Pagans led to harassment of the former. Historians, who claim that the Roman Empire finally collapsed in 1453 AD with the fall of the eastern Byzantine Empire, also believe that the rise in Islam was one of the main reasons that caused the decline.
Other factors that caused the Roman Empire to collapse can be broadly categorized into the internal and the external factors. The internal factors included the selfish interests of Roman emperors, socio-economic problems, and political corruption prevalent in the area. The external factors referred to disease and plagues that desolated the entire population, the violent attacks from the Germans, Huns, and other barbaric tribes, the weakened and untrained Roman military, and a greatly reduced territory under the control of the Empire.
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