Untitled Flashcards Set

The Tetrarchy (293-311 CE)

• Established by Diocletian to address 3rd-century crisis

• Four-ruler system: Two Augusti (Diocletian East, Maximian West) + two Caesars (Galerius & Constantius)

• Dynastic strategy: Caesars married Augusti's daughters (Constantius-Theodora, Galerius-Valeria)

• Regional governance: East/West division with planned abdication

• Legacy: Set precedent for multiple emperors (285-476 CE)

Julian the Apostate (361-363 CE)

• Last non-Christian Roman emperor, attempted pagan revival

• Key achievements:

  • 357 CE: Victory over Alemanni with 13k vs 35k troops

  • 363 CE: Failed Persian campaign died at Ctesiphon

• Education: Greek philosophy enthusiast

• Policy: Reduced Christian influence in government

• Death: Killed in Persian retreat under mysterious circumstances

Dura Europos (165-256 CE)

• Strategic Euphrates frontier city

• Cultural mix: Roman garrison + Jewish synagogue + Christian chapel

• Destruction: 256 CE Sasanian siege using chemical warfare (naphtha/sulfur)

• Archaeological significance: Yale holds 12k artifacts from site

• Preservation: Collapsed walls created "Pompeii of the Syrian Desert"

Franks (3rd-8th CE)

• Evolution:

  • 250s CE: Initial raids → 286 CE treaty with Maximianus

  • 4th CE: Franks dominated Roman military leadership

• Clovis I (481-511):

  • 486 CE: Defeated Syagrius at Soissons

  • 506 CE: Victory over Visigoths at Vouillé

  • Catholic conversion (496 CE) via Remigius of Reims

• Legal code: Lex Salica (510 CE) wergild system

Attila (435-453 CE)

• Hunnic Empire:

  • 439 CE: Eastern Roman treaty enforced gold tributes

  • 451 CE: Defeat at Catalunian Plains (Roman-Visigoth alliance)

  • 452 CE: Italian campaign halted by famine/disease

• Economic strategy: Developed frontier trading posts

• Death: Sudden demise post-wedding (453 CE) caused empire collapse

Pulcheria (399-453 CE)

• Regent for Theodosius II (414-450 CE)

• Religious influence:

  • First Council of Ephesus (431 CE) affirmed Christ's divinity

  • Promoted Virgin Mary cult

• Political marriage: To Marcian (450 CE) while maintaining virginity

• Conflict: Engineered exile of sister-in-law Athenais/Eudocia

Codex Theodosianus (438 CE)

• Compilation:

  • 16 books covering 311-437 CE laws

  • 2,500 constitutions on civil/religious law

• Implementation:

  • Sent West with Licinia Eudoxia (437 CE)

  • Enforcement limited by Western instability

• Limitations: Omitted key documents like Edict of Milan

Theodosius II (408-450 CE)

• Achievements:

  • Theodosian Walls (413 CE)

  • 421-422 CE Persian war over Christian persecution

• Controversies:

  • Supported Cyril against Nestorius (431 CE)

  • Backed "Robber Council" of Ephesus (449 CE)

• Foreign policy: Paid 700lbs gold annual tribute to Huns

Justinianic Plague (541-549+ CE)

• Impact:

  • 25-50% Constantinople mortality

  • Labor shortages → Novel 122 (544 CE) wage/price caps

• Symptoms: Buboes, septicemic ulcers, pneumonic hemorrhaging

• Economic paradox: Survivors saw increased productivity

• Recurrence: 558 CE Constantinople, 571 CE Gaul outbreaks

Battle of Catalunian Plains (451 CE)

• Key players:

  • Attila vs Aetius/Theodoric I

  • Mixed forces: Huns/Goths vs Romans/Visigoths

• Significance:

  • Halted Hunnic expansion westward

  • Theodoric I killed in action

  • Last major Roman-Germanic alliance

• Location debate: Châlons vs Troyes (Champagne)

Constantinople (324-1453 CE)

• Milestones:

  • 330 CE: Dedication as New Rome

  • 381 CE: Patriarchate elevated #2 after Rome

  • 532 CE: Nika Riots → Hagia Sophia rebuild

  • 542 CE: Plague killed 100k+

• Population peak: 500k under Justinian

• Defense: Theodosian Walls (5km land walls)

Sasanians (224-651 CE)

• Roman conflicts:

  • 260 CE: Captured Emperor Valerian

  • 363 CE: Killed Julian at Ctesiphon

  • 6th CE: Khusro I/II wars

• Administration:

  • Centralized Zoroastrian state

  • Persecuted non-state religions

• Fall: Arab conquests (651 CE) after Roman-Sasanian exhaustion