Strategy & Tactics Quarterly #25: The Fall of Rome

The Fall of Rome: New Look. One of the most momentous events in history is the Fall of Rome, usually slated as occurring in the year AD 476. But what exactly happened? Why did the Roman state, which stood for a thousand years, collapse in the face of a series of incursions from over the Rhine and Danube? This issue will explore a wide range of factors. The state of the Roman army in the fifth century AD was potentially a very effective force with an expanded cavalry army. The political structure of the Empire will be examined with the division between east and west, the stratification into a military caste system, and the increasing deals with invaders who were given their own kingdoms within the borders of the empire. Also, great leaders like Stilicho and Aetius, and even emperors such as Honorius (often blamed for the disasters of the early 5th century) and Zeno whose Eastern Empire survived the collapse in the West. —Joseph Miranda