Ten Minute History - The Fall of Rome (Short Documentary)

Video

by History Matters
published on 26 March 2021

This episode of Ten Minute History (like a documentary, only shorter) covers the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire. It deals with the division of the empire by Theodosius I and the rule of his successors Honorius and Arcadius. Honorius' reign saw Britannia leave the empire and the first sack of Rome in about 800 years. The borders of the empire continued to weaken under his successors in the west as the East held on in the face of barbarian groups like the Huns or the Vandals. In the end, the Western Roman Empire would disappear in 476 ushering in a new age of smaller kingdoms in Europe.

Recommended books:

Chris Wickham - The Inheritance of Rome. Phenomenal book which covers the decline of the Roman Empire in the west (and also the East) and details what happened in the aftermath of its fall.

Peter Brown - The World of Late Antiquity. One of the classics surrounding the period. Be aware that it is starting to show its age but frankly there aren't loads of great introductory overview materials like this for the period so it's still very valuable.

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Original video by History Matters. Embedded by Arienne King, published on 26 March 2021.. Please check the original source(s) for copyright information. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Matters, H. (2021, March 26). Ten Minute History - The Fall of Rome (Short Documentary). World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2354/ten-minute-history---the-fall-of-rome-short-docume/

Chicago Style

Matters, History. "Ten Minute History - The Fall of Rome (Short Documentary)." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 26, 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2354/ten-minute-history---the-fall-of-rome-short-docume/.

MLA Style

Matters, History. "Ten Minute History - The Fall of Rome (Short Documentary)." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 26 Mar 2021. Web. 18 Aug 2022.