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220
Fall of Han Dynasty
The fall of the Han dynasty was considered to have happened between 189-220. It started with political instability, but escalated. A prime example was warlord Dong Zhuo taking over the capitol city, following the death of Emperor Ling. Other factors that contributed to the fall were a growing population, increased wealth and resultant financial difficulties, and ever more complex political institutions along with massive corruption. In 229, Sun Quan became the first emperor of the Wu dynasty. -
410
Alaric's Sack of Rome
Alaric, King of the Visigoths, sacked Rome in 410 AD. Before this he had laid siege to Rome in 408 and again at a later time. Both times, he was bribed to end the siege. The third time, he was on the verge of peace, when he was attacked by another Gothic commander. In response to this, he lay siege to Rome. This time, slaves opened Rome's Salarian Gate and his men could enter the city. -
515
Huns Reach the Ganges Valley
The Hunas, or White Huns, invaded India under the reign of Skandagupta. They entered through the Northwest part of the empire and destroyed everything in their path. A Hun known as Toraman became ruler of India. The entrance of these Huns and other tribes created lots of cultural diffusion. -
Vandals Sack North Africa
The Vandals were pushed by the Huns into Spain. It is suggested that the Vandals moved into Africa because they were attacked by a Roman army in 422 and failed to seal a peace treaty. They captured Carthage with many ships in the port in 434 BC. During this, they cut off the grain supply to Rome. This port gave them an excellent base to invade Italy from. -
Split of Rome
Emperor Diocletian could not manage the whole Roman Empire, so he split it in half. The capitol of the Eastern Empire was established at Byzantium, leaving the Western capitol still in Rome. The Eastern empire was much stronger economically, because it had more access to trade. The Western empire was left weakened.
