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During the A.D. 200s, Rome’s economy began to fall apart. As government weakened, law and order broke down. Roman soldiers and invaders seized crops and destroyed fields.
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When the last Severan ruler died in A.D. 235, Rome’s government became very weak. For almost 50 years, army leaders fought each other for the throne.
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In 284 A.D., a general named Diocleatian became emperor. To stop the empire’s decline, he introduced reforms, or political changes to make things better.
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After a period of conflict, another general named Constantine became emperor in 312 A.D..
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When Constantine died in A.D. 337, fighting broke out again. A new emperor named Theodosius finale gained control and ended the fighting.
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In the late A.D. 300s, the Huns entered Eastern Europe and defeated the Ostrogoths.
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Finally, the Visigoths rebelled against the Romans. In 378 A.D., they defeated Roman legions at the Battle of Adrianople.
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In A.D. 395, the Roman Empire split into two separate empires. One was the Western Empire, with its capital at Rome. The other was the Eastern Empire with its capital at Constantinople.
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In the winter of 406 A.D., the Rhine River in Western Europe froze.
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In 410 A.D., the Visigoth leader Alaric and his soldiers captured Rome itself.
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In 455 A.D., the Vandals entered Rome.
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In 476 A.D., a Germanic general named Odoacer took control, overthrowing the western emperor, a 14-year-old boy named Romulus Augustulus.
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By 550 A.D., the Western Roman Empire had faded away.
