Division of the Roman Empire - Reasons, Procedure, and Impacts

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Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world and the greatest in ancient European history. Roman Empire was founded in 27 BC when Augustus became an emperor and replaced the Roman Republic with the Roman Empire. In 117 AD, the Roman Empire reached its zenith when many parts of western and southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia came under the control of the Empire. 

However, due to its expansion in the far-flung areas, it became much more difficult for the emperors to control the areas away from the center. The Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 AD) made it impossible for the emperor to rule the entire Roman Empire. Consequently, it disintegrated into the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and Western Roman Empire in 285 AD. 

Reasons

Roman Empire faced threats from both its eastern and western sides. Germanic Tribes were their main enemy on the western side while they fought against the Parthian Empire (and Sassanid Empire later) of Persia on their eastern side. Despite its efforts, the Roman Empire could not vanish any opponents at its right and left flank. Therefore, it was a challenging task to keep full attention on both sides.

Uprisings and rebellions were common in the Empire. Most of the time, the Roman Empire remained successful against rebellions. However, defeating rebellions during wartime was much harder for the Roman Empire.

After the assassination of the Roman Emperor Alexander Severus in 235 AD, a long civil war lasted for 50 years (235-284 AD). It is known as the Crisis of the Third Century, which was the chief cause of the First Division of the Roman Empire. 

First Division

In 285 AD, Roman Emperor Diocletian appointed Maximian as the emperor of the Western areas of the Empire. Both emperors received support from two Caesars (subordinates), Galerius and Constantius Chlorus. This system is known as Tetrarchy because there were practically four emperors of the Roman Empire.

However, this division didn’t last long as Constantine the Great defeated all his opponents and became the sole emperor of the whole Roman Empire in 324 AD.

Second Division

Constantine died in 337 AD, after which a civil war started between his three sons for the control of the Roman Empire. It resulted in the division of the Empire into three parts. Later, Constantius II reunited the Roman Empire in 353 AD and became its emperor. He is known as the first ruler of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) as he moved his capital to the city of Byzantium (later Constantinople and now Istanbul). 

Last Division

In 364 AD, Valentinian I became the emperor of the Roman Empire. He immediately divided the Roman Empire again into the eastern and western sides by giving the former side to his brother Valens. This division lasted afterward as no one tried to reunite the whole Roman Empire again.

Aftermath

The Western Roman Empire could not survive longer as it vanished in 476 AD after the Battle of Ravenna when Germanic tribes easily defeated the remnants of the Roman army. They divided different areas of Italy among various Germanic tribes.

On the contrary, the Eastern Roman or the Byzantine Empire survived for around 1000 more years. In the 7th Century, they lost their Arab and North African parts to the invading Muslim Arab armies. However, their capital, Constantinople, fell in 1453 AD at the hands of the Ottomans. This event marked the end of the Byzantine Empire. 

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