Gregory Aldrete

So under Diocletian, he tries the tetrarchy where he splits the empire into four and you actually have sort of four emperors working together as a team. More commonly, it just splits east-west. So from that point on, you really start to have the history of the Western Empire going in one direction, the Eastern Empire in the other.

So under Diocletian, he tries the tetrarchy where he splits the empire into four and you actually have sort of four emperors working together as a team. More commonly, it just splits east-west. So from that point on, you really start to have the history of the Western Empire going in one direction, the Eastern Empire in the other.

You tend to have two emperors, though there are moments occasionally where they reunite. So that's a big development as well, and that's a turning point.

You tend to have two emperors, though there are moments occasionally where they reunite. So that's a big development as well, and that's a turning point.

You tend to have two emperors, though there are moments occasionally where they reunite. So that's a big development as well, and that's a turning point.

Yeah, this is a real game. Pick your favorite date for the fall of the Roman Empire. 476 is a very common one. And what happens in that year is a barbarian king comes down into Italy and deposes a guy named Romulus Augustulus, which is an amazing name. It's combining the names of the founder of Rome, Romulus, with Augustus, the second founder of Rome.

Yeah, this is a real game. Pick your favorite date for the fall of the Roman Empire. 476 is a very common one. And what happens in that year is a barbarian king comes down into Italy and deposes a guy named Romulus Augustulus, which is an amazing name. It's combining the names of the founder of Rome, Romulus, with Augustus, the second founder of Rome.

Yeah, this is a real game. Pick your favorite date for the fall of the Roman Empire. 476 is a very common one. And what happens in that year is a barbarian king comes down into Italy and deposes a guy named Romulus Augustulus, which is an amazing name. It's combining the names of the founder of Rome, Romulus, with Augustus, the second founder of Rome.

And so some people say that's the end of the Roman Empire. Yeah. Sure. But others say it's 410 when Alaric sacks Rome for the first time. Others say it's 455 when the Vandals come and sack Rome and do a much more thorough job of it this time. Some say it's 180 when Marcus Aurelius picks poorly in succession. Some say it's 31 when Octavian wins the Battle of Actium and kills the Roman Republic.

And so some people say that's the end of the Roman Empire. Yeah. Sure. But others say it's 410 when Alaric sacks Rome for the first time. Others say it's 455 when the Vandals come and sack Rome and do a much more thorough job of it this time. Some say it's 180 when Marcus Aurelius picks poorly in succession. Some say it's 31 when Octavian wins the Battle of Actium and kills the Roman Republic.

And so some people say that's the end of the Roman Empire. Yeah. Sure. But others say it's 410 when Alaric sacks Rome for the first time. Others say it's 455 when the Vandals come and sack Rome and do a much more thorough job of it this time. Some say it's 180 when Marcus Aurelius picks poorly in succession. Some say it's 31 when Octavian wins the Battle of Actium and kills the Roman Republic.

Or you can go past that date and say it's 1453 when the Eastern Roman Empire finally falls. And I mean the Eastern Empire is legitimately the Roman Empire. If you would go and ask them, who are you? They wouldn't say, you know, we're the Byzantines. We're the Eastern Roman Empire. They would just say, we're the Romans. And they have a completely legitimate claim to do that.

Or you can go past that date and say it's 1453 when the Eastern Roman Empire finally falls. And I mean the Eastern Empire is legitimately the Roman Empire. If you would go and ask them, who are you? They wouldn't say, you know, we're the Byzantines. We're the Eastern Roman Empire. They would just say, we're the Romans. And they have a completely legitimate claim to do that.

Or you can go past that date and say it's 1453 when the Eastern Roman Empire finally falls. And I mean the Eastern Empire is legitimately the Roman Empire. If you would go and ask them, who are you? They wouldn't say, you know, we're the Byzantines. We're the Eastern Roman Empire. They would just say, we're the Romans. And they have a completely legitimate claim to do that.

So this whole game of when does the empire fall is – And the other thing is all those dates about invasions that cluster around the 400s, so 410, 455, 476, you have to ask yourself, who counts as a real Roman by that point? Because for a while now, the Romans themselves are often coming from barbarians, are crossing that boundary, Roman generals.

So this whole game of when does the empire fall is – And the other thing is all those dates about invasions that cluster around the 400s, so 410, 455, 476, you have to ask yourself, who counts as a real Roman by that point? Because for a while now, the Romans themselves are often coming from barbarians, are crossing that boundary, Roman generals.

So this whole game of when does the empire fall is – And the other thing is all those dates about invasions that cluster around the 400s, so 410, 455, 476, you have to ask yourself, who counts as a real Roman by that point? Because for a while now, the Romans themselves are often coming from barbarians, are crossing that boundary, Roman generals.

They might get raised as a Hun, then serve with the Roman army for a while, then not. or visigoths or not. That's been going on for a long time. So what makes someone a real Roman? How do you tell that the guy kicked out in 476 was a, quote, real Roman and the barbarian king who took his place wasn't? That's a very arbitrary decision.

They might get raised as a Hun, then serve with the Roman army for a while, then not. or visigoths or not. That's been going on for a long time. So what makes someone a real Roman? How do you tell that the guy kicked out in 476 was a, quote, real Roman and the barbarian king who took his place wasn't? That's a very arbitrary decision.

They might get raised as a Hun, then serve with the Roman army for a while, then not. or visigoths or not. That's been going on for a long time. So what makes someone a real Roman? How do you tell that the guy kicked out in 476 was a, quote, real Roman and the barbarian king who took his place wasn't? That's a very arbitrary decision.