For the period of crises of the soldier kings is
characterizing that that in this space of 50 years, between 235 and
285 reigned more than 20 emperors of which only one died a natural
death. With the permanent multiple front-wars again outwardly
enemies and the fights of the heir apparents one with another in
the interior are mentioned the politic factors of the empire-crise
of the 3rd century. It was added an economic going down of the
worsest kind: decrease of commerce and business, misery of the
proletariat, fall of the farmer in the serfdom to the landowner and
a partial fall into the natural economic. First under caesar
Diocletians (284 - 305) came with completely changed foundations a
new stability.
Diocletian and Constantin (306 - 337) were the most important
representatives of the Roman empire since the days of Augustus.
Both were from Illyria (Jugoslavia). Under their regent the
principate turned (in pursuance of Theodor Mommsen) into a imperial
domination with an absolutistish tendency. Compulsive public
measures affected the economic live, too: The free economic work of
the civics got replaced from compulsy federations. National
manufactory of arms, weaving mills, public mines and quarries
arose. The extending of the military road net and the big plants of
water supply (aqueducts) got pushed with the help of public labour
conscription of work. But even this political measures
couldn´t advert the crise for a long time. The fall of the
municipal citizenship and the italian middle classes continued. The
italian farmers weren´t less and less able to compete with
the rich provinces. Only big latifund manufactures could survive
this crise. They brought the rest of the small farmers in economy
dependence. The try of many farmers to escape lot with migration
from the country were prevented with the law of 332 what chained
them to their clods. So came beneath the slavery the rustic
serfdom.
Another strong problem of the empire was getting stronger German
infiltration. Germans came as mercenaries, as slaves from the wars
with the border tribes and as farmers into the rustic serfdom into
the empire. Marc Aurel (160 - 180) promoted this development with
the settlement of German colonies - rustic, on their clods chainded
hereditary tenants - in depopulated regions. In the army the
Germans could rise to the highest officers. Emperor Theodosius I
took 382 the last step on this way: he took a whole West Gothic
tribe into the Roman territory and bounded them for the defence of
the empire. In the west of the empire this development led to the
German seizure of power from the East German Odoaker and the
dethronement of the last West Roman caesar Romulus Augustus. In the
year 476 whereas the German were eliminated by the goverment in
East Rome.
But lets get back to the great emperors Diocletian and Constantin.
In the years 284 - 305 the emperor got to the dominus, the
sovereign of all subjects. The by edicts realized administration,
legislation and jurisdiction were suggested by Diocletian. The
senate fell on the level of a rightless state-council. The
self-administration of the towns and provinces was abolished, the
military and the civic authority separated, a break with the old
Roman traditions. A salaried officialdom came beneath the
mercenarydom and the body of officers. Diocletian didn´t feel
only as the dominus but also as Deus (god). The symbol of his
divine government was the oriental diadem. The imperial cult became
the imperial religion. But against him rose the resistance of the
growing Christianity. That was why a big persecution of Christians
started and it ended first with under Constantin who granted in the
year 313 general liberty. Theodosius made the Christianity to the
imperial religion.
And Diocletian was it who took the step what impressed the
Occidental history decesive pu to the deep Middle Age: He divided
the empire into a western and eastern half, but with the
maintenance of the ideal unity of the empire. By this time were
this two parts reigned by two emperors (Diocletian in the east and
Maximian in the west). The capitals were Nicomedia in Asia and
Milan. Constantin the Great (305 - 337) forced anew the unity of
the empire but without compromising the net weigth of both parts.
Byzantinum, what got the name Constantinopel, became the capital of
the east (337). First since 395 was the real and definitive
separation valid.
Constantin finished the idea of the theocraty in the dominat. The
person of the emperor appeared as divine. The sovereign took his
task to save the poor, women, infants and slaves seriously. This
shows a number of edicts. He felt called upon to be the absolute
sovereign and to rule the world in divine mission.
In the rule of lay came new drastic changes. The Ius gentium, the
law of nations, came beneath the Ius civile from the law of the
twelfe tables from the year 451 BC and completed the Ius
praetorium, a kind of common law. This ius praetorium had always
adjusted to the historical development. The emperor-time brought it
in the lasting form (Edictum perpetuum of Hadrian). But the law of
the nation blured the difference between citizen and non-citizen
and became a strong connection link of the unity of the empire. The
further development and interpretation of the right were executed
in the emperor-time by the lawyers. But in the dominat were the
edicts of the emperor the only sources of right. Justinian (527 -
565) finished this development with his gathering of earlier laws
and important representations of lawyers, the Corpus iuris civilis.
Everywhere where the Roman tradition of right took part or was felt
afer-wards in the Occidental development was this gathering
importan.
In the year 115 reached under Trajan the enormous extension of the
empire her climax with the provinces Arabia, Armenia, Assyria,
Mesopotamia and Dakia (today Romania). But even in the 3rd century
some borders couldn´t get secured and kept unde the pressure
of the Germans and of the New Persian empire under the Sassanids
(226 -642). After the attack of the Huns from Interior Asia to
South Russia (375) the borders set in strong motion. There
subjected this Mongolish-Turkish tribe the East Gothes under their
king Ermanarich while in the west Gothes found assimilation in the
empire southern of the Danube, if they turned Christian.