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3rd Century Crisis (Soldier's power (Antonine Edict 212 (This gave…
3rd Century Crisis
Soldier's power
Antonine Edict 212
This gave soldiers political power as they did not have to serve 25 years in order to be citizens anymore
Pressure for continual wins to maintain favor of the army - leaders favour short-term high risk plans
Emperors counted their reign from when the soldiers hailed them as imperator - had decisive power in deciding leaders
Split in power base
Breakaway Empires
Palmyra
Palmyra included the richest parts of the empire, which exacerbated the economic crisis
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Multiple emperors
Civil War
Civil war meant that battles were fought within the empire - land sacked damaged the empire and booty claimed was simply returned
Many rulers were ruling at the same time, usually with very short periods of rule before they were deposed or killed
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Invasion
Barbarians
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Worsened the issue of multiple emperors - border would be attacked, a commander would defeat the barbarians, be raised to emperor by soldiers and leave to stake claim - leave border weaker. "Infernal Cycle" - Alaric Watson
"Tyranny of distance" - one strong regional commander might also mean a powerful enemy - founding of regional capitals gave these leaders a base to launch their bid for power from
Were usually paid off to prevent invasion - empire ran out of money and stopped, immediate damaging repercussions
Parthian/Persian Empire
What became Palmyra had previously acted as a bulwark against the Persians - Queen Zenobia negotiated a peace instead
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Economy
Debasement
Debasement of silver coinage had been an ongoing issue - the government and every civilians suffered most
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