The Crisis of the Third Century: Rome's Empire on the Brink

The Story of Italy: Rome, Renaissance, and the Birth of Modern Europe — Fexingo History · Jul 5, 2026 · 6m · transcript

In the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the weight of plague, civil war, and barbarian invasion. This episode explores the Crisis of the Third Century (235–284 AD), a period of unprecedented turmoil when emperors rose and fell with dizzying speed, the economy spiraled into hyperinflation, and breakaway empires in Gaul and Palmyra carved off huge territories. We focus on the key figures and events: the assassination of Severus Alexander, the rise of barracks emperors like Maximinus Thrax, the Gothic invasions that shattered the Danube frontier, the plague that killed…