Audio excerpt from The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic by Mike Duncan. Forthcoming Oct. 24, 2017. Pre-order a copy today!   Amazon  Powells  Barnes & Noble Indibound  Books-a-Million Or visit us at: revolutionspodcast.com thehistoryofrome.com

The Storm Before The Storm: Chapter 1- The Beasts of Italy

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Update- One Year Later

The history of The History of Rome...Why the Western Empire Fell when it did...Some thoughts on the future...Thank you, goodnight.  

179- The End

In the last few years of the Western Empire a series of Emperors came and went. The cycle finally ended in 476 with the exile of Romulus Augustulus. 

178- Not With A Bang But A Whimper

In 468 the two halves of the Empire combined forces to dislodge the Vandals from North Africa.They failed spectacularly.

177- The Burning Ships

From 461-465 the Western Empire was ruled by Ricimer through a puppet Emperor named Libius Severus. Not everyone in the west was supportive of the new regime. 

176- The Quote Unquote Emperor

From 457-461, Majorian marched around trying to reassert Imperial authority over the provinces while Ricimer remained in Italy. 

175- Trying to Take It All Back

Following the death of Valentinian III there was an Imperial power struggle in the West. In the midst of this struggle, the Vandals sacked Rome in 455 AD. 

174- The Sack of Rome Part II

In the early 450s a string of deaths changed the political dynamic of Roman world. Between 450 and 455 Galla Placidia, Aelia Pulcheria, Atilla the Hun, Flavius Aetius and Valentinian III would all die- leaving the stage wide open for the next generation of leaders. 
Also, an announcment. 

173- The Broken Bow

In 451 Atilla the Hun invaded the West. He was repelled by a coalition of forces lead by the General Aetius. 

172- Showdown

After placating Atilla with yet another indemnity, Theodosius II fell from his horse and died in 450, leaving the Eastern throne vacant.

171- The Gathering Storm

In the 440s, the Huns began to direclty attack the Roman Empire. 

170- Atilla Cometh

In the 430s the Romans dealt with increasingly agressive and confident barbarian tribes living both inside and outside the traditional borders of the Empire. 

169- Huns and Vandals and Goths, Oh My

In the late 420s AD, the Roman General Flavius Aetius connived and backstabbed his way up the chain of command. 

168- The Rise of Aetius

The Emperor Honorius died in 423, leading to a brief civil war between the Theodosian dynasty and a self-proclaimed Imperial regime in Ravenna. 

167- Exploiting the Opportunity

Constantius III continued to lead the Western Empire as its defacto Emperor until 421, when he was officially elevated to the rank of Augustus. Unfortunately, this elevation was not recognized by Cosntantinople.

166- As Long As She's Nice To Look At

Between 412 and 415 relations between the Romans and Goths shifted back and forth between alliance and antagonism. 

165- Reviving the Roman Name

After failing to secure a deal with Honorius, Alaric sacked Rome in August of 410. It was the first time the Eternal City had been sacked in 800 years. 

164- The Sack of Rome

Following the death of Eudoxia, the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius took control of the Eastern Empire and ran it wisely for the next decade. Meanwhile in the West, anti-barbarian policies will lead to the invasion of Italy by Alaric.

The History of Rome

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