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Late Roman Timeline
250 AD - 550 ADBy Robert Vermaat
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For the studies of the
period I found it was very useful to start with a
timeline of the events. However, I found that no
such timeline existed, or those that did exist
either did not cover my period of choice or
concentrated on other affairs. So I decided to
make my own. Copyright notice:
everyone who wants to use this document, please
do so. The only thing I want in return is that
you give me credit for my hard work! (The map
below is from Wikipedia)
Roman Empire from 510 BC to 480 AD
The period of this timeline is arbitrarely, it
represents what I personally consider to be
roughly the Late Roman period. The sharp break of
250 AD as the start of that period, as well as
the break at 550 as the start of the Byzantine
period, is made purely for the sake of
convenience. I could have chosen the first
soldier-Emperor, or the death of Justinian, but I
consider those (though more pleasing as they
might be) no less artificial than the dates
chosen here.The
Emperors in this timeline are not distinguished
from the usurpers, all are shown in the left
column. Some usurpers were recognised but still
died as usurpers (Magnus Maximus is one), some
were recognised and are now accepted as
legitimate (such as in the case of Constantine
the Great). I therefore chose not to make any
distinction between those emperors elevated by
the Senate, their father or by a bunch of
soldiers, all are included.
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I did not include Caesars
or Empresses. I did however, especially towards
the end of the 4th century and after, include the
power brokers behind the throne, but between
brackets and without any regnal years. The consuls formed the
highest elected political office during the
Republic and a very high office during the
Tetrarchy and the Dominate which cover our
selected period.. If the office of consul was
taken by the emperor, it was the highest office;
if not, it was a high administrative office and
remained the basis of marking time in the Fasti Capitolini. Magnus Maximus first
introduced a specific consul for the West
More and more, the position of consul was
honorary and temporary, and some consuls left
their offfice after a some weeks, leaving their
place to suffecti. During some years there was
just one consul, or none at all.
The names are
mostly from the fith century list by Victorius of Aquitaine. Victorinus published this
Easter Table in 457 AD, but it was later extended
to the year 559 AD (or Anno Passio 532, hence the
name, Cursus Paschalis annorum DXXXII). I
have used the names from this list as Mommsen
edited them, including those after 457 to 541,
when the consulate ended in the East, after which
it was merged with imperial titles.
The Timeline is
cut into 4 parts for the sake of convenience:
The regnal years
of each ruler may differ in sources and are open
to discussion. I based them in a number of
sources and used the dates most agreed upon.
The events covered in this timeline are mainly
military and political. I've left out the
religious events, which surely had their
influences on the political events, but the pages
would be too long if I had included them. I did
however add a few natural disasters.
Emperors (and unsuccessful usurpers alike) are
given with years in the left columns, making no
difference between legitimity nor the Eastern or
Western halves of the Empire.
The right-hand columns show the year and the
major political and military events, if possible
with the actual date. Some dates may be disputed
because they cannot be known with complete
certainty. About some dates the available sources
differ of opinion. Ancient place names are given
in italics with (if possible) the modern
versions between brackets.
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Bibliography 
Years and events:
- Demandt, Alexander (1998): Geschichte der
Spätantike. Das Römische Reich von Diocletian
bis Justinian 284 – 565 n. Chr., (München).
- Drinkwater, J.F.
and Hugh Elton eds. (1992): Fifth-century Gaul:
a Crisis of Identity?, (Cambridge).
- Fischer, Thomas (2001): Spätzeit und
Ende, in: Czysz, Wolfgang von, et al: Die
Römer in Bayern, (Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart),
pp. 358-404.
- Gregory of Tours: The History of the
Franks, trans. Lewis Thorpe, (St Ives 1974).
- Hoffmann, Dietrich (1969): Das
Spätrömische Bewegungsheer und die Notitia
Dignitatum, 2 vols., Epigraphische Studien 1,
(Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn).
- Jones, A.H.M. (1964): The Later Roman
Empire, 284-602, A Social, Economic and
Administrative Survey, 2 vols. (Oxford paperback
1990).
- Kemkes, Martin et
al (2002):
Am Rande des Imperiums, Der Limes - Grenze Roms
zu den Barbaren, (Limesmuseum Aalen).
- Muhlberger, Steven (1990): The Fifth
Century Chroniclers. Prosper, Hydatius and the
Gallic Chronicler of 452, (Leeds).
- Southern, Pat and
Karen Dixon (1996):
The Late Roman Army, (Routledge).
Emperors:
Consuls:
Church:
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