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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.
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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, those elevated by
the Senate or by a bunch of soldiers, all are
included. I did not include Caesars of 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 Timeline is cut into 4 parts for the sake of
convenience, each part covering a century:
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.
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 which (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:
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