The Other Capitals of the Roman Empire,What’s the capital of the Roman Empire? Why Rome of course! W

The Other Capitals of the Roman Empire,What’s the capital of the Roman Empire? Why Rome of course! While Rome was the heart of the Roman Republic and Empire for many centuries, there were actually two other capitals that not a lot of people who aren’t well versed in history know about.  To clarify in the context of this post when I say the “Roman Empire” I specifically am focusing on the Western Roman Empire, not the east and Constantinople. That’s a story perhaps for another day.So for many centuries Rome was the heart of the Republic and Empire.  However by the end of the third century Rome was becoming less important when it came to Roman commerce, politics, and culture. The population of Rome was decreasing, dropping from 1.5- 2 million in in the 1st century to around 500,000 at the end of the 3rd. During the Crisis of the Third Century, there were many emperors who had never even stepped foot in Rome.  In 286 AD the Emperor Diocletian moved the capital from Rome to Mediolanum, known today as the city of Milan.  At this point in Roman history, the empire was beginning to decline as a result of civil war, corruption, and economic factors.  The relocation of the capital was a result of Diocletian’s reforms to stabilize the empire.  Ever since the times of the first emperor, Augustus, the Rhine and Danube border had always been problematic for Rome as trouble making Germans would often raid or invade Roman territory. Thus under the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian, the empire had developed a system of walls and fortifications to secure the border. The fortifications of the Rhine and Danube border had always been important in defending the empire from barbarian invaders.  Odds were, if something was going to happen, whether invasion, rebellion, or general unrest, it was most likely going to happen there. Over the decades, the Rhine and Danube legions became more and more important, even deciding the political fates of the empire at several points in history.   By the third century, the Germans were causing even more problems and the arrival of the Goths made the situation even more complex.  Thus the capital was moved to Milan as it was closer to the border, making administration and communication easier.  By the 5th century, the empire was rapidly collapsing and it was apparent that both Milan and the city of Rome itself was becoming vulnerable to invasion.  In 402 AD, Emperor Honorius moved the capital from Milan to Ravenna. This was a wise decision since the Visigoths would sack Rome eight years later, and the Vandals would sack it again in 455.  A small city along the northern coast of the Adriatic Sea, Ravenna was located in the midst of a delta and was surrounded by a system of rivers and swamps.  Only a few passable routes led to the city, and thus Ravenna was relatively easy to defend, even if few loyal troops were available.  The relocation of the capital also serve another purpose. As the empire crumbled the emperor ceased to be important, with limited powers which were easily surpassed by a large abundance of incompetence. More often then not, the emperor was a puppet of Roman generals such as Stilicho or Aetius, or Germanic warlords such as Gundobad or Ricimer.  Ravenna was a good place to stash the emperor where he was out of the way, allowing for real leaders to take up the job of running the empire. After the fall of the empire, Ravenna would remain the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy, and later the the seat of governorship when the Eastern Roman Empire briefly reclaimed Italy in the 6th century.Why I find this topic interesting is because the location of the capital symbolically reflects the state of the Roman Empire throughout history.  When the capital was in Rome, the empire was strong, in the midst of its golden age, and it was inconceivable that Rome would ever fall victim to barbarian invaders. After all, the legions were doing a good job of defending the borders and it had been hundreds of years since the Gauls had sacked Rome, way back in the days of the early Republic.  When the capital was moved to Milan in the late 3rd century, cracks were beginning to form in the Imperial system, and the empire was becoming less and less able to fend off barbarian invaders at the border.  However the empire was still strong enough to do something about it, with the emperor commanding his troops and resources from a heavily defended alpine fortress close to the front lines. By the time the capital was moved to Ravenna, the empire was crumbling to pieces, the emperor was typically an incompetent idiot or spoiled asshole, and perhaps it would be best to just stash him away in the middle of a swamp somewhere. -- source link

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