File:Roman Empire map.ogv
Animated overview showing the territorial expansion and contraction of the Roman Empire from Republic to the fall of Byzantium, perfectly representing the scope of this timeline
Roman Empire
A comprehensive timeline of the Roman Empire from its founding in 27 BC through the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD, covering major political, military, and cultural developments across over 1,400 years of history.
100 BCE - 23 BCE
Roman Expansion Beyond Italy
By 100 BC, Rome had expanded its rule from the Italian peninsula to most of the Mediterranean and beyond. This marked the transformation of Rome from a regional power to a Mediterranean empire, setting the stage for future imperial developments.
Assassination of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar was assassinated by a faction that opposed his concentration of power after briefly serving as perpetual dictator. This event triggered a series of civil wars that would ultimately lead to the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Empire.
Battle of Philippi
Mark Antony and Caesar's adopted son Octavian defeated the faction that had assassinated Julius Caesar at the Battle of Philippi. This victory eliminated Caesar's assassins and set up the eventual conflict between Antony and Octavian for control of Rome.
Battle of Actium
Octavian's forces defeated those of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, ending the last civil war of the Roman Republic. This decisive naval battle made Octavian the sole ruler of Rome and paved the way for the establishment of the Roman Empire.
Augustus Becomes First Roman Emperor
The Roman Senate granted Octavian the title Augustus and made him princeps with proconsular imperium, marking his accession as the first Roman emperor. This event officially began the Principate and transformed Rome from a republic to an empire.
Augustus of Prima Porta
Statue of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor
22 BCE - 55 CE
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Germanic tribes wiped out three Roman legions in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, dealing a devastating blow to Roman expansion in Germania. This defeat led to the increase of legions from 25 to around 30 and marked the effective end of Roman attempts to conquer Germany.
56 CE - 133 CE
End of Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty ended after four emperors following Augustus—Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—yielding to the strife-torn Year of the Four Emperors. This period of instability demonstrated the fragility of imperial succession and led to the rise of the Flavian dynasty.
Siege of Jerusalem and Destruction of Second Temple
The siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD led to the sacking of the Second Temple and the dispersal of Jewish political power. This event marked a crucial turning point in Jewish history and the beginning of the Jewish diaspora.
Hadrian Refounds Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina
Emperor Hadrian visited Judaea and refounded Jerusalem as the Roman colony Aelia Capitolina, overlaying the destroyed Jewish city with a new Roman urban plan. This included construction of a Temple to Jupiter on the site of the former Jewish Temple, which helped spark the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
A segment of the ruins of Hadrian's Wall in northern England, overlooking Crag Lough
Hadrian's Wall represents his policy of consolidating empire frontiers
Bar Kokhba Revolt
The Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135 CE) was sparked by Hadrian's measures and restrictions on Jewish practices. After crushing the uprising, Roman forces expelled most Jews from Jerusalem and rebuilt the city as a statement of imperial power and domination.
134 CE - 211 CE
Accession of Commodus
The accession of Commodus in 180 marked what contemporary historian Cassius Dio called the descent 'from a kingdom of gold to one of rust and iron.' This event is considered by some historians as the beginning of the Empire's decline, ending the period of the 'Five Good Emperors.'
212 CE - 289 CE
Constitutio Antoniniana - Universal Citizenship
During the reign of Caracalla, Roman citizenship was granted to all freeborn inhabitants of the empire through the Constitutio Antoniniana. This legal egalitarianism required a far-reaching revision of existing laws and fundamentally changed the nature of Roman identity.
Crisis of the Third Century Begins
The Empire was engulfed by the Crisis of the Third Century, a 49-year period of invasions, civil strife, economic disorder, and plague that threatened its existence. The Gallic and Palmyrene empires broke away from the state during this tumultuous period.
Aurelian Reunifies the Empire
Emperor Aurelian stabilized the empire militarily and reunified it after the Crisis of the Third Century. His successful campaigns restored imperial unity and ended the breakaway Gallic and Palmyrene empires.
Diocletian's Reforms and Tetrarchy
Diocletian reorganized and restored much of the empire in 285, dividing it into four regions each ruled by a separate tetrarch. His reign brought the empire's most concerted effort against Christianity, known as the 'Great Persecution.'
290 CE - 367 CE
Great Persecution of Christians
Diocletian undertook the most severe persecution of Christians from 303 to 311, representing the empire's most concerted effort against the perceived threat of Christianity. This was the last and most systematic attempt to eliminate Christianity from the Roman Empire.
Constantine Becomes First Christian Emperor
Constantine the Great became the first emperor to convert to Christianity, fundamentally changing the relationship between the Roman state and Christianity. His conversion marked the beginning of Christianity's transformation from a persecuted religion to the dominant faith of the empire.
Foundation of Constantinople
Constantine the Great moved the imperial seat from Rome to Byzantium in 330 and renamed it Constantinople. This established a new capital in the East that would become the center of the Byzantine Empire and survive for over a thousand years.
368 CE - 445 CE
Death of Theodosius I - Final Division
Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule over both East and West, died in 395 after making Christianity the state religion. His death marked the permanent division of the empire into Eastern and Western halves, each with its own emperor.
The administrative divisions of the Roman Empire in 395 AD
Map showing the division of the empire after Theodosius I's death
446 CE - 523 CE
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
Romulus Augustulus was forced to abdicate to the Germanic warlord Odoacer, marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Odoacer declared Zeno sole emperor and placed himself as Zeno's nominal subordinate, effectively ending Western imperial rule.
The Roman Empire by 476, noting western and eastern divisions
Map showing the state of the empire at the fall of the West
1382 CE - 1453 CE
Fall of Constantinople
The Eastern Roman Empire, called the Byzantine Empire by later historians, continued until Constantine XI Palaiologos died in battle in 1453 against Mehmed II and his Ottoman forces during the siege of Constantinople. This marked the final end of the Roman Empire after over 1,400 years.
