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The ENTIRE History of ROME [No AI] — Transcript

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0:00Before the Roman Empire, there was the
0:02Roman Republic. And before that was the
0:04Roman Kingdom. And all of this actually
0:07didn't start in Rome. It started in
0:09Albalonga, an ancient city about 25 km
0:12away from nowadays Rome. There in the
0:14year 771 before Christ, the king of
0:16Albalonga, Numur, is chilling on his
0:19balcony enjoying his Latin Empire when
0:21his younger brother Amulius suddenly
0:23pushes him into early retirement. At the
0:26same time, Amulius's followers also kill
0:28all of Numur's suitable children to make
0:30sure he becomes the new rightful ruler.
0:33Only Sylvia, Numur's soul daughter,
0:35survives the balcony party. And to make
0:37sure she doesn't produce any new heirs,
0:39she gets assigned a fate worse than
0:42death. She was forced to become a vast
0:45virgin, a priestess forbidden from
0:47having children. Well, that solves that,
0:50Amelius thought to himself. But then a
0:52miracle happened. Somehow Sylvia gets
0:55pregnant even though she was supposed to
0:58be a virgin. Now don't get your hopes up
1:00since it wasn't Jesus Christ just yet,
1:02folks. But it was Rome's original
1:04founders, Romelus and Remis. After a
1:08presumably very chaotic childbirth and a
1:11very awkward welcome baby gathering, it
1:13was time for the next family drama. How
1:16did you get pregnant while being a
1:17virgin? I was literally raped by the god
1:20of war, Mars.
1:24The god of war, Mars. Yes, that is the
1:28worst excuse I've ever heard. It's not
1:31an excuse. It's literally the myth.
1:34What? But whether Amas believed it or
1:37not, he now had a much bigger and cuter
1:40problem. With the newborn twin boys
1:42around, his claim for the throne started
1:44to become wobbly as there was a
1:45legitimate heir. Now, better call Saul.
1:50>> Hi, I'm Saul Goodman. Did you know that
1:52you have rights?
1:53>> Constitution says you do.
1:58>> And now the part I think everyone knows.
2:00Eventually, the basket of the two babies
2:02crashes into the riverbank and the twins
2:04roll into the cold, wet sand that is
2:07rough and gets everywhere. Well, this is
2:09it, said Romelus Remis in a very manly
2:12and sexy voice. Yes, brother. It was an
2:14honor sharing the same womb with you.
2:16And just when they think they are about
2:18to die, a female wolf jumps from the
2:20bushes and sucks the
2:21>> Okay, this is straight up becoming a
2:23Bible story now. Virgins giving birth,
2:25kings ordering to kill babies, and the
2:27wolf feeding two twins. What's next? The
2:29Tower of Babylon? Well, chronically
2:32speaking, yes, but I get the hint. This
2:35all is a myth. It might or might not
2:37have happened. But it is crucial to the
2:39birth of Rome, which we are about to
2:41talk about actually. So, why don't you
2:42shut your mouth, sit down, and enjoy the
2:44free entertainment.
2:47Who are you even? Get out of here.
2:49Anyway, uh after being raised by the
2:51wolf for an unknown time, the boys grow
2:54older and stronger. Like absurdly
2:57strong. Living on proteinrich wolf milk
2:59apparently turns you into ancient Jojo
3:01characters. So one day while they're out
3:03flexing in the woods and doing whatever
3:05feral demigod teenagers do, a shepherd
3:08finds them, adopts the twins, and
3:09teaches them presumably how to speak
3:11since they were literal furries till
3:13then. and the twins grow up into two
3:15tall muscular troublemakers. One day,
3:17Romelus and Remis get into a fight with
3:20some thugs who work for guess who? King
3:22Amulus. [music] And during the brawl,
3:24the twins learn the truth. They are not
3:27random forest boys. They are the lost
3:30princess of Albalonga. The rightful
3:31heirs that Amulius tried to river
3:34delete. So naturally, the boys decide to
3:37go on a bizarre adventure. They march
3:39straight back to Albalonga. gather the
3:41locals, shout something dramatic like,
3:43"Please become a member of the YouTube
3:44channel historically." And together with
3:46the people of the city, they overthrow
3:48Uncle Amelius and reinstate their
3:51grandpa Numeer, who apparently survived
3:54the fall. Grandpa gets reinstated as a
3:56king and everyone's cheering,
3:58celebrating, throwing flowers, etc.
4:00Everyone except Romelus and Remis
4:02because they started to like this whole
4:04army thing. So, they decided to build a
4:06city together a couple kilometers over.
4:08Eventually, they find a great spot near
4:10the Tyber River. Beautiful scenery,
4:13seven hills, perfect vantage points, a
4:15village of a blacksmith. All was going
4:18well. But then, because this is Roman
4:19legend, disaster strikes. They can't
4:22agree where to put the city. We should
4:24put the city on Palatine Hill. No, Evine
4:28Hill. No, my location is better. No,
4:30mine's better. No, no, no. No, no, no.
4:35And suddenly the founding of the Roman
4:36Empire became a sibling argument that
4:39could have been solved with like, I
4:40don't know, a coin. But no, this is
4:42ancient Italy. So instead, they go,
4:44"Let's just ask the gods." They hold a
4:47contest. Whoever sees more birds wins
4:50divine approval because why not? Remis
4:52goes, "I saw six birds." Ralis then
4:55responded, "Cool. I saw 12. You cheated.
4:59The gods love me more, bro. They
5:02literally don't.
5:05Romelus decides to just start building a
5:07tiny wall. If his brother won't help
5:09him, he will just make this city
5:11himself. And Remis, being a certified
5:14older brother, Menace, decides to clown
5:16on him. Remis hops over the wall like
5:18it's nothing and goes, "Oh no, look, I'm
5:20in your super secure city, brother. What
5:22will you do? Arrest me? [snorts]
5:26Your city sucks?
5:28What? You going to fountain empire on my
5:31corpse?" He did. And this is the start
5:34of Rome. Historically extra long facts
5:37part 16. So Romelus is now king, right?
5:41But Rome at this point is basically a
5:43homeless camp. To attract people,
5:45Romelus calls it an asylum city and not
5:48the medical kind. the everyone who's on
5:50the run from something come on end kind
5:52which means suddenly Rome fills up with
5:54runaway slaves deputers exiles guys who
5:58stole goats guys who are goats criminals
6:01and a couple lost tourists Romelus looks
6:03at his crowd and goes perfect as city
6:06but there is a problem a huge problem
6:10because Rome has food hills walls
6:12chaotic men one king but exactly zero
6:16women to have children with this is an
6:19issue. Oh, you think? Shut up. So, Rome
6:23hosts a big festival and invites their
6:25neighbors, the Sabines, and tell them,
6:27"Come celebrate. Bring the whole family.
6:30There will be snacks." Let's be honest,
6:32no one can ignore such a great
6:33housewarming party. So, the Sabines show
6:35up and everyone's vibing. But then,
6:38midparty, Romelus gives the signal and
6:40the Romans just kidnap all the Sabine
6:43women. Rome literally solved its gender
6:45imbalance with an 8th century BC Tinder
6:48kidnapping event. Papa Mars would be
6:50proud. The next morning, the Sabine men
6:53wake up with a hangover and are furious.
6:55They attack Rome obviously and we get
6:57the first official Roman war just oh 3
7:01years after the birth of the place.
7:03Bravo. The Sabine women walk out between
7:05the armies and yell, "Stop. We don't
7:07want our new husbands killing our old
7:09families. Stop being stupid. Merge the
7:11kingdoms and continue your lives." and
7:14they do. Just like that, the Sabines and
7:16Romans became one people, which must
7:19have been awkward at the dinner table.
7:21From here, Rome cycles through six more
7:23kings. We still have over a thousand
7:25years of Roman history to cover, so I'll
7:27just speedrun us through this timer,
7:29please. The first king is Romelus. He
7:31creates the Senate, did all the crazy
7:33stuff we just went over, then disappears
7:36one day in a storm. Romans say he
7:38ascended to heaven, though he probably
7:40just tripped and died. Romelus was
7:43followed by the second king, a Sabine
7:44king who creates the Roman religion,
7:46builds temples, actually does not fight
7:49anyone for a while and dies peacefully.
7:51The third king was basically the
7:53opposite of his predecessor and decided
7:55religion is cringe and fighting is so
7:57much cooler. So he attacks and destroys
8:00Albalonga followed by absorbing their
8:02population. He dies because he angered a
8:05god supposedly. So the fourth king, a
8:07half-sabine, half Roman person, takes
8:10power, brings back religion, yet expands
8:12Rome forcefully. He also starts paving
8:14the way for his followers by building
8:16prisons, sports, and bridges. The next
8:18king kept the spirit going and
8:20constructed the massive sewer system we
8:22still applaud Rome for to this day and
8:25becomes insanely powerful. So he gets
8:27assassinated by his political opponents.
8:29And so did his successor, who was
8:31abusing his power left and right. Though
8:33he did build a wall, but it didn't stop
8:36the Mexicans. Finally, the seventh king,
8:38who was so incredibly sinister and cruel
8:41that he was expelled from the city by
8:43the people of Rome. And just to prevent
8:45any more idiotic kings from taking over,
8:48the Roman people turned the place from a
8:50kingdom to a republic. And with that, we
8:53enter the era of the Roman Republic.
8:55Yes, still not empire, which in theory
8:58means no more kings ever. We are done.
9:01We have learned our lesson. So instead
9:03of one king, they elect two consils who
9:06have the power of a king but definitely
9:08aren't kings. They rule at the same time
9:11and can veto each other to quote unquote
9:13keep each other in balance. They also
9:15switch out each year. I'm sure that will
9:17go well. Let's see how well Oh my god,
9:20it's all burning down. Ever wondered how
9:23Rome became so militaristic? It wasn't
9:25just because their first king's daddy
9:27was the god of war. It's actually
9:29because of what's happening right here
9:31in front of us. Rome wasn't the only
9:33city that like to plunder and kill
9:35because the French in the ancient Gaul
9:37region wanted to do it before them. And
9:39the Romans lost to them. And not just a
9:43bit. The Gouls enter Rome, loot it, burn
9:46most of it, sit around like it's a
9:48camping trip, and leave only after the
9:50Romans paid him a ransom in gold. This
9:52event might as well be Rome's original
9:54story of their villain arc. Never again
9:56can we be this humiliated said the Romes
9:59to each other. So they turn ultra ultra
10:02militaristic. Anything that isn't nailed
10:04to the ground is about to get conquered.
10:06And oh god were they good at it. They
10:09started with their Latin neighbors, then
10:11some hill tribes, then Greek colonies,
10:13then more tribes, then even more tribes.
10:15Basically, if you live near early Rome,
10:18you were about to receive a very polite
10:20invitation to join the Republic or be
10:22flattened by it. But the real challenge
10:24comes from across the water in the
10:26south. Cartage. They have a massive
10:29navy, way too much money, a beautiful
10:31city, and elephants. You know, the kind
10:34of neighbor Rome absolutely can't
10:37tolerate. So, the two republics start
10:39fighting in what historians very
10:41casually call the Punic Wars, which is
10:44basically a trilogy movie about chaos.
10:46In the first movie, Rome goes, "You know
10:48what? We want that island." Cartage
10:50responds by saying that you don't even
10:52have a navy to stop us. And Rome
10:54responds by building a navy by stealing
10:56the design of the Carthaginian ships and
10:58win anyway. 10 for Rome. Then the second
11:02war starts and this is the big one.
11:04Hannibal appears. This man shows up with
11:0750,000 troops, 37 elephants, and the
11:10determination of many years of
11:12deeprooted racism. He gathers in Spain,
11:15marches his army over the Alps, which is
11:17insane even today, and absolutely wrecks
11:20Rome for years. Rome eventually wins
11:22because they are Rome. But yeah,
11:25Hannibal made them sweat. That's too old
11:28for Rome. Then the third war is
11:30basically Rome saying Carthage still
11:32exists and that bothers us. So they
11:36delete the whole city from the timeline.
11:38Boom, gone. Survivals of the fittest or
11:40whatever. And just for good measure so
11:42they won't fight again, they enslave the
11:45whole city. And so with their only real
11:48rival out of the way, Rome gets addicted
11:50to expansion like the British got to
11:52opium. They conquer Spain, North Africa,
11:55Greece, Turkey, and of course the Gaul
11:58region. Instead of going to therapy
12:00about what happened to them before Rome
12:02literally conquered 10% of humanity,
12:04enslaved another 2% and destroyed entire
12:07civilizations just to make sure they
12:09were strong enough to have revenge
12:10against the Gouls for what they did 330
12:13years before. And the man who gets to
12:15deal the final blow to these Frenchies
12:17is Julius Cesar. Cesar is basically the
12:21final boss of the Roman Republic. He
12:23marches into Gaul with a relatively
12:25small army and proceeds to absolutely
12:27dismantle the place. And by dismantle, I
12:30mean defeat tribe after tribe, conquer
12:32all of France, dip into Belgium, flirt
12:35with Germany, and then casually invade
12:37Britain just to see what they taste
12:39like. He comes back to Rome so powerful
12:41that the Senate becomes afraid of him.
12:44So they order him to come to Rome alone
12:46and to leave his army behind. He
12:48naturally refuses and starts marching to
12:50the capital anyway. The Senate panics
12:52[music] and flee as Caesar enters the
12:55city with little to no resistance. But
12:57that doesn't mean Rome was his just yet.
12:59He still had to defeat the disputed
13:01leader and his allies before he can
13:03legally become, I don't know, the first
13:05dictator Rome has seen in 500 years.
13:08He fights all across the continent.
13:10Boinks Cleopatra on the way because why
13:13not? And after 4 years finally gains
13:16control of the republic. Half the Senate
13:19likes him. The other half wants to kill
13:20him by stabbing him 23 times. But is
13:23that hate justified? Well, kind of, but
13:26also absolutely not. Caesar wasn't a
13:29straightup evil guy most people portray
13:32him as today. He was actually doing a
13:34lot of stuff that regular Romans loved.
13:36He fixed the chaotic calendar. So months
13:38actually made sense, and it's why we now
13:40have 365 days. July is literally named
13:44after him. So you're welcome. He lowered
13:45taxes, canceled depths, expanded
13:48citizenship, rebuilt half the city, gave
13:50lands to veterans of war, regulated
13:52grain supply so poor people didn't
13:54starve, and tried to keep the army under
13:56control so rogue generals wouldn't
13:58create another civil war. But, and this
14:01is the butt, the Senate couldn't ignore.
14:03Caesar was also absorbing every
14:05political office he possibly could.
14:07Dictator, yep, console, sure. Pontifacts
14:10Maximus, aka the head priest, why not?
14:13Basically, the man was collecting powers
14:15like they were Pokémon cards. [music]
14:17And the Senate, who spent 500 years
14:19being paranoid about kings, looked at
14:21this and went, "Oh god, he's becoming a
14:23king." So, they decide to save the
14:25Republic by doing the most republic
14:28destroying thing possible. They murder
14:30him in the middle of a Senate meeting.
14:32And this might have been the dumbest
14:34thing they could have possibly done
14:35because tiny problem, everyone liked
14:38Caesar except the senators. [music]
14:40The liberators walk out of the Senate
14:42like, "We did it, guys. We saved the
14:44republic." While the Roman people are
14:46more like, "You killed the guy who
14:48lowered our taxes and gave us free
14:50grain. Let's just hope this somehow
14:52doesn't escalate. Look how they
14:55massacred my boy. This is Mark Anthony.
14:58Cesar's bestie, who is apparently really
15:01upset that his friend is dead. But don't
15:03let it fool you. In reality, he really
15:06just enjoys power and is about to usurp
15:08that power all to himself. Not on my
15:11watch, says Octavius, the adopted
15:1318-year-old grandne nephew of Caesar.
15:15Octavius might look like an adorable
15:17baby boy, but in reality, he is a
15:20cunning war criminal. Mark Anthony,
15:22Octavius, and some random other guy that
15:24doesn't matter become the new United
15:26leaders of Rome. But in reality, it's
15:28more like Mark, Anthony, and Octavius
15:30trying to become the sole leader. Luck
15:32has it for Octavius that Mark is a
15:35massive s. And he too, just like Cesar,
15:38gets seduced by Cleopatra. So Mark
15:40leaves for Egypt, showers her in gifts,
15:42and Octavius sees this as the perfect
15:44opportunity to depose of his rival.
15:46Look, he's only spending his time in
15:48Egypt with his egirl. And guess what? He
15:51is definitely planning to move the
15:53capital from Rome to Alexandria. We
15:55should depose of him. It was a blatant
15:57lie, but the Romans believed it. They
15:59attack Egypt, defeat the Egyptians, and
16:01the love couple takes the Eway out to
16:03avoid being humiliated in Rome. That
16:05leaves Octavius as the sole ruler. He
16:08blatantly steals the plot of the good
16:10Star Wars movies because he declares
16:12himself first citizen or imperator and
16:15usurps all the power to himself. finally
16:18by the Senate or whatever is left of it
16:20after a campaign of revenge and
16:21bloodshed for what a few of them did to
16:23Caesar. He is named Augustus which means
16:26all kinds of fancy things. And since
16:28this day in the year 27 before Christ,
16:31yes, all of this happened before the man
16:33himself even spawned in, the Roman
16:35Empire is officially born. Or wait, I
16:38mean empire is officially born.
16:42Man, I'm getting hungry. We're at the
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17:51this video. All roads lead to Rome,
17:54which is actually true, unless you live
17:56in any of these continents. But why do
17:58they lead to Rome? Well, that is because
18:00Rome in its empire phase started to
18:02learn how to stabilize instead of
18:04endlessly expanding like, for example,
18:06the Mongols used to do. That is also why
18:07their empire fell apart so quickly while
18:09Rome managed to survive way longer.
18:12Anyway, eyes on me, please. As we
18:14continue our story, as we enter Rome's
18:16golden age, Rome has become very quickly
18:19a fully centralized empire. And
18:21Augustus, the first emperor, is the
18:24reason it doesn't immediately collapse
18:26again. The key thing to understand about
18:27Augustus is that he is not trying to be
18:30impressive. He is trying to be
18:31permanent. And because of that, he might
18:33be the single greatest emperor to ever
18:35exist. He knows exactly why the republic
18:38failed. It wasn't because Rome lacked
18:40laws or values or tradition. It failed
18:43because the army stopped belonging to
18:45the state and started belonging to
18:46individual men. Every civil war from
18:49Marius to Solah to Cesar followed the
18:52same pattern. Soldiers fought for
18:54generals, not for Rome. So Augustus
18:57fixes that first. He turns the Roman
18:59army into a professional standing force.
19:01No more temporary allegiance raised for
19:03single wars. Soldiers now enlist for
19:06roughly 20 years. They receive regular
19:08pay from the state, standardized
19:09equipment, and a guaranteed retirement
19:11package. Land grants come from the
19:13government, not from a general promising
19:15rewards if his rebellion succeeds. This
19:18one change alone removes the main fuel
19:20for a civil war. Augustus also limits
19:22how much military power any single
19:24governor can control. Provinces with
19:26large armies are separated from
19:28provinces with large wealth. No one gets
19:30both. Generals are rotated, commands are
19:33time limited, and loyalty flows upwards,
19:36not sideways. Rome now maintains around
19:3925 to 30 legions, roughly 150,000
19:43professional Roman soldiers, backed by
19:45at least as many auxiliary troops
19:47permanently stationed across the empire.
19:50This is expensive, but it gives Rome
19:53something it never really had before, a
19:55standby response unit. On top of that,
19:57Augustus changes Roman war strategy.
20:00Instead of endless expansion, Rome now
20:02focuses on securing the borders. Spain
20:04is fully pacified after decades of
20:07resistance. The Alps are conquered to
20:09eliminate raiding routes into Italy. In
20:11the Balkans, rebellions are crushed and
20:13the Denube becomes a hardened frontier.
20:15In the east, Augustus avoids full-scale
20:18war with Partia. He uses diplomacy and
20:20pressure to recover Roman standards lost
20:22in earlier defeats. He presents this as
20:25victory to the public even though no
20:27major war was fought. It shows how the
20:29emperor really tries to keep the empire
20:30alive, but that doesn't mean the wars
20:33stop. Along the rine and the noob, Roman
20:35legions are constantly active. Forts are
20:37built every few kilometers. Roads
20:39connect them so troops can move quickly.
20:41These regions were anything but
20:43peaceful, and because of that, it
20:45actually had soldiers living there
20:47permanently. In 9 AD, three Roman
20:50legions march into Germania under the
20:52general Varys. They are ambushed by
20:54Germanic forces led by Armenius, a
20:56former Roman ally trained in Roman
20:58warfare. The legions are wiped out
21:00almost completely in the Toyberg forest.
21:03Mind you, that is 20,000 professional
21:05soldiers dead just like that. How could
21:08a general fumble so badly? Well, let's
21:11take a look at the traitor, Armenius.
21:13Armenius knows Rome better than most
21:15Romans do. He grew up around them,
21:17served in their army, earned their
21:19trust, and learned exactly how legions
21:21move, fight, and think. He knows their
21:23discipline. He knows their confidence.
21:25And most importantly, he knows their
21:27biggest weakness. Romans assume everyone
21:30wants to become Roman. But back home,
21:32where Armenius is from, Germania, Roman
21:34rule doesn't feel like order. It feels
21:37more like suffocation. Roman courts
21:39replace local customs. Roman law
21:41overrides tribal authority. Taxes are
21:44imposed. Obedience is expected. What
21:46Rome calls civilization, Armenia sees as
21:49the slow eraser of everything his people
21:51are. To him, Germania isn't being
21:53conquered by the sword anymore. It's
21:55being absorbed quietly, permanently. And
21:58Armenius understands that once Rome
22:00finishes that process, resistance will
22:02be impossible. So he decides this is the
22:05moment. He doesn't rebel openly. That
22:08would fail immediately. Instead, he
22:10stays loyal on the surface. To Varys,
22:13Armanius is the perfect Roman ally.
22:15Calm, cooperative, warning him about
22:18small uprisings that supposedly need to
22:20be dealt with. He convinces Varys that
22:22Germania is already under control, that
22:25this whole operation is just going to be
22:27a routine cleanup. Varys believes him.
22:29The legions move as if they are on
22:31administrative duty, not a military
22:33campaign. They march stretched out,
22:35hauling wagons, supplies, and even
22:38civilians through terrain they don't
22:40understand. Forests close in, roads
22:43disappear. Rain turns the paths into
22:45mud. This is no place for Roman
22:47formations. And Armenius knows it. Then
22:51the attacks begin. Not a battle, a
22:54slaughter. Germanic fighters strike from
22:56the forest, disappear when the Romans
22:58try to respond, and then strike again
23:00harder. Because the legions are strung
23:02out for kilometers in narrow terrain.
23:04Units can't form up, and orders don't
23:07travel. Roman discipline still exists,
23:09but there is nothing to apply it to.
23:11Rome is used to fighting on open ground.
23:13One army facing another, not conga
23:16lining through the dense forest while
23:17being dismantled piece by piece. Varys
23:20hears reports of attacks, but doesn't
23:22react decisively. He hesitate, assuming
23:24it's just minor banditry causing delays.
23:26He keeps pushing forward, believing the
23:28situation can still be managed, but it
23:31can't. Over several days, the army
23:33collapses. Units are isolated. Officers
23:36are killed. By the time Varys realizes
23:38this isn't unrest, but a full betrayal,
23:41there is no army left to save. More than
23:4320,000 career soldiers are dead because
23:46of his blindness. Varys takes his own
23:48life rather than return to Rome as the
23:50men who lost three legions without ever
23:52fighting a proper battle. The Germanic
23:54tribes, Rome's barbarians, slip out of
23:57Roman control, thanks almost entirely to
24:00Armenius. The legions number 17, 18, and
24:0319 are never used again. Forever locked
24:06away with Rome's unresolved traumas.
24:08More importantly, because of this, Roman
24:10policy changes permanently. Augustus
24:13abandons the idea of conquering
24:14Germania. The Rine becomes the frontier.
24:16Rome stops pushing outward and commits
24:19fully to defense. This decision defines
24:21the empire's borders for centuries. It
24:23was time for solidifying ground and
24:26making sure no silly little man would
24:28start a world religion. Spoilers. When
24:31Augustus dies in 14 AD, he leaves behind
24:33something unprecedented. A Roman state
24:36that is stable, defensible, and no
24:38longer tearing itself apart. His actions
24:41single-handedly were the foundation of
24:42the Golden Age. Now, before we continue
24:45with emperors and wars, it's worth
24:47stopping for a moment and looking at
24:49what living in the peak of Rome's golden
24:51era was really like. For the average
24:53Roman citizen living inside the empire,
24:55especially in Italy or a major province,
24:58life is structured in a way that is rare
25:00for the ancient world. Cities have paved
25:02roads, stone buildings, aqueducts,
25:05public baths, markets, courts, and
25:07written laws. Grain distributions keep
25:10large populations fed. Trade moves
25:12freely across thousands of kilometers.
25:14Most people are not wealthy. Many live
25:17modestly, and slavery is widespread and
25:19brutal. But there is stability. If you
25:22are inside the empire, you live within a
25:24system that absorbs shocks. Famine,
25:27crime, and violence exist, but there is
25:29an administration to respond to them.
25:31Now, compare all of that to the average
25:33person outside of the empire, often
25:36labeled a barbarian by Roman writers.
25:38Most of these societies are rural and
25:41decentralized. Political authority
25:43depends on the person. There are no
25:45standing armies, no long-distance
25:47infrastructure networks, no permanent
25:49bureaucracies. Life is harder but more
25:52flexible. Taxes are lower but protection
25:54is limited. When something goes terribly
25:56wrong, there are no larger systems to
25:58intervene. This contrast matters [music]
26:01because for centuries, Rome doesn't just
26:03defeat and fight these peoples. It also
26:06attracts them. Roman service offers pay.
26:08Roman cities offer security. Roman
26:11citizenship offers legal rights. Many
26:13people outside of the empire don't want
26:15to destroy Rome. They want access to
26:17what it provides. And that will matter
26:20later. For now, it's time for the next
26:22emperor to take power. Spin the wheel of
26:24misfortune.
26:27Wait, good. Oh, this thing is definitely
26:30rigged. Meet the adopted son of
26:32Augustus, Emperor Tiberius. He's a
26:35capable guy, an experienced guy, but
26:37most interestingly, an extremely
26:39introverted guy who is deeply suspicious
26:42of literally everyone and hates being in
26:44public. From the day he took the role as
26:46emperor, which he essentially got forced
26:48into by Augustus, he didn't do anything
26:50too radical. He simply kept himself
26:52secluded to the point he abandoned
26:54living in Rome and moves to the island
26:56of Capri where he reigned the empire
26:58from there. That was a little bit of a
27:00mistake since there was no one in Rome
27:02anymore to enforce orders directly.
27:04Though it did come in handy for the
27:05Ptorian guards who were originally
27:07created by Augustus as an elite
27:09protective unit. These soldiers are
27:11heavily armed, permanently stationed in
27:13Rome and loyal not to the state, but to
27:16the emperor personally. Problem is, with
27:18Emperor Tiberius living on an island,
27:20the Ptorian guard commander becomes one
27:23of the most powerful men in the city. He
27:25controls access to the emperor, filters
27:27information, and increasingly influences
27:29decisions. Behind the curtains of Rome,
27:32power is no longer flowing through
27:33institutions, and the Senate is always
27:35seen as a joke. The never-ending
27:37corruption has begun. Meanwhile, in the
27:39far province of Udea, a local religious
27:42figure named Jesus of Nazareth is
27:44arrested by local authorities and handed
27:46over to the Roman administration. He's
27:48executed for causing [music] unrest and
27:50refusing to acknowledge Roman authority
27:52in the way expected of him. The
27:54execution is routine and crucifixion is
27:57standard Roman punishment. As far as the
27:59empire is concerned, this all is a minor
28:02provincial matter, barely even worth
28:04recording. And Rome moves on. When
28:06Emperor Tiberius eventually dies in 37
28:09AD, the balance of power inside Rome was
28:11already distorted. The Ptorian guard
28:13actively starts playing a key role in
28:15ensuring the next emperor supports their
28:18wishes and desires. They choose
28:20Caligula, a great grandson of Emperor
28:22Augustus. At first, he does what they
28:24expect him to do. But a long story
28:26short, because I don't want to cover all
28:28what 90 emperors Rome had in full
28:31detail, Emperor Caligula gets a bit too
28:34cocky. So the Ptorian guards simply kill
28:37the emperor and on the spot immediately
28:40select a replacement themselves. They
28:42find Caligula's uncle Claudius and
28:44declare him the new emperor. Needless to
28:46say, Rome has now crossed yet another
28:48line. The emperor is no longer chosen by
28:51tradition, legitimacy, or public
28:53consensus. He is chosen by the soldiers
28:55standing closest to him. Emperor
28:57Claudius turns out to be more competent
28:59than expected since he expands the
29:01empire, strengthens administration, and
29:03keeps the system functioning. But the
29:05precedent remains. Everyone now
29:07understands that the Pritorian Guard is
29:09not just a protective force. It's the
29:12ruling force. After Claudius, power
29:14passes to Augustus' great great
29:17grandson, Nero. Nero is obsessed with
29:20personal image and is careless about his
29:22power. He's basically the complete
29:24opposite of the legendary first emperor.
29:26He caused rebellions, a financial
29:28collapse, and half of Rome burned down
29:30during his reign. The Senate and the
29:32army lose confidence in him, and those
29:34who actually matter if they support you
29:36or not, the Ptorian guard ended up also
29:39giving up their support, which basically
29:41means your time is up. Nero flees Rome,
29:44and as it's clear he's going to get
29:45arrested and executed, he takes his own
29:48life. And with Nero's passing in the
29:50year 68, we not only end the Julius
29:52Caesar dynasty reign, but also end in
29:55the very chaotic year of 69. Very nice.
29:59Also known as the year of the four
30:01emperors. Four men claim and sit on the
30:04throne in a single year. Not because
30:06they are great leaders, but because
30:07different armies across the empire back
30:09different candidates. One emperor gets
30:12murdered, another one gets overthrown,
30:14another rules for a few months. Civil
30:16war breaks out across the entire empire.
30:18Legions that were supposed to defend
30:20borders are now actively marching on
30:22each other. Eventually, one man wins,
30:25Vaspacian. Not because he is
30:27charismatic, not because he is loved,
30:29but because he has the strongest army.
30:31He restores order mostly by force and
30:34hence the empire to his sons afterwards.
30:37So, yay, Rome survives. But now everyone
30:40yet again knows the truth about emperor
30:42legitimacy. Because if you control the
30:44army, you control Rome, no matter how
30:46bad of a leader you are. Naturally, for
30:49the next century, emperors rise and drop
30:52dead like flies every other week. It is
30:55extremely chaotic and not that
30:57interesting because it just comes down
30:59to this emperor bad. He gets killed.
31:02This emperor a bit better, but the
31:04Ptorian guard don't like him, so he is
31:06also killed, etc., etc., et etc. So just
31:09to summarize the next century here are a
31:11couple highlights. In the year 117 under
31:14Emperor Treyan the Roman Empire reaches
31:16its historical peak with the capture of
31:19what is nowadays Romania, Jordan and
31:21Armania. In 193 AD, the Ptorian guards
31:25who are yes still in power even 200
31:27years later literally sell the title of
31:30emperor to the highest bidder. Emperor
31:32Giulianis ended up reigning for just 66
31:35days until he got executed in the palace
31:37by another general aka the next emperor.
31:40And in the beginning of the 3rd century,
31:42Christianity started to spread like
31:44crazy. And that was annoying for the
31:46Roman elite. Christians refused to
31:49worship Roman gods and instead worshiped
31:51well the Christian God. But that wasn't
31:53the only crisis they faced. The whole
31:563rd century was hell for the Roman
31:58Empire. Emperors went from switching
32:00monthly to weekly and most died
32:02violently. The empire nearly fractures
32:04into separate states. Germanic invasions
32:07hit the west while Persian armies press
32:09from the east. Meanwhile, massive
32:11plagues teared through cities and
32:12hyperinflation destroys the economy.
32:14Sounds like 2020 all over again. I can't
32:17make it clear enough. It was a chaotic
32:20mess. And eventually, one emperor
32:23accepts the obvious. The empire is just
32:26too big, too unstable, too complex to be
32:29ruled the old way. So he makes a radical
32:32change. He chops the empire into pieces.
32:36He creates the tetrarchy, the rule of
32:38four, two senior emperors, two juniors.
32:42And on top of that, emperors now live in
32:44border cities to be close to the action.
32:46And Rome literally gets abandoned just
32:50like that. It's still there, but the
32:52power of the empire is now at the front
32:54among four of them. After that genius
32:57emperor retires to grow cabbages. Yes,
33:00he really did. The rule of four turns
33:03into a battle royale. Who would have
33:05guessed? The winner is Constantine. He
33:08somehow reunites the empire, but he
33:10doesn't move back into the old Roman
33:12office. He's seen the future, and the
33:14future was in the east. In 330 AD, he
33:18built Constantinople. It's built on a
33:21massive choke point between Europe and
33:23Asia. It's richer than Rome, easier to
33:25defend, and crucially, it's built as a
33:28Christian city. No more old school pagan
33:31garbage. Christianity is now the
33:33legalized new cool thing. Though the
33:35empire is whole, in reality, the split
33:37into East and West had already [music]
33:39settled in. All the rich and
33:40intellectual people follow the emperor
33:42to the Greekeaking [music] world. While
33:44in Rome, the Latin speaking folks were
33:46left behind as a ghost province. And I
33:49know this is a bit of a hot take, but at
33:51this point, the Byzantine Empire is
33:53real. Some people like to call it the
33:55Western Roman Empire and the Eastern
33:57Empire, but that's lame. They don't even
33:59speak Latin like the Westerners or live
34:01anywhere close to Rome. You know, the
34:03Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman part of
34:06the empire at this point in history
34:08evolved in the Byzantine Empire. And
34:10that is a hill I'm willing to die on.
34:11You can sue me in the comment section.
34:13Anyway, if you don't think that is when
34:15the Byzantine Empire started, this
34:17moment might have because the split
34:18between east and west became finalized
34:20when an emperor who died in 395 AD split
34:24this empire between his two sons.
34:26Classic mistake and both administrations
34:28immediately ceased working together.
34:30Rome is officially no longer Rome. By
34:33the early fifth century, the
34:34non-Byzantine, aka Western Roman Empire,
34:37is laughably weak and often ruled by
34:39foreign kings. It was time to put it out
34:42of its misery. It was time for the final
34:45blow. And uh yeah, if you're watching
34:47this video with your political uncle who
34:48has no filter, you might want to click
34:50off now because he is most likely going
34:52to quote what happens now each
34:54Thanksgiving dinner till there is no
34:55tomorrow. You ready? The blow that ended
34:58the Roman Empire once and for all was
35:01[snorts] uncontrolled immigration.
35:04>> Introducing the last villains for today,
35:07the Hunts. They exploded out of the
35:09Ureian step in the late 4th century and
35:11they were so dangerous that they
35:13single-handedly caused mass migrations
35:15towards Europe. When the hunts smash
35:17into the Goffs north of the Danube, the
35:19Goffs very intellectually decide to not
35:22stand still and die. So they run. And
35:25where do they run? Across the Roman
35:27border. Tens of thousands of Goffs show
35:30up at the Denoo asking for asylum. Rome
35:32lets them in. On paper, this is
35:34manageable, but in reality, corrupt
35:37Roman officials starve and exploit them
35:39so badly that the Goffs revolt. As a
35:42direct result, two years later, a Roman
35:44army is destroyed and the emperor is
35:46killed on the battlefield by the hands
35:48of them. That moment is important
35:50because after the events of Adrianople,
35:53everyone learns something Rome never
35:55wanted to teach. If you bring a whole
35:57nation into your borders and you can't
35:59control them, you are not integrating
36:01them. You're just importing your future
36:04civil war. So, the Western Roman Empire
36:06starts doing what it will keep doing
36:08until it dies. Making deals with armed
36:10groups it can't defeat. Here's some
36:12land. Please just stop burning us. It
36:15calms them for a bit, but greed can
36:17never be satisfied. And no, it doesn't
36:19stop with the Goffs. Once the border
36:21breaks psychologically, the chain
36:23reaction begins. More groups move. Some
36:25are fleeing the hunts. Some are just
36:27following opportunity. The vendals go on
36:29a rampage across the West and eventually
36:31take North Africa, which is catastrophic
36:34because North Africa is where the West
36:36gets grain and money. Lose Africa, lose
36:38taxes. Lose taxes, lose soldiers. Lose
36:42soldiers. Yeah, good luck. In 410, the
36:45Visigoss return from last video and sack
36:48Rome. Not because Rome is militarily
36:50important, but because [laughter] it's
36:52really funny. Then once the hunts are
36:54defeated, Rome the city gets sacked
36:56again in 455 because why not? And by 476
37:01when the last Roman emperor, Romelus
37:03Agustalus, who has literally the most
37:06ironic name for this moment since he is
37:08both named Romelus, the name of the
37:09founder of Rome, and Agugustalus, named
37:12after the first emperor. Anyway, yeah,
37:14he basically got politely asked by his
37:16Germanic commander to stop being
37:17emperor, and then the Roman Empire is
37:20dead. Yeah, sorry guys. There's no epic
37:22final battle or anything, just emperor
37:24fatigue. Now, to be realistic about the
37:27Eastern and Western Roman divide, the
37:29term Byzantine is made up by modern
37:32historians. So, if you asked everyone
37:34back then if the Roman Empire is really
37:36dead, they would probably say, "No,
37:38dumbass. It's right there." But this
37:40video is long enough already, and my
37:42pizza is getting cold. If you really
37:43want to know what happened to them, the
37:45Eastern Roman Byzantines survived for a
37:47whopping thousand additional years and
37:50fought like crazy to survive. They
37:52slowly lost more and more territory to
37:54Persians, Arabs, crusaders, and finally
37:57to the fearsome Ottomans till only the
37:59city of Constantinople remained. In
38:021453,
38:04the city falls gets turned from
38:06Christian to Muslim and with it the last
38:09state that still calls itself Roman
38:11fell. Yes, I just skipped a thousand
38:13years of interesting things, but I will
38:15make a Byzantine Empire video one day to
38:16explain it all in more detail. So,
38:18subscribe, become a member, and don't
38:20forget that if you want pizza and make
38:22money by doing simple tasks to check out
38:24the link in the description. I really
38:25hope you enjoyed the long video, and we
38:27will see you in the next one. Bye-bye.

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