Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

by Thomas F. Madden

Even millennia after its fall, the grand expanse of Roman achievement continues to affect not only American society, but the entire world as well. What caused a civilization of such accomplishments to disintegrate? In this informative and lively series of lectures, renowned history professor Thomas F. Madden serves as the ultimate guide through the fall of ancient Rome. Professor Madden correlates the principles of Roman conduct— both governmental and military—that would forever change the world. Rome was an empire unlike the world had ever seen, and one that will likely never be duplicated. Peopled with personages of great distinction and even greater ambition, at once notable for humanity’s great promise and flawed nature, the Roman Empire contributed many of history’s proudest advancements. Here Professor Madden invites audiences to explore all the grandeur of this fallen empire.

Lecture 1 The Decline and Fall of What?

Lecture 2 The Sick Republic

Lecture 3 The Augustan Revolution

Lecture 4 The Julio-Claudian Emperors

Lecture 5 Instability and War

Lecture 6 Order Restored: The Five Good Emperors, 96–180

Lecture 7 Military Dictatorship

Lecture 8 The Spreading Anarchy, 235–284

Lecture 9 Diocletian and the Reform of Empire

Lecture 10 Constantine and the Conversion of Empire

Lecture 11 The New Threat of Heresy

Lecture 12 Theodosius and His Successors

Lecture 13 The Fall of Rome

Lecture 14 Rome After Rome

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Thomas F. Madden (born 1960) is an American historian, the Chair of the History Department at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, and Director of Saint Louis University's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

He is considered one of the foremost historians of the Crusades in the United States. He has frequently appeared in the media, as a consultant for various programs on the History Channel and National Public Radio.

In 2007, he was awarded the Haskins Medal from the Medieval Academy of America, for his book Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice, which was also a "Book of the Month" selection by the BBC History magazine.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second Modern Scholar set that I've listened to, after Rethinking Our Past: Recognizing Facts, Fictions, And Lies In American History. While this one was still very informative, I was not as impressed with it. Covering six centuries worth of Roman history in about 8 hours was always going to be a tough task, but Madden tosses so many names and dates at the listener - especially during the third century when overthrowing the Emperor was practically a national sport - that his theories on the actual causes of the fall get kind of buried under this avalanche of information. In the end, I felt like I had listened to a well-told timeline of Western Roman history, and I definitely learned some interesting things, not least of which was some great stuff on the early history of the Catholic church. But as far as the cause of Rome's fall is concerned, which is supposed to be the whole point of the course, I don't feel that much more enlightened than I did before.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Thomas Madden has done it again. His Modern Scholar series of historical courses never fails to reward, and neither does this one. I've taken two courses on Roman history, and they usually focus on the highlights of the rise - the Republic, the Punic Wars, the civil wars, the Augustan era - and fall - the five Good Emperors, Domitian, Constantine, ending with the deposition of Romulus Augustulus in the west.

But the end of this system and the transition to the dark ages has always fascinated me. Madden begins with a brief gloss on the Republic, mentions Marius, Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar and the civil wars before finally discussing the Augustan revolution, the problem of choosing an Emperor and a successor, the way that problem is solved, while lighting on important emperor's and religious developments along the way. His recounting emphasizes that there was no bright line between the Roman empire in the west and the lack thereof, but explains the gradual fading away of the system as it changes over time. Brilliantly done, with an excellent narrative thread throughout.

I've also taken Madden's course on the Byzantine empire, and would highly recommend that as well.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good overview of the Roman Empire from its height to its decline. Definitely worthwhile to listen to, but there were a few disappointments. In the end, I still didn't feel like I understood exactly what caused the fall of an amazing and impressive empire. And the other negative comment was that I felt this lecturer was not that smooth. Lots of pauses and ums - so much so that it became a distraction. Definitely not the best series of lectures and some of the talks seemed disorganized. Still, highly recommended if you want to bone up on Roman history.

[Jo Toon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this in preparation for tackling Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Good basic course from Augustus to the end of the Roman emperors in the West. Clearly presented, easy to follow. Fulfilled everything I expected from a course like this.

[Joseph St Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the fall of the Roman Empire that begins 500 years before it’s fall in the West. So, essentially Madden provides a history of the Roman Empire, from the late Republic on. Rome falls twice in this account - first as the Roman Republic and then gradually as the Roman Empire (the third fall - the conquest of Constantinople - is outside of Madden’s scope).

This early start date is logical as the institutional seeds of Rome’s destruction were there from early on. Madden points out how incomplete any explanation for the collapse of the West is, as exemplified by the Eastern Empire not falling, despite being subject to the same forces. Indeed, perhaps with a bit better luck, the Western Empire would have lasted another thousand years as well.

Madden gives the greatest focus to the granular transformation of Rome into a military dictatorship and the rise of Christianity. Starting with religion, I interpret Madden as saying that religious divisions critically weakened the Empire and left it unable to deal with the challenges unleashed by Hunnic migration (a challenge the East narrowly survived thanks to the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople & their skill at redirecting the Goths to the west). Seemingly due to a national ennui, the Roman religion declined over time with many turning to less antique start-up faiths. The rise of these “mystery cults” undermined a unifying force and led to increased division in the empire (they were skeptical of the claim that the Emperor was a living god who should be sacrificed to). Romans at the time certainly viewed religious division as a sign of decline, for what that’s worth. Madden seems to put much of the blame on the rise of Christianity or more particularly the fervent divisions within Christianity: Niceanian Christianity vs Arianism, Monophysm, Copticism, etc. Such divisions seem highly esoteric today, but the fact that they often aligned with regional/ethnic splits probably explains much of their strength. Persecution across the wide pre-Christian empire inevitably caused different interpretations to arise. Later, Christian emperors vacillated between factions, preventing the mainstream from gaining a dominant position. Such divisions also made it harder to integrate groups like the Arian Goths. Gibbons would have added that, under Christianity, the most talented Romans went into the Church rather than the Roman state or military. Many ‘Heretical’ Christians would eventually welcome the Persians & later Arabs as liberators. On the flip side, Christianity did produce a separation of church & state and those competing power bases were key in creating more pluralists systems that ultimately led to the Renaissance and modernity.

Probably more important than religion was the irreversible decline in the quality of Roman government, from the relatively pluralistic Republic to the military dictatorship of the Dominate. The Roman Republic was able to rise from a single city to dominate the Mediterranean thanks to strong Republican institutions that produced prosperity and innovation. It was able to outcompete its neighbors. However, by the late republic, there very few competitors left to best & it was becoming obvious that there was a power mismatch between the ruling Senate and the generals who controlled large armies that were personnel loyal to themselves. Julius Caesar ultimately ‘corrected’ this mismatch, but if not him, it seems inevitable that someone would. Government remained fairly good under the early emperors and the ‘Five Good Emperors’ who were not even officially designated as emperors, but preserved the appearance of governing under Republican institutions. So perhaps this wasn’t the optimal ‘correction’ from the generals and respective i.e. why should the Senate have any power at all? Out of the ‘Crisis of the Third Century’ the Empire moved to a system where the Emperors & the armies held all the power. These “barracks Emperors” realized they could raise taxes & give their soldiers a raise (thus buying their loyalty). So there was more and more zero sum (or negative sum) thinking under the late emperors, with control of the army becoming the only thing that really mattered. The unsustainable custom of each new emperor giving the army a raise, created a huge incentive for the army to overthrow emperors. This led to a unstable & highly extractive system, with increasingly high taxes, very high military spending, and a debased currency (thus high & variable inflation). This vicious cycle destroyed the Roman economy, which was the true basis of its power.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas F. Madden presents a fulsome account of the Decline and Fall of Rome delineating the events and personages whose impacts played a part in the disintegration of this singular civilization. He begins with an explanation of the "falls" of Rome and the timelines. The complete time is 27 B.C through 1453 A.D. The first fall in 27 B.C occurs when the military strongmen, later known as emperors overturned the Roman Republic. The second fall occurred in 476 A. D as is the fall of Rome in the West, which included the deposition of the final emperor of Rome. This is the Fall of Rome that many think of when the think of the Fall of the Rome. The final fall occurs in 1453 and is actually the fall of the Roman state. Professor Madden explores the creation of the First Triumvirate which included Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus which fell apart when Caesar was murdered on the steps of the Senate. Further along the way in this tangled struggle for power there are many wars, notable rulers include the five good emperors or Trajan, Domitian, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. Illuminating, and jaw-dropping, the listener will come to understand some of the parallels that exists in American culture and will see why comparisons between the two are relevant today.

[Bruin Mccon · Rating 5 out of 5]

After attempting to read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Volumes 1-3 and giving up after a few hundred pages, The Decline and Fall of Rome was an excellent substitute.

Like many readers who also adore TikTok, I’ve been seeking out information about the Roman Empire just to better understand why many dudes are thinking about it all the time. The obvious first place to start is Gibbon’s laborious 10,000 pages on the subject. Seems like school, if they’d even have allowed my peasant female self to go in the late 18th century, would have been challenging if the mode of learning was to recount every emperor ever.

Luckily, it is the 21st century and we’ve got this professor to tell it much more quickly and make it interesting. I didn’t get anywhere near the sack of Rome in Gibbon’s book(s), which is arguably one of the absolutely most important historical points. Highly recommend this abridged history if you want to understand not just why there are people thinking about the Romans so much, but also to understand some of the current situation in Gaza.

[Richard Marmorstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging. No idea how to evaluate how accurate anything is but for me this is a good and enjoyable ~first introduction to who's who and what's what in this area of history.

As some other reviewers point out, the audio has some stutters and "um"s and etc. For me, I like the more natural speaking style and it was easier for me to pay attention than the more "polished" style in a typical audiobook.

[Skuli Saeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fróðlegir og vel gerðir fyrirlestrar um langa hnignun Rómaveldis eða öllu heldur hins Vestrómverska ríkis. Madden þræðir helstu skoðanir fræðimanna og fer yfir fyrirkomulag ríkisins frá því þingræðið bregst og allt þar til hershöfðingjarnir berjast meir innbyrðis en að verja ríkið gegn utanaðkomandi ógnum.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've decided to take on Edward Gibbon's massive "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." But first I wanted to catch up on modern historians' take on the period. Madden's lecture style is conversational. He mostly focuses on the history of the emperors, which can at times be a bit exhausting. But I do feel as if I have a good grasp of the basic history.

[Grace Of Liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook Lecture series read by the author/professor. Excellent coverage, nicely presented and engaging. Really enjoyed this one and am on to the Byzantine era next.

[Robert Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great modern scholar series. This was a great bird’s eye view of the Roman history which makes me want to dig a little deeper. Always a good sign after taking one of these courses.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of time and information is covered so I definitely won’t remember it all but I found it really interesting and I learned a lot!

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good survey of the collapse of the Roman empire.

[Riq Hoelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess it's fun to go galumphing through the ages, but there are so many blunders.
Octavian was Caesar's grand-nephew, not his nephew.
The word "diocese" does not come from "Diocletian".
The point about why Diocletian made the office of Emperor more revered and remote is kind of not made clearly.
And on and on. It becomes really difficult to know when you can trust what is said.
Plus where is the academic underpinning? We're told at the start that it's important because maybe our civilization will also fall someday. But then over the course of several centuries and even at the end this point is never picked up again. Really it's mostly just guilty pleasure of recounting a bunch of old stories.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook is part of the “Modern Scholar Series,” each of whose entries contains a course’s worth of undergraduate lectures by a university professor.

On the continuum between economic determinism and the “great man” theory of history, Madden leans toward the latter. Though he acknowledges the economic factors in Rome’s decline, his lectures are organized around the lives of Rome’s leaders and the power struggles that raised them up—or put them down.

In the course of the lectures, I was surprised to learn a number of things.

For one thing, the time of Rome’s fall is a matter of definition. Does the fall refer to the death of Roman Republic decades before the Year 1? Does it refer to the collapse of the entire Roman Empire—the fall of the Eastern half in the 1400’s? Or does it refer to the collapse of the Western half of the Empire in 480? Madden opts for the latter definition, noting that Byzantium, the empire’s eastern half, is a distinct subject of study among most historians.

Another strange reality: The Republic and the Empire were both plagued by civil wars, owing to inadequate political means to ensure succession. At one point in Rome’s decline, when rival leaders vied for power with their respective armies, it became customary for the losing army to join forces with the winning army and so select the next emperor. (At this point, I felt grateful for the US Constitution.)

The scariest part of the lectures revealed that, as the Western Empire declined, most Roman citizens didn’t seem to notice. When the Roman Republic died, the emperors were careful to maintain the fiction of senatorial leadership. Senators who rubber-stamped their emperors’ decisions were still revered even after the Republic became a de facto nonentity. And when the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed, many denizens of the politically fractured landscape still considered themselves, and were considered to be, Roman citizens. (Those who think that people would notice if America declined should think again.)

The lectures offer too much more about the Fall of Rome to recount here. Madden is a good speaker as well as a good scholar, so I recommend this recording.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes to self after reading: 378 Rome is sacked. This is a defining moment in the Fall of the Roman Empire. First time Rome had been sacked in 8 centuries. Entire population of the empire knew of it within days. 476 Rome officially falls. Barbarians, Vandals and Goethes invade due to population pressures over time. Empire spanned between 800 and 900 years from 400 BC to 476 AD in three stages...starts as a Republic. The republic falls into a emperorship led by Julius Caesar around the birth of Christ. He wanted to restore the republic by playing the role of emperor which he acknowledges is a position that does not legally exist. Rome expands its empire to Britain and north africa and as far west as syria. Eastern and western parts of the empire. Rome and Constantinople are capitals. After Rome falls, Constantinople is remains capital of the eastern half of empire later called the Byzantine Empire for another 1000 years. A plague wipes out half of Constantinople in the 5th century. Rome always needed a clear heir to the throne to remain stable. When no clear heirs, military usually ruled. For much of the 4th century Rome was a military dictatorship. Emperorers were always raising the pay of the soldiers and military to buy their allegiance. This led to debasement of the currency although inflation is not discussed as a primary reason for the fall.

As I reflect on this lecture, its hard to do this subject justice in 8 hours. There are so many circumstances and emperors, he really just tries to make a few main points about each one as he touches on all of them sequencially although he does spend considerable time on Caesar, Augustus, Constantine, and Diacletian. It sounds like Rome fell due to invaders. There is very little discussion of currency debasement and inflation.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of Decline of the Roman Republic (with the arrival of the Caesar/Emperors) and the Roman Empire (the Western one)
I'm enjoying the history.

Nice summary history. Gives a balanced perspective, attempts to avoid the typical "what part of this applies to modern society" which is both more utilitarian and less emotionally engaging.

[Suman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I pretty cursory overview at the politics of Rome from the fall of the republic to the fall of the empire. The content itself is pretty interesting, but at 8.5 hours of listening, that's less than 3 weeks of lecture at a university, and it's hard to cover 500 years of history, with any level of depth.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as an audio book - took about 2 weeks to get it all. Madden may write well as a scholar, but his speaking ability leaves something to be desired. Nevertheless the content was very good.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is usual, Dr. Madden is not terribly animated, but the material is tremendous and fascinating. I recommend this as well as his Medieval World I and II courses.

[Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get as much out of this as I would have hoped for. Basically a string of dates and events. I suppose that's what the material is and I should be happy for the lack of embellishments.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After another book by Madden, some of the information overlaps. However, there is much more information completely new to me. Interesting.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might just be rating this high because of my ignorance of the history.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prof Madden is excellent

[Rodney Harvill · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is the fall of Rome? There are three possible options:

1. The fall of the Roman republic with the rise of Augustus in 27 B.C.
2. The deposition of the last emperor in the west in 476 A.D.
3. The fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 A.D.

Professor Madden addresses the first two options in this lecture series. He addresses the third option in The Empire of Gold. The Roman history covered in this lecture series includes:

- The late Republic in the first century B.C., including Sulla and Pompey, as well as the two triumvirates
- The rise of Octavian as Augustus
- The Julio-Claudian emperors through Nero
- The civil war following the suicide of Nero (69 A.D.)
- The Flavian emperors
- The five good emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius)
- The period of military dictatorship from Commodus to Alexander Severus
- A period of general anarchy from Alexander Severus to the rise of Diocletian, a time of great instability in which emperors rose to power by deposing other emperors only to be deposed in turn
- The reforms of Diocletian
- The rise of Constantine and his conversion to Christianity
- The growing influence of Christianity and its complex interactions with the imperial government
- Invasion by the Goths and other Germanic groups and the sack of Rome
- The efforts of Theodosius to contain the Goths
- Invasions by the Huns
- The fall of the western empire to Germanic invaders

With almost six centuries of Roman history to cover in fourteen lectures, Professor Madden could not go into great depth, but had to focus on trends and high points, as well as low points, in Roman history. It was a challenge, but Professor Madden was up to the challenge. The lecture series is done well and is worth the time to listen to it and review the notes.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fabulous and informative lecture series by Professor Madden.