The Collapse: Constantine II (AD 337) - Romulus Augustus (AD 476)

[Ed, Chief Curmudgeon]

This period is almost laughable as Emperors come and go and as Emperors are proclaimed by the soldiers they lead whenever there is a lull in the fighting both internal and external.

Why did things go downhill so fast after Constantine died?

Why did Constantine leave the Emperor's chair to three people?

Why did Julian the Apostate finally accede to his soldiers' desire that he be Emperor?

Why did the partition of the Roman into two empires, an Eastern and a Western finally become permanent during the reign of Valentinian?

How was Theodosius able to stop the Goths without engaging them in a pitched battle?

As the Empire in the West collapsed, why was it that the great military leaders were non-Romans?

What was the great General Stilicho's role in the waning years of the Empire.

How was Valentinian III able to maintain titular power in the West for 30 years.

Why did Odoacer refuse to take on the title Augustus in AD 476, effectively ending the Western Roman Empire?