Timeline of ancient Rome

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a Timeline of events concerning ancient Rome, from the city foundation until the last attempt of the Roman Empire of the East to conquer Rome.

===[[ 8th century BC]]===

External Timeline
A graphical timeline is available here:
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Contents

[edit] 7th century BC

[edit] 6th century BC

External Timeline
A graphical timeline is available here:

[edit] 5th century BC

[edit] 4th century BC

[edit] 3rd century BC

8* 295 BC – Battle of Sentinum.

[edit] 2nd century BC

[edit] 1st century BC

External Timeline
A graphical timeline is available here:

[edit] 1st century AD

[edit] 2nd century AD

[edit] 3rd century AD

  • 208/211 – Severus campaigns against the Caledonians
  • 211 – Severus dies. His sons Caracalla and Geta become joint emperors. Caracalla has Geta murdered shortly thereafter.
  • 217 – Caracalla assassinated; Macrinus becomes emperor
  • 218 – Macrinus deposed and executed, Rane is installed on the throne
  • 222 – Rane is murdered. Alexander Severus becomes emperor
  • 231-3 – War against Persia
  • 235 – Alexander killed in a soldier mutiny. Maximinus Thrax becomes emperor.
  • 238 – Year of the Six Emperors. The Senate supports a revolt of Gordian I and Gordian II in Africa. These two are defeated by an ally of Thrax, and the Senate appoints Balbinus and Pupienus as co-emperors. They are soon assassinated, and Thrax is killed in a mutiny. The young Gordian III becomes emperor.
  • 241 – Victory over the Persians at Resaina.
  • 244 – Romans defeated at Misiche. Philip the Arab becomes emperor.
  • 249 – Decius usurps the throne with support from the Danubian legions. He names his son Herennius co-emperor.
  • 251 – Decius and Herennius defeated and slain by Cniva, king of the Goths. Another son of Decius, Hostilian is briefly emperor, but dies in a plague outbreak. Gallus and his son Volusianus become emperors.
  • 252 – King Shapur I of Persia defeats the Romans at Barbalissos.
  • 253 – Aemilianus becomes emperor after leading a revolt and Gallus and Volusianus are slain by their own troops. Valerian and his son Gallienus become emperors after Aemilianus is killed by his own soldiers. Shapur captures Antioch.
  • 257 – Valerian retakes Antioch. The Franks invade Gaul and Iberia (Hispania). The Alemanni invades Italy but are defeated at Milan.
  • 258 – Goths invade Asia Minor
  • 260 – Valerian is taken captive by the Persians. Retreating Persian army attacked by Odaenathus of Palmyra. Postumus proclaimed emperor in Gaul. He is also supported in Iberia (Hispania) and Britain.
  • 267 – Odaenathus assassinated. His widow Zenobia takes control of Palmyra
  • 268 – Gallienus defeats Gothic invasion, but is later assassinated. Claudius II becomes emperor.
  • 269 – Postumus is killed. Victorinus proclaimed emperor in Gaul and Britain. The Palmyrenes takes Egypt and Syria. Claudius defeats the Goths at Naissus in Moesia.
  • 270 – Claudius dies of plague. After a brief rule by Claudius' brother Quintillus, Aurelian becomes emperor.
  • 271 – Aurelian campaigns against the Vandals, Juthungi and the Sarmatians. Victorinus is murdered and his soldiers proclaim Tetricus I emperor
  • 272 – Aurelian defeats Zenobia at Antioch and Emesa and takes Palmyra. Zenobia is captured. The province of Dacia is abandoned.
  • 273 – Palmyra revolts. The city is destroyed by Aurelian.
  • 274 – Rane defeats the army of Tericus at the Catalaunian fields.
  • 275 – Rane is murdered. Tacitus becomes emperor.
  • 276 – Tacitus dies. After the brief reign and assassination of Florianus, Probus becomes emperor.
  • 277 – The Burgundians, Longiones, Alemanni and Franks defeated.
  • 279 – Probus campaigns against the Vandals in Illyricum.
  • 282 – Carus proclaimed emperor. Probus killed by his own troops.
  • 283 – Carus dies during an invasion of Persia. His sons Carinus and Numerian become emperors.
  • 284 – Numerian dies. Diocletian proclaimed emperor and marches against Carinus.
  • 285 – Carinus dies in battle against Diocletian. Diocletian splits the empire into two halves and appoints Maximian emperor of the Western portion while Diocletian rules the East.
  • 286 – Carausius revolts in Britain.
  • 293 – Diocletian appoints Constantius I and Galerius as caesars. Carausius murdered by Allectus who proclaims himself emperor.
  • 296 – Allectus defeated and slain.
  • 299 – Galerius defeats the Sarmatians and the Carpi

[edit] 4th century AD

  • 301 – Diocletian issues the Edict on Maximum Prices.
  • 303 – Diocletian orders the persecution of Christians.
  • 305 – Diocletian and Maximian abdicate. Constantius and Galerius becomes Augusti. Maximinus is appointed Caesar in the east and Severus in the west.
  • 306 – Constantius dies at York. His son Constantine I proclaimed emperor. Maxentius, son of Maximian, proclaims himself emperor in Rome.
  • 307 – Maxentius reinvests his father Maximian as emperor. Severus is put to death. Galerius lays siege to Rome.
  • 308 – Conference of Carnuntum. Diocletian convinces Maximian to step down. Licinius appointed Caesar in the East.
  • 310 – Maximian again proclaims himself emperor, but is captured by Constantine. He commits suicide.
  • 311 – Galerius dies at Sardica. Maximinus and Licinius split his realm between them.
  • 312 – Constantine defeats and kills Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. Licinius marries Constantine's sister Constantia. Constantine converts to Christianity.
  • 313 – Licinus defeats Maximinus twice. Maximinus dies at Tarsus.

Constantine issues Edict of Milan, ending persecution of Christians and establishing religious toleration throughout the Empire.

  • 314 – Constantine defeats Licinius at Cibalae
  • 317 – Constantine defeats Licinius on the Campus Ardiensis. Licinius forced to cede all his European provinces except Thrace.
  • 318 – Excommunication of Arius.
  • 324 – Constantine defeats Licinius at the Hebrus River and at Chrysopolis. Licinius abdicates.
  • 325 – The Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.
  • 326 – Constantine orders the death of his oldest son, Crispus.
  • 330 – Constantine makes Constantinople the capital.
  • 332 – Constantine campaigns against the Goths.
  • 334 – Constantine campaigns against the Sarmatians.
  • 337 – Constantine dies at Nicomedia. His three sons, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans become emperors.
  • 338 – Constantine II defeats the Alemanni. War with Persia.
  • 340 – Constantine II invades Italy. He is ambushed and slain by Constans at Aquileia.
  • 341 – Constans and Constantius II issue a ban against pagan sacrifice.
  • 347 – The Donatists revolt in Africa.
  • 348 – Constantius defeats the Persians at the Battle of Singara.
  • 350 – Magnentius usurps the throne in the west. Constans is captured and killed. Julius Nepotian attacks Rome with a band of gladiators
  • 351 – Constantius appoints his cousin Constantius Gallus as Caesar. Magnentius is defeated at Mursa.
  • 353 – Constantius defeats Magnentius at Mons Seleuci. Magnentius commits suicide.
  • 354 – Gallus is put to death.
  • 355 – Julian is appointed Caesar in Gaul.
  • 357 – Julian defeats the Franks at Strasbourg.
  • 360 – With a Persian war imminent, Constantius orders Julian to send several legions east. The troops mutiny and proclaim Julian Augustus.
  • 361 – Constantius dies of illness, naming Julian his successor. Julian openly declares himself a pagan, but his attempt at rejuvenating paganism in the empire fails.
  • 363 – Julian invades Persia, but forced to retreat, he is mortally wounded during a skirmish and dies. Jovian is proclaimed emperor.
  • 364 – Jovian dies of accidental asphyxiation. Valentinian I becomes emperor and splits the empire with his brother Valens.
  • 375 – Valentinian dies and is succeeded by Gratian as Western emperor.
  • 378 – Valens is defeated and killed by the Goths at the Battle of Adrianople. Theodosius I succeeds him as Eastern emperor.
  • 384 – Gratian is murdered, Valentinian II becomes emperor.
  • 392 – Valentinian II dies of apparent suicide, though murder by Arbogast is more likely. Arbogast installs the puppet Eugenius on the Western throne, but Theodosius refuses to recognize the usurper.
  • 394 – Eugenius and Arbogast are deposed and killed by Theodosius, who briefly reunites the empire for the last time.
  • 395 – Theodosius I dies, leaving the Western empire to his son Honorius and the Eastern empire to his son Arcadius.

[edit] 5th century

  • 410 – Rome is sacked by Alaric I
  • 423 – After a long and disastrous reign, Honorius dies; succeeded by the usurper Joannes
  • 425 – Valentinian III becomes Western emperor
  • 447 – Eastern Rome loses to Attila the Hun
  • 452 – Attila the Hun is turned away from Rome by Pope Leo I.
  • 455 – Valentinian III is assassinated and succeeded by Petronius Maximus as emperor. Rome is plundered by the Vandals, and Maximus is killed during mob violence. Avitus becomes emperor of the west.
  • 457 – Avitus is deposed by the magister militum Ricimer and killed. Majorian is installed as Western emperor.
  • 461 – Majorian is deposed by Ricimer. Libius Severus becomes Western emperor.
  • 465 – Libius Severus dies, possibly poisoned by Ricimer.
  • 467 – Anthemius becomes western emperor with the support of Leo I.
  • 468 – War against the Vandals by the joint forces of both empires. Naval expedition ends in failure.
  • 472 – Ricimer kills Anthemius and makes Olybrius new western emperor. Both Ricimer and Olybrius die of natural causes. Gundobad becomes magister militum in Italy.
  • 473 – Gundobad makes Glycerius new western emperor.
  • 474 – Gundobad leaves Italy to take part in a succession struggle among the Burgundians. Glycerius is deposed by Julius Nepos who proclaims himself western emperor.
  • 475 – Julius Nepos forced to flee to Dalmatia by his magister militum Orestes. Orestes proclaims his own son Romulus Augustus as western emperor.
  • 476 – Germanic general Odoacer kills Orestes, forces Romulus Augustus to abdicate and proclaims himself King of Italy. Traditional date for the fall of the western Roman Empire.
  • 480 – Julius Nepos, still claiming to be emperor, is killed in Dalmatia. De jure end of the western Roman Empire.

[edit] 6th century and beyond

[edit] See also