by Janette Peel

Created on: December 16, 2008

As the Romans conquered more countries and the Empire continued to grow, many things changed in Rome. Ambitious soldiers and provincial governors fought to be the next emperor. Many of the emperors were undesirable, while some were skillful administrators who strengthened the Empire.

After the death of Marcus Aurelius, Rome was plagued by a series of inferior rulers. The first of these was Marcus Aurelius' son, who ruled Rome for 12 years and was one of the worst emperors that the Empire had ever seen. He was eventually assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, who auctioned off the job of Emperor to the highest bidder.

During the following century so much time was spent fighting over who would be emperor, that little care was paid to the far reaches of the Empire.

In Germany, local tribes such as the Goths, the Franks and the Alamanni banded together and began to threaten Roman territory.

Constant battles were prevalent in Parthia, and in AD 259 the Emperor Valerian was captured by the Persians. In AD 270 the Emperor Aurelian abandoned Dacia and concentrated his efforts on defeating the Alamanni on the German border.

He also reconquered Gaul which had declared itself independent of Rome. Then Queen Zenobia of Palmyra, to the east of the Empire, began attacks on Egypt and Asia Minor. She too was defeated by Aurelian, and her city destroyed. Aurelian remained emperor for 14 years, but he too was assassinated.

After the assassination of Aurelian, in AD 275, there was another scramble for power and Rome became very unstable once again. Food prices began to rise and heavy taxes were introduced. Bands of outlaws began to roam around the Empire, and fresh invasions began around the borders.

In AD 284 Diocletian came to power. His solution to the problem of keeping the Empire together was to split it into two sections the East and the West and to have two emperors.

He strengthened the army, set maximum prices for food and set a limit for wage rises. His solutions did little to solve any of Rome's problems, but they did make the army more powerful and dangerous.

The senate lost a lot of its power during this period. Black markets for food and other goods began.

Diocletian declared himself a god, and in AD 305 retired to a great palace in the modern town of Split in Croatia. Chaos broke out again with up to four contenders for the job of emperor at any one time, until in AD 312 the general in charge of Britain, Constantine, returned to Rome to claim the throne.

After winning a battle

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