200 BC-AD 400 Roman

By 200 BC the Roman Republic controlled the Italian peninsula and Sicily and shortly afterwards added parts of North Africa, Spain and the Balkans to its territories. Over the next 200 years Rome conquered much of modern Europe including France, Turkey and Greece. Britain followed soon afterwards but Ireland, Scandinavia, and most of eastern Europe remained outside the empire.

The Roman way of life was adopted across the empire bringing a common language, currency and religion. The empire also effectively created a single economic market and trade flourished throughout its provinces. While some rebelled against this, most willingly adopted Roman culture. By the 2nd century AD, men from provinces such as Spain (Trajan) or North Africa (Septimius Severus) were able to rise to the position of emperor.

After AD 230 the empire entered a period of crisis. Emperors were weak and short-lived, civil wars broke out, inflation destroyed the economy and plague ravaged the cities. Barbarians to the north and Persians to the east smashed down Rome’s frontiers. Diocletian (reigned 284-305) restored the empire and divided it into two administrative halves and Constantine (reigned 306-337) established Christianity as the state religion. In 395 the empire split forever into east and west. In 410 the west fell and Rome was sacked. The empire as a cohesive unit no longer existed.