The world: historical and actual . ry expedition upon theRhine, Severus was slain in a mutiny instituted byan officer named Maximus, a rude Thracian peasant,of superb physique. The soldiers were capth;itedby the personal prowess of this Thracian, aminamed him emperor. Then followed another seriesof swiftly rising and falling emperors, having nojust claim to the sovereignty, and no fixed tenure ofoffice. For fifty years the empire was on the vergeof anarchy. During that time, the barbaric hordes,the Persians, on the East and the Goths in theWest, seriously menaced the very existence of theempir
The world: historical and actual . ry expedition upon theRhine, Severus was slain in a mutiny instituted byan officer named Maximus, a rude Thracian peasant,of superb physique. The soldiers were capth;itedby the personal prowess of this Thracian, aminamed him emperor. Then followed another seriesof swiftly rising and falling emperors, having nojust claim to the sovereignty, and no fixed tenure ofoffice. For fifty years the empire was on the vergeof anarchy. During that time, the barbaric hordes,the Persians, on the East and the Goths in theWest, seriously menaced the very existence of theempire. But the hour of doom had not was raised to the throne in A. D. 284,and his accession marked a new era in the empire,entering then upon what may be called its orientalphase. The very name of Consul ceased tc be completed the degradation of the old rul-ing class at Rome, and succeeded in readjusting theempire on a strictly autocratic plan, he vol- ?> *- Mr THE EMPERORS FROM AUGUSTUS TO ALARIC. 169. untarily abdicated, and spent the remaining yearsof his life in elegant retire-ment. His chief associate inpower was Maximian, whom hecompelled to abdicate also,leaving the government toGa-lerius in the East, and Con-stantius in the West. The for-mer, Diocletians favorite son-in-law, was allowed to name theassociate of both himself andConstantius, and he chose for Diocletian. his OW11 associate his nephew, Daza,and for Constantius oneFlavins Serving. The realchoice of Constantius washis own son Constantine ofChristian memory. At thattime Constantius was in Brit-ain, and there he died notlong after. The ambitious son boldlyassumed the office of hisfather, having already won abrilliant record as a soldier,and evinced remarkable sa-gacity. Constantine did notpress his claims at once, butwas content to exercise thefunctions of a subordinateofficer, busied with the ad-ministration of affairs in theextreme Northwest. Declared Emperor at York inA. D. 306, it
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectworldhistory, bookyea
