Cimbri and the collapse of Rome

[alexander]

Yeah i like weird words and empires that dont exist anymore :)

 

Cimbri was an interesting german-celtic tribe that threatened Holy Roman Empire in the late 2nd century BC. They were barbarians (and barbarian literaly means a person who does not spealk greek) who were some of the first tribes to pose a serious threat to the great empire. In 105BC they defeated Marcus Aurelius and an army of 80,000 roman troops and another known general at the time, Gnaeus Mallius Maximus causing Rome to draw back and rethink their defense tactics for the Empire. However their rise to power didnt last long, and in 101BC most forces of the tribes were defeated in Spain and Italy, but nontheless marked the first invasion by germanic tribes, with many to come. Obviously you can read more here: Cimbri

 

Here is my question to you though, many historians blame Germans to eventualy cause the empire to collapse, however there were a lot more factors that played into the split and eventual collapse then German tribes in the north.

What do you think was the greatest determining factor in the collapse of the HRE?

[maikeru]

First, the old Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire are rather different entities. As one of my history teachers in high school put it, the Holy Roman Empire was neither "holy" nor "Roman." :cup: If there was a more authentic successor to the Roman Empire, it was Byzantium.

 

I think the collapse of the Roman Empire is attributable to many causes, such as declining birthrates, political instability (read Suetonius' The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, the best book on debauchery ever written! and also don't forget the assassinations and murders of many Caesars and in-fighting between factions in later years, after the Julii/Claudians lost power), changes in morals and ethics, the increasing use of foreigners and mercenaries in Roman armies, and the dissipation of power to outlying provinces and territories, which gradually became powerful, productive, and self-governed in their own right as they absorbed Roman settlers, soldiers, and natives (creating new peoples and new customs and identities).