The Roman Empire's Messy Divorce - The Pax Romana Podcast 101

About this episode

The episode discusses the fragmentation of the Roman Empire in 395 and the power struggles that ensued.

In 395, the Roman Empire did not collapse, but it lost the ability to act as a single, coordinated system. Two emperors inherited the empire—Arcadius in the East and Honorius in the West—but neither truly governed. Power lay with the men around them. Among those men, one stood out: Stilicho, the western general who claimed to act for the unity of the empire itself. Donate: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WZTWCMWCJJYFC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube Channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ProfCPE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Buy Professor Elliott's book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ .

People in this episode

Host: Professor Colin Elliott

Topics covered

• Roman Empire
• division
• Stilicho
• Arcadius
• Honorius
• power dynamics
• history

Keywords

• Roman Empire
• Stilicho
• Arcadius
• Honorius
• power
• history
• 395 AD

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World, YouTube Channel

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• The Sack of Rome - The Pax Romana Podcast 103 · May 20, 2026 · 26 min
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• The Massacre at Thessalonica - The Pax Romana Podcast 99 · March 13, 2026 · 19 min
• The Battle of Adrianople: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Empire - The Pax Romana Podcast 98 · February 24, 2026 · 20 min
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