Rome Crisis

It was a time of revolution. The Roman Revolution describes the little known "crisis of the third century", and how it led to a revolutionary new Roman Empire. Long before the more famous collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, in the years between AD 235-275, barbarian invasions, civil war, and plague devastated ancient Rome.

The 50 years following the assassination of Severus Alexander on March 19, CE 235 has been generally regarded by academics as one of the lowest points in the history of the Roman Empire.

This book is a narrative history of a dozen years of turmoil that begins with Rome's millennium celebrations of 248 CE and ends with the capture of the emperor Valerian by the Persians in 260. It was a period of almost unremitting disaster for Rome, involving a series of civil wars, several major invasions by Goths and Persians, economic crisis, and an empire-wide pandemic, the 'plague of Cyprian'.

Half-sister to Emperor Honorius, unmarried and powerless, twenty-year-old Galla Placidia watches from the shadows as imperial policies are made and unmade. Her plans to gain power and influence are halted when the city is besieged and captured by a vast army led by Alaric the Visigoth. Taken hostage, travelling out of Italy, Galla Placidia falls in love and marries a barbarian king. At a time when Rome's power is fast dwindling, its authority diminishing year upon year, she embarks on a dangerous and remarkable journey towards the imperial throne.

Since the reign of Emperor Tiberius, an uneasy peace has existed along the Danube frontier between the various Sarmatian tribal kingdoms to the north and the Roman Empire to the south. Now, a new threat has emerged in Dacia, as the aged King Duras seeks to unite his people; a feat not witnessed since the legendary King Burebista more than a century before.

From the beginning, Rome was a hotbed of power, overweening ambition, desire, political genius, and corruption. Hughes details the turbulent years that saw the formation of empire and the establishment of the sociopolitical system, along the way providing colorful portraits of all the major figures, both political and cultural. For almost a thousand years, Rome would remain the most politically important, richest, and largest city in the Western world. 

The Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years—an impressive number by any standard. The decline and final collapse of the Roman Empire took longer than most other empires even existed. Any historian trying to unearth the grand strategy of the Roman Empire must, therefore, always remain cognizant of the time scale. Over the centuries, the Empire's underlying economy, political arrangements, military affairs, and the myriad of external threats it faced were in constant flux, making adaptability to changing circumstances as important to Roman strategists as it is to strategists of the modern era.

“This magnificent love letter to Rome” (Stephen Greenblatt) tells the story of the Eternal City through pivotal moments that defined its history—from the early Roman Republic through the Renaissance and the Reformation to the German occupation in World War Two—“an erudite history that...

Julius Caesar: The Man Who Ended a Republic Power. Blood. Betrayal. Rome. History rarely produces a life with this much raw drama. From the mud of Gaul to the marble floors of the Senate, Julius Caesar’s story isn’t just about the past—it’s about how one man’s ambition changed the world forever. He started as a young aristocrat in a Rome that was falling apart. He didn’t just survive the chaos; he mastered it. Through sheer grit and a calculating mind, Caesar fought his way to the top. He crossed the Rubicon, crushed his rivals in a brutal civil war, and dismantled the Roman ...

The very idea of empire was created in ancient Rome, and even today, traces of its monuments, literature, and institutions can be found across Europe, the Near East, and North Africa - and sometimes even further afield. Historian Greg Woolf expertly recounts how this mammoth empire was created, how it was sustained in crisis, and how it shaped the world of its rulers and subjects - a story spanning a millennium and a half of history. 

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Sometimes the wrong choice can be just right . . . Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed "bad boy" friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won't let herself get burned again. She's...

Rome, the Eternal City, is the cradle of civilization. In the one of the most ancient cities you will enjoy the greatest world-famous sights of the Antiquity...

For almost a thousand years, Rome held sway as the spiritual and artistic centre of the world. Hughes vividly recreates the ancient Rome of Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Nero, Caligula, Cicero, Martial and Virgil. With the artistic blossoming of the Renaissance, he casts his unwavering...

The Severan dynasty came shortly after the Five Good Emperors, and it also consisted of five emperors who ruled the empire from 193-235, except for a brief interlude between 217 and 218 when Macrinus held the imperial throne. The Severans' story encapsulates many highs and lows, including able and venal emperors, expansion and loss of territory, great artistic achievements, and intellectual advancements coupled with some of the worst cruelty ever perpetrated by Romans.

The third book in the MARKED MEN series. Somewhere between the perfect fairytale and a broken heart lies a happy ending… Loud and colourful, Cora Lewis is used to keeping her rowdy colleagues at the tattoo shop in line, but all her fiery bluster hides a heart that’s been mistreated too many...

A tense and brilliantly dramatic short story from the bestselling author of The Throne of the Caesars Series. This thrilling short story opens at the end of BLOOD AND STEEL and is the perfect trailer for Harry Sidebottom’s new novel FIRE AND SWORD. AD 238. When Gordian the Younger is brutally...

A tense and brilliantly dramatic 20-page short story from the bestselling author of The Throne of the Caesars Series. AD238. Emperor Maximinus’ reign is under threat as Gordian the Younger and Elder are proclaimed as Emperor. Julius Burdo, official of the Empire, must accompany the knife-boy...