Knowra Division of the Roman Empire Division of the Roman Empire The gradual separation of Roman government into eastern and western courts, especially after the fourth century. The two halves remained parts of one empire in principle even as their administrations diverged.
Crisis of the Third Century : A period of political instability, civil war, invasions, and economic strain in the Roman Empire from 235 to 284. Its instability exposed the difficulty of governing the empire from a single center.
Roman emperor : The sovereign ruler of the Roman state, whose authority could be shared among multiple co-emperors. The division operated through multiple emperors rather than an immediate constitutional split.
Western Roman Empire : The western portion of the Roman Empire, governed by its own imperial court during late antiquity. Its court lost effective control over much of the West and ended in the fifth century.
Fall of the Eastern Roman Empire : The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, ending the Eastern Roman Empire. The eastern court survived long after the western imperial government disappeared.
Romanitas : A sense of Roman identity expressed through citizenship, law, language, customs, and political belonging. Shared Roman identity persisted despite the increasingly separate governments.
Diocletian : Roman emperor from 284 to 305 who reorganized imperial government and administration. His rule established the Tetrarchy, an early system of multiple emperors.
Praetorian prefecture : A major administrative division of the later Roman Empire governed by a praetorian prefect. Prefectures organized large territories under the increasingly distinct imperial courts.
Fall of the Western Roman Empire : The collapse of imperial rule in the western Roman territories, conventionally dated to 476. The end of the western court made the separation politically irreversible in the West.
Roman Empire : The ancient state ruled by Roman emperors, spanning territories around the Mediterranean and beyond. The eastern and western courts remained governments of this broader imperial state.
Translatio imperii : The medieval idea that imperial authority passed from one ruler or polity to another. Competing claims to Roman succession drew on the empire’s divided legacy.
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