From Stability to Crisis in the Third Century C.E.

In the third century C.E., military expenses provoked a financial crisis that fed a political crisis lasting from the 230s to the 280s C.E. Invasions on the northern and eastern frontiers had forced the Roman emperors to expand the army for defense, but no new revenues came in to meet the increased costs. The emperors’ desperate schemes to pay for defense damaged the economy and infuriated the population. This anger at the regime encouraged generals to repeat the behavior that had destroyed the republic: commanding client armies to seize power in a prolonged civil war. Earthquakes and regional epidemics added to people’s misery. By 284 C.E., this combination of troubles had destroyed the Pax Romana.