🤗 Join our Patreon community: www.patreon.com/Maiorianus

Let's not ignore the obvious. While some Emperors moved to Ravenna or Mediolanum and Constantine created his new capital in the East, the empire's name did not change from ROMAN. Rome is still the Eternal City and Western society still lives with and utilizes much of what was handed down to it by the Romans. Rome continues to live on.

The channel "The Historian's Craft" just did a video argueing that the Roman successor state in northern Gaul "The Kingdom of Soissons" never existed. I would love to hear you react or hear your take on the existance and importance of this kingdom and/or army.

Even after the Gothic War and the Lombard invasion, Rome remained so important to the hearts of the Italians that when the unification movement started in the 1800s everyone KNEW the capital would be established there, and when Pope Pius IX decided otherwise the Romans literally chased him out of the city. He got back thanks to the French, and when the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed the informal understanding in Italy was to wait for the next Pope and talk things with him, and in the meantime move the capital from Turin to Florence to keep the French Catholic happy. Then the revolts started because the government had seemingly given up on Rome, but the French-Prussian War invalidated the relevant treaty and removed the French garrison at the same time Pius IX was provoking Italy AGAIN, so the Italian army took the Eternal City on September 20 1870, the capital was finally moved there, and all Italian cities with a cathedral got the main street to it dedicated to September 20 just to be petty.

I sometimes hear your soothing voice when I read books on Roman history.

A little helpful, I hope, language point. There is a difference between "to stop to do something" and "to stop doing something". The former means first to stop and then to do something. The latter means that something ended or not. "They stopped to argue." and "They stopped arguing." So here it should "Rome never stopped being the capital".

Note that the leader of the Western Catholic Church the Pope did not leave Rome (until the 14th Century, and then it returned). Rome remained the spiritual capital of Western Europe.

But at least in Diocletians order of the tetrarchy there were also formally four new capitals in Augusta Treverorum, Sirmium, Nicomedia and Mediolanum for the four parts, right?

Another great video, but the title should read "Why Rome never stopped *being* the capital of the Western Roman Empire!"

Happy New Year 💕. Thanks for sharing always. Rome was beautiful. Hopefully you are doing well. Kind regards Niall O'Connell Eire.

For future videos, as Rome remained the spiritual capital of Western Europe until the Protestant Reformation in 1520, may I suggest a video (or even more than one) on the Papacy. Maybe one on before Constantine, during Constantine, after him, and another after the fall of Rome describing the relations between the Papacy (him that still wears the Pontus Maximus's ring) and the Church and Emperor in Constantinople.

Could you do a scenario in which Constants II survives long enough to establish Syracuse as the new administrative capital of the empire in the 640s as he had planned? Almost no one talks about this potentially seismic shift that very nearly happened.

I love and appreciate your work. I wish I could support you more right now; maybe in the future I can. Have a great year and thanks for sharing.

I think it's more accurate to state that from 450 onwards, Ravenna and Rome shared the status of "joint capitals." As you said, the decision of some of the last western emperors to reside in Rome was due less to confidence and prestige, but reflecting the fact that direct imperial rule was restricted to Italy. Add to that that the emperors post - Valentinian III struggled for legitimacy and/or authority (and their reigns all ending up as ill-fated, anxiety ridden disasters over such a short amount of time) and you get why this interesting bit of trivia is overlooked. It didn't change anything in the long run.

Thanks

It should be remembered the senate remained in Rome. Even into the 530's the Roman Senate remained in Rome; Procopius records the Goths moved a number of them to Ravenna when Justinian's armies loved into Italy. They would not remain there long before they were once more allowed to return. Had Rome had truly lost its importance, the Senate would not have remained there.

Great video ! Good job like always !!

A great, and informative video, as always!

Due to the power of the popes or at any rate of the Church, Rome in a real sense never ceased to be the capital of the West even through the Middle Ages!

This channel is very under appreciated

This channel is really good stuff, shame to think the fall of Rome is an underrated subject

A ten 👍 up! Keep it up!

Your videos are great in questioning what has become as taken for granted regarding roman empire. Same problems I had with the narrative 40 years ago. Modern roman scholarship is heavily influenced by the works of Edward Gibbon, which I consider total trash since he makes it up as he goes and presents it as fact. You also have to read between the lines with the classical authors since they would face death writing anything contrary to their rulers or patrons. You go against the status quo by using common sense which makes your rome channel unique unlike others who just parrot everything.

I used to say that the latter Roman empire wasn't really Rome (anymore than the Ottomans were) because Rome wasn't the capital anymore. I guess I'll have to retire that line :I

Can you take a trip to Ravenna to video the sites and explain whats what? I've never seen the place

Rome left a legacy very long, Romans, both Pagans and Christians praised the ancient City for centuries. Even Emperor Constantine I didn't dare to name the new capital of Constantinople otherwise but as New Rome, Nova Roma!

There's an interesting series about the history of Urbs by Schwerpunkt that deals exactly with the misconception that Rome ever fell at any time even later as the only capital of the Roman Empire. We'd love to see a coop

I've learned that Aurelian himself felt Rome quite safe, but that the Romans were paranoid and so he built the wall for this reason.

Constantinople's population is currently 15 million so it must have got above 500K at some point

Can you please make a video on 'What was history for the Romans'. Basically what did Romans know as history and how far into the past they knew? How much they knew and from what sources. What info was almost correct and what was pure fantasy This kind of video can also be done for Greeks, Egyptians, Medival people and even Muslims

I thought it was Flavius Stilicho who moved Honorius from Mediolanum to Ravenna (with administration following)🤔

What movie is those scenes from?

This should be stated often, though it should be obvious.

Hello Sebastian, On your French-speaking channel, many subscribers want to make donations but can't find the links, could you add them? Friendships, Nicolas

I completely forgot that rome even moved its capital at all 🤣🤣🤣

After Constantine, why do you call those people the Roman Empire?

Will you do a video on Avitus? I think he could have reunited the empire if Majoran hadn't betrayed him

First

Thanks