Military anarchy

Military anarchy is the historiographical denomination of the period of the Roman Empire that takes place between 235 and 268, during which the Roman army, at different times and places, and by different military units, came to proclaim many Roman emperors, each of they with a very different effective power or territorial control; almost all enemies against each other and in struggle against each other. In fact, between 235 and 268, no fewer than 26 emperors ruled, only one of whom suffered a natural death, while all the others fell into battle or were killed. In that half-century calamitous inflation soared - the cost of living rose by more than a thousand percent - while borders were constantly besieged and surpassed. This last forced the rulers to raise the taxes that were charged to the population to be able to face the increasing expenses of defense, including the payment to German mercenaries who began to assume increasing responsibilities in the protection of the Roman Empire. p>

It corresponds to the initial moment of the so-called Crisis of the third century that opens the decline of the Roman Empire and the extensive historical period called late Antiquity. Notes

wiki