A House Divided Against Itself

Abstract

This short chapter constitutes an introduction to the main body of the work, and sets out the wide-reaching consequences of permanent civil war within the later Roman Empire. It argues that previous research has overemphasized the importance of external warfare with the barbarian outsiders in recounting the political and military history of the late third and early fourth centuries. Far more important were the wars that Romans fought against themselves. The chapter sets out the broadly chronological structure of the book, and urges the reader to see that chapter divisions organized by dynasty should not suggest that this book takes a traditional approach to late Roman history. Far from it: the legitimacy of many of the late Empire’s great dynasties will be thrown open to question.