On this day, 1630 years ago, January 17, 0395 (the 10th day of the twelfth lunar month), the Roman Empire split into the East and West Roman Empires.

On January 17, 395, Roman Emperor Theodosius (346-395) died.

Before his death, he divided the empire between his two sons.

Byzantium, 395 AD

The Roman Empire was divided into the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, was established on the basis of the ancient Greek city of Byzantium, so it was also called the Byzantine Empire. At first, its territory included the Balkans, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and part of Transcaucasia.

By the time of Emperor Justinian's reign, the west of North Africa, Italy and the southeast of Spain were incorporated into the territory. It was finally destroyed by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Rome, a ministerial city of the Western Roman Empire.

In 410, the Germanic Visigoths, led by their leader Alaric, entered Italy and besieged Rome. With the cooperation of the slaves in the city, the city gates were opened and plundered away. Since then, many defending states were established in the Western Roman Empire.

In 476, Odoac, the leader of the Roman mercenaries, deposed Romulus, the last emperor of Western Rome, and the Western Roman Empire fell.

The fall of the Western Roman Empire marked the collapse of slavery in Western Europe.

Theodosius II