Crisis on the Danube: the impact of the crisis of the third century on Illyricum (235-284CE)

<p dir="ltr">This thesis investigates the impact of the third-century crisis on the Danube frontier and Illyricum from a political, military, and civilian perspective. The study found that the soldiers benefitted politically from increased invasions and civil unrest. However, when the Illyrian soldier-emperors arose, the officer class they came from effectively replaced the senatorial governors’ position over them, preventing further increases in influence. Instead, the officer classes benefitted politically, becoming influential, holding important command positions, and becoming the base from which emperors rose. The crisis impacted the soldiers in a more negative way than initially thought. Inflation countered the benefits of rises in military income and donatives. Additionally, the primacy of the Illyrian soldiers led to increases in military requirements, resulting in greater casualties from combat and disease. The Illyrian soldiers were required on campaigns in the east, fighting in conditions unaccustomed to and frequently facing disasters when fighting against the Sassanid Persians. Civilians were hit hardest by the crisis period. Plagues, invasions and devastations, inflation, requisitioning by the military, and depopulations had created a toll already mentioned extensively in the literature. However, the crisis period still brought opportunities and benefits. The increase in importance of the Illyrian provinces provided prosperity in some settlements through the interdependence of the soldiers and civilians. The attention of these regions from emperors also assisted in ensuring prosperity during the crisis, cities benefitted due to mines, mints, strategic locations and sentimental value. Officers, commanders and future emperors came from humble backgrounds in the region. Here, the particularism of locally sourced soldiers protecting and providing revenue for their villages and cities created a better environment between the soldiers, veterans, and citizens. Thus, the impact of the crisis on the frontier was more nuanced than initially thought.</p>