Contesting late Roman Illyricum: Invasions and transformations in the Danubian-Balkan provinces

Persistent intra-imperial conflict transformed the Roman Empire by spreading disunity and destruction among its lands and peoples. New challenges to economy, law, and religion resulted from protracted discord within the Empire. These effects were especially pronounced in the Danubian-Balkan region that the Romans called Illyricum, the most contested area in the civil wars between AD 69 and 394. This dissertation uses civil wars as a lens to examine the late Roman provinces of Pannonia, Dalmatia, Moesia, Dacia, Macedonia, and Thrace.; The first chapter introduces Roman civil war and the Danubian-Balkan provinces since the field of late antiquity has not yet integrated these subjects. Through three centuries of conquest, settlement, and rebellion, the Danubian-Balkan region and its peoples became the vital center of the Roman Empire.; In the second chapter, this dissertation discusses how the reign of the emperor Constantine I left a trail of gold and suffering across the Danubian-Balkan provinces. Constantine enriched certain strategic cities and people, but his wars wrecked the infrastructure and livelihoods of others.; The third chapter considers the consequences of Constantine's sons' "cold" civil wars and the emergence of Christian bishops as regional powerbrokers. The bishops engaged the emperors in their disputes at the Council of Serdica, bringing the Empire to the brink of civil war and foreshadowing the division of eastern and western Christianity.; In the fourth chapter, this dissertation analyzes the devastating effects of the internal wars of the emperor Constantius II. Constantius II earned a reputation for invincibility by sacrificing the security and wealth of southeastern Europe to maintain his position.; The final chapter examines the fate of Illyricum following the Gothic migrations. The loyalty of the region's bishops faced new scrutiny. Civil wars and imperial neglect reduced the former heartland to a convenient buffer between western and eastern emperors.; The transformation of the Danubian-Balkan provinces demonstrated the essential role of internal conflicts in making and unmaking the Roman Empire. The deformation and reinforcement of Roman patterns and systems during periods of intra-imperial conflict indicated the remarkable survivability of the later Empire, as well as the limits and failures of its flexibility.