The Roman Empire was an empire that flourished with success and power but unfortunately felt due to a series of adverse challenges and reasons. The empire of Rome started as a small settlement, but then became one of the strongest empires in the ancient words. Eventually, in comparison to neighboring empires such as the Greeks and the Mediterranean’s, Rome became a powerhouse. After several years, the small settlement was converted into a successful and growing empire. Unfortunately, the Roman Empire soon fell for a number of reasons. One of these reasons was the series of invasions conducted by barbarian tribes. Rome experienced the constant challenge of being invaded from various sides with the inclusion of Germanic tribes, the Huns, and other African tribes (Halsall, 1996) . Due to the Roman Empire's wealth and status at the time, the main reason that propelled the barbarian invasions of the empire was to destroy the Roman Empire and gain greater territories.
Before the Roman Empire invasion, the barbarian societies, such as the Germanic tribes, were characterized by an economy based on hunting and herding. These societies were also facing considerable population growth, which forced migratory expansion. When most of these tribes realized the territories they held had become insufficient, their social structures had to be shifted. As the threat of population growth worsened, these barbarian societies only faced a few options, which included the conquest of new territories, the adoption of agriculture in order to feed a greater portion of the population, and the clearing forests to present pasture for its animals. The raiders threatened to take away the land of East Anglian’s and other ancestral possessions; King Edmund died as a martyr protecting the ancestral lands and possessions of his people (Cutler, 1961) . Once the West Germ anic tribes no longer had territory they could effectively use, they began to invade the Roman Empire (ALES vedastinus) . Once they invaded these territories, the tribes made the decision to adopt agriculture. Contrastingly, the eastern Germanic tribes still had an option to expand through migration. After facing the Slavic and Baltic societies, they continued to herd as a major economic activity as compared to the western Germanic tribes.
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Some of the most considerable challenges to the Romans begun with the Germanic tribes. At the start of the third century, the Romans had weak leadership, which affected their ability to combat the rising threat. The resources of the empire were then affected in their military defense against the threats that surrounded them. During this weakened period, the Roman empower was challenged by the barbarian invaders for control over their territories. In the second half of the third century, the barbarians started to lead attacks against the Roman Empire. After a number of victories, these invaders started to build ships and boats, which would enable them to reach even more extensive sections of the Roman Empire.
The challenge that the Barbarians posed adversely affect the financial position and defense capabilities of the Romans. The need to raise greater forces and finances needed to protect the empire threatened the collapse of the empire. The fall of Rome resulted from the ability of the barbarian invaders to take advantage of the difficulties that were already existent in Rome. Some of these problems included a decay in the city, the absence of tax revenue, the overpopulation of its territories, poor leadership, and the absence of a proper defense system (ALES). The barbarian invasions into the Roman Empire presented an interesting challenge. As already stated, invasions had become regular in the third century and ultimately resulted in Gothic wars. Additionally, the Barbarians attacked the Roman Empire to collect tax, gold, and other ancestral possessions. The King of Wessex decided to pay tax and offer provisions to them if the raiders left (Winroth, 2006) . These invasions resulted at the end of the traditional military structure of the Roman legacy, which was defined by an active force separated from the general population.
After the invasions, there were several changes to the empire, which included the establishment of systems of taxation and public finance. The change in Rome was not only evident through its military, but also in its culture. Types of literature that had been established, with the inclusion of secular history, were vanishing. As the Germanic tribes were only interested in gaining more territory for agriculture and hunting, their only interest in the territories they gained was the size of land they obtained. As they had no interest in imposing their ideologies, they found it highly beneficial to work closely within the sophisticated frameworks of Roman society. Hence, the third and fourth centuries saw several invasions from different Germanic tribes against the Roman Empire.
In conclusion, the main aim of Barbarian invaders when invading the Roman Empire was to destroy the existing empire and gain greater territories. The Barbarian invaders were made up of a variety of societies, such as the eastern and western Germanic tribes. By the third century, these tribes were facing an adverse challenge of overpopulation, which had affected their ability to feed their existing peoples and livestock as well. As their economic activities were mainly farming and trading, these tribes had a need to obtain greater territories to be able to carry out these activities. These needs resulted in their invasions of their neighbors, which mainly includes the eastern and Western Roman Empire. These invasions occurred at a time in which the Roman Empire was severely weakened by other challenges, such as threats from the Persian Empire. Due to the strain that these invasions placed on the finances and military capabilities of the Roman Empire, they ultimately resulted in the fall of the empire.
References
ALES vedastinus. (n.d.). University of VIrginia , p. 882. Retrieved from http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/annalesvedastini.html
ALES Xantensis who are calling. (n.d.). University of Virginia , p. 846. Retrieved from http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/xanten.html
Cutler, K. (1961). The Martyrdom of St. Edmund, King of East Anglia, 870. Medieval Sourcebook , p. 870. Retrieved from https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/870abbo-edmund.asp
Halsall, P. (1996). Ibn Abd-el-Hakem: The Islamic Conquest of Spain. Medieval Sourcebook . Retrieved from https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/conqspain.asp
Winroth, A. (2006). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20190423124739/https://classesv2.yale.edu/access/content/user/haw6/Vikings/AS%20Chronicle%20994.html
